Audubon Park
February 7, 2026
Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you have had a happy and productive week. We have had one setback after another with our home renovation in the kitchen. I am trying not to get disheartened, but I am. So many projects have had to be ripped out and started over.
I was happy to read our Peace With the Psalms devotion this week. I would like to spend more time outside in nature looking at the sky because I know that it is good for me in so many different ways. Maybe this weekend I can spend more time outside during breaks in the rain.
This week's meditation is helpful because it reminds us to focus on what's the MOST important. I enjoyed all the scriptural references this week, and I have pulled out old graphics and made a couple of new ones for the lesson. NOTE: When we have several verses, I will always place the main one first, and this week it is from Psalm 19 verses 9-10.
Please read the prayer requests carefully as some things have changed. Also let me know if I've made any mistakes or need to add anything to our list.
Prayer Requests
- Please pray for Kitty’s son, Mike. He needs a comprehensive plan to manage pain from previous back surgeries.
- Pray for Rita's daughter Megan as she finishes her masters program this semester. Pray that she will stay healthy, and that she will manage her time well for work/school/life balance. UPDATE: Say a special birthday prayer for Megan because she turned 38 yesterday!
- Pray for my best friend Barbara who is battling cancer. UPDATE: Barbara's last day for radiation is today! Her last chemotherapy treatment was last week.
- Carla's prayer request is for all the young people entering the military, the love they feel for the USA to become warriors to fight to keep us free. Let's especially lift up our National Guard as they are deployed both here at home and abroad.
- Please pray for Kris's MIL because she has been having some heavy health issues, and Kris is currently her full time nurse. Pray that God will help and bless Kris as she cares for her MIL. Pray that other family members will step-up and will be discerning about what's best for her care.
- Kitty's younger brother is having health issues. Please lift him up in prayer.
- Rita's friend Pam needs our prayers because her cancer is stage four. But God heals! Rita was able to visit with Pam on Monday. She walked for the first time in six weeks to the nurses station that day and was able to get herself on the potty chair!
- Please pray for my baby great-niece who will have an MRI on Sunday.
- Praise from Carla: Her dad had a good visit at his recent doctor's appointment. He was not feeling well over the holidays, but he is doing much better.
- Pray for Rita's neighbor Chris. A .5-1cm lesion was found on her bladder at her 6mo scan after kidney surgery. She had two small papillary tumors successfully removed via outpatient surgery recently.
- Rita's husband's brother passed Thursday night, but praising that they were able to see him yesterday (an hr away) and speak to him.
- Pray for Kris's son-in-law Tim to find a new job.
- Update from Kitty: Her brother finally agreed to go to the hospital, and her son Mike is doing better each day.
- Please pray that the workers can finish our kitchen in a timely manner with all work done correctly.
I'm heading out in a bit to get some coffee and breakfast and to shop at a local library's annual book sale.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
It's almost Valentine's Day, My Sweet Friends! And I love y'all very much!!!
How has your week been? It's been a little challenging for me because mistakes have been made almost everyday with our kitchen redo. I am not praying for patience because I think my patience has been tested enough. I'm praying for grace! One bright spot was substitute teaching in my art class because my sweet friend and teacher Dori was sick with a tummy ache. (Please note that I am not happy Dori was ill....I prefer to sub for her when she's on a fabulous trip.) We had a full class, and it was lots of fun.
Oh! How I LOVED this week's psalm and meditation! I am flagging it to read on nights I'm feeling anxiety or stress. God does not want us to be burdened or to be fearful. That is not how he designed us to be! I hope this week's lesson helped to unburden you like it did me.
There were several scriptural references in addition to Psalm 4. I've included them below.
I think it's really cool that these graphics were shared in past posts, and they all kind of coordinate! Although I do love PINK!
Below you will find a sweet Valentine's Day prayer from Joyce Rupp.
Prayer Requests
- Please pray for Kitty’s son, Mike. He needs a comprehensive plan to manage pain from previous back surgeries.
- Pray for Rita's daughter Megan as she finishes her masters program this semester. Pray that she will stay healthy, and that she will manage her time well for work/school/life balance. UPDATE: Megan's anxiety is off the charts, but praising she had a great interview yesterday for her future!
- Pray for my best friend Barbara who is battling cancer.
- Carla's prayer request is for all the young people entering the military, the love they feel for the USA to become warriors to fight to keep us free. Let's especially lift up our National Guard as they are deployed both here at home and abroad.
- Please pray for Kris's MIL because she has been having some heavy health issues, and Kris is currently her full time nurse. Pray that God will help and bless Kris as she cares for her MIL. Pray that other family members will step-up and will be discerning about what's best for her care.
- Kitty's younger brother is having health issues. Please lift him up in prayer.
- Rita's friend Pam needs our prayers because her cancer is stage four. But God heals! Praising she was transferred to their local hospital 2 days ago, and Rita and friends can visit her now to help boost her! Let's lift her up in prayer many times during the day!
- I have an unspoken request.
- Praise from Carla: Her dad had a good visit at his recent doctor's appointment. He was not feeling well over the holidays, but he is doing much better.
- Pray for Rita's neighbor Chris. A .5-1cm lesion was found on her bladder at her 6mo scan after kidney surgery.
- Rita's husband's brother passed Thursday night, but praising that they were able to see him yesterday (an hr away) and speak to him.
- Pray for Kris's son-in-law Tim to find a new job.
- Update from Kitty: Her brother finally agreed to go to the hospital, and her son Mike is doing better each day.
I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day Weekend, Friends!
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I'm headed out to get coffee this morning. I can't brew coffee in my kitchen at the moment.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Good Morning, Friends! How was your week?
I am actually writing this post Thursday morning. We are in New Orleans for a few Mardi Gras events, including a ball. We are hoping to visit family, too.
God is so, so good. His timing is perfect. And I know I have been saying that a whole lot lately, but it's true. The timing of this week's lesson, "Near to the Brokenhearted," is, well, perfect.
The Lord is close to the brokenheartedand saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Thank-you, Father. Thank-you.
We have studied this Psalm (#34) several times over the years. This week's lesson focuses on verses 17-19, but there are also a few excellent nuggets in the Psalm. I always archive the graphics for this blog, and I thought it would be fun for me to post them and look back on them. You can usually tell what time of the year we read and studied the verses, too, based on the photos and artwork. Fun fact: I have three different graphics for Psalm 34:8, but I'm only sharing one of them today.
Prayer Requests
- Please pray for Kitty’s son, Mike. He needs a comprehensive plan to manage pain from previous back surgeries.
- Pray for Rita's daughter Megan as she finishes her masters program this semester. Pray that she will stay healthy, and that she will manage her time well for work/school/life balance.
- Pray for my best friend Barbara who is battling cancer.
- Carla's prayer request is for all the young people entering the military, the love they feel for the USA to become warriors to fight to keep us free. Let's especially lift up our National Guard as they are deployed both here at home and abroad.
- Please pray for Kris's MIL because she has been having some heavy health issues, and Kris is currently her full time nurse. Pray that God will help and bless Kris as she cares for her MIL. Pray that other family members will step-up and will be discerning about what's best for her care.
- Kitty's younger brother is having health issues. Please lift him up in prayer.
- Continue to pray for Kris's husband Terry. He is better; let's pray that justice will be served, that the mesh company will be held accountable and pay for Terry's healthcare caused by their faulty product.
- Rita's friend Pam needs our prayers because her cancer is stage four. But God heals! Let's lift her up in prayer many times during the day!
- I have an unspoken request.
- Please pray for travel mercies for Trip and me this weekend.
- Praise from Carla: Her dad had a good visit at his recent doctor's appointment. He was not feeling well over the holidays, but he is doing much better.
- Pray for Rita's neighbor Chris. A .5-1cm lesion was found on her bladder at her 6mo scan after kidney surgery.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! Y'all....I am tired. I haven't been sleeping well. And living through a home renovation of a kitchen and bathroom is NOT for sissies. So I'd like to apologize in advance if this isn't my best post.
This week's lesson is entitled "Waiting Is Difficult," and it centers on Psalm 13. David wrote this Psalm during a time of great stress, and we can all relate to that. He had to fight for his very life and go into hiding so often during his lifetime. And even later in life he was distraught about his son Absalom's betrayal and coup attempt. And I think I have problems....
Here's this week's scripture:
But I trust in your unfailing love;my heart rejoices in your salvation.I will sing the Lord’s praise,for he has been good to me.
The lesson also includes Isaiah 40:31:
This scripture never fails to encourage!
I am trying to embrace this lesson and be encouraged. But it's hard because of the mistakes being made in our renovation. Hopefully by the end of spring, when this is all behind us, I can look back and laugh, but I'm not there yet!
Are you going through a difficult season of waiting? Can you share an example from your own life when the waiting was excruciating?
Prayer Requests
- Please pray for Kitty’s son, Mike. He needs a comprehensive plan to manage pain from previous back surgeries.
- Pray for Rita's daughter Megan as she finishes her masters program this semester. Pray that she will stay healthy, and that she will manage her time well for work/school/life balance.
- Pray for my best friend Barbara who is battling cancer.
- Carla's prayer request is for all the young people entering the military, the love they feel for the USA to become warriors to fight to keep us free. Let's especially lift up our National Guard as they are deployed both here at home and abroad.
- Please pray for Kris's MIL because she has been having some heavy health issues, and Kris is currently her full time nurse. Pray that God will help and bless Kris as she cares for her MIL. Pray that other family members will step-up and will be discerning about what's best for her care.
- Kitty's younger brother is having health issues. Please lift him up in prayer.
- Continue to pray for Kris's husband Terry.
- Rita's friend Pam has had yet another setback with blood gases from sleep apnea, and had to be on a vent this past week, still weaning off of it. She will need to be in a higher skilled facility beyond what rehab can offer, so she will likely be transferred next week to a place southeast of Pittsburgh, further from home. Please, everyone, pray for her spirit to be calmed. She is extremely anxious.
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After Bible study, I'm off to get my hair cut this morning.
I hope you have a calm and peaceful weekend!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
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