This and That, Thither and Yon'

It's been a busy few weeks since I last posted. My commitment to maintaining a healthier lifestyle is stronger than ever. God is blessing me in so many, many ways.

I spent a few days in Kingsville helping a friend pack for her in-laws who are moving here to be nearer to family. We were able to get quite a bit packed up and transported to their new townhome. We are anxious for them to make the big move!

After that the two of us and another good friend spent a week at Lake Travis. It was just glorious. The three of us just lounged around, reading, watching movies, floating in the lake, etc. We acted like we didn't have a care in the world. It was a retreat of sorts for all three of us. We've known each other since before any of us had children, so we have lots of history together!

I'm back at home for a few days, but Skip and I will be leaving on Thursday to go hunting at an exotic ranch. We'll spend a night or two with my mom as we go and come back from the ranch. I sure hope he gets some meat for the freezer! Of course, I will not be actually hunting, but I will enjoy the opportunity to get away with Skip and spend some quiet time out in God's beautiful creation.

My "South Beach Buddy" and I are enjoying our efforts. She is one of the "lake trip trio." Even at the lake we had so much fun cooking good, healthy food and encouraging each other. I'm really getting into this cooking thing. Having worked outside the home for so many years, and then with it just being the two of us at home, it has been way too easy to avoid cooking and just head for the fast food or rich and heavy eating out. It is amazing how my tastes have changed in such a short amount of time. Vegetables and fruits never tasted so good. I truly think God is helping me with this by giving me the courage to try new things with confidence. I shall be timid no longer.

I am feeling lots better from a physical perspective and even the scales confirm that I'm being successful. I'm trying not to put too much emphasis on the scales, however. This is much more about being healthy and giving glory to God with this temple he has so graciously given me.

On another exciting note, I'm getting ready to order a new vehicle. My 1999 model has been great, but it's time to get something else. I've settled on a Saturn Outlook. It's a new model for Saturn this year, and it's really a good looking vehicle. I needed something with better fuel economy that would still give me space. There will be room for all of the grandchildren in this one! Not sure we will ever have all of them in the car with us at one time, but just in case....

Guess that covers an update for now. I'll post when we get back from "the hunt" and let you know if there is meat in the freezer.

May those who read this continue to be blessed. I pray for you to experience the presence of God in your lives and to enjoy his bountiful love and grace.

And just for Angie - I'm so proud of you! Know that I'm praying for you every day. We Taurus "bulls" need to stand strong together. God made sure our lives intersected for a special purpose, and our dedication to better physical and spiritual health is surely one of the reasons!

Let's Get Summer Started!!

I know summer is not "officially" here yet, but in our area of the country it sure feels like summer. We are having our first week of temperatures in the 90's! Hot and humid!!

So, I'm on a mission for the next year (make that the rest of my life). That mission is to improve my physical being. I've spent a year dedicated to my spiritual being, and now it's time to get this Temple in shape!

I was truly inspired by Robin McGraw at the National Women of Faith Conference in San Antonio earlier this year. She talked about losing her mother when her mother was still young and how she missed having her mother with her as her own children grew up, etc. Because of that, Robin makes a very concerted effort to keep herself physically fit. She considers it a gift not only to herself, but to her husband, children, extended family, and to God. Listening to her talk about her mother while my own grown daughter sat next to me was quite convicting. At one point she even gave me a gentle nudge as if to say, "Are you listening, Mom? I don't want to experience what she's talking about. Take care of yourself, please!"

SO, I have begun in earnest. I have a precious friend who has made a commitment with me. We have actually shared our real weight with each other. No one else other than my doctor knows that number! We are currently on the first two weeks of the South Beach Diet. We've done this before and been successful, but as time went by we made poor choices and found ourselves right back where we started - or worse! After talking about it, we decided that maybe it was because we were really trying to do it on our own with no one else helping to hold us accountable. Thus, our commitment to each other was born.

I have also come to realize that I cannot be successful at this if I continue to hate myself for what I have done to my body. That's right I said hate. It's a strong word, but I've realized I had very strong feelings. As a child I was the "skinny" one. Even through college I was very thin, and never seemed to have to worry about my weight. That, in my opinion now, was NOT a blessing. I never learned to eat in a healthy way. I know I was much more physically active then, and that probably accounts for the ease of keeping my weight at or well below recommended levels.

Since then I have yo-yoed my way through more pounds than you care to know about. And I am letting go of thinking about that!

Because of my spiritual growth this past year, I have come to realize that I must first love myself as I am and be content with that. Only then can I truly begin to change things. Acceptance of that has been hard. I am so thankful that God has taught me so much about his unconditional love this last year. What a gift! I believe Him now. Why does it take so long for us (me!) to believe Him? I don't know. I'm just grateful to be where I am now.

I will not be giving weekly specifics on my progress, but I will post occasional "aha" moments and joyful experiences. I appreciate your prayers for me as I enter yet another phase of "growth." And here I thought that by age 58 I would be all grown up. Yea, right! If I ever declare myself fully grown would someone please slap me back into reality?!

My wish for all who may read this is that we will become more and more aware of God's presence in our lives, and more and more dependent upon Him to supply all that we need. He does a great job!!

Another Grandchild!!

I know I haven't posted for months, so please forgive me if anyone is reading this.

Last week, our fourth grandchild was born. Hank arrived on Thursday, May 3rd, and weighed in at 8lbs. 8 ozs. and measured 21.5 inches in length. A healthy baby boy, indeed! This is the first child for our son and daughter-in-law. Proud parents and grandparents are still marveling over this little miracle.

Isn't he just adorable? God is so good. We are truly blessed.

On another note, I had a milestone myself yesterday. Yep, turned 58 years old. Whew! One of my best friends from high school sent me a birthday greeting and asked, "Where did the last 40 years go?" Now that was enough to set me off on a journey down memory lane.

So much has happened in those last 40 years since graduation from high school. As I reviewed major events, both joyful and sad, I realized once again how present God has been in my life. I didn't always recognize his hand, but I can see now that he was always there. What a comfort.

I hope that you can see and hear God in your life. If you haven't seen him in a while, take a look around. I mean a good, long, in depth look. It won't take you long to see him. You will be amazed how present he is and what gifts he gives you every day!

I think I'll go now and spend a little one on one time with him.

I have lots of good things to share with him!

I've Been Tagged!

This one is fun!

Here is how it works:
1) Grab the book closest to you
2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3) Post the text of the following three sentences
4) Name the author and book title
5) Tag three people to do the same


"I find that when I travel, I can easily and enthusiastically practice four offices per day: morning, noon, evening, and nighttime. However, when I'm home, it's a lot more difficult to separate myself from Julie and our three young children to go off and pray. Julie and I have experimented some with involving our kids, and I imagine this will be easier as they get older."

The Sacred Way by Tony Jones

The chapter from which these sentences are taken deals with the discipline/practice of The Daily Office. For those unfamiliar with this practice, it involves setting aside a period of time several times throughout the day to read selected readings of scripture and to pray. It is a part of what is sometimes referred to as "keeping or praying the hours."

I have been doing this for a few months now with the help of The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle. I highly recommend it!

And finally, I tag Angie B., Mary Lou, and Dusty R.

Renewal

At the behest (isn't that a great word?!) of my friends Angie and Dusty, I am returning to blogging. The two of them shamed me into it during our Growing Deeper Spirituality retreat in Nashville last week. Thanks, my friends, for your encouragement!

One of the reasons I stopped blogging regularly was because I get so caught up in reading other people's blogs and am so impressed by their thoughts that my own thoughts seem small and insignificant.

Lots of things have happened in our family since I last blogged, but one of the happiest is that we are now awaiting the birth of our fourth grandchild in early May. Our son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first child, and it's a boy. They live a mile or less away from us, so it will be a new experience to have a grandchild that close. What fun!

This week I have been "confined" at home due to the fact that my car is in the shop for repair and "renewing." I have a 1999 Expedition that has been one of the best vehicles we have ever owned in terms of reliability. We have had to do very little with it other than the routine maintenance outlined in the owner's manual. We have a great mechanic that works on our vehicles when necessary, and we trust him explicitly to tell us what needs to be done. Thus, when I took the car in on Monday, I told him to look it over well and fix anything that needed attention. We are coming up on 100,000 miles after all! Yes, I run the roads frequently!

Later in the day on Monday, he called with news of what needed to be done. Let's see, the wheel bearings needed to be repacked because they were almost dry; we needed to have the transmission system flushed; the cooling system flushed; plugs replaced; and new shock absorbers. Whew! It seems like a lot, but considering how little we have had done to the vehicle since we bought it, it's not a surprise.

All of that got me to thinking about what would need repairing if I took myself in for a spiritual check-up. Hmmm... don't think too long about that! Seriously, I really have come to acknowledge that for years (and years) and I have done little more than "routine maintenance" on my spiritual life. Being involved in the "Growing Deeper" program has forced me to see areas of my life that need attention and repair/renewal.

Dry wheel bearings: I haven't maintained my spiritual bearings for the last few years. Getting back into the Word and spending time with God has added the lubricant of his constant, unconditional love.

Transmission system flush: Just what was keeping me going smoothly? There was a lot of sludge in my heart and mind that needed to be flushed out so that I could "change gears" in a more forgiving, loving manner.

Cooling system flush: Ah yes, the cooling system. It needed a good cleaning as well. Sometimes I allowed myself to get way too "hot" about something, bordering on the boiling point. Other times I was so "cold" about things that I refused to involve myself at all. My system needed flushing so that I can have a balance to keep things on as much of an even "temperature" as possible.

Plugs replaced: What was I plugging into all the time? Unfortunately, I was plugged in far too deeply to the things of this world. My plugs were shot because they were connected to the so called power of this world. My plugs have been replaced and are securely connected to the Lord and His power.

New shock absorbers: Without good shock absorbers, you have a pretty rough ride with sometimes unexpected jolts. That's been true of my life for a while now. Even with good shock absorbers you get an occasional jolt. The difference is that you have something to soften it. I needed new shock absorbers. I needed to be riding on the Word of God. His Word and His constance presence in my life are the only things that can soften the jolts of this life and remind me that He will hold me securely no matter how rough the road gets.

My knowledge of vehicle mechanics is quite limited, so some of my comparisons may be lacking; however, the beginning of each new year gives all of us a chance to renew some things. I've found I needed to renew lots in my spiritual life. God is helping me.

What about you? Have you been in for a spiritual check-up lately? Don't be afraid. God can renew/repair whatever needs attention. Trust Him.

I'll do my best to post at least once a week from now on. The next post will be much, much shorter, I'm sure!

And for my friend, Dusty. I would love to get my 4 year old granddaughter together with your 3 year old daughter. They are both beautiful! Here's a picture of my granddaughter.

Awake!

It is not quite 6:30 a.m. and I have been awake now for almost two hours. Have you ever just been awakened from a very brief but restful sleep and you can't go back to sleep even though it is not nearly time to wake up, much less GET up? It happens to me every once in a while. I really believe it is the Holy Spirit prodding me to spend some time in quiet communion with God.

I've realized that when it happens, I usually have something that has been on my mind - in the far recesses of active thinking- that I need to make a decision about or come to some conclusion about. I've had several such things on my mind of late. For example, how to handle a situation with a friend who is going through a difficult time in her marriage; what I want to teach when I start teaching ladies Bible class later this fall; how all of my study about the spiritual disciplines will really affect my life and what effect that will have on others like my family and friends.

This morning I felt a calling to prayer. I've spent the past hour or more in prayer about the things I've mentioned. I praise God that He has given me direction and some answers. He is so good. I can't share all of the answers I have received this morning. Some of them are just too personal. My purpose in posting this morning is just to remind myself and anyone who cares to read this that God speaks to us in so many ways. I haven't always listened. I've had to learn to be quiet and be still. You don't have to wait for God to come to you. He is always there. We must learn to just be still and quiet and accept his presence. He wants to hear you and he wants to talk to you. That's why I was awake this morning. God called me through the Spirit, and we have had a great conversation!

Reading and Writing - Again!

I really thought I was finished with "school" when I retired from public education last June. But I guess school never leaves someone who "played" school as a child, taught school from age 22-48 years old (with a few years off to raise our children), and administrated at school as a 50+ year old. It must be in my blood. Or maybe it's not school that's in my blood, but a yearning for learning. I think that's it.

Anyway, I'm hitting the books again and writing responses to the reading. It's all a part of the Growing Deeper Spirituality program I am doing through the ZOE Group in Nashville. As usual, I've been a bit of a procrastinator in getting all of my work done in preparation for a retreat/residency in Nashville week after next. Reading Marjorie Thompson's Soul Feast and Holloway and Lavender's Living God's Love has kept me busy. I need to complete my response papers to these two books before I go to Nashville. That's not really hard. I just do a lot of "marinating" over my words before I "publish" when I am required to turn something in. Also have to write a spiritual autobiography. That one is finished in my head, but not on paper.

These readings and all of the prayer, reflection and contemplation associated with this program are revealing a lack of discipline in my life. Is it ever too late to develop self-discipline? I hope not! It's not that I'm not disciplined in some areas of my life. It has just become more and more apparent to me that I need to spend much more time with God alone than I have been doing most of my life. The time I have taken to sit quietly and just listen for Him has resulted in so much more than I expected.

I highly recommend these two books. They will challenge your thinking and introduce some new ideas for many.

Need to get back to the task at hand:hitting the books and getting those words on paper. This next week I'll be gone to a mini-retreat at a lake house near Austin. That should provide me with the final drafts of my assignments as well as provide an opportunity for some quiet relaxation.

Will try to post again before I leave for Nashville. Have a great week!