4 March 2023 Walks With My Dog ( Gratitude)

Hello to you. How is your today? I hope we’ll. Today I find myself grateful for the walks I am able to take with Link. Today he lead me to where a couple neighbors were talking and I was able to say hello and find out we have a stray cat problem. People dumping their unwanteds at the Post Office across the street. One of the men said he’s been feeding a couple of them. He said if I wanted one I was welcome to them. Honestly I don’t know how Link would do with a feral cat as a housemate!

Walking with Link took me past some places where the water still is running freely and that was pretty to see. Getting out with him really is good for me even if it’s kind of tough with the swaying in my head issues. I have a neurology appt this month to further investigate what may be causing me to experience the exaggeration of motion I feel when I walk. I am wondering if Mal de barque syndrome will be the diagnosis and if so will there be anything to be done about it. From what I’ve seen and read there is no cure.

I am just grateful as I write to you for my boy Link. He is a reason to get up each day and to get out in the world.

Link after one of our many walks

1 March 2023 Loving Ourselves

Hello to you. How are you in your today? I hope well. Last night I went to the Bible study and had a good discussion with the ladies there. I have been having trouble with the devotional we are using. I know it’s not the intention of it to disempower women but some of it comes across that way. I feel like loving ourselves is kind of under scrutiny. I was raised Catholic and I’m attending a Christian church. When I was attending Catholic Church services I feel like the emphasis was on God and not so much Jesus. To me Jesus’s messages is the best part of the Bible. Lately the messages I’m getting is about loving God and others as we should love ourselves but some of us don’t love ourselves. I feel like as Christians we get beat up a little for loving ourselves – for seeking wisdom from inside versus all external in relationship with God/Jesus. I know we are all sinners but I don’t like getting beat up about it. I don’t like being told that no matter what I do I am not good enough. This is where belief in Jesus becomes a focal point. If we are good enough we don’t need Jesus. Anyhew I’m struggling a little bit because I have and know those who have had low self esteem and have turned to God with it and it didn’t help. Sometimes it makes it worse! So keep me in your prayers as I keep you in mine.

14 February 2023 Getting Older

Hello to you. How are you? I hope well. Yesterday was my 55th birthday. We celebrated as a family on Super Bowl Sunday at my cousins house as it was a celebration of both of us. He is 4 years older. It was really nice to celebrate together. I didn’t do anything yesterday but did get some nice cards from my Mom and family.

Today is another one of those Hallmark holidays. I think every day is an opportunity to be someone’s Valentine. When I was married to my last husband, we didn’t do anything as we believed every day was a day to treat each other specially. It’s kind of like Mothers and Father’s Day and holidays like them.

My devotional Beauty Beheld arrived today and I started reading it. I can tell it’s not going to be an easy read! Having others to talk about it will help I hope.

Devotional Beauty Beheld
My cutie boy and present each day

8 February 2023 First Meeting

Hello to you. How is your day going? I am doing ok so far. Last night we had our first meeting of the Women’s Bible study using the Beauty Beheld devotional. There were nine of us which was a nice amount I think. We read from Genesis the first seven days of creation and how God perceived his creation as good. This correlates to each person on this earth and other creation. Even if we might not perceive something as good of beautiful it is to God depending on what it is. There are some activities that people take part in that are in contradiction to good like child pornography was one example. Even if those who participate in it perceive it to be good it is harmful to the victims of it. We talked about the common phrase beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that can be twisted around sometimes too.

I can tell this will be a pretty challenging read and look at the Bible but I’m curious to continue on. The ladies that were there were all looking for the same things I am and that was namely fellowship with other members of the church. Very nice group of women I’m looking forward to knowing better through the next six weeks.

7 February 2023 Vitamin D and Comfort Zones

Hello to you. How are you today? Link and I are getting some vitamin D. The past couple days it’s been really nice outside so we’ve been taking advantage of it.

I decided to join a Bible study starting tonight and they are using the devotional Beauty not Beheld. This is out of my comfort zone but I decided to give it a try anyways. I have been wanting to make friends and get out of the house more and it seems like church activities is a way to do both. I find spiritual activities with women is more about relationship than religion. I feel like that is what I have with Jesus…..God.

My Linky boy getting some sun
It’s a little hazy but that big ball of light is still there

1 February 2023 Time Going Fast

Hello to you. How are you? Can you believe it’s the 1st of February already?! Time is going so fast!

This past Sunday I had a nice surprise visit with my cousin and his wife. We went to Dairy Queen for a late lunch and some ice cream. Link enjoyed a walk with all of us afterwards. He gets so excited! I have done a couple Facebook reels of him and we have had several hundred views – I’m glad our little snippets bring joy to people.

It’s cold here. This morning it was 19 degrees! Brrrrr! From what I have seen on the news there is cold snaps going on in Texas and other places that are normally warm this time of year. Stay safe!

19 January 2023 The Chap

Hello to you. How are you today? Yesterday I had a nice visit with my cousin. She wanted to go out to lunch so we tried a place I hadn’t been to before here in town called The Chap Wine and Tap. They had a very small menu of burgers and what we ordered was really good. She got French fries and I got onion rings. It was a nice place to go and looked like a men’s group was meeting there. After lunch we went and got groceries. I had vertigo, spinning sensations off and on so I appreciated the company and help.

Today is my other cousins birthday- she’s in Arizona celebrating. Happy Birthday Laura!

17 January 2023 First Session

Hello to you. How are you today? Today I had my first online session with a therapist through better help.com. I was surprised that he was deaf so it was kind of hard to understand him at times but I think we connected. He taught me a anxiety grounding technique 3 2 1. Three things you can see, two things you can touch or smell, one thing you can hear. It’s a way to ground yourself when your having a panic attack. I shared this video with him that helps me a lot: https://youtu.be/pJWY3Bkkaew – Relax For Awhile Anxiety Attack Talkdown

Today we have sunshine which is great! I really feel bad for those people in California that are dealing with flooding and rains right now.

9 January 2023 New Year

Hello there. How are you? I hope your new year is off to a great start. Can you believe it’s the 9th already?!

I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions as I probably won’t keep them lol. What I do want is a positive year so let’s hope for that.

A new fur baby for Link from my Auntie

20 December 2022 Family

Hello to you. How are you? I hope we’ll. I’m doing ok. Still having the swaying motion and stuff but can tell the prayers are helping. This past Sunday we got together to celebrate Christmas. We had a full house to include new baby Suton. The house was full but we had a nice time. My Uncle Bill catered the meal like normally does – bbq and a side dish of macaroni and cheese. We are all so grateful he does that as it makes getting together so much easier especially for my Aunt and Uncle.

We did the traditional gift exchange game and that was fun. I ended up with yummy See’s candy. My gift contribution was a fuel gift card and chocolate.

For Christmas Eve I will be going over to my cousins for brunch which will be nice. No plans for Christmas Day. They are doing construction on the main road I take to get to my Aunts and the route around is quite a detour.

Me with my Auntie
We frosted some cookies