Jemma's Tales
Jemma's Tales|Life As I See It
May 15, 2016
So, I am sorting of writing this off the cuff so to speak, as my husband makes fresh Duncan Donuts Coffee and we just finished eating fresh peas from the garden.
Do you know that every time I write a post reminiscing of the past, share family values and reflect on life I lose several subscriptions.
Yep, it is true.
So, I am going to tell it like it is for me.
If it is not the same for you, please feel free to move on.
I love Jesus, my family, growing good things from the earth.
These are the things that bring me joy, comfort and strength.
I am proud of where I came from and I am embracing the journey of where I am being led.
Which is by faith.
I am a survivor of cancer, divorce and deaths of those that I loved more than life itself.
I believe in goodness, forgiveness, rainbows and heaven.
I feed wild bunny rabbits in my garden.
I feel the joy in gentle rain, crops and choirs singing Sunday hymns.
I believe that goodness lives in all of us, no matter how dark our days.
I know that God has a perfect plan for everyone, from the littlest to the oldest and
I am blessed by grace, forgiveness and His everlasting love.
My journey is far from perfect, but it is perfect for me.
I will write about the past as it serves a purpose for the future.
Family will always be a mixed muddle of beautiful complicated imperfections, but it will
always be the essence of life and a blessing from my Holy Father.
Honestly, who could not feel humbled and blessed by the beauty of it all.
Share the bounty of the fields and savor the delicious flavors of the crops.
The journey of life can be long when we choose to go it alone, or it can be a journey of knowledge and peace when we walk hand in hand.
I have grown from the paths of darkness and I speak from the heart.
Let all of us shine and be the rainbow for someone in the gray clouds of the day.
I invite and welcome you to join me in my journey of light, faith and hope.
We will explore the good earth together, share the journey and hold on tight to
the glory of goodness and the light.
However, if this is not for you, I thank you for the opportunity to connect and I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Next up we will be exploring the joy of collecting and saving flowers.
See you on Wednesday.
With love, joy and peace on this day and for all the days that are to come.
xo
Do you know that every time I write a post reminiscing of the past, share family values and reflect on life I lose several subscriptions.
Yep, it is true.
So, I am going to tell it like it is for me.
If it is not the same for you, please feel free to move on.
I love Jesus, my family, growing good things from the earth.
These are the things that bring me joy, comfort and strength.
I am proud of where I came from and I am embracing the journey of where I am being led.
Which is by faith.
I am a survivor of cancer, divorce and deaths of those that I loved more than life itself.
I believe in goodness, forgiveness, rainbows and heaven.
I feed wild bunny rabbits in my garden.
I feel the joy in gentle rain, crops and choirs singing Sunday hymns.
I believe that goodness lives in all of us, no matter how dark our days.
I know that God has a perfect plan for everyone, from the littlest to the oldest and
I am blessed by grace, forgiveness and His everlasting love.
My journey is far from perfect, but it is perfect for me.
I will write about the past as it serves a purpose for the future.
Family will always be a mixed muddle of beautiful complicated imperfections, but it will
always be the essence of life and a blessing from my Holy Father.
Honestly, who could not feel humbled and blessed by the beauty of it all.
Share the bounty of the fields and savor the delicious flavors of the crops.
The journey of life can be long when we choose to go it alone, or it can be a journey of knowledge and peace when we walk hand in hand.
I have grown from the paths of darkness and I speak from the heart.
Let all of us shine and be the rainbow for someone in the gray clouds of the day.
I invite and welcome you to join me in my journey of light, faith and hope.
We will explore the good earth together, share the journey and hold on tight to
the glory of goodness and the light.
However, if this is not for you, I thank you for the opportunity to connect and I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Next up we will be exploring the joy of collecting and saving flowers.
See you on Wednesday.
With love, joy and peace on this day and for all the days that are to come.
xo
Anyone who would unfollow you because of your values doesn't deserve to have the light you shine in their life! You're a treasure I love you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Becka for taking the time to share your thoughts and encouragement as well!
DeleteI am just going to write about things that are true in my heart.
Henry Thoreau summed it up best:
"Be yourself-not your idea of what you think somebody else's idea of yourself should be."
You are a sweetie and I love you!
You stay true to you, your faith and your family. That's a true writer/blogger. Don't worry about the followers you've lost, take care of the ones you have. The good ones always stay, it's the bad ones that try and make us doubt ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI have faith, in you. 💜
Christine,
DeleteBeautiful and true words with so much heart and kindness.
Thank you!
Just keep writing from your heart, Jemma - it is authentic and serves a purpose for you and for those of us who enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that I am simply writing about my life.
DeleteI appreciate you understanding me and encouraging me to continue to do so.
Thank you so very much.
Dear Jemma, such a lovely post about you. You are so beautiful. I love you.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice new week. Many greetings and hugs ... Dorothea :-)
Dorothea,
DeleteThank you for stopping by and leaving such a kind and caring comment.
It was so very thoughtful of you!
Much Love,
Jemma
Well said! I've been on a blog hiatus...a lot of family stuff going on and it's made me think about what direction I want to take with my blog when I start back. I have a hard time sharing personal things, writing in general and what you just wrote inspires me Jemma! Love this so much!
ReplyDeleteMy dear and talented friend, as I read your words, my soul aches to write as I wish....my school duties limit my creative time, and at this moment, I am rushing to get ready to leave for school. As I read your words, I am wanting to share MY PAST only when useful for the future....I long to work with you some day toward our project, and I am on the legs of school for the next two weeks.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all that you value: JESUS, family, the little things in nature, the BIG things in nature, moving on in grace, reconciliation, letting go...there is so much to say.
Thank you for this open door into your heart.
Hello Jemma, what a lovely post. You are blessed with a happy life and a wonderful family. I enjoyed your words and photos. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week ahead!
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad. I don't pay much attention to how many people are following me. I've noticed some bloggers have several hundred or thousand followers but when you actually see how many people are commenting it's minimalistic. You never know who you are touching so just do what feels good to your heart and that's all that matters. XO, Liz
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post. I'm glad you are keeping true to yourself and I look forward to more of your inspiring and uplifting posts! God Bless. xo
ReplyDeleteSusan,
DeleteI have been researching quotes on being true to oneself.
Going to share this one:)
"Never give up and most importantly, be true to yourself.
Write from your heart, in your own voice and about what you believe in."
~Louise Brown
Thank you for your caring and kind friendship!
xo
Please do not let the haters get you down. Please do not even consider changing to be a one size fits all. Internal peace & happiness come from being true to yourself & being who you are. Those of us who follow you are lucky you share a piece of who you are with us. Please do not let them take up real estate in your head. They are not worth it. Keep sharing who you are & enjoying it. I know I do. Sending extra love to you today, my friend. I hope you can let this pass through you quickly, wish them well & move on.
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon dear Laura, you are such a stalwart friend and always have been.
DeleteI have been gardening, cleaning and looking up quotes for the better part of the day.
I am going to share this one with you right now:)
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.
Thank you for your sisterly love today and every day!
I am back on track.
And these are just a few of the reasons that I'm so glad you are my friend. :)
ReplyDeleteWell sweet Jemma, this has made me stand in awe this morning and give our God the praise! I love your sweet spirit, your blogging and most of all I love you because you are my sister in Christ! Keep on keeping on! And...I'd love to sharing a cup of coffee with you! Hugs and blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeleteThe world can use all the faith and family that it can get :) Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThis whole post is filled with reasons why I follow you and your blog and what I love most about it. Your blog is the one of many that I continue to follow for it's lovely content and variety, and how personable the writing is. I love that you share your faith and intertwine it in your posts, because it is who you are and what you live daily. Your blog beams with goodness. It is not worth it to fret over a few who don't get it. There are plenty of impersonal blogs out there where you never get a reply or visit back from. I am happy that you will continue to be who you are on your blog...I'll be reading!!
ReplyDeleteHi Jemma, I always enjoy your posts and in particular, your personal stories. When I unsubscribe from a blog, it is usually because I have subscribed to too many and do not have time to read them all. I try not to take it personally but I sometimes wonder if I lose subscribers for the same reason you mention. I write my blog because I enjoy it, and to share with my nephews family history and childhood memories of growing up with their Dads. I never anticipated making new friends in the blogosphere, like you who's friendship I value. I'm looking forward to your next post. Joan-My Cookie Clinic
ReplyDeleteJoyce- you are a source of inspiration and strength here on your blog.
ReplyDeleteYou are - as always - absolutely right about what is important.
Plus- I can sense a smile of caring in every sentence!
Well said, sweet and sassy lady! Keep sharing your heart with us and we'll be right here with you. Hugs, Tina
ReplyDeleteWe are a country where everyone is free to live their life as they want. I would never unfollow someone because they share their life's journey. xo Laura
ReplyDeleteJemma, You post is beautiful. I enjoy all your posts. It does occur to me that perhaps those subscriptions you lost were not because they did not share your values. About two years ago I unsubscribed from a few email subscriptions not because I did not like them but because I was going on a two week trip and it would take forever to delete all the posts I missed while I was away on my laptop,iPad and iPhone. Multiply three devices by 3or 4 posts a week and that is a good bit of time. Then think about how many blog subscriptions you have and do the math. I usually follow on the blogs I have on my sidebar and when my bloglovin was working. For some reason it stopped. Now, I subscribe to very few because I can't keep up.
ReplyDeleteJust something to think about. You have a beautiful spirit and blog that I enjoy.
Hi Jemma,
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful, authentic and heart touching post! Thank you for sharing! ;)
Dearest Jemma ~ what a beautiful, heartfelt post! I wouldn't worry one bit about those who choose to unfollow. It doesn't matter how many followers you have - what matters is that you stay true to yourself and your blog, and those who are your true friends will stay with you. You have had some very hard times in your life, but yet you choose to be positive and loving and encouraging. You are a blessing, my friend. {{hugs}}
ReplyDeletethis was a beautiful post..
ReplyDeleteJust a lovely post ...
ReplyDeleteGreat words and wonderful photo's.
Thank you for sharing.
All the best Jan
Dear Jemma, Beautiful. And ~~ this is why I love you!! Blessings for sharing.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Hi Jemma,
ReplyDeleteI read this and responded on our trip down to RI this morning but since I do not see my comment here I will respond again. (Bad day with the android--in addition to not posting my comment, I accidentally deleted all my photos since last Thanksgiving and I'm sick about that. Should never use phone prior to my morning coffee) I cannot imagine that anyone would unsubscribe due to any of your content. It is possible they unsubscribed for other personal reasons. As a reader I would follow you anywhere! So lead the way dear friend!! Sending hugs,
Linda
Jemma, this was a beautiful post and I can tell it came straight from your heart. I am so glad that I found your blog. Your posts are always a pleasure to read and touch me in some way. I am happy that you have decided to write about what feeds you. It will feed others of like mind...like me!! :)
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't have a problem with what you choose to share. It's your blog so you should be writing what you're passionate about. And I love reading. :o)
ReplyDeletehugs,
Cecilia
Beautifully written and spoken from your heart. Sometimes when we lose followers, we often think it is something we write that offends them. I always feel a pain in my heart when someone unsubscribes. I would wonder why. Keep being your beautiful caring and loving self who cherishes faith, family and good old fashioned values. Love you sweet friend. xo
ReplyDeleteHopefully for every subscriber that leaves, someone new pops in to tell you to write whatever you darn well feel like!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful, eloquent statement of "selfhood." Knowing who you are, loving hard and accepting every minute, even those that aren't fun. It seems to summarize all I've come to know of you from our regular online meetings and how it makes me smile!
ReplyDeleteBig hugs to you my friend! No one could say it better!
Jemma, I have tears as I read this. You are a beautiful writer and a beautiful soul. And there you are, such a lovely picture of you. It's nice to see our blog friends once in awhile. Oh, I must go back and read this again. It's a wonder. I love you, Jemma.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
As I went back to read it again, I noticed that you posted this on my birthday, which makes it even more special. Loved all of it. Thank you for being a rainbow in my life, Jemma. And now, I will pass your post on to someone who is having a hard time as well. Yes, we need each other in this journey through life.
DeleteYou are truly blessed and such a deserving person to have such simple joy and love around you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautifully written, heartfelt post, Jemma! I loved your message and the photos that you shared.
ReplyDeleteI also read your post on the 4 C's for the retreat and I'm so looking forward to meeting you! Yes, it will be here before we know it. Love and blessings are sent to you in preparing for the retreat.
I agree! Beautiful and inspiring words, Jemma. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. ♡
ReplyDelete~Jess
Beautifully posted Jemma and wonderful that you speak from your heart. Blessings to you!!
ReplyDelete