The Whole Loaf

       I named my blog "Bread Krumz" because I just wanted to share a little of my thoughts and experiences.  However, lately I've been wanting to share the WHOLE loaf!!!  But even in eating real bread (whole loaf - 20 slices) - plain with nothing else can be boring and I don't want to type a lot of things and have you not read or appreciate what is here.  I want to take two slices, add meat and spices so your reading my blog will be a pleasure.  So here goes and I apologize now if I cannot contain myself and I stray away with what I want to do.

       I believe Tennessee was in my blood before I was born.  Growing up and travelling through Tenn. to Florida was always an experience.  Blue Ridge Mountains, fresh air, mountain roads (this was scary as Dad was a fast driver even in the two lane mountains!) and everything that goes with this state I loved at an early age.  I remember vacations to Lookout Mountain, Fat Man's Squeeze, Gatlinburg and more.  The summer before I was married Dad and Mom took me to Gatlinburg and there were two days that we spent the night in the mountains.  The curvy roads up and down were unrelenting to my Mom and speeding down with a truck on your tail with a huge drop off on the side to the bottom of the mountain was wearing on me as well.   We threatened him with his life (yeah, sure) and he found a hotel wedged in the mountain, surrounded by trees and away from traffic.  Swimming in the pool was pleasant and the night was cool and the mosquitoes large, but I loved it.  The morning was even more memorable.  The scenery is something I remember to this very day.  Swimming as the fog lifted from the trees and hearing the morning sounds of the forest were worth the freezing water.  Breakfast in a small diner cannot be compared to the places today.  Real food was served by real Southern belles, most of which had teeth and called Dad "Honey". 

        Years after, our whole family had the opportunity to rent a very large cabin to hold all four families.  It was straight up a hill and overlooked other mountains and the town below.  It rebirthed in me the love for this type of beauty not to mention the memorable double rainbow!

          What do you do with this type of love...well, this isn't the answer for everyone, but we moved to Tennessee just last year, December, 2012.  It took us awhile to get here and it truly seems surreal that me, a person who doesn't travel but every once in a while, who only knows a daughter and family has "moved" to this state!  Yes, it was hard leaving family and all those I know to start on a new adventure but at this time in my life,  I need an adventure - a safe one.  I know those who think of an adventure as an adrenalin-racing experience between life and death, but not me.  Safe is the key word - I go out of my way where before in my younger life, the darings to climb the tree higher, swing on a poison ivy covered vine the farthest (yes, covered my face!), go into a noted "spooky" house where rumors of murder was there and so it goes.  Adventure doesn't always mean breathtaking, heart pumping, passing out - it means something new you have not experienced before and the path it takes you down.

         My husband shares this adventure with me and as he is overseeing the final part of our home he is creating a very special place for me to be creative - a sewing room!  He has seen me make a sewing room from two existing basements.  The first one was just big enough for a desk, the second one was half the basement where it was cool in the summer and freezing in the winter, but it was my space.  Now I have the privilege of going toward Heaven in the Bonus Room where it is much hotter (why?) and in a space where walls, paint and carpet will be put up by someone who loves me.  He knows this part of  my dreams and what I want to do to bless others and perhaps make some money.  This to me is "adventure".

          None of this could have been done if our many prayers, blessings, etc. weren't orchestrated by God, our Father.  In my next blog, I will love to tell you this journey - it was one I have never experienced before.  Or, perhaps I just wasn't looking.

          Thank you for reading my blog, it was fun remembering and sharing with you.
Beth       
       
       
     

Do you see what I see?

       These things hang around in every house, come in different sizes and shapes, show up where you want them and can even be scary especially in the morning.  You don't even have to say a word, all you do is look and it can lie or be overly truthful.   Now before you run and get a rolled up newspaper or flyswatter, I have to say - it isn't alive, at least mine isn't and I know yours isn't either - except for one.  Have you guessed it?  A mirror!!

        It became more and more evident that my mirror and I were just not getting along.  I noticed its cruelty as I would turn the bathroom light on and gave me its panoramic view of how I slept the night before.  Then there were the pictures...hair done, make up on just right, teeth sparkling, dressed for the day - my reflection from the "mirror" was totally good.  An idea of taking a profile picture at this time with my cell phone would be good, after all our girls do it all the time and they look great!  They get in front of a mirror, smile and there is another great picture on Facebook - wow, is all I can say.   On my last try at getting a good picture, I see two different people!  One in the mirror is different from the picture on my phone, what happened to the make up, the hair and by the tenth photo shoot, my smile is pretty much gone!!  

        If I am having this problem, I just wonder if others do too.  I've seen on Oprah (forgive me for that) where a skin-on-bone covered woman would look into her mirror and all she would see is fat.  There are also people going through surgeries to repair the imperfections the mirror tells them they have.  Of course, we cannot forget the movies we've seen where the man stands in front of the mirror, sees the tight abs and buns but in reality that only occurred when he was 16. 

         What makes anyone, myself included, believe these mirrors in what they are telling us?  They have no mouth, no soul, yet we believe them over someone who does!  My husband will tell me how pretty I look and wants to take me to a movie and dinner.  Yet, I believe the mirror!  Sometimes I want to say to him, "Yeah, have you talked to the mirror?  That's not what IT said!"  Well, that can shoot an evening down the drain, but I so appreciate his persistance in telling me I'm pretty.

         The only mirror that ever told the truth was the one in Snow White.  However, I wish the artists would have made Snow White ugly!  It wasn't her outside beauty that made the mirror state she was fairer than the queen, it was the inside beauty permeating through.  The queen was beautiful on her own, but her jealousy made her truly ugly and to the point of murder!!

        While our girls were growing up, I told them that beauty goes far deeper than the skin.  If there is beauty within, there is beauty without.   The most beautiful person can turn into a frog (warts and all) just by opening their mouth or doing an acts of unkindness.  The Bible says "out of the mouth, the hearts speaks". 

          As I think about this love-hate relationship with my mirror, I realize there is more in the picture than meets the eye.  I realize my "Satisfaction of Reflection" or my SOR may never measure up consistently with what I would like.  If I cannot change the outside except through extreme measures, I can continue to change inside.  Continuing acts of kindness, remember that I am loved by family and friends brings happiness and a smile which gives me a face lift. I can remember the ultimate love and sacrifice Jesus gave me which brings a faith lift. 

         Instead of thinking you need to remove all the reflectory glass in your home, think what makes you happy, love yourself where you are now, believe that God loves you because you truly are "beautifully and wonderfully made" (His word) - All of these and more cause a mirror to change from something that tauntingly hangs around to wonderful works of art.

   

     

      

         

Can it get any louder?

      For the past few months I've been "hearing" and doing what yells the loudest.  The results can be stressful and tiresome, like on a treadmill walking or running - going no where.   So this morning, in the early hours that I cannot sleep, I thought I would write.  The house is quiet.  However outside, the thunder sounds its deep, crashing voice while lightning dances around it.  It has my attention as it heralds in the pounding rain.  In between the intermittent sounds, I hear quiet, almost a "silence".  

      I love times like this away from clamoring where I can just stop and refresh.  I had been reading about Elijah where he ran to the cave to hide.  He hid for his life, he was exhausted and he was tired.  Sound familiar?  This probably wasn't a very comfortable place to hide, darkness, bats, animal poop, snakes, the dreaded spider, scorpions..(ew!) Where we hide may not be much better, but I love what God says, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" This says two things to me, God always knows where we are and the condition we are in and because God called Elijah by name, what/who else was in the cave that would have answered the Almighty God of the Universe!

       I love these next verses - Behold, the Lord passed by!  There were great/strong winds that tore mountains and rocks, then a horrible earthquake, then a fire, but God was not in any of these attention getting, fearful occurances.  Let's face it, God is Spectacular and he can DO the spectacular, but at this time God reveals Himself in quietness, a low whisper.   Elijah heard it, then went out and stood at the entrance where God gave him instruction and encouragement.

      These past few weeks and months have not been God doing the spectacular, it has been my allowing the noise to take precedence of my attention.  But at this time, in the early morning hours, the storm is over and the birds are heralding another day, I think I will go out, stand and meet the only One who knows I need His quietness, strength and encouragement.

      So, if you will excuse me....thank you for reading my thoughts turned into words.  Have a good morning and a blessed day. 

A GARDEN LIKE NO OTHER!

I love how the Bible describes the Garden of Eden in Genesis.  The mystery of it always made me think of the why and where it is now, and how awesome is the cherubim He placed at the east of the garden  and that amazing flaming sword which magically turned every way to “keep (block) the way to the tree of life”!  No magician or cartoon animator could  ever compare to this real life and strange sight.  There are so many questions and sights in my imagination.  However, I don’t want answers just yet.  I love a good mystery and there isn’t anyone who can give the true answers – just speculation.

The two trees God put in the middle of the Garden are the center of one mystery.  Side by side, in the center is the Tree of Life(TL) and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen 2:9). The Tree of Life is again written about in Revelation 22 where it bears 12 different types of fruit, yielding every month.

The second, Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (TKGT), like most forbidden things was pleasing to the eye, offered food and something new – excitement or that was the way it was presented.  In my searching, this tree is not spoken of again in the Bible – what happened to it?

I have an opinion about the fruit of the TKGT – it no longer exists.  It isn’t our present-day apple, tomato or pear.  When the Garden was closed, the TKGT was taken care of never to be seen or eaten from since.

Also, where is the Garden? Where is the sword? Where is the cherubim?  Perhaps it was wiped away when the flood came?  Could it be hidden in plain sight! Or......what do you think? 

Thank you for reading my thoughts….

Cave of Despair/Cave of Hope

I’ll bet you have been in a cave.  When I was much younger, my Uncle Jack and Aunt Addie took my cousin, Cindy, and I to Old Man’s Cave.  It was a nice and big – nothing scary there!  Then Eddie and I stopped with our three little girls at Ruby Falls.  This was more like a cave!  Even scary because they turned out the lights to show you how dark it was.  The walkway of twists and turns were very uncomfortable only to come upon a waterfall someone had the idea to put a light on with colored bulbs and charge you to go “ahh, ohhh” and all I could think of was the walk back “ugh”!

In reading the story of David, I came upon several places where circumstances of his life caused him to hide in a cave.  I compared his cave with the ones I visited and  in doing so, the Lord laid it on my heart that these weren’t the comfy caves I had visited.  My imagination takes over and I think perhaps David’s cave was dark with damp dirt or mud, sharp rocks, bone cold and a home for bats, rats and snakes, but nothing compared to David’s personal despair that he felt – being alone and lonely – the darkness reached his soul.  This cave was not only a hiding place, but a “cave of despair” and sometimes I can relate to this cave. 

   The Concordance in my Bible says that despair means “without hope”, but David was not without hope and it was through these times that some of the best Psalms were written. The Psalms he wrote are full of prayerful questions, praise and acknowledgement of God’s love, refuge, goodness, love, mercies and so much more.  I have used these same Scriptures to help me get through the murkiness of my own degree of despair to instill hope, comfort and acknowledge God through praise. 

               God inhabits praise, so I am not alone.  The darkness of the cave is a blessing as it helps me focus on Him and I feel His presence and personal love for me.  As I mentally walk out of my cave, circumstances haven’t changed, but my cave like David’s has.  It is now a Cave of Hope because I trust and have confidence in the One who can change the circumstances I am in.  Psalm 3.

               Thanks for reading my thoughts….    

What is in a name?

     I've never blogged before and following in my daughter's footsteps, I find it rather daunting.  However, I think that my type of "blogging" will be different as these are my thoughts on blog instead of paper, sort of like a diary, only one that can be shared.  THEN comes the hard part...a name that sounds fun, witty and inviting. 

     In reading the Bible, names and their meanings were very important which many lived up to whether they meant good or bad.  When I was much younger, I always felt sorry for the biblical man called Peleg (I pronounced it Pee-leg).  Was his diaper too loose, did he wet the bed, was his bladder injured?  I don't know, I just felt sorry for him.  So, I can see why God changed some of their given names in Bible times.  Also, the Bible says God will give us His name for us in Heaven.  I wonder sometimes what mine will be, at the present time, mine means "house".  Elizabeth means "House of God", but no, mine is just "house".  (sigh) 

     So why "Bread Krumz"?   It reminds me of little sparrows on a wintry, snow covered day and their looking for just something small to satisfy them.  I guess that is what this blog is for me - my tiny thoughts that I want to share with you.  Your taking the time to read my blog would satisfy me.

    Have a good day today and share a thought with me.