In Anticipation

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

I have to be brutally honest here, but I'm looking anxiously forward to this snowfall. We've had such a mild Winter thus far that I kinda of miss the snow. I love the way everything looks after a snowstorm. The trees and bushes covered in frost, a beautiful scene until we step outside and ruin it. 

Of course, all of this happens while I'm on the inside. I definitely don't like driving in a blizzard. There is something so comforting to me to watch a snowstorm, especially through my bedroom window where I'm inspired to write.  

As it turned out, the snowstorm ended up being a little more like rain/sleet barely leaving a mark. That's okay, I had to work and would not be able to admire the beauty of it. 

All of this brought on an AHA moment. I've realized that I require a balance of things in my life. It doesn't matter if it pertains to food, friendships, weather or anything else. I like a variety. I don't believe I could enjoy myself in just one type of weather. I need the Fall, the Spring, the Summer and even the Winter. To me, it signifies seasons of my life. There is a time for everything and Seasons help by placing perspectives according to priorities.

So yes, I do miss the snow. It seems I've hardly spent any time at all by my favorite window. I feel like I've been in a slumber of sorts these past few months. Isn't that what Winter is all about? The slumber? It's time to wake up, Spring is coming.

Have a Blessed day everyone.

Bring On The Sun

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

What an absolutely beautiful day! The sun is shining and suddenly everything seems bright in one's life. We need the sun to uplift our mood and to provide the energy our minds and bodies desperately seek.

It's been such a very productive week so far.  I've been up early (before 8 am) everyday. I think it's all because of our trip to Springfield and all the early rising we did there. I feel refreshed and ready to take on the world. The sunny day helped as well. 

As we headed out this morning to take care a couple of small errands, I suddenly pulled into a car wash. Now, that may seem like nothing to you, but I detest washing the car. One of the things I miss the most about Joey no longer living here, he would wash and vacuum my car for me. If I needed milk or anything else from the store, all I had to do is call him and he would make the stop on his way home. 

The things we miss the most are the little things we normally take for granted that are done for us. It's like that kitchen table. It's always there, but we take no notice of it. Now go and remove that kitchen table and suddenly you can't do without it. 

So I felt pretty darn good about myself, all because I went to a car wash. And it's sunny outside, too.We need to focus on the little things and be grateful for the small blessings that come our way. 

Have a Blessed day everyone.

February Leap

                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

Happy Leap Year everyone! One extra day this year and I bet it has caused havoc to most people. So far, February has been bittersweet to say the least. Even though it is only about two days shorter than the other months, it seems to fly by. Thank goodness for that, because it caused a bit of a stir for us. 

I have expressed numerous times my goal for the year of trusting and following God's path for us. I would not fight nor argue with God, but accept His will. Whenever we say that to God, He will definitely put us to a test. This month we had many of such small, yet irritating mishaps, but we have survived them all. 

The best part of February? Well, our trip to Springfield to spend  with the little ones who aren't so little anymore. Maybe because we live so far apart from each other, but each trip involves bonding. Would we be the same if we lived so close by? Maybe, maybe not. 

The most irritating?  Definitely the five hours on the train after the crash. It was a very, very long day. It did end well, though.

The most surprising? My energy levels suddenly got a boost and I rarely felt sluggish, especially the last two weeks of the month. I think it has to do with the added sunshine and the arrival of Spring knocking at our back door. 

The worst? That one had to be the flat tire and my feelings of being all alone in taking care of it. I don't miss not having a husband, but at moments like these, I wish I had someone to rely on. It's just Jesus and I, all the way.

Lesson learned? I really need to learn not to be so trusting, especially when it comes to friendships. What I consider a friendship to mean to me, seems to be completely different from someone else view. I am learning that the hard way. 

The one thing I wish I knew how to do? I wish I had technical capabilities! This month my blog suffered and I have no idea on how to fix it. I wrote many posts that never gotten published all because the final piece would not post or had blank spaces where words should be. Why? How? Who knows? Where have all my subscribers gone? Blank. How do I get that back up? I dunno know. Shrug and hands up in the air. I give up.

February coming to an end signifies that Winter is on it's way out and Spring is marching in!

Have a Blessed day everyone. 

The Family Circle

                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

You know, as bad as the getting there was, the actual family time was wonderful. The entire day was packed-full of activity. We began with Hannah's volleyball game. This is one of those things that I miss about being a grandma. I want to be there for the Open House at school, that game, that ballet performance or Talent Show. So when I can participate, it's a huge deal. So we cheered, roared and called out her name, basically embarrassing her and she loved every minute of it. 

What really touched my heart was the effort that Joey  put in toward meals. Since Emily and I live a vegetarian lifestyle, people usually forget or don't think about such things and we end up eating salad. This was the first time that someone considered us by conforming their meals to us and not the other way around. That's love.

The birthday party was at granny and papa's place (Aubs. parents). They have this beautiful acreage of land with a horse corral, a gorgeous garden, and the house they built themselves. I love their home. Their home totally fits them. We sat on the back deck, with the sun shining on our faces, as the children took turns riding the golf cart. It was in the seventies in Springfield! Unbelievable weather! I wondered what it was like in Chicago.

From there we went home and had a baked potato bar for supper. Hannah loved that concept! While Emily and Hannah made homemade cookies with edible glitter and funnel cake, I watched Tim play video games. He is a real gamer! Poor Aubrey spent her time cleaning up while Joey was working on his Bible Study for Church in the morning. A pretty normal scene. Everyone talking at once, plenty of noise and plenty of love. This is what I miss, the boring normalcy. 

There was a small cloud for a moment while we were at the store. The atm machine swallowed up my debit card. It was my stupid, stupid fault! There is no one to blame, but myself. Thank goodness, I had money on me so I wasn't worried. It's more of a hassle in getting a new one than anything else. 

It was really a beautiful day! Perfect in every way. We saw the geese flying back! I've never seen them flying back! Their formation was horrible, nothing like a vee, but more like a scribble. 

Back in our room that night, Emily told me of her first retreat she has ever been on. She shared a a room with three other women. Two of them snored loudly, the third kept smacking her lips in her sleep. I think Emily is doomed in sharing a room. Poor thing didn't get much sleep while there.

  Have a Blessed day everyone.

In Reflection

                                                           Everyday is a brand new
                                                           day, everyday is a journey.

We tell Thee of our care,
Of the sore burden, pressing day by day,
And in the light and pity of Thy face,
The burden melts away.
We breathe our secret wish,
The importunate longing which no man may see;
We ask it humbly, or, more restful still,
We leave it all to Thee.
SUSAN COOLIDGE.

Our journey back couldn't have been better. The train wasn't full, so we sat in comfort. I spent my time listening to my podcasts, glancing out the window, absorbing the view. It was peaceful and reflective. The sun shining brightly highlighting the early Sunday morning glory.

I thought about the craziness of the week. All the mishaps that happened, enough to discourage anyone. On Monday, we lost some candles we bought at the store. Where are they? We don't know. Wednesday I had the flat tire where I totally panicked. Friday we had the train crash. Saturday my debit card got swallowed up by the atm machine. It was the most emotionally exhausting week thus far. 

Yet, we somehow held it together. Could it be we are learning to trust God in the midst of our struggles? There were many blessings in between all these mishaps. Sometimes we allow the mishaps to overshadow the small blessings. 

Watching little Dustin running around, playing like every other little boy as if the medical ordeal of the last two years never happened. That was a blessing.

Seeing the happy faces of Tim and Hannah as they had our undivided attention. That was a blessing.

Sitting around the kitchen table sharing a meal and laughing about the silly things. That was a blessing. 

When I compare the blessings against the mishaps . . . how can I say it was the worst week? I can't. I would go through it all over again.

Have a blessed day everyone.

The Silent Type

                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.


God keep us through the common days,The level stretches white with dust,When thought is tired, and hands upraiseTheir burdens feebly since they must;In days of slowly fretting careThen most we need the strength of prayer.

--Margaret E. Sangster.

Three Coach Buses lined the street at Joliet Amtrak Station. One was an Express to St. Louis; the second going only to Dwight, Lincoln and Normal; and the third made all the stops. Of course, we had to go on Bus 3. 

Heads hung low, shoulders drooped, stomachs grumbling and with a heavy step we boarded, tired and pretty fed up with everything. It was very quiet on that bus as everyone was able to finally recharge their phones, laptops and Ipads. We settled in thinking it was almost over. 

An hour later, the bus pulls over to the side and the driver walks around the back end. We thought we had a flat tire. He circles around one more time, gets back on and we proceed on. Not more than 30 minutes later, he does it again. This time he ended up calling his superiors. When we finally pulled away, I swear  the entire back end vibrated. Before we reached Springfield, we have stopped a total of four times. There was definitely something wrong with this bus.

 Again silence. He does not inform us of what is going on nor does he throughout the rest of the trip. When he makes his stops, he doesn't announce where we are. This guy had communication problems or maybe this was his first time. I'm not sure, but he wasn't a professional. It was like pulling teeth to get something out of him. 

We almost lost it on that bus ride. Up to this point we have been good, understanding that this is out of our control, let's be patient. When we saw him (the driver) stop at a gas station to get a pop, I've had enough. I'm sorry, but we have been up since 6 a.m. and at this point it was almost 7p.m. at night. All we wanted was to finally get there, have something to eat and go to bed!

Believe me, the meal we shared that night when we finally arrived was the best tasting ever. It was well after 9 p.m. when we walked into our Hotel, but oh did I sleep great! Not Emily, she kept waking me up, because my snoring was keeping her awake. Hey, what can I say?

To be continued . . . .

Have a Blessed day everyone.  

Here Comes The Train

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

It didn't hit me right away what actually had happened. All of a sudden, there was a lot of commotion with Conductors running, people talking all at once, but my concern was the veggie subway that lay on the floor. I just wanted to clean it up as fast as I could. I felt embarrassed, because I couldn't understand in that second how it ended up there. I felt as if everyone was watching me seeing my shame. Isn't that funny how we believe such crummy things about ourselves in a moment of stress? Of all the things to think about at that moment, a sandwich?

The Engineer came over the PA system: "Three trucks went around the railroad guards. Two made it, but not the third."

We had hit a truck (a little smaller than a semi) hauling John Deere tractors. Don't ask me how he maneuvered that load in between those guards. Maybe he went around the whole thing completely? People that sat in the window seat claim to have seen that equipment flying in the air on contact, shattering into pieces all over the road. That was 10:30 a.m., one hour into our trip, maybe ten minutes from Joliet Train Station.

We sat there in that train for the next five hours while the Police conducted their investigation. Then the firefighters had to hose down the area by the train, because 300 gallons of fuel spilled over engulfing the air with it's pungent fumes. Headache city! Thank goodness it was windy that day. The medical team went car by car checking any injuries. Three people went to hospital for either head pain or backache pain. Public Works had to clear the area of all debri, all the streets were closed off until the Police released the scene. 

In the midst of it all, Emily and I passed the time quite well playing Go Fish, Crosswords and Word Search  puzzles. Everything went well, time passing quickly until the batteries on our phone died. You see, we had no power because the engine was gone, right? No one could recharge anything. The last two hours seemed to drag a little. We have exhausted all our entertainment and we were beginning to get hungry and tired. 

It didn't help that everyone around us were beginning to feel the same. Tensions grew hotter, so by the time the Amtrak Representative made his walk through, people exploded with anger. They kept getting off the train, taking pictures and smoking around all that fuel. They didn't seem to understand why they couldn't smoke. We have out stayed our welcome.

An incoming train to Chicago connected to us and pulled us back to Joliet where we could get off and continue on with our destination via Coach Buses. Or you could continue back to Union Station. We decided to continue on since we already had the Hotel paid for, plus our family was waiting for us and we were off from work. Let it not be for naught. We boarded our bus at 3:00 p.m. that afternoon. We've been on the road since 7 a.m.

To be continued . . . 

Have a Blessed day everyone.

Laying The Foundation

                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

Well, we certainly had plenty of excitement this past week! I only have myself to blame. I mean, at the beginning of the New Year, I made a vow to follow God's will. I would not complain, whine or worry, but accept the path I was to be on by trusting Him. I've forgotten a very important thing. I should have added that He show me mercy as well. Of course, He's going to put me to the test.

The trip to Springfield was nothing new. Some things just become a tradition without actually planning on it. Every February we make the trip for Hannah's birthday and in August they drive down here  for Tim's. Nothing new there nor out of the ordinary. 

In all fairness, we did do some things differently this time around. For one, I took the day before off from work so I wouldn't have to run around like a chicken with her head cut off. We cleaned the apartment, took out the garbage  and left the kitchen sink sparkling. For the first time ever, we would return to a clean apartment. 

We had absolutely no problems taking the Metra train into Union Station. We arrived, we got our tickets and settled in, waiting for the  boarding of our Amtrak train. Since we had a little over an hour before departure, I decided to pick up some coffee at Dunkin Donuts. 

I became lost. Do not ask me why. I have been to the Food Court numerous times. How in the world could I become lost? I wandered around aimlessly. Every time I turned, a throng of people enveloped me heading out to the streets above. Union Station is a hubbub of activity. I never found that Dunkin Donuts, but walked into the very first place I saw. By the time I came back, it was time to board.

That first hour into our trip was beautiful. There were not too many people on board. We got some good seats. The sun was shining brightly through the windows. We settled down, Emily watching her Netflix and I with my devotions. A Subway sandwich lay in front of us upon our pull out trays right along with those coffees I purchased just moments before boarding. My plan was to get caught up on my reading. The next thing we know . . . . BANG!

We were thrust forward, the coffee and sandwiches scattered all over the floor. The Conductors were running to the front of the train (we were like the third car from the back) and someone was yelling out that we hit something. 

To be continued . . . 

Have a Blessed day everyone. 

Through The Ages

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

It's funny how I can spot an incident waiting to happen before it happens. Why couldn't I do that when I was young? Did I need to learn a little? Love a little? Go through a little?

 It's especially difficult when it pertains to a young man or woman. You can see that pitfall, that trap ready to ensnare them and still they don't listen. They plunge head on into disaster.  

I was exactly the same way. My mom would give me advice and I never listened to her. Why not? Why didn't I listen? Because I viewed advice from older people as outdated, out of style and things were different than in their time. They just wouldn't understand these new and modern era. 

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything new or modern. It was the same old disaster just dressed up in modern clothes. If you read the Bible, you can see the same mistakes being done now that happened in Adam and Eve's time. Continue page after page, generation after generation and you can spot the similarities. The only thing that changes are the names and the year.

I guess that none of us want to be told what to do or how to behave. We all seem to want to learn the hard way.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Highlight Of The Week #7

                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

It has been a very active week for us here on the avenue. Since we have just gotten past Valentine's Day, we have been certainly blessed with flowers, cake, chocolate covered strawberries, 2 heart shaped boxes of chocolates and a beanie baby inside a cup. We have been chowing down on chocolate and then more chocolate. There goes the diet!

Majority of our time this week has been spent preparing for our trip to Springfield to celebrate my granddaughter's 10th birthday. Really looking forward to it and more on that later. 

I did have a meltdown at the gas station by the air pump. One of my tires regularly needs air. For some reason (maybe the coldness) I could not unscrew the cap. I have done this a  million times in my driving career. I just could not unscrew that darn cap! The air was on as I struggled to release that cap. Of course, not a single soul was around for me to scream HELP! The air went off and  I was out of quarters. I have been trying desperately to unscrew that darn cap every single day. Lord, help me! 

Finally, a friend at work loosened it for me. . . .maybe too much. After work, I went  straight to the gas station to fill up that tire. Glancing down, I see that my tire is pretty darn low. I pump in a round of air . . .nothing. I pump in another round and it actually looks like its even lower. I panic because pretty soon it will turn into a complete flat tire. Again, I try calling everyone, but they're all asleep. All my work life, I've worked these ungodly hours. Who could possibly be awake at this hour?

I started praying, crying inside. All of a sudden, I got this idea to buy a couple of cans of fix a flat and see what happens. After two cans and another round of air, I was ready to go, arriving home finally after midnight. It's always been just Jesus and I!

I was so wind up from all that excitement that I stayed awake until 04:30 a.m. I was upset to say the least. All this planning. All this preparation. Then this happens. Not a very good start to our trip. I certainly hope that everything goes well. 

Have a blessed day everyone.

A Doctor's Visit

                                        Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.



It is in vain that you rise up early
            and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
            for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Psalm 127:2

At my last oncologist visit everything went quite well. Or at least until the dialogue turned towards my primary doctor. You see, I haven't been to one in three years. I know, I know, but sometimes my life seems like a perpetual flow of medical appointments. It becomes tiring with nothing but tests. 

With a heavy heart, I headed home, debating if I should go to the same one I went to before or not. I didn't care for her at all. I thought she was very rude as she examined every single pore of my body. Sadly, she wasn't impressed with any of it, especially my weight. 

My weight. Do you think that I'm happy with it? How many blog posts have I written in regards to weight? It seems that the last nine years have been devoted to it. I sat there in her office as she questioned me on what I eat blah blah blah. That really ticked me off was when she didn't believe me when I said I don't drink pop. 

" Ms. Krol, we can't have donuts for breakfast and think we will be able to lose weight. I want you to keep a food diary listing everything you eat and bring it with you the next visit."

I never went back. She should be lucky I didn't take off my Christian hat  and tackle her. She sat there, skinny little thing except for her belly. I thought she was five months pregnant, but no she wasn't. Yet, she will make comments about my weight? Worry about yourself first. 

So I'm at a loss as to what to do right now. I could change her, but first I would have to go to my insurance site and then cancel her. Then choose someone else, wait a month for their approval to be on that doctor's list blah blah blah. Why is everything such a struggle? Red tape? Hassle? 

I already know how it will go. She will refer me to my thyroid doctor and a foot doctor for my knee. I will be sent for lab work and she will place me on a diet, probably sending me to a nutritionist. Plus, let's not forget that famous test that all over fifty go through. Yummy! The foot doctor will send me to a physical therapist and the thyroid doctor for even more lab work. And then we have my oncologist visits and tests. I might as well as move into the hospital. My dentist still wants to see me even though she cannot do anything, because of the chemo ingredient in the hormone treatment I'm on.

I still don't understand what a General Practitioner does except make one feel inadequate and horrible. I know, I know. It must be done. 

Have a blessed day everyone.

New Blogs

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

It's been awhile since I've shared other blogs that I follow. I've added a whole slew of new ones to the mix. As you can see from the list below, they all seem to be about tiny living or living with less. I'm really, really interested in this lifestyle.


1. Old World Garden Farms
This is a family with teenage/college age children who have decided to move out into the country and live a healthier lifestyle by growing their own organic vegetables, raise chickens and build their own home. Right now, they are still in the process of achieving this dream. This couple are a power couple of talent. He builds many things himself (he has serious carpentry skills) and she has a wealth of knowledge in gardening. Their blog consists of gardening, remodeling and healthy recipes. 

2. Homestead Honey
This one is one of my favorites! This is another family with small children who live in Missouri . . . rural Missouri. They are living one hundred percent off the land. They built their own home, have their own water catchment system, a garden, an orchard and this past Summer they built their own root cellar. Everything is made from scratch( candles, cured meat, butter ). I love how this small and young family of four who are living the "Little House On The Prairie" lifestyle.  Oh, did I also tell you they home school their children and are raising farm animals?
 
3.Tiny House, Giant Journey
This one is about a young married couple who have built their own Tiny House on wheels and have decided to travel writing/filming their experience. Contrary to what one would think, they are very urban couple who love to meet up with other Tiny House dwellers and video tape their tiny abodes. Last year, they actually traveled up to Alaska!
 
4. Fy Nyth 
If I had to rate these blogs, this one would be number one in my book! When I first began researching the idea of living Tiny, I found her blog first. It was her pictures of her house on Pinterest that first sparked an interest. I love her design of her place. She is the most detailed, writing about every aspect of Tiny living. She is parked on a friend's private land in Wyoming living totally off grid. What I love about her is that she is open and honest, writing  the good and the bad. Yes, there are problems to living this way. I actually read about her experience from start to present in one sitting!
 
5. Becoming A Minimalist 
This blog is a modern version of living simply in the city. He reminds me of a Mr. GQ, who writes articles of minimizing the excess in our lives. There are links, articles, books  and he offers classes as well. Not bad at all. One of my favorites was the article on making a great use of a small space. All furniture should have a multiple purpose. This one is for the preppy ones!

I hope you can find the time to check out some of these blogs! Have a blessed day everyone.

Highlight Of The Week #6

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

I began the week with a weigh in and great intentions to sticking with a work out routine. I said I began, but sadly only lasted one whole day. In my defense, I can honestly say that for at least two days I was very busy in the morning with appointments. Once we stop, it's difficult to get back on track. Talk about feeling disgusted with myself and my lack of endurance. My week continued with the same tempo as above as fatigue overtook me and I did less and less each day. It really wasn't a great week for me at all. 

My Saturday was spent with Ministry work and my ladies. Sunday was Church  and a few errands afterwards. Now I'm sitting here wondering where my three day weekend has gone?   One more day left and I already knew it would be over before I blinked. A friend was coming over for coffee in the morning, laundry had to be done and ministry items to be packed up for delivery. I haven't even opened up my blog in four days. 

This may sound crazy to you, but it's times like these where I almost long for my chemo infusions. At least then, I could spend some time sitting still. That's something we in this society have no idea how to do any longer. . . . being still. 

So these past week didn't turn out the way I may have wanted, but it wasn't a total wash. I did win the Valentine Quiz at work ( a box of chocolates, beanie baby in a cup). Personal goals 0, but priorities won the week. All in all, a pretty a-okay highlight of the week. 

Have a Blessed day everyone.

Throwback Thursday

 

Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

My feelings toward clutter haven't changed, which is funny, because my bedroom needs constant de-cluttering. My poor room has a multi-purpose serving as an office, gym, yarn storage and finally as a bedroom. I keep wondering how in the world I will be able to live in a Tiny House with this horrible habit of mine.

As I re-read the post below from 2013, I realized that every time I am down in the dumps, I clean. I want to re-arrange or organize my messy spaces. Not just any kind of cleaning, but deep in the corners and into the crevices type. That says a lot about who I am. 

I'm never quite content in sweeping everything under the rug. One can only do that for awhile. Pretty soon, you have to clean under that rug and if you wait too long it can turn into a mountain of a problem. 

That seems to be a problem even at work. Many businesses just want to fix things with a band-aid solution instead of having major surgery. I think that's why work is such a struggle for me these past few years. Nothing really gets solved, just postponed on a shelf somewhere.

Living Among The Clutter

There is nothing more that I detest than clutter. Right now, it seems I'm living in the midst of it, feeling suffocated. I'm constantly tripping over things or moving things from one corner to the next. 

 Right above and below us lives a family of four and somehow they fit all of their things without the clutter feeling. There is only the two of us, why can't we do the same?

We have too much stuff! Storage around here is certainly a problem. Some of these things we have held on to for years (like VHS tapes) hoping it will come back into style?! 

I know myself very well  and I know this stifling and suffocating feeling I have been experiencing has nothing to do with my apartment as much as my life. For whatever reason I'm carrying these feelings around, it's time to do something about them, even if that means a cleaning overhaul. 

So I'm planning a remodel. Furniture will be moved. Things will be discarded. New things might even take their place. Cupboards will be cleaned out and the cabinets polished, but the real work needs to take place on the inside.

 I am the clutter-er and I can  keep doing the above mentioned over and over again, but it just keeps going back to the same thing. It's not the apartment or lack of storage, it's the person creating the clutter. So let's clean out those cobwebs and see what we will find.

Have a Blessed day everyone.

I Have a Dream

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

So I have been dreaming lately of yarn. Yes, you heard me. Yarn! Glorious yarn! All for my Ministry. 

Dream:
I'm driving to work and ahead of me is this semi truck. Suddenly, the truck's back doors swing open and out pops out an entire skid of colorful yarn right in front of my car. As I begin to pick up the yarn to stow in my car, I notice yarn on people's front lawns and steps. All this yarn meant for me. 

Dream:
I'm holding in my hand envelopes with cards inside. I can see the cursive hand writing of my name and address on the front label. I open it up and inside is a gift card. I open another one and another. 

Dream:
I go downstairs to the laundry room and as I walk in, I see yarn of every color strewn over the floor. Piles and piles of yarn. 

The funny thing is that in my dream I'm in complete heaven being surrounded by all this yarn. Is this a sign for what is to come? I'm not sure, but I do know I'm excited for where my Ministry will be going. We all need a renewal of energy and drive in all aspects of our lives. Life can become a routine and we can lose touch with the direction we wanted to be on. Maybe, that's what these dreams are meant to do. 

Have a Blessed day everyone.

Becoming More

                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

As I prepared for the next online Bible study, I found myself excited to see what it would be all about. This one also provided joining a discussion group online. It must be pretty popular since I'm on a waiting list for that group. Somehow, it seemed there would be more work in this one than the last. 

I am concerned about the discussion part since I will be at work when it will be going on. By the time I can participate, everyone should be sleeping. Still, that will not deter me from joining. 

As the first week unfolded, I wasn't disappointed. I love a good study with homework and this one has just that. Of course, the first couple of days, everyone participated in the discussion. By the end of the week, it was just a few of us. This is very typical in all groups. 

I've been in many women groups and they all end like this. In the beginning, a crowd happens, but as the weeks advance they quickly disperse. The same thing is occurring here. I find myself take part in the discussion even more than I intended just so our leader doesn't feel bad or inadequate. 

We're about halfway through and already I find myself behind, but this has always been  my problem. I take on too much, thinking I can do it all. We all think that, don't we? Besides all that, I'm experiencing some problems with my blog site. Haven't really gotten down to the problem at hand, but then time is not on my side lately. 

This Bible study involves us not becoming overly critical of ourselves and our lack of time to be more involved with Christ. Kinda of appropriate, don't you think?

Have a Blessed day everyone. 

A Story Or Two

                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

This blessed Sunday finds me surrounded by paperwork as I prepare my taxes. There is always trepidation that I may do something wrong. I've been preparing my own taxes now for a few years, since my closest friend (a CPA) showed me. 

I've also been experiencing some minor problems with my posts, not really sure what is going on. It doesn't matter, I still plan on having a great day. Sunday has always been about family and church. I hope you have experienced both today. 

Below are some stories I've collected that I thought were inspirational or brought a smile to my face. I hope you will enjoy, maybe even share with your loved ones as you sit down to Sunday Supper or coffee.

I heard a true story once about a pastor who officiated a funeral. Afterwards, he got in his car to lead the processional to the cemetery. Well, he started driving, turned on the radio, and got lost in thought. He was driving down the street when he went by a Kmart and remembered he needed a few things at the store. So he pulled into the parking lot and circled a few times to find a parking space, then he glanced in his rearview mirror and saw a whole string of cars behind him with their lights on. Now, they had no idea why they were there. And, truth be told, that pastor didn't really have a good idea what he was doing there either.
Skip Heitzig

I heard about a man who was on a wilderness expedition and got lost. He was in survival mode, and had become very hungry. When he found a spotted owl (an endangered species), he killed it, and ate it. Well, after he got home, it was discovered he’d eaten the owl and he was taken to court.

He pleaded before the judge, “Your Honor, I was starving. I had to kill the spotted owl in order to live.” “Okay,” the judge said, “I’ll dismiss the charges in your case. But tell me, what did the spotted owl taste like?”

The man thought for a minute and said, “More tender than a condor, but not as tough as a whooping crane.”

Sometimes, the truth hurts. It gets us into more trouble than a lie would. But even in those times, God wants us to be truthful and leave the results up to Him, trusting that our situation will be resolved according to His will through our obedience.

Jack Graham

Beer companies seem to have great commercials, don’t they? Years ago, Old Milwaukee had an ad for their product. Guys were together in a boat, fishing for pike with great success. At the close of the day, they were relaxing on their cabin porch, drinking an Old Milwaukee, and saying, “It just doesn’t get any better than this.” The message in that ad was simple: if you want to live life to the fullest, you need to start drinking Old Milwaukee.

Think about that statement: “it just doesn’t get any better than this.” Everyone wants to experience the best in life. We want to live a life full of meaning, purpose, and great times with family and friends. After all, as Schlitz used to say, “You only go around once, so you gotta grab all the gusto you can.”

Obviously, beer is not the answer to an empty life. As a matter of fact, I find it funny that the beer companies never show you the other side to their product … a drunk lying in a gutter, covered with his own vomit and flies. I don’t believe he is saying to himself, “It just doesn’t get any better than this.” As the Scripture says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
Jeff Shreves

Have a Blessed day everyone.

Hello Everyone

                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a  journey.

No star is ever lost we once have seen,
We always may be what we might have been.
Since Good, though only thought, has life and breath,
God's life--can always be redeemed from death;
And evil, in its nature, is decay,
And any hour can blot it all away;
The hopes that lost in some far distance seem,
May be the truer life, and this the dream.
A. A. PROCTER.

Hello everyone! I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend. I know I am. Today, I have a special fictional story that I've written for my niece's Thought Collection Notebook. If you click on the link, it should take you directly there. I hope you will enjoy. 

Have a Blessed day everyone. 
Link: http://www.thoughtnotebook.org/anm/artbase/?a=442&z=36&utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=email_this&utm_source=email

Highlight Of The Week #5

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

I think there is only one word suitable to describe this week . . . . sleep! My body must be exhausted, because I have been sleeping between 8 to 10 hours a night. I wake up smiling. I don't think I've ever slept so much in my life.

One would think that all this sleeping would affect my daily output. I mean, if I'm sleeping then I can't be getting things done, right? Actually, it hasn't affected any part of that. The apartment is clean, laundry is done, pantry is filled and bills are paid. The Ministry is fine with everyone having their necessary supplies. I'm posting on my blog everyday. Could it be that I'm more productive when I'm truly rested?

This reminded me of a Bible Study group I once attended. As always, the first few weeks of a Study brings out a crowd. We went around the room speaking of why we are here. One lady, a mother of six, said that she struggles with finding time to go to groups or even Church on Sunday, because of lack of time. Another mom and business owner replied:

"I once thought the same as you. We finally decided we are going to Church every Sunday no matter what. Now, we find we have more time, because we clear the schedule just for that purpose." 

I keep thinking about that. Maybe I've gotten this all wrong, filling my schedule with all sorts of things. Quality vs. quantity, eh? My young boss (all of 23/24 yrs. old) has a saying that everything is possible. It's all about how we manage our time. I believe he is right. Imagine, I'm learning from someone younger than my own children. We're never too old for knowledge. 

Have a blessed day everyone.  

Throwback Thursday

 

                            Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

 

Fatigue and chemo go hand in hand.  I don't know of any treatment that doesn't exhaust us physically draining all energy. I have to constantly push myself  to get out of bed or to go out to social gatherings. All I want to do is rest. That's all good and dandy, but I cannot spend my life in bed. I get my full 6-8 hours of sleep every night and if I have to take a nap here and there, I do. I just don't stay there.

Schedules come and go. I've become a professional in that department. I'm constantly on the look out for that perfect and organized chart that will fill my every need. Even now, I'm on a new schedule. 

This week, we are awaiting the decision from work on who will be moving to first shift. When I re-read the following post, I smiled because  didn't we do this two years ago? Here we are again.

Life's Changes

I've been feeling tired lately, none of it making much sense since I'm taking a sabbatical from my chemo treatment. Shouldn't I be feeling the opposite? Everyone's first instincts would be that I need more rest and I probably do, but I believe it's my schedule.

I think that as we experience different stages in our life, we create a schedule that best accommodates our lifestyle. That schedule may work for us for a few months or even years. For me, the schedule I have been living for the past six years is not working any longer. 

I have been working second and third shift for 18 years now and it has been a perfect setting for any  personal activities that I've been involved in during that time. Now I find myself scrambling from one activity to the next, barely finding the time to do it all. Time is very precious to me and I just don't have enough of it. 

 An opportunity has risen for me to go to first shift and I cannot wait for this change to happen. I may be losing the 10 % differential, but I will be gaining so much more in precious time and in precious sleep. 

Over the last couple of years, I have made many schedules and wrote about them here on this blog. They may have worked like a charm in the beginning, but as time went on, they were difficult to maintain. The results usually showed days of missing blogs, a messy apartment, missing appointments and playing catch up. 

Sometimes, we need to make necessary life changes so we can serve the people in our life better. I am no good to anyone if I'm too tired to be the best I can be and that means I may have to say no at times. 

The problem here may be in the form of having to wait for these changes to be implemented. Since I am the Area Lead at work, I may be the last person to actually go to my appointed shift. That would mean waiting until next May and that would not be cool at all. 

Until then  my friends, I am tired and it's beginning to show. Have a Blessed day everyone.

Getting Lost On The Path

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.


Today I thought about all the people that I've walked with on my Christian path. Some of them are still here with me and others have disappeared or fallen. What brought all of this thinking on?

Well, social media has united people together by the click of a button. We can see what our long distance friends are up to without having to travel to visit them. We can see their comments on religion, their daily lives, their politics and their belief systems. 

Not too long ago, I came across someone that began the Christian faith with me. We went to the same Bible studies, the same Church and we were there for each others Baptisms. Somewhere in the middle of that walk, we lost touch. 

You could just imagine how confused I must have been when this person posted some comments that were against Christian beliefs. The first couple of times, I wrote it off as a fluke naming one excuse or another. Then, it began to be a regular thing and my confusion increased. I mean, what happened? How did this happen? Why?

In my mind, I can still remember this person standing besides me in Church or Bible Study. How could a person fall so far back? I can understand falling off. We all fall off at one point or another, but we get back on that Bible Bus. Yet, this person really veered off in a completely different direction. 

So I asked Joey how that could be. His answer? Maybe this person has never really accepted Christ as His Savior. It wasn't real. They didn't mean it. They were saying all the right words and doing all the right things, but it never quite reached their heart. How sad is that?

Folks, how many people in our lives are just like that? I feel so sad at the thought of my friend never experiencing the kind of relationship with Jesus that is fulfilling and everlasting. So sad at the thought of a heart that is so closed shut that nothing can penetrate it. 


At the cross
At the cross
I surrender my life
I'm in awe of You
I'm in awe of You
Where Your love ran red
and my sin washed white
I owe all to You
I owe all to You Jesus
Chris Tomlin

Have a blessed day everyone. 

Disappointments

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.



I love to think that God appoints
My portion day by day;
Events of life are in His hand,
And I would only say,
Appoint them in Thine own good time,
And in Thine own best way.
A. L. WARING.

Disappointments are like tiny scars that ache with pain. That scar can become a scab, but we constantly are picking at it causing it to bleed and reopen all over again. It's hard to let go of disappointment, especially when that disappointment comes from loved ones. We all have experienced these disappointments. 

I know how I am, how I deal with these setbacks. Talk about negativity city! Suddenly, in my own mind, I cannot do anything well. I am the worst mother. The uncaring daughter. The failing and unsuccessful worker.  I'm way too fat and way too unattractive. No one wants to read my gibberish. I'm not good at anything. 

These are the lies that we tell ourselves when disappointments occur. The devil knows us really well and he knows how to hit below  the belt. He knows what will make us bleed.

I think this is the worst thing. You see, disappointments will happen. They are a part of life as morning and night. How we deal with them makes all the difference in how we see ourselves. Seeing my own self worth is a lot harder when our feelings are hurt and we can only see the dismal grey.

I am so guilty of this. I can sit here and preach, but only this past Friday, I went through my own pity party. I wallowed all day at work at how unworthy I am. The disappointment that caused these feelings was long forgotten as negative thoughts took over. It was like a cancer spreading throughout my body. By the time I got home, I had to yell out STOP! Enough already! Be still! 

I spent majority of the night, listening to my preacher podcasts as I crocheted. I could slowly feel the tension leave. The disappointment was still there, but the negative erosion wasn't. We have to nip this quick, folks, before this eats away at our souls. I am a work in progress.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Mellowing Out

                                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

Shall I hold on with both hands to every paltry possession? All I have teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

As January enters the end of the month, I find myself embracing the new schedule that I've created unbeknownst to myself. There is something very different about this schedule from all the others. This one involves my well-being and not about productivity. I still get my work done, just on a more leisurely based tempo.

For instance, I take the time to relax and rest. Yesterday was one of those type of days. I felt sluggish and had no energy, so I sat around on the couch watching old movies and crocheting. That was the entire highlight of my day. The old me would feel guilt for the lack of productivity, but no more. 

Remember my lingering statement? Well, all of this goes hand in hand with it. All this rushing around does no one any good. It would leave me feeling horrible about myself, because of the extremely high and unattainable goals that I've set for myself. There is no way that any of us can run on empty. Yet, we constantly try.

We seem to measure our successes by our excesses. We place more importance on how many achievements we have collected than where we are spiritually. It's always about things rather than the things we cannot see, but feel. We really need to change that way of thinking. 

Have a Blessed day everyone and don't forget to take a break.