Why is it that the only time we scream for help is when we are on the edge of the cliff fixin to take that last step and fall into the great abyss?
The Lord wants us to walk with Him always. I think that we need to hear His voice. We need to ask more about the little things, so when the big things come, we are already tuned into His frequency instead of the world's.
We allow the things of this world to swirl around us as we pick through the things we think we can control, but in actuality, we don't control anything. Our lines are drawn out before us and cross the necessary paths. When we stray, it just makes it harder.
I had a dream awhile back that I was in an old campground. I was trying to find my way back to my site. It was built on the side of a hill, with lots of trees and overgrown bushes. It was a large campground. I could see RV's and tents and I remember pushing through bushes and getting scratched, tripping over rocks and logs, trying to take a short cut that may or may not lead me to where I was going. All the while, on the other side of the bushes, there was a paved path that led all the way to my home. It was cracked, but it was clear all the way up.
I believe that is how we live our lives. We think we can short cut through life, but we are getting beaten and bruised while we fumble our way through the bushes and logs. We will hopefully still make it, but wouldn't it be easier to follow the paved path that God had laid from the beginning? Wouldn't it be easier to trip on a crack and still be able to get up and see home? God doesn't promise us that it will be easy, but He does promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. When we fall, He is there to help us up. IF we can slow down and know that He is there.
I know for myself, it's easy for me to start spinning and let my mind get out of control and find myself on the edge, totally turned around. But I know, that even if I get to the edge and take that step, I can still scream and He will be my bungee cord. He will bounce me back up and put me back on His path He laid for me at the beginning of time. All I have to do is ask. I have to be stll and know that He is God and I will never walk the path alone.
I don't know about you, but I sure want out of the bushes and to have the healer, kiss my boo-boo's and put a Barbie Band-aid on me and put me back on the right path. I need His help to keep me on the path that HE laid for me and not the one I keep trying to make myself. I don't like heights and I don't want to be a jumper. Lord help me be still and know you are God. In Jesus Name!
Be blessed,
Until we read again...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
God Control
A couple years ago, I decided to go on a weight loss journey. I did good, for awhile. Then I petered out. I have gained back about 3 pounds since I hit the plateau. I started running again in April of 2010, only to peter out again from injuries in November of 2010. Then came Moms on the Run (MOTR) through Fort Worth Running Company. (btw, FW Running Company is a Christian based, not afraid to talk about it organization. They are doing it for the health and wellness of the runners, so I encourage you to give business their way if you want to start exercising or running.) Anyway, MOTR was a group of moms that was going to meet on Tu/Th/Sa that started in the beginning of December. The goal, a Benbrook 5K on January 29th. My goal, be able to run for a full 3 miles, without stopping. I decided to sign up for it because, well, I had a lack of self motivation. I choose exercise peer pressure as my booty kicker and let me tell you, it worked! I haven't lost any extra weight, but I have lost a whole dress size. I know muscle mass, but that is not what I want to hear. I want the scale to go down. I also went from barely being able to run 2 minutes and walking 1 minute, to running 5 minutes then walking a minute and up from there. We have been doing it for 6 weeks now and I am happy to tell you that I can run the full 3 miles already! I thought for sure, there was no way, but here I am. And crazy as it sounds, I am going to train with them for another month and do the Cowtown 10k! Ahhhh! What am I thinking? I signed up for it yesterday, so there's no backing out now. Deep breath.
That said, the Lord has been impressing on me that, though I have excelled quickly running with the guidance of an encourager and of course family support, I still haven't lost any weight because I just eat. I want it, I eat it. I have a lack of self control when it comes to food. I am thoughtless about it and just put it in my mouth. I have worked so hard to get my body back under control, yet I have fallen way short of that with my mouth.
So, with the urgings of the Spirit comes a conviction to give it back to Him and work on the self discipline that comes with letting the Father make my paths straight, (away from the kitchen.)
I have chosen to get back into my Sparkpeople account and reset my goals. I want to lose twenty pounds by May 15th. Then I will reset goals again when that day comes. Little bit at a time, till I hit my final goal of forty pounds. I wrote a blog post on Sparkpeople back in 2009 and I am going to include it on this post because it goes hand in hand with what I feel the need to do. I want to share it with whoever the Lord thinks might need to hear it. It is not just for food, but can be used for any addiction. Just think of how the concept of asking the Lord can apply to you.
Here it is, tell me your thoughts.
July 1, 2009
Turning Self Control into God Control
I have been trying and trying, sort of, to lose weight. I have been stagnate. Gain a pound here and lose a pound there, but no continuous loss. It is my fault though. I have been inconsistent. I have been weighing myself, but I don't update my SparkPage because it isn't enough. Most of the time it is up a half pound, then I go down a half pound and up a pound then down a half pound. You get the picture. Problem is I don't want to log it because my scale on my Page never moves. I don't want to embarrass myself. I will log it when it goes down some more. No one will know, except me. Excuses.
So, I was reading my bible the other day and God asked me why I don't ask Him what I am supposed to eat. Before I grab the nearest string cheese or extra bite of dinner, why don't I ask Him if it's okay? It hit me. I take all of my other troubles to God, why not take this one too?
See, I am a control freak. (recovering) There I said it. I have been working on this for a long time. I can't control my kids. I can't control other peoples choices that affect me. I can't control the red light that I will have to stop at and I can't control the time slot of my favorite shows, although with my digital recorder, I have a false sense that I can. I can't control the weather or anything else for that matter. I sure try though.
What I can control is the way I react to situations and what I put in my mouth and I have failed miserably at both. Why is that? Because I have told myself over and over that those are the only things that I control! Duh... Who is supposed to be driving my mind? Instead, I am trying to drive and putting the most important person in the backseat, Jesus. What happens when we do all the driving and place Jesus in the child seat in the back? I say that because we treat Him like a child sometimes, He can't do it good enough, so we will take care of it ourselves. Obviously, we can handle it better, right? Not. Um, last time I checked, He was the King of the Universe.
My dear friend asks me, "So, how's that workin for ya?"
"It's not." I say and hang my head in shame.
"What are you going to do about it?"
Well, I am writing a blog to tell everyone on SparkPages, I am going to sit in the child seat in the back and let God be my Daddy that He wants to be. I continue to blow it on my own, over and over and over again. I will ask Him before I eat, if He wants me to eat and if so, what. I will ask him when it's time to workout. I bet He has that on a list of things for me to do today. His schedule is better than mine. I bet that His schedule has me finishing everything that NEEDS to get done. Won't that be nice? What do I really control after all? Nothing. God controls everything. I just need to stop and listen to Him. It will take time to train myself, but when I am diligent about seeking Him, He will let me find Him and He is faithful to answer.
Why am I telling you? Well, I am writing this blog as an accountability device for me. I don't know if anyone will even read this, but I know I wrote it and it is out there floating around. I said it now, it's not just in my head. It is official. It is now written. In fact, I think that I will publish this to Facebook. Then all my friends can see it and hold me accountable. Ouch. That's scary. I have a lot of friends on Facebook now.
God, thank you for giving me the heart you have. Thank you for making me who I am. May my journey be one that you are proud of. May my ears hear Your voice and my mind follow your words. May my self control now be God control. May my body be a worthy temple for you. In your Son Jesus' Holy name, Amen
Be blessed,
Until we read again...
That said, the Lord has been impressing on me that, though I have excelled quickly running with the guidance of an encourager and of course family support, I still haven't lost any weight because I just eat. I want it, I eat it. I have a lack of self control when it comes to food. I am thoughtless about it and just put it in my mouth. I have worked so hard to get my body back under control, yet I have fallen way short of that with my mouth.
So, with the urgings of the Spirit comes a conviction to give it back to Him and work on the self discipline that comes with letting the Father make my paths straight, (away from the kitchen.)
I have chosen to get back into my Sparkpeople account and reset my goals. I want to lose twenty pounds by May 15th. Then I will reset goals again when that day comes. Little bit at a time, till I hit my final goal of forty pounds. I wrote a blog post on Sparkpeople back in 2009 and I am going to include it on this post because it goes hand in hand with what I feel the need to do. I want to share it with whoever the Lord thinks might need to hear it. It is not just for food, but can be used for any addiction. Just think of how the concept of asking the Lord can apply to you.
Here it is, tell me your thoughts.
July 1, 2009
Turning Self Control into God Control
I have been trying and trying, sort of, to lose weight. I have been stagnate. Gain a pound here and lose a pound there, but no continuous loss. It is my fault though. I have been inconsistent. I have been weighing myself, but I don't update my SparkPage because it isn't enough. Most of the time it is up a half pound, then I go down a half pound and up a pound then down a half pound. You get the picture. Problem is I don't want to log it because my scale on my Page never moves. I don't want to embarrass myself. I will log it when it goes down some more. No one will know, except me. Excuses.
So, I was reading my bible the other day and God asked me why I don't ask Him what I am supposed to eat. Before I grab the nearest string cheese or extra bite of dinner, why don't I ask Him if it's okay? It hit me. I take all of my other troubles to God, why not take this one too?
See, I am a control freak. (recovering) There I said it. I have been working on this for a long time. I can't control my kids. I can't control other peoples choices that affect me. I can't control the red light that I will have to stop at and I can't control the time slot of my favorite shows, although with my digital recorder, I have a false sense that I can. I can't control the weather or anything else for that matter. I sure try though.
What I can control is the way I react to situations and what I put in my mouth and I have failed miserably at both. Why is that? Because I have told myself over and over that those are the only things that I control! Duh... Who is supposed to be driving my mind? Instead, I am trying to drive and putting the most important person in the backseat, Jesus. What happens when we do all the driving and place Jesus in the child seat in the back? I say that because we treat Him like a child sometimes, He can't do it good enough, so we will take care of it ourselves. Obviously, we can handle it better, right? Not. Um, last time I checked, He was the King of the Universe.
My dear friend asks me, "So, how's that workin for ya?"
"It's not." I say and hang my head in shame.
"What are you going to do about it?"
Well, I am writing a blog to tell everyone on SparkPages, I am going to sit in the child seat in the back and let God be my Daddy that He wants to be. I continue to blow it on my own, over and over and over again. I will ask Him before I eat, if He wants me to eat and if so, what. I will ask him when it's time to workout. I bet He has that on a list of things for me to do today. His schedule is better than mine. I bet that His schedule has me finishing everything that NEEDS to get done. Won't that be nice? What do I really control after all? Nothing. God controls everything. I just need to stop and listen to Him. It will take time to train myself, but when I am diligent about seeking Him, He will let me find Him and He is faithful to answer.
Why am I telling you? Well, I am writing this blog as an accountability device for me. I don't know if anyone will even read this, but I know I wrote it and it is out there floating around. I said it now, it's not just in my head. It is official. It is now written. In fact, I think that I will publish this to Facebook. Then all my friends can see it and hold me accountable. Ouch. That's scary. I have a lot of friends on Facebook now.
God, thank you for giving me the heart you have. Thank you for making me who I am. May my journey be one that you are proud of. May my ears hear Your voice and my mind follow your words. May my self control now be God control. May my body be a worthy temple for you. In your Son Jesus' Holy name, Amen
Be blessed,
Until we read again...
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Change is so good, NOT!
No, I'm not talking about the change in your pocket or in the bottom of your purse. Not the pretty silver and copper colored stuff. That stuff is good. Especially the nickels. I'm talking about the change that is like a scratchy sweater. The kind that when you put it on, it's itchy and it makes you wiggle your back trying to get it off. The kind that when you get home, you rip it off and swear you are going to throw it away, but can't because you great Auntie Gertrude gave it to you and you have to wear it every time you see her.
No, I'm talking about the change that when it starts happening around you, you feel like you are going to throw up. The one you have no control over and you feel helpless to stop it.
I hate change. Sorry mom. I dislike change very much. It is uncomfortable and unwelcome. Why can't things stay the same? Moan. Why can't we all just get along? Wail. Oh, wait, wrong post.
God has been dealing with me on change for awhile. Well, since I was born I guess. I grew up in a very safe home. I had both sets of grandparents within a 10 mile radius. It was comfortable. It was good. I was secure and I knew it would be that way forever. But it wasn't. My family fell apart, parents got divorced, friends moved, boyfriends came and went, grandparents passed away and all along, I was trying to grab onto something that would be the same forever.
That, my friends, is my problem. I think in terms of "forever." When I think about things, I think about them being the same forever. Friends, churches, schools, I want things to be the same. I imagine my girls marrying boys that they have grown up with and we have been friends with for a long time. It's comfortable, familiar, secure. Yet, things don't work that way. They weren't intended to.
God spoke to me a little over a year ago. My last grandparent passed away in November of 2009. Let me step back and say that my dad's parents were children of the depression. My grandma was so traumatized by it that she was a horder of sorts. Food, toilet paper, money. They saved. My grandparents house is the same today as it was when it was built in the 70's. Same color, same furniture, always the same. Maybe that has somehow affected the way I think of things. In all my chaos, that was one thing that I always could count on, my grandparents would always be the same. When I went into their house, it smelled the same. Grandma wanted to play Kings on the Corner and Grandpa would look at me with the same loving eyes that he did when I was a child. He'd smile and call me "Wendy-Pete." It was the same and it was so good. Till they both passed away in 2009. Grandma in May and Grandpa at the end of October. See as hard as I tried to keep things the same, no matter what, I couldn't. People grow old. People get sick. People die.
Taking it a step further, people move, people get mad and sometimes people just grow apart. The funny things is, no matter how much we want things to stay the same, we can't. We weren't meant to be the same. We were meant to grow and change. The only thing that will ever stay the same is death. When you're dead, change stops. No matter what, we are still dead. I know, "Wow Wendy, you sure are dark today." Well, I've been dark for awhile, but to me, it's not really dark. It's more like light. God's light. He's been shining on me and asking me to accept that He has changes in store for me and that it's okay because guess what, He doesn't change. He stays the same, forever! (Hallelujah, Praise God!)
All these years, I was searching for something that was secure and the same and He was right in front of me. I guess that is part of what happens when you don't find the Lord till your are 26. I was a control freak, well, still am so I guess I am a recovering control freak, but anyway, I was a control freak in high school. I wanted to control everyone and everything. I would break up with boys just so that they couldn't break up with me. I am sure that I broke many hearts and looking back, I was not a very nice person to be around. I thank God my sister and my best friend Laura stuck by me even when I hurt them too. I think that happens when everything is out of control and you try to control your circumstances to the best of your ability, no matter who gets run over along the way. But even way back then, God still held my hand. I just didn't know it. He tenderly guided my path and kept me out of trouble that I deserved, but didn't get because He had other things in mind for me.
Then years later, I get a job in Texas and move 2000 miles away from my home. I was 18 and even then, I planned on staying with my job forever. I was going to be friends with these people, forever. That lasted a whole 8 years. Then I got to change jobs. But I would still be friends with all these people, right? Nope. I only have contact with a handful of those hundreds of people I knew. God moved me through another job and now two more churches and still I find myself longing for forever.
I guess I pour all this out to you because God has shown me that there is only one forever and it is with Him and that time has not yet come. He has told me that though I may seek security here and look for forever here, He has other things planned. He doesn't want me to be comfortable because then I might quit seeking Him. He has shared with me that all these ugly sweaters that keep getting put on me, well they are all about making me a little better, a little more like Him. He likes ugly, scratchy sweaters. They create a need for change and change is good. As long as we have on an ugly, scratchy sweater, we will be open to trying to change it, trying to find a better fit, but we won't and we shouldn't. Not here on this earth. Only when we see Him in the ever after will the change end. In the meantime, we need to willingly embrace the changes He has planned for us. Plans to prosper us and give us a future. (Jeremiah is so cool.) He has good stuff for us. When we die, we can get our soft, cuddly final sweater and it will be good. Heck, maybe it will even be a snuggie, with wings on the back.
Be blessed, until we read again,
wt
No, I'm talking about the change that when it starts happening around you, you feel like you are going to throw up. The one you have no control over and you feel helpless to stop it.
I hate change. Sorry mom. I dislike change very much. It is uncomfortable and unwelcome. Why can't things stay the same? Moan. Why can't we all just get along? Wail. Oh, wait, wrong post.
God has been dealing with me on change for awhile. Well, since I was born I guess. I grew up in a very safe home. I had both sets of grandparents within a 10 mile radius. It was comfortable. It was good. I was secure and I knew it would be that way forever. But it wasn't. My family fell apart, parents got divorced, friends moved, boyfriends came and went, grandparents passed away and all along, I was trying to grab onto something that would be the same forever.
That, my friends, is my problem. I think in terms of "forever." When I think about things, I think about them being the same forever. Friends, churches, schools, I want things to be the same. I imagine my girls marrying boys that they have grown up with and we have been friends with for a long time. It's comfortable, familiar, secure. Yet, things don't work that way. They weren't intended to.
God spoke to me a little over a year ago. My last grandparent passed away in November of 2009. Let me step back and say that my dad's parents were children of the depression. My grandma was so traumatized by it that she was a horder of sorts. Food, toilet paper, money. They saved. My grandparents house is the same today as it was when it was built in the 70's. Same color, same furniture, always the same. Maybe that has somehow affected the way I think of things. In all my chaos, that was one thing that I always could count on, my grandparents would always be the same. When I went into their house, it smelled the same. Grandma wanted to play Kings on the Corner and Grandpa would look at me with the same loving eyes that he did when I was a child. He'd smile and call me "Wendy-Pete." It was the same and it was so good. Till they both passed away in 2009. Grandma in May and Grandpa at the end of October. See as hard as I tried to keep things the same, no matter what, I couldn't. People grow old. People get sick. People die.
Taking it a step further, people move, people get mad and sometimes people just grow apart. The funny things is, no matter how much we want things to stay the same, we can't. We weren't meant to be the same. We were meant to grow and change. The only thing that will ever stay the same is death. When you're dead, change stops. No matter what, we are still dead. I know, "Wow Wendy, you sure are dark today." Well, I've been dark for awhile, but to me, it's not really dark. It's more like light. God's light. He's been shining on me and asking me to accept that He has changes in store for me and that it's okay because guess what, He doesn't change. He stays the same, forever! (Hallelujah, Praise God!)
All these years, I was searching for something that was secure and the same and He was right in front of me. I guess that is part of what happens when you don't find the Lord till your are 26. I was a control freak, well, still am so I guess I am a recovering control freak, but anyway, I was a control freak in high school. I wanted to control everyone and everything. I would break up with boys just so that they couldn't break up with me. I am sure that I broke many hearts and looking back, I was not a very nice person to be around. I thank God my sister and my best friend Laura stuck by me even when I hurt them too. I think that happens when everything is out of control and you try to control your circumstances to the best of your ability, no matter who gets run over along the way. But even way back then, God still held my hand. I just didn't know it. He tenderly guided my path and kept me out of trouble that I deserved, but didn't get because He had other things in mind for me.
Then years later, I get a job in Texas and move 2000 miles away from my home. I was 18 and even then, I planned on staying with my job forever. I was going to be friends with these people, forever. That lasted a whole 8 years. Then I got to change jobs. But I would still be friends with all these people, right? Nope. I only have contact with a handful of those hundreds of people I knew. God moved me through another job and now two more churches and still I find myself longing for forever.
I guess I pour all this out to you because God has shown me that there is only one forever and it is with Him and that time has not yet come. He has told me that though I may seek security here and look for forever here, He has other things planned. He doesn't want me to be comfortable because then I might quit seeking Him. He has shared with me that all these ugly sweaters that keep getting put on me, well they are all about making me a little better, a little more like Him. He likes ugly, scratchy sweaters. They create a need for change and change is good. As long as we have on an ugly, scratchy sweater, we will be open to trying to change it, trying to find a better fit, but we won't and we shouldn't. Not here on this earth. Only when we see Him in the ever after will the change end. In the meantime, we need to willingly embrace the changes He has planned for us. Plans to prosper us and give us a future. (Jeremiah is so cool.) He has good stuff for us. When we die, we can get our soft, cuddly final sweater and it will be good. Heck, maybe it will even be a snuggie, with wings on the back.
Be blessed, until we read again,
wt
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Facebook for tweens
I don't know about you kiddos, but my tween is dying to be a part of Facebook. I have to say, I have spent countless hours on Facebook and found lots of old/new friends. It has been a ton of fun! However, that said, I am not comfortable letting my 10 year old (almost 11 year old, sniff, sniff) have free reign on a site that doesn't have a lot of protection for children. Seriously, it is geared toward adults, not kids.
I am a member of Mom Central online. It has been a great experience. I get to test products (like a cooking class with the Sneaky Chef and the new Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Rice, YummEE with a capital E) and do some other fun things. As a Test Drive mom, I was given the opportunity to check out Yoursphere with Catie. It is a website specifically geared toward tweens and teens. They put your child's safety first. This allows them to particpate in an online community and the parents can know that they are safe. This is a 3 month test drive and we have weekly assignments, including a required 2 blog posts a month.
For my first post, I would like to tell you a little bit about Yoursphere. Before they allows kids to participate, parents must set up an account. Once their accounts are set, the parent then sets up accounts for each child. Yoursphere will run a background check on you for safety reasons. That also assures you that whoever has access to Yoursphere has also been cleared of any possible "issues". One of the perks of having the account as a parent is that you can check your childs posts and activity. I love that, except for since it is only your child, you don't get to see things in context, but if you have a questionable post, you can ask your child.
On Yourshere, your child can join Sphere's. A sphere is a group with a common interest. Catie created one about cats. Kids post pictures and comment about different things related to cats. There are all kinds of spheres!
There is a game world, if you child likes to play or watch you play the Facebook apps, they will love Our World. I will talk more about that in my next post.
Yoursphere keeps close eye on the posts to avoid bullying. To do this, they have goodwill ambassadors and of course technology. Your child can get rewarded points for good behavior too. Plus with your access, if you happen to catch them saying something they shouldn't, you have the ability to delete the comment or go so far as to freeze the account, until you see fit to unfreeze it.
There are contest's and games and all kinds of fun things for your tween/teen to do and it is in a safe fun environment.
Feel free to check it out www.yoursphere.com When you sign up, be sure to add the code YSMC-0004 When your kiddo signs up, drop me a comment or email and give me their username so Catie and be their friend.
(FYI, they are going to be doing a remodel of the home page here pretty soon, so the look and content of the homepage will be changing.) I love the fact that they listen to what the test drive moms have to say.
This post was done because I think that Yoursphere is so cool, I want your kids to try it out too. But, I also need to let you know that I wrote this review while participating in the Yoursphere Test Drive program by Mom Central on behalf of Yoursphere. I received a free lifetime Gold membership on Yoursphere.com, Yoursphere t-shirts, and a $50 American Express gift card to facilitate my review.
Be Blessed,
Until we read again...
I am a member of Mom Central online. It has been a great experience. I get to test products (like a cooking class with the Sneaky Chef and the new Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Rice, YummEE with a capital E) and do some other fun things. As a Test Drive mom, I was given the opportunity to check out Yoursphere with Catie. It is a website specifically geared toward tweens and teens. They put your child's safety first. This allows them to particpate in an online community and the parents can know that they are safe. This is a 3 month test drive and we have weekly assignments, including a required 2 blog posts a month.
For my first post, I would like to tell you a little bit about Yoursphere. Before they allows kids to participate, parents must set up an account. Once their accounts are set, the parent then sets up accounts for each child. Yoursphere will run a background check on you for safety reasons. That also assures you that whoever has access to Yoursphere has also been cleared of any possible "issues". One of the perks of having the account as a parent is that you can check your childs posts and activity. I love that, except for since it is only your child, you don't get to see things in context, but if you have a questionable post, you can ask your child.
On Yourshere, your child can join Sphere's. A sphere is a group with a common interest. Catie created one about cats. Kids post pictures and comment about different things related to cats. There are all kinds of spheres!
There is a game world, if you child likes to play or watch you play the Facebook apps, they will love Our World. I will talk more about that in my next post.
Yoursphere keeps close eye on the posts to avoid bullying. To do this, they have goodwill ambassadors and of course technology. Your child can get rewarded points for good behavior too. Plus with your access, if you happen to catch them saying something they shouldn't, you have the ability to delete the comment or go so far as to freeze the account, until you see fit to unfreeze it.
There are contest's and games and all kinds of fun things for your tween/teen to do and it is in a safe fun environment.
Feel free to check it out www.yoursphere.com When you sign up, be sure to add the code YSMC-0004 When your kiddo signs up, drop me a comment or email and give me their username so Catie and be their friend.
(FYI, they are going to be doing a remodel of the home page here pretty soon, so the look and content of the homepage will be changing.) I love the fact that they listen to what the test drive moms have to say.
This post was done because I think that Yoursphere is so cool, I want your kids to try it out too. But, I also need to let you know that I wrote this review while participating in the Yoursphere Test Drive program by Mom Central on behalf of Yoursphere. I received a free lifetime Gold membership on Yoursphere.com, Yoursphere t-shirts, and a $50 American Express gift card to facilitate my review.
Be Blessed,
Until we read again...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Gardening and stuff
James and I decided that this would be the year for a garden. We feel like, with the economy as uncertain as it is, we had better learn how to do something for ourselves and stop depending on Wal-Mart and City Market to have what we need to survive. At least if we can't find or buy other things, we can have the fixins from the garden and can can or freeze what we have.
The garden is a ton of work, let me tell you. It starts out as grass, but you gotta till. And till. And till. And till. Then you have to pull the weeds out by hand. Then make rows. Then pull the weeds out by hand. Then we planted some stuff. Then we got another late freeze and lost most of it. In the midst of this, you are still weeding and watering. Snow doesn't count as watering either, by the way. I replanted most of what I lost from the freeze and the snow. We did plant carrots, but they didn't even sprout. Unless they looked like weeds and I pulled them, oops. Needless to say, I didn't replant those. Instead, I planted more lettuce and garlic. :-) My garden has the all the makings of salsa planted in it.
Things I have learned.
1. If my ten year old wants to talk, we have "garden time" and go out to weed, just her and I. (Did I mention there is lots of weeding required? If you miss it for a few days or a week...yes that did happen once...it's hard to get caught back up.)
2. Patience. I know everyone says this, but if you have a patience problem, like me, grow a garden. It trains you in the way of patience. Stuff doesn't grow overnight and just because you watch it doesn't mean it will grow quicker. Trust me, I tried that too. God's timing is not our timing and guess who is in charge of your garden. That's right, God. I believe He made it that way on purpose. I am a NOW, kinda girl, but guess what, this garden has taught me there is no such thing as now in gardening. Unless it's a weed growing. Then there are lots of nows. It has taught me that hard work and elbow grease is good for me. Each day I would go out and check on my empty ground to see if they sprouted. Sometimes I would not weed, just in case, because I didn't know what the plant would look like. Thank goodness because I would have pulled the lettuce out. When I finally got some sprouts, I called everyone out and we celbrated! Now, my potatoes look like monster plants. My corn is beautiful. My peas finally started grabbing onto the fence. My grapes are looking gorgeous and I am training them on the second wire now. Oh, and my baby plants that I started in the house, well, they are ready to be planted in the garden this weekend! Things are really looking good and it's because God taught me to wait on His perfect growing season.
3. I think I said this, sort of in number one, but seriously, don't procrastinate. If you don't feel like weeding or working in the garden, do it anyway. If not, you will work double time trying to get caught back up. If you think about it, life is that way. If you half a.s something, pardon the language, it will take you more time to go back and fix it then it would have if you just did it right the first time, so just get 'er done. Your plants will thank you for it and so will your boss.
4. Gardening counts as excercise. Yes, I checked and it does. You can burn calories. You work all kinds of muscles. Ask mine, they are sore. Plus, you get so into what you are doing out there that you can easily lose track of time and forget to eat. Yep, did that too, lots. So, less calories taken in and more calories burns equals fat loss. Yay for me!
I know I have more things I have learned, but for some reason, my mind is blank, so I will just show you a couple of pictures and close out. Be looking for more blogs to come. I need to get back in the habit of doing this, so come check it out again.
This was our first harvest. Unfortuneately, the only ones who like radishes are James and myself. Bummer.
This is this morning. If you look close, you can see the potatoes on the left in the front and the corn in the back. The grapes or on the right hand side.
I was working the garden one day and heard the strangest sound...I turned around and look what I saw. Yes, that is a peacock on top of my house. There is a neighbor about 5 house up and she has rescued two. One of them wandered a little far away from home. I guess she needed a better look to get her bearings and make her way home.
Be blessed,
Until we read again...
The garden is a ton of work, let me tell you. It starts out as grass, but you gotta till. And till. And till. And till. Then you have to pull the weeds out by hand. Then make rows. Then pull the weeds out by hand. Then we planted some stuff. Then we got another late freeze and lost most of it. In the midst of this, you are still weeding and watering. Snow doesn't count as watering either, by the way. I replanted most of what I lost from the freeze and the snow. We did plant carrots, but they didn't even sprout. Unless they looked like weeds and I pulled them, oops. Needless to say, I didn't replant those. Instead, I planted more lettuce and garlic. :-) My garden has the all the makings of salsa planted in it.
Things I have learned.
1. If my ten year old wants to talk, we have "garden time" and go out to weed, just her and I. (Did I mention there is lots of weeding required? If you miss it for a few days or a week...yes that did happen once...it's hard to get caught back up.)
2. Patience. I know everyone says this, but if you have a patience problem, like me, grow a garden. It trains you in the way of patience. Stuff doesn't grow overnight and just because you watch it doesn't mean it will grow quicker. Trust me, I tried that too. God's timing is not our timing and guess who is in charge of your garden. That's right, God. I believe He made it that way on purpose. I am a NOW, kinda girl, but guess what, this garden has taught me there is no such thing as now in gardening. Unless it's a weed growing. Then there are lots of nows. It has taught me that hard work and elbow grease is good for me. Each day I would go out and check on my empty ground to see if they sprouted. Sometimes I would not weed, just in case, because I didn't know what the plant would look like. Thank goodness because I would have pulled the lettuce out. When I finally got some sprouts, I called everyone out and we celbrated! Now, my potatoes look like monster plants. My corn is beautiful. My peas finally started grabbing onto the fence. My grapes are looking gorgeous and I am training them on the second wire now. Oh, and my baby plants that I started in the house, well, they are ready to be planted in the garden this weekend! Things are really looking good and it's because God taught me to wait on His perfect growing season.
3. I think I said this, sort of in number one, but seriously, don't procrastinate. If you don't feel like weeding or working in the garden, do it anyway. If not, you will work double time trying to get caught back up. If you think about it, life is that way. If you half a.s something, pardon the language, it will take you more time to go back and fix it then it would have if you just did it right the first time, so just get 'er done. Your plants will thank you for it and so will your boss.
4. Gardening counts as excercise. Yes, I checked and it does. You can burn calories. You work all kinds of muscles. Ask mine, they are sore. Plus, you get so into what you are doing out there that you can easily lose track of time and forget to eat. Yep, did that too, lots. So, less calories taken in and more calories burns equals fat loss. Yay for me!
I know I have more things I have learned, but for some reason, my mind is blank, so I will just show you a couple of pictures and close out. Be looking for more blogs to come. I need to get back in the habit of doing this, so come check it out again.
This was our first harvest. Unfortuneately, the only ones who like radishes are James and myself. Bummer.
This is this morning. If you look close, you can see the potatoes on the left in the front and the corn in the back. The grapes or on the right hand side.
I was working the garden one day and heard the strangest sound...I turned around and look what I saw. Yes, that is a peacock on top of my house. There is a neighbor about 5 house up and she has rescued two. One of them wandered a little far away from home. I guess she needed a better look to get her bearings and make her way home.
Be blessed,
Until we read again...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Heeeellllloooo!
Ok, do I need to introduce myself again??? You remember, Wendy, 3 girls who are totally rockin awesome. Wild moves of the Lord in my life??? Remember me?? Awesome.
This is just a quick post, but I want you to know that I am back. I have words flowing through my head that are busting to get out. I think I might be losing some out my ears, but not too messy.
Forwarning, I will be blogging again soon, so be sure to check back. No more sad ones either, at least for now.
Stay tuned, IIII'MMMM BAAAAAACK!
Be blessed,
Until we read again.
This is just a quick post, but I want you to know that I am back. I have words flowing through my head that are busting to get out. I think I might be losing some out my ears, but not too messy.
Forwarning, I will be blogging again soon, so be sure to check back. No more sad ones either, at least for now.
Stay tuned, IIII'MMMM BAAAAAACK!
Be blessed,
Until we read again.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Death, Reconciliation and Healing
I just noticed that the last time I wrote on my blog, it was on Grandparents Day. How fitting, I suppose. I had one grandparent left on that day and he was in a memory loss nursing home. I am sad to say that my grandpa passed away on October 23. Grandpa would have been 90 on November 11.
He had fallen a few weeks before and broke a couple of ribs. The medicine they gave him made his mind go even further away. He stopped eating and walking (or I think wandering would be more appropriate.) He lost a lot of weight. I talked to my dad just the week before and they were calling hospice into the situation which meant less than 6 months. Less than 2 weeks later, he was gone.
Several things tie into that I believe. First, Grandpa always promised that he couldn't die until Grandma and my Aunt Bonnie did. He believed he had to take care of them. My aunt was, well for lack of better word, slow. She has always had someone take care of her. Now don't get me wrong, she can function, but not like we do. She has no friends, no job and basically spent her time visiting my grandparents at the nursing home, running errands and sitting in a quiet house with her 3 small dogs on 4 acres that my grandpa kept immaculate, till he got too sick to take care of it.
My sister has been wanting to move back to Grants Pass for sometime now with her family. Due to circumstances beyond her control over the past 6 months or so, her path has led her to be evicted from her rental home in Portland. During the past few weeks or so, my dad and sister have worked out a plan that would allow her and her family to move back home and live on the property. Jaime's husband is a lot like my grandpa and would be able to tend to the property and renew the garden and the flowers and the yard. It is very exciting. Plus, my aunt wouldn't be alone anymore.
I think that in a round about way, maybe my dad confided to my grandpa what was going on and maybe Grandpa knew that Bonnie would be taken care of and he could let go. I think that Grandpa wandered the halls of his nursing home constantly because his subconscious knew that if he didn't, he would die and then he couldn't keep his word.
My grandpa was brilliant. He was an engineer for NASA in the beginning. He was also special ops in WWII in Asia. I didn't even know that till I read his obituary. He even worked at Roswell Air Force base...before all the aliens. We used to laugh because even if he did know about the alien stuff he couldn't tell me. So he was a man of his word. He was kind and gentle. He was shorter than me, so whenever I left town to come back to Texas he would hug me and I would kiss his bald head. He was awesome and I will miss him. I am so thankful that God gave me those glimses that I had of him in May after Grandma passed away. God is so good.
My dad let me handle the funeral service. He said that he didn't want a stranger talking about his dad. After I was done, my dad told me that I did good and Grandpa would have been proud. The only time I got choked up was when I talked about after I found Christ. I had gone home and it was a good trip. My grandparents house was on the way out of town, so they were always my last stop before getting on the freeway to drive 4 hours back to Portland. The first hours or so, I usually cried. Grandpa always walked me to the car and gave me that extra long hug to tide me over till next time he saw me. I asked him if he believed in God and he said "Oh Yeah! I read my bible every morning and pray. It keeps me grounded." We conversed a little more, but I was shocked. I was twenty something years old and never knew my grandparents even owned a bible. I got that bible, by the way. My dad told me I could have it. It is a Catholic bible, but I don't care. It smells like my grandparents. Grandpas last place he read was Mark 4. I don't know where, but that is the page he stopped at.
On top of that there was a reconcilation with my cousin, whom I haven't talked to since high school. To tell you the truth, I remember part of why, but not all. I don't care though, I apologized for acting like an ass all these years. (excuse my language, but that is what I was.) It was so nice sitting and reminiscing with her and my sister. I forgot how many good memories we had.
I also had healing. Oddly enough it was on a plane ride home talking to a soldier. He was on his way back to Iraq. He has been married for 8 years and only spent two anniversaries home. We talked about the serious stuff and I figured he'd had enough of that. He wanted funny stupid high school stories so that's what we did. We laughed and talked. It was great. I got his address so my girls could write to him. He said that there were 130 folks in his company and some of them never get anything in the mail. Hopefully we can take care of that. Anyway, the whole point of telling you this was to enlist your help in communicating with these soldiers and being penpals. He said they would send pictures and all kinds of fun stuff. Secondly,I was a terrible teenager and it seemed like every story I told was healing for me. I released it I guess. God took it and wiped it away. After I got baptized, I no longer felt shame or regret. It didn't weigh me down, it just was there. Now, I feel nothing, except a story that led me down a path to get to where I am today. Once again, God can use all avenues to push us to where we need to go, even the darker ones. He is so good.
I think that is what he is trying to do with me right now. Heal parts that need healing. Sometimes, before he can take us to the next level, he has to make sure all loose ends are tied up.
I'm not sure why I decided to tell you all of this. Maybe as a reminder for me of all that good things that can happen in ones darkest times. My grandpa was a light to me and my world will be a little darker without him, but God can light up even the darkest spots.
Be blessed,
Until we read again...
He had fallen a few weeks before and broke a couple of ribs. The medicine they gave him made his mind go even further away. He stopped eating and walking (or I think wandering would be more appropriate.) He lost a lot of weight. I talked to my dad just the week before and they were calling hospice into the situation which meant less than 6 months. Less than 2 weeks later, he was gone.
Several things tie into that I believe. First, Grandpa always promised that he couldn't die until Grandma and my Aunt Bonnie did. He believed he had to take care of them. My aunt was, well for lack of better word, slow. She has always had someone take care of her. Now don't get me wrong, she can function, but not like we do. She has no friends, no job and basically spent her time visiting my grandparents at the nursing home, running errands and sitting in a quiet house with her 3 small dogs on 4 acres that my grandpa kept immaculate, till he got too sick to take care of it.
My sister has been wanting to move back to Grants Pass for sometime now with her family. Due to circumstances beyond her control over the past 6 months or so, her path has led her to be evicted from her rental home in Portland. During the past few weeks or so, my dad and sister have worked out a plan that would allow her and her family to move back home and live on the property. Jaime's husband is a lot like my grandpa and would be able to tend to the property and renew the garden and the flowers and the yard. It is very exciting. Plus, my aunt wouldn't be alone anymore.
I think that in a round about way, maybe my dad confided to my grandpa what was going on and maybe Grandpa knew that Bonnie would be taken care of and he could let go. I think that Grandpa wandered the halls of his nursing home constantly because his subconscious knew that if he didn't, he would die and then he couldn't keep his word.
My grandpa was brilliant. He was an engineer for NASA in the beginning. He was also special ops in WWII in Asia. I didn't even know that till I read his obituary. He even worked at Roswell Air Force base...before all the aliens. We used to laugh because even if he did know about the alien stuff he couldn't tell me. So he was a man of his word. He was kind and gentle. He was shorter than me, so whenever I left town to come back to Texas he would hug me and I would kiss his bald head. He was awesome and I will miss him. I am so thankful that God gave me those glimses that I had of him in May after Grandma passed away. God is so good.
My dad let me handle the funeral service. He said that he didn't want a stranger talking about his dad. After I was done, my dad told me that I did good and Grandpa would have been proud. The only time I got choked up was when I talked about after I found Christ. I had gone home and it was a good trip. My grandparents house was on the way out of town, so they were always my last stop before getting on the freeway to drive 4 hours back to Portland. The first hours or so, I usually cried. Grandpa always walked me to the car and gave me that extra long hug to tide me over till next time he saw me. I asked him if he believed in God and he said "Oh Yeah! I read my bible every morning and pray. It keeps me grounded." We conversed a little more, but I was shocked. I was twenty something years old and never knew my grandparents even owned a bible. I got that bible, by the way. My dad told me I could have it. It is a Catholic bible, but I don't care. It smells like my grandparents. Grandpas last place he read was Mark 4. I don't know where, but that is the page he stopped at.
On top of that there was a reconcilation with my cousin, whom I haven't talked to since high school. To tell you the truth, I remember part of why, but not all. I don't care though, I apologized for acting like an ass all these years. (excuse my language, but that is what I was.) It was so nice sitting and reminiscing with her and my sister. I forgot how many good memories we had.
I also had healing. Oddly enough it was on a plane ride home talking to a soldier. He was on his way back to Iraq. He has been married for 8 years and only spent two anniversaries home. We talked about the serious stuff and I figured he'd had enough of that. He wanted funny stupid high school stories so that's what we did. We laughed and talked. It was great. I got his address so my girls could write to him. He said that there were 130 folks in his company and some of them never get anything in the mail. Hopefully we can take care of that. Anyway, the whole point of telling you this was to enlist your help in communicating with these soldiers and being penpals. He said they would send pictures and all kinds of fun stuff. Secondly,I was a terrible teenager and it seemed like every story I told was healing for me. I released it I guess. God took it and wiped it away. After I got baptized, I no longer felt shame or regret. It didn't weigh me down, it just was there. Now, I feel nothing, except a story that led me down a path to get to where I am today. Once again, God can use all avenues to push us to where we need to go, even the darker ones. He is so good.
I think that is what he is trying to do with me right now. Heal parts that need healing. Sometimes, before he can take us to the next level, he has to make sure all loose ends are tied up.
I'm not sure why I decided to tell you all of this. Maybe as a reminder for me of all that good things that can happen in ones darkest times. My grandpa was a light to me and my world will be a little darker without him, but God can light up even the darkest spots.
Be blessed,
Until we read again...
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