Month: November 2025

CORNUCOPIA

CORNUCOPIA

Cornucopias are a symbol of plenty-abundance. My grandmother created in ceramics, some beautiful decorations for each holiday, that I and members of my family treasure. She made several cornucopias, that several of us cherish, and I also have a pumpkin napkin holder that she made. I treasure them and always think of her when I put them on my table at Thanksgiving. We always went to her home for Thanksgiving and those memories flood into my heart when I get them out.

My daughter-in-law and I were getting the list of food for each person to bring to Thanksgiving, this year at my house. My brother has several dishes he is bringing. After we sent out the text, my brother texted back “what about the dressing to go with the gravy?” Oops, we forgot a very important part of our traditional Thanksgiving feast-the dressing! We always fix so many dishes, an abundance of delicious food. There are plenty of leftovers for us to enjoy the next few days!

Right after Halloween this year, I noticed Christmas showing up everywhere. Hallmark and Great American Family channels started showing Christmas movies even before Halloween. I love the beauty of the lights at Christmas and you know that I love watching those Christmas movies. But wait! The world has forgotten something! The all-important holiday of Thanksgiving! I am “itching” to decorate my home for Christmas. A friend came and did a fantastic job of decorating my dad’s room for Christmas. She did such a beautiful job of organizing and fluffing his trees. Yes, I said trees. He has three of them in his room! I am not going to start to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, especially because Thanksgiving is at my home this year.

Let’s look at some verses in the Bible about being thankful.

Psalm 107:8 reads, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

Philippians 4:6-7 reads, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds; through Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:17 reads “and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Deuteronomy 8:10 “When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.”

We need to be thankful for everything-for His goodness-whatever we are doing, good or bad-and on this special day coming next week. My family are coming to my home next Thursday. We will have about twelve here. There are so many who do not have anyone or any family to share this special day with. Do you know of anyone like that? Invite them to your celebration. Show them how thankful you are for them in your life. There are so many who have empty seats this Thanksgiving because someone passed away. Remember them in your prayers. It is a hard path to be on.

I just want to thank all of you who are following me on my journey. Thank you for all your kind words of encouragement. Thank you for your friendship and love. Thank you for asking about my dad, who lives with me. He is almost 92 and some days are hard, but also filled with joy and thanksgiving. How many 70-year-olds are blessed to still have their dads with them? (My kids, dad, has been gone for 16 years!) Remember to be thankful to God if your parent or grandparent is still alive. Visit, call, text them. Do something to communicate with them, because we never know when the Lord will call any of us home! There are no regrets after a loved one is gone, when we communicate and spend time with them while they are alive. I felt a “nudge” to call my great-aunt, who I was close to, one night. I forgot and didn’t do it. My grandmother found her passed away the next morning. I still feel regret that I didn’t call her. If you are being “nudged” to communicate with a loved one or friend and you don’t, and they pass from this earth, you will have regrets.

Like the filled cornucopia, fill your heart with thanksgiving next week and every day. Even in the negative, there is always a positive of thanksgiving to be found! Don’t center your thoughts on what you forgot or regrets, but what you do have and what you did do! Psalm 136:1 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Thanks to all of you!

Till next time!

                                                        Keela

(The cornucopia and napkin holder in the above picture, are the ones my grandmother made. Of course, she is no longer on this earth, but I enjoy getting them out every year and I am thankful for all the wonderful memories that stir my heart!)

LIGHT OF LIFE

LIGHT OF LIFE

The other day, a friend and I saw a lighthouse at a store we were at. Of course, my eyes went immediately to it. She knew my love of lighthouses and she asked me, “Do you think there are lighthouses in heaven?” I said that would be perfectly amazing!

My mind goes to Revelations 20:11 thru chapter 22. The writer of Revelations, Paul, sees a vision of heaven. Some of the things he saw, written in this text here are: “Book of Life opened”; “judgment to each one according to his works”; “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”. These verses also talk about a new city, with so many different beautiful stones to array its walls, foundation and gates: he also saw “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal”: also, “there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” meaning we will no longer be tempted by sin. Sin will be erased.

Do we know if this portrayal of heaven is truly what heaven will be like? No. We won’t know until that time we enter in. But isn’t it wonderful to think about these things in Revelations to give us peace and hope. The best our human imagination can imagine! We won’t have tears because of no pain or death. That rejuvenates with me-pain. I have fibromyalgia and arthritis. Not being mobile or weather changing or too much activity can cause me to hurt. I have sweet older friends who struggle with pain all day long. Isn’t it amazing, that those who are in constant pain, will have no pain at all in heaven! We will also, not grieve because of death. All my grandparents, my husband, my mother and several sweet friends, have all passed away. The pain lessons as time goes by, but never goes away.  All the beautiful parts “shown” us in heaven, give us an earthly visual, for us to realize that heaven will be so much more beautiful than we can even visualize in our human thoughts.

We are also told in Revelations 21:23 “the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” Revelation 22:5 reads “There shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” 1 John 1:5-7 reads “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Heaven will be full of light; there will be no darkness there! Those who have bad eyesight or are in the darkness of being blind, will have light surrounding them! Praise God!

I would rather be in the light than in darkness. I have trouble seeing to drive when it is dark outside. Now, that I am older, I am concerned about tripping over something in the dark. There are all kinds of bad things that happen in the dark than in the light. 1Thessalonians 5:2, when talking about when the Lord will come at the end of the time says, “…the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” Matthew 24:42 says “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” In other words, we don’t know when the day of the Lord will come. Just like when a thief in the dark night, breaks in to rob someone. The thief is not expected. Read Matthew 24:36-44. Some of us will be doing laundry-at work-taking a nap-showing anger towards another-taking a walk-in middle of a wedding ceremony, when the Lord comes again. We just don’t know the timing!  Matthew 8:12 reads, “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is a visual that I do not want to see at eternity! Do you? This tells us that there will be anguish-torment-grief if not entering eternal life. Read Matthew chapters 24-25. Talks about “…everlasting punishment…” It will never end. I, instead, want to see the light for eternity! Don’t you?

During class at church, we have been studying the book of Job. So much we can learn from this book in the Old Testament. The devil tests Job to see if he will turn his back on God. In chapter 29:3, Job is remembering before all the calamities happened to him. It reads “When His lamp shone upon my head, and when by His light, I walked through darkness.” God’s light had shone on him even in any dark things that happened to him, in the past. He had divine blessings and success through God shining His light on Job. Chapter 33:30, speaking of the fact that God does not want us to go to hell, rather He wants us to have a meaningful life, “…enlightened with the light of life.”  Chapter 34:21-22 reads “For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps. There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.” These verses, let us know that God sees all human actions and knows our thoughts. This is comfort to those who are serving God because He is right there with us, taking care of us, and involved and aware of our path. To those who are not following God, it is a warning that God knows all and no actions are hidden from Him. There is no deep darkness where evildoers can hide from His sight.

Something to think about. In the creation, on the first day, what did God do? Genesis 1:3-4 tells us “Then God said, ‘Let there be light;’ and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” The first day in creation, was God separating the light from the darkness! Think about that!

The light of life is through God and in service to Him. I want to live in this light of life! I want to be restored to spiritual vitality and a renewed relationship with God after a period of suffering or near death. It symbolizes more than just physical existence; it represents spiritual enlightenment, divine presence, hope, and the promise of new life that comes from being in harmony with God. This light of life, is a message of redemption and renewal, showing that God’s goal is not punishment but restoration and bringing individuals back from spiritual death to a new, flourishing life through His grace and mercy.

The light of life is open for all, no matter what situation you find yourself in. Search for it and you will find that light, so you can get out of darkness. We are told so many times in God’s word, that God is light. He is the only way out of darkness of this world!

Will there be lighthouses in heaven? That is one of the most beautiful things that I can imagine!  I am going to do all I can do on this earth in service to Him, in order to find out! I want to follow the light of life eternal. How about you?

Till next time!

                                             Keela