The Light Shines in the Darkness

In the beginning was the Word [Jesus] , and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."*

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” • John 8:12

Merry Christmas! ~ Hannah

*See John chapter 1 in the Bible

Our New Porch!

We are thoroughly enjoying the newly finished porch and the changing light throughout a sunny day!

Though not heated with the house, this rebuilt porch is now fully insulated, so it can get too hot for comfort even on chilly days with the sun shining. Should be amazing this winter!

A Lamp to my Feet

To illustrate the Swedish Proverb shared in my previous post, I recently re-read a good book which has been a favorite since I first found it in our home library in my youth. When young I mainly enjoyed the exciting story. But through all the [dozen or more] times of re-reading it since then, The Princess and the Goblin amazes me more each time with the truth which George MacDonald fit "between the lines." For example:

"She jumped up: she had but to keep that light in view, and she must find the house.

"Her heart grew strong. Dark as it was, there was little danger now of choosing the wrong road. And – which was most strange – the light that filled her eyes from the lamp, instead of blinding them for a moment to the object upon which they next fell, enabled her for an instant to see it, despite the darkness. By looking at the lamp and then dropping her eyes, she could see the road for a yard or two in front of her, and this saved her from several falls, for the road was very rough."

Maybe you need to read the story to see the connection clearly, but this little description is to me a beautiful picture of how God's word is our light through all the dark and rough paths of life. If only we will keep looking to it/Him as our guide and focus.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
   and a light to my path. 

• Psalm 119:105

The Princess and the Goblin:
Free audiobook on LibriVox: Listen or Download Here
Free e-book on Gutenberg: Read or Download Here

Resting My Eyes

You have likely heard how the blue light from all our device screens makes it harder to fall asleep due to suppressing melatonin. You have maybe even tried red glasses to block blue light in the evening.

But did you know that our screens can cause eye strain and mental fatigue any time of day? That is why I invested in a good pair of amber lens glasses to fit over my prescription glasses for computer and phone time whenever needed. Like right now!



So when the best sale of the year (so far) came up in the shop, it seemed like a good time to let you know! (see details below)

This company also sells a wide range of EMF blocking products that are getting more important every year. But for today... just a bit more about the glasses.

While my sister and I have the 50% blue light shielding amber lenses, they also offer 99% shielding red lenses for more effective sleep promotion. We did try a pair of those as well but shouldn't have been surprised to find that with all our chronic health conditions, we are among "those suffering from Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS) [where] orange lenses may over-stimulate the eyes."



Dad has that pair now, and we are very happy to notice reduced strain and increased abilities for computer work with even our amber lenses!

Sale details:
20% off Entire Site
Ends May 8th, 2022
Use Discount Code: MOMDAY

Learn more here: Defender Shield

(This referral link may even prompt the company to offer you an extra coupon in my name, though I have nothing to do with the company other than being automatically enrolled in their rewards program with my purchase.)

Winter Beauties

 Morning often starts out pink, which fades before I get to a camera.

 

Sunny noontime brings out the cats to sun (if there is no wind).

Bare trees show off evening colors (actually still in the afternoon - before 5:00)!

Some days are so cold that we have 2 sundogs to enjoy!

Rosebushes...

Rosehips...

Hydrangeas...

All make unique and beautiful winter art, even when they seem most dead.

This Little Light of Mine

As Dad shared some verses and thoughts from the book of Revelation in the first few minutes of this new year, we realized how, more than ever, God's light needs to shine through His children in an increasingly dark world. So, our first song of 2021 was "This Little Light of Mine!"

Take care that the lamp is trimmed;
take care that it is full of oil; see that
the flame mounts clear and steady
towards heaven; and the Lord will set
it where its light will fall on what pleases
Him, and where it will reach, mayhap,
to what you never dream of."

- Susan Warner