Tuesday, March 31, 2026 Commonplace Quotes: Easter Edition

The sun is setting on the last day in March of 2026. What will April of 2026 bring? Warmer weather, longer days, travels to visit loved ones… But the best thing that April brings this year is that glorious day when we cry out to one another “He is risen!” “He is risen indeed!” I cannot fathom where I would be without knowing Christ as risen Lord. I cannot.

Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world: It is not he who prays most or fasts most, it is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice, but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.
William Law

I am not there yet, but it is something to strive for, isn’t it?

Our contentment does not consist in getting the thing we desire, but in God’s fashioning our spirits to our conditions.
Jeremiah Burroughs

Don’t you think that Jeremiah B. and William L. are probably having a good chat right now in heaven?

It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
C.S. Lewis

You knew it was time to roll out some C. S. Lewis again, right? Read that quote a few times and ask yourself if you’ve just been playing at making mud pies when you could be on holiday at the sea. INFINITE JOY.

If my life is fruitless,
it doesn’t matter who praises me.
And if it’s fruitful,
it doesn’t matter who criticizes me.
John Bunyan

I am far too concerned with what other people think of me, than I am concerned with whether or not my life is bearing fruit.

There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship
than a mutual taste in literature.
P.G. Wodehouse

So, have you read Wooster and Jeeves? If so, we might have a foundation for a beautiful friendship.

Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.

I’ll use this post for making mud pies in the morning.

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 Commonplace Quotes: The Spring is Coming Edition

Ah, the coming of spring… Hope is in the air, trees are putting out tiny curled up things that will unfurl into leaves, the birds are gathering for their spring chorus every morning, snow is melting, and the poets are doing their poesy thing with joy. It’s a grand time.

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.
Charles Dickens

If you live where March comes on like that, you know what CD is talking about.

I wandered lonely
as a cloud
that floats on high
o’er vales and hills
When all at once
I saw a crowd,
a host, of golden
daffodils
;
beside the lake,
beneath the trees,
fluttering and dancing
in the breeze.
William Wordsworth

Next time you’re outside on a spring day, be William Wordsworth and write about it like that.

Daffodowndilly
She wore her yellow sun bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
”Winter is dead.”
A.A. Milne

That is exactly what daffodils are saying when they flutter and dance and turn their heads to one another.

In the morning, one blog post will whisper to another, “The Blog is Dead.”

Tuesday, March 17, 2026 Commonplace Quotes: The Corned Beef and Cabbage Edition

I don’t think we have a speck of Irish in our ancestry, but that does not keep us from observing the day with some corned beef and cabbage. If good Saint Patrick knew what the day commemorating his death turned out to be, he’d want to start banishing snakes again.

And now, for some quotes to feed your souls:

God alone spreads out the heavens,
and treads on the waves of the sea.
Job 9:8

I’ve been reading through Job again; it’s a very poetic book filled with little jewels like that one.

In the absence of any other truth,
the thumb alone would convince me
of God’s existence.
Sir Isaac Newton

And Newton was no slouch when it came to scientific thought. Consider the design and utility of your thumb and praise the One who made it.

Imagination bodies forth
the forms of things unknown,
the poet’s pen turns them into shapes
and gives to airy nothing
a local habitation and a name.
William Shakespeare

Just look at what Tolkien did in creating the world of Middle Earth and its inhabitants and languages. From airy nothing, he gave us hobbits, the Mines of Moria, Gandalf and Frodo.

A house with daffodils in it
is a house lit up,
whether or not the sun be shining outside.
A.A. Milne

There were small bunches of daffodils on sale at the grocery store this morning. I looked at them and thought about getting some but did not. Today would have been a good day to have a house lit up by daffodils. So ours got lit up by carrots instead:

Faith and begorrah, I might have to delete this in the morn!

Tuesday, March 10, 2026 Commonplace Quotes: Daylight Savings Edition

Day three of adjusting to daylight savings time. I enjoy having the days be lighter later, but I have to work through the five stages of grieving over that missing hour.

On the plus side, I’ve had a tremendous break-through in trying to figure out how to print out a book using the “book fold” option in Microsoft Word. Since I am often an alien and stranger when it comes to journeys through the tech world, this is no small feat.

Let’s get to it, friends – the quotes for the week!

The truth has no defense
against a fool determined to believe a lie.
Mark Twain

For proof, just take a stroll through social media. There’s nothing new under the sun – this has been going on since Satan made a fool out of Eve. God’s grace is the only cure.

A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.
Welsh Proverb

And if I may paraphrase, an embryo hidden in the heart of the womb is a person invisible.

Faith is the radar that sees through the fog.
Corrie Ten Boom

There’s a lot of fog in this world. Praise God for giving us faith to see through it.

All knees shall bow to thee
All wits shall rise
And praise Him who did make
and mend our eyes.
George Herbert

Ah, I love that so much. He made our eyes and in Christ, He mends them.

It must be a great disappointment to God
if we are not dazzled
at least ten times a day.
Mary Oliver

Don’t disappoint God today.

If you’re not dazzled by this post, out it goes in the morning.

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Commonplace Quotes: Blood Moon Edition

I went out at sunset in search of the blood moon. Alas, I had not done my research. It was actually supposed to be visible this morning. That’s the bad news. The “good” news is that it was too cloudy here to see it this morning anyway.

Here are a few quotes for you to ponder with me.

Sooner or later,
everyone sits down to a
banquet of consequences.
Robert Louis Stevenson

Have you had one of those banquets lately?

Nothing touches our lives but it is God Himself speaking. Do we discern His hand or only mere occurrence? Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance. Every time circumstances press, say “Speak, Lord,” and make time to listen.
Oswald Chambers

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.

Worry often gives a small thing a great shadow.
Swedish Proverb

Isn’t it the truth?

Three can keep a secret
if two of them are dead.
Benjamin Franklin

Ha ha! That’s very droll.

The world is full of poems,
but you have to be quiet to hear them.
Mary Oliver

I love that so much. Here’s a poem for you, but make sure you’re quiet enough to hear it:

I’ll be deleting this by the light of the Blog Moon in the morning.

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 Commonplace Quotes: Sunny Day Edition

The world is sunny and beautiful outside today, cold weather and bare branches notwithstanding. Isn’t it amazing what a difference the sun makes? Light always trumps the dark.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
Ephesians 5:8-11

If you’re still in the darkness, turn your gaze to the Light. You know Who I mean.

Modesty is always beautiful.
G.K. Chesterton

I agree with G.K. Do you?

“God is too good to be unkind
and He is too wise to be mistaken.
And when we cannot trace His hand,
we must trust His heart.
Charles Spurgeon

Such good words to tuck away when we are reeling from some difficulty and “cannot trace His hand.” We can always trust His heart.

You owe it to all of us to get on with what you’re good at.
W.H. Auden

This almost felt like a bracing cup of cold water thrown in my sometimes insecure and unconfident face. Get on with it!

Let nothing be said about anyone
unless it passes through the three sieves:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
It is necessary?
Amy Carmichael

The psalmist said, “Set a guard O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3). And let me always use these three sieves!

I’ll delete this in the morning unless it passes through the three sieves.

Tuesday, January 27, 2026. TKR Day Two plus a few Commonplace Books Quotes

I read a book once called Dr. Mutter’s Marvels about the development of anesthesia for surgeries. It was quite fascinating, partly because much of the medical community was dead set against it. I’m so glad that Dr. Mutter won the day. I lump the development and use of pain pills in with that as well. Many people told me before the surgery to stay ahead of the pain by taking the pills on schedule, rather than waiting for pain to get bad first. Good advice so far.

Here’s how it went last night:

Me: Let’s sequester Luna in the craft/laundry room area so she won’t be jumping all over my temporary bed on the main floor.

Luna: I know you’re out there and I will spend the whole night making you regret that decision with loud meowing and complaining.

Luna won that battle; she’ll be given free rein tonight. Other than that, I think I slept here and there. I tried out the borrowed ice machine and it was a thing of beauty. My excellent nurse came in at 3:00 a.m. to give me the next dose of pain pills and change out the thawed water bottles in the ice machine for frozen ones.

Today was all about staying the course with all the various meds and keeping my leg up and extended. They fill you with horror stories about what happens if you don’t extend your leg enough the first two weeks and it involves undergoing surgery again to fix your sorry mistakes.

Flowers from our church – very cheering!

How about a few commonplace quotes to round out the day?

Faith has cause to take courage from our very afflictions; the devil is but a whetstone to sharpen the faith and patience of the saints.
Samuel Rutherford

There is an affliction upon you and that is grievous,
but there is a murmuring heart within and that is more grievous. Oh, that we could but convince men and women that murmuring spirit is a greater evil than any affliction, whatever the affliction!
Jeremiah Burroughs

Love requires sacrifice.
If we never sacrifice,
we never learn to love deeply.
Elisabeth Elliot

We often treat Jesus the way Saul treated David.
We want him to slay giants and sing evil spirits away,
but we don’t want him to be King.
A.W. Tozer

God says “no” to make room for a better “yes.”
Douglas Wilson

Let’s sequester this post in the morning.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 Commonplace Tiny Art

One minute I was thinking, “I’ll put some commonplace book quotes on my blog” and the next minute it was the next day. So today will be a combo Tuesday/Wednesday blog post in which you will read interesting things and look at my usual display of mediocre art.

However much you deny the truth,
the truth goes on existing.
George Orwell

That’ll preach.

Age appears to be best in four things:
old wood is best to burn
old wine to drink
old friends to trust, and
old authors to read.
Francis Bacon

I can’t believe that FB forgot to mention cheese in that list.

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
and every common bush afire with God,
but only he who sees takes off his shoes;
the rest sit round and pluck blackberries.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Earth’s crammed with heaven…I’m savoring that one.

The more I study science,
the more I believe in God.
Albert Einstein

That’ll preach, too.

The ultimate aim is not to escape anxiety,
but to allow it to usher us into
the healing presence of Jesus Christ.
CH Spurgeon

That’s a good one to think of in the night seasons when anxieties do their best haunting.

And now, the Return of Tiny Art!

Ha ha – I just realized it looks like I wrote “The LADYBUG fakes a NAP…” which is quite droll. Let’s pretend that I meant to write it that way.

What does your cup runneth over with?

I’ll probably runneth this post over in the morning.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 The Commonplace Book: Sourdough Edition

It’s a windy, gray day today. My tea has cooled and I’m trying to decide whether or not I want to get up and put it in the microwave. There’s a loaf of sourdough bread baking in the oven. I have high hopes it will turn out better than the last one. The clock that my mother embroidered says that it’s 4:00. I grew up looking at that clock and probably never really appreciated the artistry of it.

That’s all for the musings o’ day. It’s time to share some thoughts and quotes from my commonplace book.

Be courteous to all, but intimate with few,
and let those few be well tried before
you give them your confidence.
George Washington

Good advice from George. Perhaps he got burned once giving someone his confidence and was betrayed. Oh wait…

Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell
in such a way that they look forward to the trip.
Winston Churchill

Ha ha! I suppose a statesman needs to have that kind of tact at the ready. I’m not sure that WC was known for his tact, though, as much as for his razor sharp wit. I would not have wanted to be on the receiving end of it.

Don’t ever take a fence down
until you know why it was put up.
Robert Frost

There’s a lot more to that saying than meets the eye. Think about it the next time you find yourself thinking about removing a boundary that is inconveniencing you. Perhaps the removal of it will bring consequences that are worse than inconvenience.

Live slowly enough
to be able to think deeply
about God.
J.I. Packer

Live s-l-o-w-l-y and think DEEPLY about God. You’re going to need to be reading your Bible to get on with that.

And now you can also think deeply about this beautifully embroidered clock.

When the sourdough bread gets crusty, this post will get dusty. And deleted.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026 Commonplace Book: Don’t Be Boring

Today is Epiphany, the official end to the Christmas season. Have you taken your Christmas decorations down? Ours are scheduled to go back into hiding today. When I was a child, I was so sad about Christmas being over that I made a chain of 365 paper rings to count down until the next Christmas. What an astonishing display of industry! By mid-summer I was sick of it and threw it away.

Here are a few words from my Commonplace book to enrich your day. You’re welcome.

Every day, we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and if possible, speak a few sensible words.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If you haven’t gotten started on that today yet, get going!

We are masters of the unsaid words,
but slaves of those we let slip out.
Winston Churchill

I go into “babble mode” sometimes when there’s too much silence in a conversation. Words slip out and there are regrets.

Discipline is choosing between what you want now,
and what you want most.
Abraham Lincoln

Words to encourage you when it’s 20 degrees out and you’d rather stay home than go swim laps. Oh, I guess that’s just me.

It’s a sin to be boring.
Elisabeth Elliot

The trouble is, when we’re being boring, we don’t always KNOW we’re being boring. See above about “babble mode.” But point taken, Elisabeth. I suspect that if you do what Wolfgang said above, you will never be boring.

Let’s pretend that’s an exquisite picture and you can cross that off Wolfgang’s list. And just to show you how much I care about you, I’ll end this with a “good” poem. Now all you have to do is hear a little song and say a few sensible words. You’re on your own for that.

I’ve often repeated
This might be deleted.
You should believe me
I wouldn’t deceive thee.

Tuesday, December 16, 2025 Commonplace Book: The Eyes of Your Heart

Christmas music plays quietly in the background as I write this. The day is still dark, the room lit up by the Christmas tree. I just read the entire book of Ephesians in one sitting and am filled with wonder at the kindness of God in making me one of His own, one of His beloved. So let’s start off with something from that book, a prayer that I would pray for you if I knew you, especially if I knew that you were still wandering in darkness.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened, that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power toward us who believe.
Ephesians 1:18-19

I remember reading through Ephesians as a new Christian and being absolutely transported by the beauty, eloquence and poetry of Paul’s prose. And the Holy Spirit gave them wings in my heart.

I promise you that joy
runs deeper than despair.
Corrie Ten Boom

Repeat those words often when you need them.

If you want to know where your heart is,
look to where your mind goes when it wanders.
Walt Whitman

Very revealing!

The best way to shorten winter is to prolong Christmas.
GK Chesterton

And now, a quote from the poet Luci Shaw, who died on December 1 of this year.

Planting seeds
inevitably
changes my feelings
about rain.
Luci Shaw

So much packed into so few words – that’s fine wordsmithy right there.

I’ll probably delete this in the morning…or will I?