Whose Turn is it to Wash Dishes?

As I wash the dishes, I go into the routine zone. That's what I call the place I go to when I do tasks on cue because I was trained by my parents to do so when I was a child. My mother made sure that when each Brown child got to the appropriate age, that child was trained to do certain housekeeping tasks. That way, the household work load was shared. My mother kept a clean house. It was modest, but it was clean. The kitchen cleaning process included clearing the table, scraping the plates so the food scraps went into the garbage can, washing and rinsing dishes/pots and utensils, wiping the tablecloth or the tabletop, putting away all condiments in the fridge or cabinet, and sweeping the floor. Each able child was assigned a week monthly for kitchen cleaning after dinner. Important rule: dishes were not allowed to sit on the table until the assigned child got around to cleaning up. When the last Brown left the table, the cleaning began. Dishes and food did not sit out all afternoon, evening, or all night. Thanks, Mom💗! 

Does this sound familiar to you?

www.sylviabrownroberts

 

Sleeping Alone or Sleeping With?

When you're used to someone sleeping in bed with you, it feels different when they don't. This is not a sad tale. This is about looking at the situation in more ways than one. Some people would rather sleep alone. Some people never want to sleep alone. It doesn't happen often, but when my husband's not here due to business travel, the bed isn't as warm on a cold winter night. I don't get to comfortably drift into sleep listening to his familiar breathing pattern. I don't get the sense of knowing that someone I trust is sleeping next to me.

On the other hand, on the rare times I do sleep alone, I don't have to search for the television remote in the morning. I only have to make up one side of the bed in the morning: my side.

I opt for sharing the bed with my partner. Your thoughts?

Smiles😊!   www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Stress Test Experience

I had my first stress test today. It was no joke. I used treadmills at the last gym I attended and have  used one at home, so I figured I'd pass the test without too much stress. The technician and the nurse practitioner told me what to expect as I had the gel and the sensors applied. I was mellow for the first phase and chatted comfortably with the staff members as they monitored me and the medical equipment. I soon learned this medical treadmill was a lot more than the one pictured here. Second phase: I walked more quickly, was still able to chat, but I breathed more deeply. Third phase: I jogged in order to keep up. As it sped up, I saw myself as Lucille Ball in one of her "I Love Lucy" episodes and as Martin Lawrence in one of his "Martin" exercise episodes. I held on tight to the bars to keep from flying off the treadmill backwards. My feet felt heavy. My lungs screamed at me. The last time I remember running this hard, I was twelve and a dog was chasing me. I kept running until the third phase was slowed down. I know I looked all kinds of crazy, but I gave it my all. How was your first stress test experience?😊

 www.sylviabrownroberts.com

 

Family Life

Here's one way to make a family member come into the kitchen: mop the kitchen floor. It's pretty much guaranteed that before the floor is dry, your beloved spouse, one of your adorable children, auntie, or another one of your precious kinfolk will feel the need to walk into the kitchen, all over your wet kitchen floor. Try to keep cool.

Some of you know I'm right. 😄

Sylvia @www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Is It Worth Fussing About?

When I walked into the kitchen and saw this, I went into under-my-breath fuss mode. "He never empties the toaster crumbs after he uses this toaster! He never wipes down the outside of the toaster!" Before I could get wound up, I thought about a dear elderly woman whose beloved husband was called to his rest years ago. She told me how she regularly, quietly, and lovingly checked to make sure he turned off the toaster oven after heating his nightly snack: often a slice of her homemade pie that he'd top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. She did this to keep the toaster oven from overheating-a fire hazard. She thought it was a small task considering what a hard-working man, wonderful father, and loving husband he was. He showed daily that he was a God-fearing man.

I'm thankful I thought of her words. I know she'd gladly continue to check the toaster oven if she could have him still here with her. My fussing attitude was promptly checked and replaced by thoughts of how my husband shows that he loves me.  God sends what and who we need when we need such to help us grow. We have to be open to receive the grace He sends. I'm thankful I listened and was humbled.

Sylvia @www.sylviabrownroberts.com

 

Don't Start Stuff With People.

There's a young grocery store cashier who's very quiet and very efficient. She's not the type to make small talk, but every now and then she responds "Welcome" to my "Thank you." It doesn't matter to me that she isn't chatty. Maybe she's shy. Maybe English isn't her first language. I'm happy that she works so swiftly, and I usually aim for her line because of her skill. One day, an older male customer in line ahead of me kept trying to make her talk. He repeated about three times: "Good afternoon. It's a nice day, isn't it? I said good afternoon. How are you doing today?" She didn't respond. She kept her head down and moved the grocery items, tapped the keys, bagged the groceries, announced the bill amount, and gave him his change. She did her job. I got a negative vibe from his behavior. It dawned on me that he was trying to make her talk to him and he felt she should be honored he was willing to interact with her. I started to say something, but she looked at me like she had it under control. When she finished bagging my items and gave me my change, she smiled and said to me, "Have a nice day!" I smiled and repeated the words to her.

Tell me what you think that was all about.         Sylvia @www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Did You Lose Your Ring?

This is my confession: for five days, I couldn't find this ring. It's the ring my husband gave me eleven years ago in honor of our 10th wedding anniversary. It nestles between my wedding band and my engagement ring. Some may think it's modest, but to me, it's just right. I rarely take these two off my finger. 

About a week ago, I took off this ring and the wedding band before putting my hair in two strand twists. The product I use is not good for the stone and gets in the grooves of the band. I thought I put both rings on a ring stand. The next morning, I saw only the band on the ring stand. For the next few days I churned my brain and searched all over for the yellow gold ring. I prayed. I determined to tell the truth. On the 6th day, I found my ring in a pocket of the pants I wore the day I twisted my hair. Has something like this happened to you? Hope you had a happy ending, too.

Sylvia @www.sylviabrownroberts.com     

Author's Root Canal

 

Don't let my smile fool you. It's a smile from another day.

Today was the day for my root canal. My great dentist let me know this last week at my first dental cleaning in a year. The delay was due  to Covid-19 safety precautions.

 I don't like needles and I don't like drills, but today I discovered the needles with the numbing agent were okay. My dentist had to drill through a bridge to get to a nerve in order to stop an infection in a molar. It's the noise of the drill and the thought that it might hit an unnumbed spot that gets to me. I made it through part one of this process without jumping out of the chair. Next session is next week, and I hope it's the last of this procedure. Maybe I'll write a short piece about this adventure.

Actually, I can still smile. I have a great and gentle dentist. I have dental insurance, and so many other blessings. God is good.

Sylvia @www.sylviabrownroberts.com

With These Hands

 

Ever think about the agility, swiftness, precision, steadiness, and strength of your twenty year-old hands? Amazing, right? When I was  younger, many moons ago,  my hands fit all these descriptions. I liked to tinker with objects, complete puzzles, and assemble things like trays, small tables, bookshelves, etc. I was good at it, because my hands quickly picked up the signals from my brain and my fingers marched to the task. In this picture, you see one of my hands. My task is to assemble a shoe shelf for our clothing giveaway at the church building. My hand tries to make a two-direction connection of metal tubes with a plastic connector piece. So thankful for our thumbs, because they can do things our other fingers cannot. I completed the project. It took longer than it did in my twenties, but my hands/fingers did their job. As I age, I'm thankful for the strength I still have in my body. You probably agree. We might not be as quick, but the task usually gets done.

Sylvia @ www.sylviabrownroberts.com 

The Light

 

Isn't it great when you find a gift that you put away because you didn't want to lose it? My niece Vonetta gave me this cool pen one holiday season. I found it when I switched purses recently. The message: Jesus is the Light is truth to me. When I push the tip of the stylus, the words light up. I like this gentle reminder. When I think on this message, life goes smoothly even when things go off track. That's because my focus turns to the meaning of the sentence and the fullness of who Jesus is. 

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Moving Forward in Faith

 

There's a small visual difference between these two pictures, but a major actual difference in status. Do you see it? Filming starts in July 2021. Yes!

www.sylviabrownroberts.com🙏

s

SIS SYLVIA INTERVIEW (By Sis. Phoebbie Cakes)

My Earring Bowl and My Novels

 My brother gave me an Etsy gift card. I tucked it away. Almost a year later, I saw this earring bowl while browsing Etsy, so I found the gift card and now the bowl is mine. It makes me smile.

Behind the earring bowl are my four novels in the Church Doors series.  They also make me smile. The novels tell the story of NikkiMac, a woman with a colorful history who turns to Christ and aims to walk in faith. She stumbles, but she doesn't quit.

Take a look at:

https://www.amazon.com/author/sylviabrownroberts 

Not The Job For Me!

Look at the man up high in the tree.👀

He's actually sawing the limb he's on. It reminds me of the children's cartoon where the coyote saws the limb to get the bird named Tweety, but the coyote's on the wrong part of the limb and falls way down with the limb! Remember that from your childhood tv time?

Look at the distance from where he is to the ground and his coworkers. 

This is definitely NOT a job for me!

You?

Smiles😊😊 from Sylvia

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Sometimes the Characters Take Charge

  Pictured are the four novels in my Church Doors series. The first one: Behind Church Doors was published in 2010. I was thrilled when I first held a copy in my hands. I planned to write another, but didn't think about writing a series. My readers told me something different, and Beyond Church Doors was published in 2013. Then, my characters started to nudge me, and  Behind and Beyond Church Doors: Promises was published in 2016.  I thought it was time to write a stand-alone novel, but the characters nudged some more, and in 2020, there was Church Doors Book 4: Won't Quit! 

My novels are about the same main characters (with new characters added in each novel) working out life's situations while trying to follow Christ, and dealing with the consequences when they don't. Let's see if they nudge me to write novel 5 in the Church Doors series. All of the novels are @amazon.com

www.sylviabrownroberts.com  

Read the Signs

I saw these directions while shopping at a store. These directions on the floor are signs of our covid-19 times. When we follow these directions, more social distancing occurs, which leads to physical safety. 

Yet, these directions also bring to my mind the concept of spiritual safety. 

Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. 

The principle: There is a right way and a there is a wrong way. Key words: leads to destruction and leads to life

It's interesting what connections we can get from images.

Stay safe,

Sylvia @ www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Wake All The Way Up!

I made a mess this morning. I loaded my trusty old drip coffeemaker to brew a fresh pot, then I went back upstairs. When I returned to the kitchen, coffee and coffee grounds were all over the counter. It took me a few minutes before it dawned on me that I had put the coffee filter in the machine and filled it with ground coffee, but didn't put the filter into the removable holder first. What a waste of good coffee! My lesson for today: when I stay up late at night reading and writing, make sure I'm all the way alert in the morning before I operate the coffeemaker. 

You do something odd in your morning routine because although you are out of bed and moving around, you're not fully awake. Has this ever happened to you? Or is it just me?😊

Sylvia

 www.sylviabrownroberts.com

  

We Got The Shot.

 It's been close to a year since I began the pandemic survival behaviors: mask wearing, social distancing, much handwashing, staying at home a lot, limited group gatherings, no dining at restaurants, and such. When a vaccine was first announced, I held back because it seemed to have been created so quickly. What about movies like the 2007 " I Am Legend" (starring Will Smith) and other movies depicting a man-made cure that went so wrong? I didn't want to get unplanned, negative side effects and so on. But then, I watched the huge numbers of daily deaths due to Covid-19. Next, the new variants of the virus marched onto the scene. When an opportunity came along,  I seized it. FEMA, the army, our governor's and mayor's offices, and a faith-based initiative offered Covid-19 vaccines to those eligible. I signed up, and so did my very senior citizen mother. This picture reminds me of our vaccination experience. It was well-organized, the staff was very pleasant and informative, especially the military team. Plus, the needle didn't hurt at all and the side effects were minimal. We marked the date for the 2nd dose on our calendars. Please do what you need to do to survive this pandemic. Did you get your shot yet?  I ask because I care.

Thankful😌,

Sylvia @ www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Socks

Sometimes we're able to see things through a different and clearer lens when we talk with a person who has more experience in certain areas than we have.

I like socks. I have lots of them and can go for at least three weeks before running out of clean socks. Then I  throw a load of dirty socks in the washing machine and the dryer. All clean. In the fall and winter, I sleep with socks on my feet. I spoke with a person who gave me a different view on the importance of socks. For a period of time, this person didn't have a place to live in. Socks were extremely important when I didn't have a place to stay. I was often out in the cold and wet. Socks helped protect my feet, even when I had holes in my shoes. I was happy when I could get a new pair of socks. My old socks would be dirty and ragged and I didn't have a way to wash and dry them. I could only wear the same pair of socks for so long. A new pair of socks was a blessing. 

This was a reminder to me. Don't take even the smallest thing for granted. Do what you can to be a blessing to others. Socks are a blessing to those who don't have socks. 

Sylvia@www.sylviabrownroberts.com

It's Under Control

 I'm trying to remember if this snowy night view is from the 2nd or 3rd recent snowstorm. The storms run together in my head. I'm clear on the fact that I choose to shovel  my old stone front steps because some of them can easily be knocked loose if hit the wrong way with a shovel. I know these steps like no one else does, so I shovel them gently. The rest of the snow can be handled by my husband or kind neighbor.

I wonder if all this recent precipitation, (there's more to come in the next few days), is to clear the air. There are lots of bad things hanging out in the air these days: viruses, hatred, lies, suspicion, death, violence, and so on...We're under lots of pressure, but it's comforting to remember that God is in charge. Be gentle with yourself and others. God's got it under control. Trust Him.    

  www.sylviabrownroberts.com

When Your Parents Agree About Your Guy

  Mom gave this card to my husband for the 2020 holiday season. The words she wrote at the the end make my heart smile. Before the pandemic, my husband joined us at Mom's for Sunday dinner after worship services. But Covid-19 caused him to use extra precaution for her safety, especially because she's an octogenarian.  She follows the safety rules. He wants to be extremely careful about her exposure to extra people. He follows all the safety rules too, and he'd be heartbroken if she's mistakenly exposed to the virus. They miss each other at the family meals. They've built a strong mother-in-law/son-in-law relationship over the years. It touches my heart. Like my late father said about my future  husband years ago, "Tony's got a good heart." Mom agrees.

Smiles from Sylvia 

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

No Shopping List

This is what happens on the rare times I go to the grocery store and leave my shopping list at home.  I remember maybe two items on the list, then I wander around the store trying to remember more. Of course, foods I usually avoid call out to me. They end up in my shopping cart. 

The items in this cart that are on  my absent shopping list are the Maxwell House coffee and the bottles of Vitamin Water. The fried chicken, bacon, and donuts are not on my list. No wonder I look so unfocused. This author is definitely a List Person.  What about you?😊

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

When The Ideas Keep Coming

 I'm thinking about writing a 5th novel in my Church Doors series. In Church Doors Book 4:Won't Quit! (2020) main character NikkiMac marries Adam, the assistant minister of the church. New ideas are popping in my mind about the possible challenges and victories in this marriage and in the church. In Behind Church Doors (2009), NikkiMac first appears and tells how a single woman in her early 40's with a colorful history decides to learn about the Lord. NikkiMac's biggest challenge after she becomes a Christian is doing what God says in the Bible instead of doing what she wants to do. In Beyond Church Doors (2013) and Behind and Beyond Church Doors: Promises (2016), NikkiMac sees growth in her spiritual life. Although she continues to have missteps, she gets back up when she falls. She's kind of like many of us in our walk of faith. The novels are available at amazon.com and barnes&noble.com as well as from me. Visit www.sylviabrownroberts.com for more info. I'd enjoy hearing from you!

Sylvia Brown-Roberts

What's That Smell?

 Last Tuesday, there was a strange odor coming from the basement. That's where the gas water heater and the furnace are located.  I remembered that something that smells like rotten eggs is added to the gas that comes into homes so residents can smell a gas leak, which can be deadly. I wasn't certain that was the smell, but I called the gas and electric company, followed the instructions given (open some windows, don't use electrical appliances, etc.). I waited for the technician. Suddenly, a rush of anxiety crept into my spirit, so I thought about these two scriptures, went into prayer, and my spirit settled. The technician did a thorough check. It wasn't a gas leak. The source of the smell is a post for another day😊.

🙏I'm in awe of the power of prayer.🙏   

Visit Sylvia @ www.sylviabrownroberts.com