Update

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Thanks to all who are praying. Louis is still in the hospital and is still fighting the infection in the bladder and urinary tract. He has a good appetite if someone feeds him, because it is difficult to eat in bed when you have tubes and monitors attached. So I fed him his lunch and supper and he ate everything. He still is not too communicative with the nurses unless they have a good attitude with him, but is fine with Brian and me.

I will not be able to bring him home until they can get him up and remove the catheter, so it may be another day or two.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

Love ahd hugs,
Amaryllis

New Year's EVE

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

I would not recommend spending four hours in the ER on NYE, but God is good! As I was leaving to go to Bayfront while the ambulance was still in front of the house, God sent David Massey running up the street and he ran over just in time to pray for Louis and for me! God's timing is perfect!

Louis is staying in the hospital at least overnight, until he can walk with the help of the walker. He has a severe bladder infection and has already had an antibiotic drip and IV. Brian was with me even with his cough and cold, wearing a mask. I got home after nine and ate some waffles because I was hungry!

Please pray for healing and strengthening for Louis and rest and strength for me.

Love and hugs and Happy New Year!!!
Amaryllis

Merry Christmas!!

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the rainy day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! It is a dark, wet day and supposed to be this way all day and then turn cold. A good day for staying in and off the streets, but shoppers have to shop and workers have to work, and students have to attend school, so lots of people will still be traveling.

Speaking of traveling, please pray for Daryl and Matthew as they start out this evening for their long drive down here for Christmas. I am really looking forward to having them come!

Yesterday we had a ride in the CARERiDE van to the doctors to have Louis' toenails clipped. It is always interesting to see which driver we will have and how well they know the city. I have good conversations with some of them. God is good.

This will be the last Gator Bytes until after Christmas, as I will be taking a break while the family is here, so I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!!

Luke 2

...and while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

That night the shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep., Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's Glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger , wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!"

Suddenly , the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God :

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to all whom God favors."

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Psalm 145

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Well, sure enough, our weather is turning cooler, and will be for a few days. Guess it will seem more like Christmas with the cool instead of the heat, but I still like the warmer.

I have seen the tiny wrens again in the yard. When they are on the ground they look just like a brown leaf, except they flit about like the wind is blowing them. Lots of ducks, including babies were at Lynch Lake yesterday, along with the usual woodstorks. When I went to the Park, I saw five sleek, wet turtles sunning on the bank of the canal and the anhinga drying on the drive across the weir. Quite a few people were out, including a party from the skating rink. Looked like everyone was having a good time! God is good!

We have had problems with our Times delivery, and so I have called the circulation manager a couple times. He called me back one day and said he had instructed the deliverer to put it on the porch. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't. Yesterday, I discovered a paper on the roof, which had been there two days. I took the long handled grabber and fished it down. Then I had a Christmas card delivered with yesterday's paper. Should I leave a tip or not, that is the question. Sigh.

Psalm 145 NLT

...The Lord is gracious in all he says,
he is gracious in all he does.
The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts up those bent beneath their loads.
All eyes look to you for help,
you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand
you satisfy the hunger and thirst
of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
he is filled with kindness.
The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him sincerely.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cries for help and
rescues them.
The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys the wicked.

I will praise the Lord;
and everyone on earth will bless his
holy name
forever and forever.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Busyness

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Well, this is a changing weather day. The front is coming through and while the sun is nice and warm, the north wind is blowing very cool, so I turned off the air, and will probably have the heat on by Saturday! But God is good!

I already swept off the porch this morning...the acorns have just about finished dropping, and now it is the leaves. Hundreds of leaves! It was kind of futile to sweep the porch because the wind was blowing them right back behind me. Oh, well, I tried.

Yesterday we stayed in and I tried to get some Christmasy things done. I am still digging out decorations and cannot find my candle rings anyplace. Well, maybe next year...ha.

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Does God expect me to be busy all the time?

Psalm 23:2 He lets me rest in green meadows, he leads me beside peaceful streams.

Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus said, "Eome to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls."

Activity itself is not a virtue; it can actually be a detriment to our spiritual lives. The Lord invites us to rest and be refreshed in his care.

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.
The key to overcoming empty busyness is to live wisely for God God empowers us to make the most of the time he's given us.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Better Late than never, I think!

Good afternoon, Dear Friends and prayer Partners! This is a beautiful afternoon that the Lord has gifted us with! Sunshine, puffy clouds scudding across the sky and A/C on. Due to being busy this morning, I never had time to sit down and email before now, but did get the praying done!

I was reminded of these verses, when I heard the bell-ringer for the Salvation Army at Publix yesterday! He was calling out in a very loud voice, his goal for the day and as money was dropped into his bucket, he would lower the goal by how much was dropped in. When I put in my dollar, he was down to 272 dollars after starting much higher than that when I went in.. He had a good personality!

So, anyway, I will send along the scriptures chosen for today:

From Luke 7:27...

But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt, also. Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back. Do for others as you would like them to do for you.

Do you think you deserve credit merely for love those who love you? Even the sinners do that! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, is that so wonderful? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, what good is that? Even sinners will lend to their own kind for a full return.

Love your enemies...

Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the most High, for he is kind to the unthankful, and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving-large or small -it will be used to measure what is given back to you.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Psalm 46

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the foggy day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! The fog crept in on little cat feet again, but should soon lift. Christmas lights glow dimly in the fog and everything seems to be quiet. Even the traffic noise is dimmed.

Over the weekend as I visited the park, I saw an airboat on the canal spraying the weeds and growth that chokes the waterways and also saw three peacocks in front of a house that was getting a new roof put on. Woodstorks seagulls, and ducks were all gathered around Lynch Lake, while the ospreys were over at the mall watching all the shoppers from their perch on top of the light pole. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come,
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam,
Let the mountains tremble as the
waters surge!...

"Be silent and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world."

The Lord Almighty is here among us,
The God of Israel is our fortress.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis