When are you most happy?
I would have to say I’m the most happy being in good company and good food. I like to eat and enjoy sharing a meal with family and friends. The holidays is the best time for all of that! This past Thanksgiving and most recently our family Christmas party were great examples of what I mean.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?
I would have to say the most positive event that has happened this past year is joining a prayer team at church. We have built a wonderful support system that we pray over the church and pray over eachother. Having this support system has been helping me get through some challenges I have been facing this year. Having this group has encouraged me to get more into the Bible.
The other positive events were spending the holidays with family like my first Thanksgiving with my cousin. There is a lot of family here!
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Hello to you. How are you? It feels like we are in a time of raining. A generation of people are passing on and also a generation of pets are getting old dog issues. I just had a friend lose her mom. I’m still coming to terms with losing my Dad. Our family dog Spot is having health issues. When it rains it pours.
In all this is finding reasons to be grateful and reasons to be positive. We need to turn to our faith and lean on Jesus more than ever before. All of this is part of life as my Dad used to say to me all the time. My Dad didn’t talk much but when he did he had wise things to say. I’ll never forget the day he and I were sitting on my back porch in Texas and we were talking about God. We agreed God is in everything. This is is so true!
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous rewardshine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
What was your favorite subject in school?
I was up and awake early this morning and was able to join my Aunt at a Sisters of Grace gathering at the Nampa campus of Grace Bible Church. There were so many there they had to pull out an extra table! There were a lot of good messages to go along with the good food and company. My Aunt brought her plum cobbler that was really good!
My favorite subject in school was creative writing. I used to write short stories and still on occasion write poetry. My creative juices are almost dried up these days. The medication I’m on controls the same place my creativity comes from. It’s either be creative and manic or be “normal” and not creative. I don’t want to end up in the hospital again so medication it is! Like some people are diabetic or have heart conditions I am living with a condition that is potentially fatal if it goes untreated. It’s taken a long time for me to accept this truth.
How do you manage screen time for yourself?
Hello to you. How are you? Todays prompt isn’t an easy one for me as I don’t do a very good job managing screen time. I spend most of my day on my phone. It helps me get through the day. I haven’t found something to do besides Thursday prayer meetings yet. I say yet as I’m open to opportunity if it should arise. God has a plan for me I just don’t know what it is yet. I have to get over my phobia about driving here. Once I know the outcome of the stuff I’m facing on 28 November I should be able to consider volunteer work again. This passage from Luke resonates – I must be ready at all times.
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, o will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Today is a rough day but thankfully I have family to reach out to. My Dad is on his final journey and I feel sad but also feel happy for him – to finally be free of his broken body. Thank God for hospice! My cousins wife reminded me of this scripture that I have Jesus to help me have a sound mind and body to get through this:
7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline
Death is typically a big trigger for me so I am remaining vigilante and reaching out when I need to. The last thing we need is a manic episode on top of everything I have going on right now!
What food would you say is your specialty?
I would have to say my specialty is baked goods – specifically bread and desserts. There are a couple recipes I have practically memorized because I used to make them so often – chocolate chip cookies, fruit crisp and devils food cake for example. I quit baking since living on my own because I know I would eat it all and get fatter than I already am!
This passage about bread is a good one!
6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festivalwas near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
What have you been working on?
Today has been good. I went to church and was treated to a surprise breakfast and visit with my cousin and his wife afterwards. We went for a walk tafterwards which normally isn’t as big deal but my back didn’t like it. I wish I could get my breasts reduced, my lower back is chronically bothering me!
Anyhow on the positive side I’ve I been working on reducing belly fat. This workout is really good and easy to stick to.
https://youtu.be/g0jru_yb7dk?si=KpRDeAU7LLQm4fdo – 10 Day Chair Workout to Lose Belly Fat The Gainz Center
Gods timing is not our timing :
2 Peter was 3:8-9
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?
Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. God has been at the wheel of the stuff I’ve been going through lately – extremely grateful for the prayers of family, friends and even strangers! My Aunt met a elderly veteran who gave her this cross for me and said he would pray for me. The wagons of Gods people have been rallied! I’m so, so grateful!
When I think of todays prompt I think of my life right now gradually getting in place. It’s taken me three years to get where I’m at. Many of the days leading up to this one were littered with fear, sadness and grief – lack of faith! A lot of my days have not very productive and could be perceived as lazy days. I was in such a state of shock leaving Texas. I have been retired from active duty longer than I was in (21 years). When I was active duty I burned the candle at both ends. I was usually the one leadership turned to when a program was a mess. I worked a lot of long days cleaning up messes. Lazy days meant more to me then they do now. I don’t have a specific purpose when I wake up each day! When I was active duty I was up at 4:30 am and worked til after 5.
I haven’t completely found a fit for me here yet in being useful again. A lot of what holds me back is driving. I hate driving! When I was married, Kyle used to always drive and I got used to that after 12 years! I was spoiled! I keep my eyes open for things I can do – little things. When my back is not hurting I would like to help set up at the church again. I don’t want to feel like I’m wasting the gift of my life. A lot of people I’ve known haven’t even lived as long as I have.
One of my favorite passages from the Bible – makes me think of a Palladian (class I played in FFXI video game). In these trying times we must put on our armor!
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
What makes a good neighbor?
When I saw the prompt for today I immediately thought of Fred Rogers Neighborhood program. He showed through that program all the ways to be a good neighbor. He used puppets and people to make his points. One of the most powerful things he did was share a child’s swimming pool with a black police officer – https://youtu.be/v4recJ6qXyk?si=HcUP2OLkmIn4sWkt
He was so gentle and kind. The kind of neighbor I would love to have. I have nice neighbors but they mostly keep to themselves except Marlene. She is an older lady who walks her dog she calls Number 6 and pretty much knows everyone.
https://youtu.be/NB5uSHCIgS0?si=CB8SrUlm6MdV2IAp – Mr Rogers Helpers
I know I have shared this a couple times before but it is so relevant right now. We are getting toxic news at every turn. Mr. Rogers was and remains a helper to this day.
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”
To be 