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Why does it seem that everything bad happens to us all at once? That was a comment a friend recently made regarding some things she’d been through. I know it’s something we can all identify with. It may be one particular day, or a week that has been especially difficult. Or it may be a series of adversities over a period of a year or more. Ironically, on the day that my friend made that observation, little did she know that I was having a tough day too. And little did I know that it was only going to get worse for me as the day went on. 

Aside from one bothersome matter, I couldn’t put my finger on why I was feeling so out of sorts. It was as if the devil himself had been dogging me all day. Little annoyances became major issues for me. Like the oven timer that wasn’t working for the umpteenth time as I prepared dinner. Confessing my day-long grumpy mood to my husband, I told him, “I don’t know why I’m in such a terrible mood, but everything seems to be getting under my skin today.” 

After dinner I was feeling much better. Maybe I was just “hangry” from the current doctor-prescribed-diet I’m on. I thought. Then, and just when things seemed to be getting better, it happened. The topper for a bad day—a terrible accident. 

I tripped over a raised spot in the sidewalk while disposing of garbage in our trash bins outside. Flying forward, I face-planted and hit my head hard on the pavement. With screams for help and blood gushing profusely, I managed to make it back into the house to tell my husband about my accident. Now, lest you think I’m writing about my accident with hopes of eliciting sympathy, I’m not. Well maybe just a little, but let me explain what God revealed in the-midst-of-it all. 

Praise, purpose, and thanksgiving in all things! That’s it. It’s a lesson God continues to drill into my spirit and this day wasn’t any different. 

As I sat in the ER exam room waiting for cat scan results and hoping they’d at least reveal a brain in there, I remembered God’s word in Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…” 

So, while waiting for the results of my scan, I said a silent prayer of praise and thanksgiving for my terrible fall. I was in a lot of pain and my eye was quickly swelling closed as my skin bloomed into black and blue. Yet I paid attention to the praise and thanksgiving that God’s word instructed. I thanked my Lord without reservation or thought about how He might work it into something good.   

When the doctor came back with the scan results, she relieved me of any worries about serious effects like a brain bleed or fractures, then, saving a surprising discovery for last, she dropped the bomb—a growth in my throat. 

Whoa! What?

Until that moment I wasn’t aware of the tumor. So, I immediately knew how fortunate the accident was. If I hadn’t had a serious accident that needed cat scans in the vicinity of where the growth was, there was no telling how long it would’ve been before I knew about the mass in my throat. A day later Romans 8:28 came to mind with resounding eye-opening clarity. “For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes.”

This new revelation of a hidden mass also had me considering the scripture theme of the Buzz @ Chicky-Pie’s Café. Except now it was very personal. If you’ve read my new novel, you’d be aware that Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” is a scriptural thread that runs through the story. As Elise finds faith and comes to grips with her adversities, she begins to see God’s goodness that was there all along. Likewise, as I considered the irony of finding a hidden tumor because of a terrible accident, I was comforted knowing God’s purposeful intentions for me too. 

Now comes the second part of the Philippians scripture that I must remember.: “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  No doubt I’ll need it when the time comes for my surgery and biopsy. So as that day approaches, I will continue to pay attention to praising God, as well as letting His peace fill me with assurance of His good plans for me. 

Despite the joy of the Christmas season, the holidays are often filled with troubles, adversities, and sorrows. It’s my prayer for you to find peace in the midst of any troubling times you go through during this Christmas season. To find surprising comfort,  joy, purpose, and peace in your adversities, no matter how traumatic they may be, by thanking and praising God during them.

Stay tuned for my next blog post that will focus on some more personal stories that helped me learn the importance of paying attention to Praise and Purpose. You can also see my latest YouTube video on my channel: A Taste of Honey with Iris Carignan to watch and see the video entitle “Handling Hidden Surprises” and to see evidence of what I talk about in this blog. While you’re there I hope you’ll become a follower so you will receive notices of new video postings.

Here’s the link for watching my Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxOiDD2gMEU

In the meantime, have a joyous Christmas filled with good surprises and hidden treasures that will last beyond the day.  

Decisions can be difficult, especially when it comes to change. If you read my last blog, you know that my husband and I recently moved from our traditional style home to a smaller and more contemporary house. In the process we had to make lots of decisions about things we would keep and things we would give away, donate, or sell. One of those tough decisions was regarding a 150-year-old heirloom piece of furniture that was handed down from my Great-Grandmother. I was excited about changing our style of furniture and décor, but how was I going to make this precious piece fit? 

Looking throughout the new house, I spotted the perfect spot for it—a small niche of a space in our master bedroom. Not only was it the best choice for the rocking chair, it needed a lamp with table next to it. Bingo! That solved the dilemma of an antique lamp that I loved too. 

I’m so glad I was able to find a spot for the lamp and antique rocking chair in our new style house. Better yet, it quickly became just the right spot for doing my morning devotions. Now, as I gently rock back and forth in this treasured piece, its smooth motion and occasional creaking seems to awaken memories of the faith that was passed down from my Great-Grandmother, to my Grandmother, and my mother, then to me. It’s as if the spirit of their faith is somehow imbedded into the chair. So, I am grateful, not only for this piece of furniture, but for the heirloom faith they handed down to me. And I’m hopeful that it will one day grace the house of one of my children or grandchildren with the same reminiscent spirit.

In 2 Timothy 1:5, the apostle Paul writes: “When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.” Although we shouldn’t let material things become too important, sometimes they can lead us back to our roots of faith in surprising ways. Even ways that truly “rock!”

If you’d like to see more of this story as told in my latest Youtube video, take a look here or go to my YouTube channel @IrisCarignan-ATasteOfHoney

Transitions-we all face them at sometime, and they can be a welcome change or a stressful adjustment whatever they are. My husband and I recently moved to a new house after 44 years in the same one and it was stressful. Although we did so for the purposes of downsizing and having a property that’s easier to maintain, the key reason was living in a home that didn’t have any stairs or large hills to traverse. While I could blame it on our little nineteen-year-old dog who had great difficulty walking up and down the hilly driveway, in all honesty, our own bodies have transitioned with new physical limitations, so it was a necessity for us too. 

Still, it was hard to leave the beautiful home we’d designed and built. But, after giving it much prayer and consideration, we concluded the only way I could say good-bye to our house was to find one I could get excited about and look forward to.  So, when our realtor found us the perfect place in the same community, we did. Naturally we still had a lot of adjustments to make in moving from our large home into something less than half the size. 

Aside from the hard work of packing and moving, the toughest thing for me was deciding what things to keep and what to let go of. During the process one verse in Mathew 6, came to mind frequently. “Do not lay up for yourselves, treasures on earth.” Part of my struggle was letting go of two special items that kept sticking into the deepest part of my soul. One was our formal dining room set and the other was the many paintings that I wouldn’t have room for in the new house. You can likely imagine the struggle of letting go of one’s creative passion of art for more than 35 years. Thankfully the joy of donating some of my paintings to worthy causes, giving several of them to family and friends, and selling several to folks who would appreciate and excitedly hang them in their own homes, helped me tremendously with that issue.

Why the formal dining room set, you may ask? It certainly is a beautiful set of rich carved solid mahogany, but it wasn’t just the quality and beauty that made it so hard to let go of. No! It was the treasured memories it held. Memories of setting a beautiful table and creating the best experience I could for family and all who gathered round it, prayed, and gave thanks. You see, it was the essence of my heart’s desire and the emotions attached to it that held me captive.

There have been, and continue to be, much harder transitions for us than moving, changes and challenges related to health and family. But, gratefully, none as difficult or life-changing as the ones my character Elise faces in my book “the Buzz @ Chicky-Pie’s Café”. And much like the tough challenges and transitions Elise grappled with, God’s hand of grace, mercy, and generous love have helped me through them too. 

Another similar help to what my character Elise drew from, is creativity. Just as she used imaginative & resourceful means to escape abuse and later rescue Bea, I often use creativity to help with certain kinds of struggles. You see there were other things that had me grappling with what to do with them this time. There were beautiful glass, and ceramic items along with two other pieces of furniture that were heirlooms from my grandparents and great-grandparents. When my mother transitioned into her heavenly home 13 years ago, I had inherited those pieces and at that time we had room for them. One special piece was a beautiful rocking chair that’s over 150 years old, yet in terrific shape. Thankfully I found a great spot in the new house for it. But the other was a large oak halltree, and it just didn’t seem like it could possibly fit in. 

We LOVE our new home and using my creativity to help beloved pieces work there became an extra blessing to me. So, I dug deep into my creative self and figured it out. You can see pictures of the hall tree’s transition on my instagram page @iriscarignanbooks and the photo here shows the solution I used for the colorful glass items. Much like our need to let God’s light shine through our problems with His solution, the garden window in our new home was the perfect place for the various colored glass items in our former house. 

The refurbished halltree that I painted black and gold now sits beautifully decorating and functioning in our new entry hall, something we didn’t have at our former house. Ironically, weeks later, as I gazed at the two creative solutions for the other items, God nudged me to read Mathew 13:52. In it He tells his disciples that there “newfound understanding makes them like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” 

Bottom line to this subject of transitions—some things are best helped through faith and letting God get you through them. Others can be assisted with creative thinking, a little physical work, and letting God’s light shine through them, (like the colorful glass items that now reside in a garden window). 

Let me know what you think of my “new” looking halltree and the stained-glass effect in the new window. I’d also love for you to tell me your story of a transition and how you got through it. Leave your story in the comments here.   

If you don’t count babysitting, the first “real” job I had happened this way: It was my senior year of high school and one of my art classes was centered around creating our school yearbook. At the end of the semester and just as summer vacation was getting started the whole art class was required to solicit contributions from local businesses to help with the expenses of producing it. 

I was okay with this task. While I’ve never liked soliciting for my own needs, pleading for people to contribute to a good cause wasn’t something I felt shy about.  So, off I went, joyously, to every kind of business in my town that might be willing to give towards our school yearbook. Fortunately, many of them responded generously. However, the last one I tried said no. I should’ve known that the manager of a big grocery market chain wasn’t in the position to do that. But not all was lost in my attempt.

The store manager said he couldn’t contribute to my school’s cause, but to my surprise he asked if I’d like a job as a “box person.” He then went on to offer, that if I did well at bagging groceries, he would train me as a checker. I was elated at the prospect of having a real job.

So, that year, at the age of 18, I got my first real job. I also found out that I had earned the highest contribution amount of the class. And true to his word, a few months later, the manager trained me to be a grocery checker. It was a physically hard job in some ways, but one of the best paying manual jobs of that day.   

We never know where a simple, or even daunting, task might lead. That task led to a job at a grocery store that also led to meeting the man I married. You see, my husband of more than 50 years now, was a customer at the second market I worked at after my family moved to a new community. I made many other friends through the job of being a grocery checker too. One of them became a regular art student of mine many years after I quit working that “real job,” and she remains a friend to this day. I also have fond memories of encounters with customers when I was off duty. One of those serendipitous meetings, out of the context of the grocery store, revealed that a customer felt so lifted by my usual smile that she frequently made excuses for coming into the store, as she said: “Just so I could see your smiling face.”  

However, it was a few years into marriage and my job at the second store, when I became pregnant with my first child. I was thrilled with the prospect of becoming a mother and entering this new job arena. Yet, little did I know how difficult it would be at times. Even so, this very real job became my most joyous and important job of all. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16 it says: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

So, in conclusion, maybe my first real job was learning to be joyful no matter what I was working at, or what new job it would lead to.

Tell me about your first real job and what it meant to you and to others in the comment box here. And don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you can download my new “Sweet Devotions for the Soul” booklet for FREE. Check out my YouTube channel at: @IrisCarignan-ATasteOfHoney too and see if it brings a smile to your face too. Savor my most recent video is a cooking demo for Chicken Potpie.

#work #jobs #friendly #smile #joyful #real #smilingface #motherhood #babies

How important are relationships to you? For me, they’ve always been one of the most important things in life, beginning with my relationship with the Lord. Even God proclaimed from the beginning of the creation of man and woman that “It is not good for man to be alone.” Yet today, as never before, we see people struggling to have lasting, deep relationships. Maybe that’s why I wrote a story about three women who develop an unexpected, yet beautiful friendship. 

The dynamic of how friendship works, plays a very important role in “The Buzz @ Chicky-Pie’s Café”. Perhaps that’s why it makes a perfect read for any book club. After all, book clubs can be a great place for fostering deep friendships. They encourage interactive communication and introspective thinking. That was also something I considered when I wrote the “Devotional Thoughts for Readers” addition to “The Buzz @ Chicky-Pie’s Café.” It was my way of offering a uniquely spiritual resource for book clubs. 

In devotion # 6 of my “Taste of Honey, Sweet Devotions for the Soul” booklet, we examine the importance of Godly connections. We even consider how God often uses many different relational encounters and friendships to bring someone to faith in Christ.  We look closely at the main character, Elise, in “the Buzz @ Chicky-Pie’s Cafe,” and examine the importance friendship and connections played in her journey towards freedom and faith.  

If you have my book, you may have noticed that there are only five devotions at the back of my book. If you’d like to get all twelve, it’s very easy. Purchase one or more of The Buzz @ Chicky-Pie’s Café and go to get your 28 page booklet free: 

https://iriscarignan.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0468b8d8b14a92256ff5d309d&id=8c3de0d77a&e=7de0ce39a

As many of you also know, I have my own YouTube channel now too. If you’d like to watch devotional # 6 on video, I’ve attached it here as well. 

Enjoy and may God bless all your relationships and make every connection a good one. 

I#thebuzz@chicky-piescafe #thebuzz #sweetdevotionsforthesoul #atasteofhoney
#booksigning #encouragement #spiritualinspirations #devotions #Christiandevotions #bookclub