We all get them from time to time.
People call them by different names.
Some people call them promptings.
I call them nudges.

To be perfectly clear, they are spiritual nudges.
The nudges are whispers to your heart.
The nudges are quiet and almost not discernible.
However, the nudges are there.

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How my children used to love to build forts.
Give them a few blankets, put them near a large sofa, and the building would begin.
An old country bench placed strategically close to the sofa would suffice.
A ladder back chair placed at one end gave the blanket just enough height.

It was a secret place.
It was a place of hiding even though they were fully seen.
It was a place to which I was sometimes invited.
There was something magical about fort building.

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I have two funerals to go to which happen to be a day apart.
It is never easy to walk through the visitation line and express your heart to the family.
You have a few minutes to somehow try to encapsulate a lifetime.
The funerals I have to go to were both girlhood friends.

One could argue that there are many downsides to social media.
However, it is also through social media that old friends reconnect.
Such was the case with these two girlhood friends.
Many years ago, we found each other on Facebook.

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Many years ago, a friend gave me a lovely votive candle holder.
She knew that I love candles.
She knew that I love blueberries.
This votive candle holder had clusters of blueberries on the base.

I only burn one candle, which sits on my island in the kitchen.
It is my favorite scent: Country Store.
It is a conglomeration of all the scents you might smell if you walk into a country store.
The scent of the candle permeates the entire house.

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My youngest daughter came home for the weekend to celebrate her birthday.
She was excited to see friends on her birthday and then celebrate with family the next day.
Since her actual birthday was quite busy, her presents remained unopened until the next day.
I remember the years when opening presents was the first thing my children wanted to do.

Often, when they were younger they would still have to wait, which was always difficult.
When they got older, they had more self-control.
However, birthdays are a big deal in our house.
It is a real celebration of life.

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I saw them every week at the grocery store.
She held on to the shopping cart for support.
Her cane was always sticking out of the cart.
It was strategically placed so as not to disturb the groceries.

She was always with her son.
He faithfully brought her to the grocery store each week.
After seeing them week after week, it was inevitable that we would finally meet.
One week we had a lovely conversation; I felt like I was beginning to know this woman.

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I never rode a yellow school bus in all my years of school.
I thought of that as I sat behind school buses while I was driving home.
I watched the caution lights blink yellow then red.
I saw the red STOP sign stick out from the side of the bus.

I could see the heads of the children on the bus.
It was obvious that the older children were in the back of the bus.
I watched them gather their things when they needed to get off at their bus stop.
The bus driver had such patience as the child took their time to walk up the aisle.

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We have a sound system with speakers in various rooms of our house.
Sound systems installed when a house is built must be wonderful.
This system consists of various Bluetooth speakers in the rooms of our choice.
We started out with two speakers; and have expanded to five.

There is a speaker in the family room and the kitchen.
There is a speaker in the dining room and the living room.
There is a speaker on the bridge that overlooks the family room and foyer.
When all the speakers are on, the entire downstairs has continuous sound.

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It officially has been fall for only a few weeks.
However, the weather still feels like summer.
We have had 100% humidity each day.
I actually put the air conditioner back on a few days ago.

I cannot wait for the weather to stay cool and crisp.
Actually, I cannot wait for the weather to get cold.
I am a, sit by the fire, kind of person.
I am a, get under a blanket with a good book, kind of woman.

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The morning after our wonderful weekend away, my daughter-in-love sent a text to the family.
Did anybody see the news this AM?
The answers came in rapid succession.
My son sent a link to a news article for those of us who had not heard about the tragedy.

I answered with my first thought as I read about the evil unleashed.
Only God can change hearts and restore peace and sanity.
This is what it looks like without Him.
I reminded each of them how much I love them.

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