Saturday, March 28, 2026

Daffy-Down-Dilly Nursery Rhyme

Good news!

Today marks the second week that I've been home from the hospital due to having the cardiac ablation. The procedure went as planned with no complications and I spent the night in the hospital for safekeeping and on Saturday I was home by the noon hour.

I thank God that He brought me through with flying colors and so far, I am doing well. I'm working on gathering my strength and stamina and I hope by the time the Neosho City Wide Yard Sales roll around that I will be able to make my way around our beautiful town - if nothing else to enjoy outdoor time and get some walking in.

March weather came in like a lamb this year in our SW Missouri area. The old weather proverb says that if March comes in stormy like a lion, it will go out gentle and warm like a lamb and vice-versa. So far, our March has been beautiful - warm and windy, with only a few colder days/nights. We shall see how the month roars out in a few more days.

March is my birthday month and I have always loved watching the yellow daffodils appearing and decorating the yards, roadsides, and on old homeplaces grouped around a ramshackle house or growing in a row around a fence line. Which brings me to the old nursery rhyme about daffodils.

"Daffy Down Dilly" is considered one of the traditional English nursery rhymes whose author is not known. In 1843, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote about Daffydowndilly in a story he titled, "Little Daffy Down Dilly." You can find the story here: https://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/nh/lddd.html. Just highlight the URL with your mouse, right click and you can go to the site.....

The original rhyme has only two sentences and is visually pleasing:

"Daffy Down Dilly has come to town, In a green petticoat and a yellow gown."

NOTE: the two-sentence rhyme has been written in various ways. The one I use above is my own words.

Anna Bartlett Warner, born in New York in 1827, wrote a complete poem about Daffy Down Dilly. She wrote many other poems, children's books, and beloved Hymns, including "Jesus Loves Me." You can find her story here: https://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=3295. Just highlight the URL with your mouse, right click and you can go to the site.....

Through the years, I couldn't wait to see the yellow daffodil buds preparing to burst forth with the March sunshine. I always picked a handful of daffodils, plopping them into a glass of water, and setting them on the table to enjoy. This year, I bought a couple of silk bouquets of daffodils at Hobby Lobby and they are happily in a glass vase on my coffee table. I'll save them through the years to enjoy every season.

Spring is a time of rebirth and our earth wakes up from the cold and sleepy, resting season. Trees are working their magic to fill out their canopies with glorious leaves for summertime and plants and flowers are waking up from the cold soil and giving us an array of parading colors.

We are preparing for Easter Week, also. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for suffering and dying on the old rugged cross for the sins of the world. If only we choose to believe that Jesus shed His blood on the cross, was buried for three days, and then arose from the dead and we ask Him to forgive us our sins and come live in our hearts, and we begin our earthly walk with Him as our Savior, Teacher, and King.

I pray this is what everyone chooses. I wish you a happy Spring, a happy Easter Sunday, and I hope the many beautiful flowers blooming this spring brings you a bit of sunshine in your life. Minus the allergies, though......

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Illness & Writing & Spring

I want to apologize to you, Dear Readers, who are following my March Women's History Month posts about Bible women. I am abandoning the posts for the rest of March due to an illness. I'm not feeling well at this time. I am sorry, because I absolutely LOVE Women's History Month!

And I have a hospital procedure coming up in 5 days, just before my birthday. It is a cardiac ablation, which is a common procedure to help people who are suffering from Afibs. My heart and my pacemaker are not getting along with the medicine I have to take. We are hopeful that after the procedure I will be able to go off the medicine and the Afibs will stop and I can regain my normal energy back for a woman my age. This has been an exhausting ordeal! Thank you for understanding.

I hope you are having a very happy SPRING!

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH: Women of the Bible: Lydia, Seller of Purple Cloth

Woman of the Bible: Lydia, Seller of Purple Cloth

Lydia’s Story

Lydia’s story is found in Acts 16:11–40. She was a successful businesswoman living in Philippi who sold purple cloth; it was a rare and costly fabric dyed from small Mediterranean mollusks. This vibrant purple was highly prized in the Roman world and worn by royalty and the wealthy. Lydia dealt in beauty, influence, and commerce in a bustling center of trade.

Though living in Philippi, Lydia was originally from Thyatira, a city known for its dyeing industry. She was either a widow or a single woman managing her own household which was an unusual and admirable position in her day. Scripture tells us she was a worshiper of God.

On the Sabbath, Lydia gathered by the river with other women to pray and seek the Lord. When the Apostle Paul arrived in Philippi, he went to that riverside meeting place and began preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”

Lydia believed immediately. She was baptized, and soon afterward her entire household was baptized as well.

Recognizing that Paul and his companions needed lodging, Lydia urged them to stay in her home. She didn’t hesitate. She opened her doors and her heart. Later, after Paul and Silas were released from prison, they returned once more to Lydia’s home, which had become a place of encouragement and fellowship for the new believers.

Lydia holds the beautiful distinction of being Paul’s first recorded convert in Europe. Her home likely became the meeting place for the growing church in Philippi.

Her Personality

Lydia appears to have been intelligent, discerning, and spiritually attentive.
She was independent and financially successful, yet humble enough to receive truth when she heard it.
She led her household with strength and conviction.
Her faith was not passive, it was active, generous, and bold.

Her Spiritual Gifts

Lydia demonstrated the gift of hospitality.
She used her resources to advance the Gospel.
Her immediate obedience shows a heart inclined toward evangelism and service.
As an entrepreneur, she understood stewardship and she surrendered what she had to God’s purposes.

The Garden Flower Associated with Her: Aster

Asters are often purple, ranging from soft lavender to deep violet. Hardy and resilient, they grow tall and wide, almost like a flowering bush. Their daisy-like blooms brighten autumn gardens when many other flowers are fading. Like the aster, Lydia was strong, vibrant, and multi-talented. She flourished in her season and brought color and life to the early church.

How God Guides Us Through Her Story

God opens hearts, just as He opened Lydia’s. He meets us in ordinary places—in workplaces, by riversides, in the rhythm of daily life. He calls us to respond in faith and to use whatever we have for His glory.

Read and Reflect

Have you answered the ultimate call and received Jesus as your Savior?
Has the Lord opened your heart to something He is asking you to do?
Are you using your home, your work, and your resources to further His kingdom?

As Women of Faith, we carry a beautiful responsibility, to share the Good News of Jesus wherever we are planted. Accepting the Gospel message and living wholeheartedly for God is what life is truly about.

Bibliography

Gower, Ralph. Manners and Customs of Bible Times. Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 2005.

Harney, Sherry. Praying with Women of the Bible for 30 Days. Grand Rapids, MI: Harper Christian Resources, 2025.

Lockyer, Herbert. All the Men of the Bible; All the Women of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.

Miller, Stephen M. The Complete Guide to the Bible. Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour Books, 2007.

Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Reader’s Companion: Your Guide to Every Chapter of the Bible. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1991.

Richards, Sue Poorman, and Lawrence O. Richards. Women of the Bible: The Life and Times of Every Woman in the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003.

Roeleveld, Lori Stanley. Graceful Influence: Making a Lasting Impact through Lessons from Women of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Our Daily Bread Publishing, 2004.

Spangler, Ann, and Jean E. Syswerda. Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.

The International Bible Society. The Women’s Devotional Bible 2. Colorado Springs, CO: International Bible Society, 1978.

Monday, March 2, 2026

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH: Women of the Bible: Lot's Wife

WOMAN OF THE BIBLE: LOT’S WIFE

This woman in the Bible is known to us only as “Lot’s wife.” Her name is never recorded, yet her story carries a powerful and sobering lesson—one that still speaks clearly to our hearts today.

Her story is found in Genesis 19:15–26, and Jesus Himself later refers to it in Luke 17:29–33. We are told that Lot and his family lived in the city of Sodom, a place steeped in corruption and wickedness. Lot, Abraham’s nephew, was a respected man in the city—likely a civic leader—and his family enjoyed wealth, comfort, and social status. From the outside, they appeared settled and secure.

But as Sodom’s sin grew more grievous, God’s judgment drew near. Abraham pleaded with God, asking if the city might be spared for the sake of righteous people living there. God agreed—but tragically, the only righteous ones found were Lot and his family.

In His mercy, God sent angels to warn Lot of the coming destruction and to help his family escape. Even then, hesitation lingered. The angels urged them to flee to the mountains and gave one clear command: do not look back.

As fire and brimstone rained down from heaven, Lot, his wife, and their two daughters fled for their lives. But in a single, fateful moment, Lot’s wife stopped. She turned and looked back at the city she was leaving behind—the life, the comfort, the possessions, and perhaps the identity she had grown to love more than obedience to God. Scripture tells us plainly: “But Lot’s wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26)

Her personality:

Over time, she had become materialistic and self-focused, allowing comfort and status to dull her spiritual sensitivity. Though she had received a clear warning, she chose disobedience in a moment of longing for what she was leaving behind.

Her spiritual gifts

Perhaps Lot’s wife possessed the gift of hospitality. Along with Lot, she welcomed the angels into their home and prepared a meal for them. Even so, spiritual gifts alone cannot sustain a heart that clings to the world rather than to God.

The garden flower associated with her

The white lily may symbolize Lot’s wife, reminding us of Jesus’ words to “consider the lilies”—to trust God’s provision and not look back with fear or regret. The lily calls us to faith, surrender, and forward-looking trust.

How God guides us through her story

Lot’s wife teaches us the cost of divided hearts. God calls us to obedience and wholehearted trust—not to dwell on our sinful past or cling to what He is asking us to leave behind. When we look back, we risk missing the future God is leading us toward.

Read and reflect:

After reading the Scriptures, pause and examine your own life. Do you find yourself mourning the past or replaying old regrets? Are you holding tightly to something God is asking you to release? How can you trust Him enough to move forward without looking back?

Obedience to God’s Word leads us into freedom, righteousness, and life. When God says, “Go,” may we go without hesitation—and keep our eyes fixed on Him.