Joyful Transformation

Today I am sad. My favorite elder, the one who is ‘real people’ through and through has been relocated with his job and is leaving us. Yesterday was an extremely emotional day for us. One of our ladies who has been on our prayer list with personal problems watched as her preteen daughter was baptized. Maybe this will help her whole family to turn to God for the healing that they need. Then Butch, the aforementioned elder, got up and made his announcement with tears and a wonderful speech about how he had felt so at home here. I am sure that many people already knew, but many of us were caught off guard and the tears flowed freely. See, Butch is the elder that we knew went to the tanning bed before he went to Hawaii. He wears real shorts in the summer. He has jumped in to every project we have had and worked hard to see it successful. I have gone to funerals in other towns or out-lying communities and he is always there. He has been an encouragement and an inspiration to me. We joke in my ladies class that he stays in the other room to hear what we are saying, but we all love him and we will all miss him. I am proud for he and his wife Kathy, as this is a great opportunity for them. Kathy will retire from her job and get to do the things that she loves to do. North Carolina’s gain will be our loss. I wish them God-speed and just want them to know they will be taking a piece of my heart with them.

May the love that we have for Butch inspire all of us to be ‘real’. We can be people of God without a lot of pretense and false humility. My prayer for those of us left behind is that we will be better people for having experienced his life.

Tennis
Johnny's BarBQ
Babysitting for Matthew!!

Other than the beginnings of a sore throat, a perfect day!
Hope it was the same for you.

First of the week, time drags by
Mondays and Tuesdays seldom fly
Right in the middle comes Wednesday, you see
The girls at church encourage me
I, myself and me
What a bunch of whiners we can be
Digging in, you must work they say
And really I’m looking for some tennis to play
All right already, I’m trying to work
This duty of mine I don’t want to shirk
Yeah & Hurrah, that’s all I can say
‘Cause Friday you see, is my favorite work day

Do I have more stories? I will have to think on that awhile. In the meantime, I did post a peculiar thing that happened to me and my husband back in July. You can read that here.

I took the afternoon off yesterday. Work has been driving me crazy so I thought it best just to get away. It was great. I sat on my deck in my shorts and t-shirt. It was 70 degrees. The willow tree has started to bud out as well as other trees along the bank. There were a few guys in their fishing boats taking advantage of the day, but for the most part it was quiet and peaceful. I read back over my lesson for last night and then just relaxed awhile. I wanted to get back to town in time to go by the bank, get Derek a birthday cake and take it by to them, and oh yeah, I wanted to wash my Tahoe. If you ever have a drought, if you ever need rain in any way, call me up! If I wash my car you can rest assured it will rain. It was pouring down by the time I left Derek’s house.

It is nice to hop into bed when it is raining outside though. I had the big old bed to myself again last night, and except for some strange dream where my class was trying out for American Idol, I slept great! In my dream I couldn’t think of anything to sing, so I was singing “On Zion’s Glorious Summit”. Yeah, that song would be a winner with me singing it! So if you were on American Idol what would you sing (just pretend that you can if you must).?

Twenty-four years ago today I was questioning God’s timetable. My younger brother had joined the Air Force and was leaving today to start basic training. I had quit work the end of January to spend some time with him and to have some time for myself before my first child was born. He was due on the 14th of February. Each week I would go to the Doctor and find out my body was not in birthing mode yet. The Thursday before, I had cried and asked couldn’t he induce me? He said no, because I had not dilated at all. Why was this fair? I only wanted my baby brother to be there when my child was born. On Sunday morning, February 22nd, my parents got up to take my brother to Montgomery, Alabama where all new recruits are processed. In the meantime my body had decided it was time to expel this big old boy out into the world. In retrospect, it was easier for Bruce to leave without becoming attached to this precious newborn. It helped my parents anxiety at leaving their baby boy knowing they were coming home to the birth of their first grandchild. It helped me to have focus on this life I was bringing into the world and to be able to give him my undivided attention. At 4:30 a.m. on Feb 23rd Derek decided to make his appearance. My life has never been the same. My baby boy taught me about unconditional love. He taught me the true meaning of turning things over to God. He has been a challenge and a joy throughout his life. There have been times when he has broken my heart, but their have been more times when my heart has been broken for him. My boy loves his mother. He also knows how to manipulate her, but that’s o.k. The most gratifying thing is to watch him become a man; to see him show that same love for his baby boy. To have him realize, that those shenanigans he pulled on me will come back to haunt him. I love that boy! Happy Birthday son!

When I was a teenager my house was the hang-out for the church kids. We had a Sears pool table, a ping pong table, a basketball goal and a volley ball net. The best thing was a basement where we could play music and the adults (thanks Mom) would leave us alone. All total probably less than $200.00, but great entertainment for kids.

One autumn evening before I was close to getting my drivers license, we were having such an outing. We cooked up the grand scheme to go yard “rolling”. Problem was we didn’t have and toilet paper or any money. My mother would have killed us all had I used any from her bathroom closet. So we decided to tear up magazines and papers and scatter over the yard of my hapless cousin who happened to not be at home, or at the outing. This was probably not wise on my part, in those days I wrote my name on everything repeatedly. Anyway, after one successful venture, my friend Libby and I decided to take off on our own to take care of another cousin’s yard. All of these cousins lived in pretty close proximity to us and we could get to this other cousins house the back way by cutting up between the chicken houses. Well we were walking along talking and cutting up when all of sudden the ground was no longer there. I didn’t understand what was happening but I was falling. With a sickening realization, I remembered that my Dad had been in the process of cleaning out the chicken pits. These were holes in the ground where we threw our dead chickens. The usual covers had been removed and the hole widened to where it was just perfect for an unsuspecting teenager bent on mischief to fall into. Suddenly I find myself up to my knees in decaying chickens, maggots, mud and who knows what else. My friend quickly recovered from her desperate concern only to fall into hysterical laughter. What a plight! Here I was sinking in guts and the only person who could save me couldn’t quit laughing at me! Well eventually she did calm down enough to give me a hand and pull me out. We went back to the house, me smelly and nasty to take the abuse of my brother and his friends. Needless to say they never let Donna live down falling in the chicken pit.

Recently I told this story to my Wednesday night class. I asked them what I needed while I was in the pit. Did I need someone to tell me that I shouldn’t have been trying to roll yards? Did I need someone to tell me how low I had sunk and how bad I smelled? Did I need anyone to tell me that I should have been watching where I was going? No, I needed a friend who was not afraid of getting a little dirty in the process to lend me a hand and pull me out. There are people in your lives and in mine that need us to reach out our hands. There are enough people in the world that will push them back in the pit while scolding them for getting there in the first place. When you find a brother or sister in the pits, will you be the one to give them a hand?

I have so many things that I am not quite finished with. I wanted to check this one off of my list!
So here it is the final 40 things you never really wanted to know about me!


1. Most of my closest friends have been male
2. I love to drive fast
3. I love roller coasters
4. I was in Disney World 9/11/2001 when it closed at 9:00 a.m. Had to drive our rental car home.
5. I currently have preacheritis. (love Randy)
6. I took my kids to the beach by myself for the 1st time when they were 6 and 3.
7. I took my kids to the beach every year after (till they got too old to be seen with Mom)
8. I played volleyball in high school
9. I completed only about 2 years in Jr. College
10. My husband and I have risen to the top of our professions without a college degree (not recommended, just our story)
11. I once had to fish three kittens out of a swimming pool in one day
12. I once had a tom cat kill a whole litter of new born kittens in my basement (cats should probably stay away from my house)
13. I was valedictorian of my Jr. High school (9th grade class)
14. I was a cheerleader in Jr. High School
15. I was not very ambitious in High School (boys, I think)
16. I had my first boyfriend in the first grade
17. I still remember this boy’s birthday
18. I still remember the birthdays of all my girlfriends from Jr. High School
19. I can’t remember either of my sister-in-laws birthdays.
20. I read the complete Left Behind series
21. I have read the Harry Potter books to date
22. I have seen every James Bond movie
23. I have read every John Grisham book
24. I have read most of the Max Lucado books
25. I used to wanna be a Pip (Gladys Knight and the Pips)
26. I also wanted to be a football coach
27. I can play House of the Rising Sun of the guitar.
28. That is the only song I can play on the guitar.
29. I always wanted to play the piano
30. I have never had any music lessons. (and it shows)
31. I taught myself to cross stitch and crochet.
32 I have done neither in years.
33. I could not teach myself to knit
34. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
35. My mother was one of 10 children, only one of whom ever divorced (her oldest brother)
36. My husband thinks I am smart
37. My husband also thinks I am a smart a**
38. My husband is right a lot
39. I hate English peas and raisins.
40. The only thing really special about me is that God loved me so much He sent His Son to die just for me! I am SO Special!!

How about that Race! The #8 car didn’t win, but wow, what a come back. The last 20 laps of the race were better than the first 180 laps combined.

Racing, especially in these restrictor plate races emphasizes each driver’s dependence on the other drivers. It is impossible to generate as much speed by yourself as you can with the help of another car, or better yet, several cars. You have to get so close to someone that you occasionally bump them to either help their speed or to get them out of the way. The interesting thing is you can gain momentum by following closely behind someone or by riding closely side by side. There are times when stronger cars lurk back in the pack, saving their greatest thrust for the end. This strategy sometimes backfires. When there is a huge wreck the driver may be unable to avoid the fallout. There is also something about stale air that keeps the cars from running their best. Many times a driver will decide that he does have a superior car and he will pull out on the high lane to pass. However, if none go with him, he will fall back into the pack. This race cannot be run alone. The winners are not always the cars that qualify the best. The winners are the cars that realize they must have friends on the race track to help them be their best.

Can you see yourself? Can you see your spiritual race? I can! Sometimes I hang back in the pack and am steered off course by the problems of others. Sometimes I think I am better, so I pull out on my own, only to realize I can’t make it by myself. When I let down my guard, when I get close enough to push a little and to be able to take a little push, then I can find my way to the front. Then I can strive for the victory while running the race with excellence.

Here are some more fun facts......

31. I have a handsome son and a beautiful daughter that I am very proud of.
32. I can leg press over 300 lbs
33. I don’t care if I ever bench press more that the “bar”
34. I like “spin” class
35. I don’t like to run (unless its on the tennis courts)
36. I am somewhat addicted to Diet Coke but I have gone caffeine free.
37. In a class of 24 from 1st to 9th grade there were three Donnas
38. I reached a height of 5’4” by the 6th grade. I have only grown ½ inch since.
39. I cannot stand to wait; therefore I am seldom early for anything.
40. I love to ride my Sea Doo all by myself.
41. I typically see the good in people.
42. I am a very positive person
43. I thrive on change.
44. I am a computer geek wanna-be (just can’t stick to it, more ADD)
45. I was once Vice President and CFO of a local bank.
46. I hope I never, ever, have to work in a bank again.
47. I have never stayed at the same job more than 6 years.
48. I have worked since I was 16 years old, with the longest break of 9 months when Derek was born. (and the first 12 months I was married, still in school)
49. I drive a metallic gray Chevy Tahoe.
50. I love the beach
51. When we were kids the lake was called “the back water”
52. We used to crawl through culverts.
53. I used to swim in ponds
54. I have never had the chicken pox
55. I sometimes pass out at the sight of blood (what a wimp)
56. I also sometimes pass out when given a shot (total wimp! I hate that about me)
57. My Algebra II teacher got mad at me because I could solve problems without working through the whole equation
58. I love chick flicks
59. I love action/war movies
60. I do not perspire, I SWEAT!

Who knows maybe I will continue this.... I am sure there are 40 more facts about me that I would dare to put in writing. Actually I feel a little like Toby Keith right now

I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about i
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my me mind
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you, usually, but occassionally
I wanna talk about me
I wanna talk about me

Last night in my class I was accused of being “too deep”. So today I will be light. In the tradition of Jenni, Elizabeth and Stephanie I will give you a list about me…

1. I am a middle child
2. I am an only girl
3. My brothers were both in the Air Force (one retired, one still in)
4. I used to be a good 2nd baseman (softball)
5. I went to school 11-1/2 years without missing a day
6. The first day I missed I was out of water and couldn’t was my hair!
7. I once fell in a chicken pit
8. I was born in Ohio
9. I have been to Paris
10. I was in Holland for the Tulip Festival
11. I got married when I was 17
12. I got up on water skis the first time I tried.
13. I have never broken a bone
14. I have never been in the hospital unless baby related (birth, miscarriage, tubes tied)
15. Having a grandson is the most wonderful thing on earth.
16. I have over 50 first cousins..can’t even count second and third cousins.
17. I totaled two cars without an injury to myself. (one my fault, one not)
18. I love dogs
19. I live on a lake
20. I have green eyes
21. My hair is a ever-changing shade of brown
22. I don’t like to shop (except on line and in book stores)
23. I work best when I have too much to do.
24. I look like somebody everybody knows
25. I started playing tennis last year and I love it!
26. The first Nascar race I watched all the way through was Daytona where Earnhart, Sr. was killed
27. I became a fan after that. (weird huh!)
28. I love the Zoe Conference
29. I think I have mild ADD I cannot do 100 of these.
30. I love that anyone actually reads anything I write. Thank you.
    

I am serious, I can’t do 100. Oh, I can think of that many its just that I can tell that you are already getting bored with me. See you later.

I have made a list of criteria for those “exception loans” that I spoke of last week. I have gone over it with my boss and now have to talk with my dealers that send me these loans. That of course is the hard part, because I truly want to be a people pleaser. But I know it is time to put my foot down and get some peace back in my work life.

I was thinking about some other things I need to do (church things) on the way to work this morning. I wonder if there is ever a time in our lives when we feel relaxed and accomplished. I wondered if I try to make too much happen and sometimes push too hard. But I came back to the parable of the talents. I know that God has blessed me in many ways and maybe one of my talents is to be a pioneer. Not that I have started anything “new”, but maybe it is new to our church family. I think God deserves the best that I have to offer Him, even if it stretches my comfort zones (lazy zones). I truly know that I am saved ONLY by grace. Yet, I feel that if I am not always striving to do more or to do the things that I do better, I am failing. Do I put too much pressure on myself? Do I get caught up in doing things and neglect the truly important? I am spending more time than ever listening to and talking to God, but who do I talk to about Him? I know I will never be worthy, that is why we need grace, but I long for that “peace that passes understanding”. Maybe I need to make a criteria list for Donna, because the most important thing is not to be a people pleaser, but a God pleaser.

I should have been a man! Now I know there are many sensitive, considerate men out there (my husband included), but many of you are just forgetful and caught up in things so that you forget to buy gifts, cards, etc……..Like ME!!

It was a beautiful day here yesterday and I left around 4:45 to go and play tennis. No, I had not even bought a card yet! I stopped at the grocery store on the way home, found a card and some treats my sweetie likes. He had bought me a book and a book light! Again, I come up lacking! Yep, I should have been a man!

Seems CNN-Money has discoverd bloggers. Read about yourself here.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope everyone feels extremely loved this day!

I was sitting in church yesterday to my right was my family; David holding Matthew,( I am not quite ready to blog about this) Derek & Mary and one of Derek’s friends. To my left my friends who feel like family, Kay and Terri with her nephew, Dalton. All should be well in my world. Suddenly the most inappropriate thought entered my mind. Where did that come from? I thought, I am just a big pretender, a fake. I thought of Matt Elliot’s blog where he dreamed of lacking one more class to get his diploma…. But it was odd, I asked myself “Who am I?” Then I started singing that song to myself. I had listened to it on the way to church and now it was speaking to me. At random times during the day yesterday when I was struggling with thinking on the things that I should; this song kept coming back to my mind. You know the lyrics, right?

If you struggle with your idenity sometimes; if you speak things that you wish you had not; if you have doubts and times of anxiety, listen to this song. The rest of it is just as good.

Thank you Lord; that who I am is covered by Who You Are! Change me into what I want to be ALL of the time!

I am struggling with a decision I need to make. There is a part of my business that only I have been doing in my office. The business is profitable and I would be lying if I said this was not a determining factor. See I work on straight commission; if I don’t close loans I don’t make any money. This particular sector of business is HARD. That don’t scare me, I am not afraid of hard work. The lenders that I deal with don’t like these loans. As a matter of fact I am down to one lender I can send them to. Without going into a lot of detail, I have to compromise some of my normal standards and take some risk that I do not have to take with my other loans. Remember the crazy lady? Yep, she was one of these deals. I had another man get angry with me yesterday and he too was one of these deals. The thing is the mortgage business has really slowed down, can I afford to let this business go?

Last night my personal study was on meditating on God’s word. Not just reading it as quickly as possible but letting it sink in and mean something to you. This morning one of my devotionals re-emphasized that point. It talked about looking at the word of God as a mirror and see how it reflects on you! I had chosen the following verse to meditate on last night because it spoke to the dilemma I have to resolve.

Proverbs 3:21-24 My child, use common sense and sound judgment! Always keep them in mind. They will help you to live a long and beautiful life. You will walk safely and never stumble; you will rest without a worry and sleep soundly.

God is speaking to me. My head knows what I should do. My fear holds me back, even though God has always taken care of me. With this scripture in mind; I am going to resolve this issue today.

#1-Top Gun-I feel the need ….the need for speed.

#2-Raiders of The Lost Ark-Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?

#3-Dirty Dancing-Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

#4-Six Days and Seven Nights- You know how a women gets a man excited? She shows up. That's it. We're guys, we're easy.

#5-The Blues Brothers- They're not gonna catch us. We're on a mission from God.

#6-Star Wars Espisode IV- A New Hope--Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.

#7-Sweet Home Alabama- You can't ride two horses with one ass, sugarbean.

#8-My Best Friends Wedding- I'm pond scum. Well, lower actually. I'm like the fungus that feeds on pond scum.

#9-Pretty Woman- You make $100 an hour and you have a safety pin holding your boot up?

#10-Serenity- This is the captain. We have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight... turbulence and then explode.

#11-Mission Impossible- If a man has crushed, shot, stabbed, and detonated five members of his own IMF team, how upset do you really think you're gonna make him by hauling Mom and Uncle Donald down to the county courthouse?

#12-Anchor Man- I'm a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of man I am. You're just a woman with a small brain. With a brain a third the size of us. It's science

#13-Forrest Gump- Momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

#14- The Princess Bride- Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do….. Go through his clothes and look for loose change

#15-Ocean’s Eleven- I have a question, say we get into the cage, and through the security doors there and down the elevator we can't move, and past the guards with the guns, and into the vault we can't open... Yeah well, say we do all that... uh... we're just supposed to walk out of there with $150,000,000 in cash on us, without getting stopped?

#16-Mr. & Mrs. Smith- Your aim's as bad as your cooking sweetheart... and that's saying something!

#17-The Rock- Look, I'm just a biochemist. Most of the time, I work in a little glass jar and lead a very uneventful life. I drive a Volvo, a beige one. But what I'm dealing with here is one of the most deadly substances the earth has ever known, so what say you cut me some FRIGGIN' SLACK?

#18-Jerry McGuire- Show me the money!

Good was Great! The teenage son of one of the ladies in our class was baptized around midnight Tuesday night. He had been on our prayer list for some time. Many tears had been shed over his lack of interest. It seems God got his attention through a little car wreck he had that night. Celia our preacher’s wife brought “baptismal cookies” to help us celebrate. We had joy. God is good.

We also talked some about how confession leads us to goodness. We are masters at justifying the things that we do. We need to examine ourselves and openly confess our wrongs to people that we trust. I was inspired by Matt Elliot's blog on Alcoholics Anonymous and the way that they build a spirit of community. One of the sweet girls in our class told of how her dad had been in AA and that he would get calls any time of night or day to help out a fellow member. She talked about what a bond there was among these folks. I have always envisioned that this is how our churches should be. However, it is impossible to form that kind of intimacy, that kind of trust, without throwing off our mask and all our pretensions and just getting real with each other. Sometimes, I am more myself when typing on this blog that when I am with other people. I tend to play to the crowd. But, just imagine, if we started with our small groups of special friends, being real, saying “hey, I have messed up, please pray with me”. It was kind of funny last night there was one girl in our class that was not raised in the church and had not been exposed to our times of “confession”, so when we were jokingly saying “so you shouldn’t say “I have said and done things that might have caused shame and reproach on the church’” she didn’t have a clue what we were talking about. Can we get real? Can we examine ourselves and confess our specific sins? Do we have people we can trust enough to do that with? Don’t you think it would keep you from repeating the same sin, if you knew you would be accountable to someone? I CONFESS, this is not easy for me. I am the master of disguise. I like to keep my private life just that. But, I am going to work on it. I know that I am not the good person that I want to be. Maybe this is the thing that I lack.

Goodness! That is my fruit of the Spirit I will be covering tonight. I have four books I am pulling from teaching this class. I don’t like what any of them have to say on this subject. What they say is good; it is just not the approach I want to take. Nothing is inspiring me. They talk about the goodness of God to us, the way we should be good to other people, how comforting it is when others are good to us, but none of them talk about just being a “good” person. I am not sure where the Spirit will lead me tonight. My study carried me to Proverbs and to the Sermon on the Mount. I think I can build a class around that. For some reason the responsibility of teaching is hitting me hard today. I know it is an awesome challenge and responsibility. I have got to get out of the way and be sure that I am only pointing to Jesus. I covet your prayers in this effort.

My own struggle with goodness is hindered by my petty resentments and trivial pursuits. I am so aggravated when I don’t feel like co-workers are carrying their load. I get my rump on my shoulders when I know I am doing someone else’s job for them while they take off three days in one week! It is hard to be good with your rump on your shoulders. Yet, in my heart I know that God is calling me to a better more fulfilled life. One that is not crowded with petty irritations. However, the enemy knows how to push my buttons. I realize sometimes it is because I am quick to advertise right where those buttons are.

I tried to think of something to give up for Lent. I know, we don’t officially do that, but it is always a good practice to fast for a good cause. I have already given up buying books until the first of April. I am on a high protein diet, so I have given up all the foods that I love. I can’t give up Diet Coke, sorry I must have one sweet thing in my life. So, I came up with buying clothes and shoes, including tennis clothes. I have already been doing my on-line shopping for some new tennis outfits. It will be a challenge and a sacrifice to not buy anything. So how about you, are you giving anything up?

I really do prefer being busy, to not having anything to do, but yesterday work was just cutting into my blogging time. I guess I have got to curb my habit a little bit and use it as a reward when all of my work is caught up.

I was able to get out a little early and play about an hour and half of tennis before the rain moved back in. The season starts next month and this is only the second weekend I have got to play since early December. Maybe we will have some intermittent sunny days for the rest of the month. I am anxious to get started in the competitive side.

A few of us got together Sunday night and sent valentines to some of the shut- ins and elderly at our church. In the last few days I have received a couple of cards in the mail. I think we sometimes underestimate the power of a written note. I am so blessed when somebody takes the time to remember me and write me a card. I keep most of them here in my office in a file. When I am having a really bad day I can pull out a couple of encouraging cards and feel so much better. In one of my earlier resolving modes I had decided to do at least one nice thing for someone every day; to make a call, or send a card or make a visit. Like most of my good intentions it remains as an intention. I have been a little better, but am challenging myself and you to just do it. Sending a card is something we can all make time to do. I know and you do to that it really touches people. So why are you still reading this, go send a card!!

You ever have one of those days? Just so busy you can hardly catch your breath. I really want to sit down and blog something meaningful and memorable but I don’t have time. So instead I will just say I got to play tennis 4 hours out of the weekend. That was great! More later.

I don’t know who she is or where she has gone but I know, I know, I know, I know, that I wish she would come back. I NEED Sunshine. Fortunately the weather man says we should get it today. For now its still dark.

We had a good visit at the fertility Doctor yesterday. Everytime they would walk in the room and start talking about getting “us” pregnant, I would panic a little until I realized they didn’t mean ME. Diana felt good about the visit and the action oriented approach. No more, wait and call me next month. That was very frustrating for her. Of course I cringed when they described the mood swings that were a side effect of the drug. Déjà vu to the teenage years!! Scary stuff!

I don’t know what has happened to that new organized Donna, but from the looks of her desk she has been kidnapped. I think I better get off the computer and get to some of this work. You know my motto for the weekend “let’s get out there and sweat!!” Really I don’t care if you do or not, but I am going to! See you on the tennis courts!

You know the rain does seem to rob the joy from everyday life. I have struggled to be upbeat this week, but I have made a couple of tennis dates for the weekend (temps s/b in the 60’s with sunshine!) So the joy is bursting back out.

My children are hurting right now. Derek has the flu and is trying to stay away from Matthew where he doesn’t get it as well. My daughter has been diagnosed with PCOS and I am taking her to Birmingham today to see a specialist. I know many of you can relate to wanting a baby so badly and everyone around you is getting pregnant. My little girl has always had a harder row to hoe than most. Please keep us in your prayers today.

Last night our class was on kindness. I have known for sometime (but haven’t done much about it) that sarcasm is a direct opposite of kindness. And yet, it keeps coming out of my mouth. We talked about the T.V. shows like Friends and Seinfeld, where the sarcastic and cutting remarks are just funny. But how many times to we resort to the same kind of talk without realizing we are being hurtful to those around us? One of the many books I was reading to prepare for this series talked about kindness must come before goodness; otherwise we will be judgmental when we are “good”. I liked that, and I can really relate to it. Anyway, it may take a total personality transplant, but I am going to try and eliminate sarcasm from my speech. This may be even harder than giving up chocolate!!!!

You know another place that the residue of division affects our lives is in divorce. I am working with a couple who can’t agree on anything but disagreeing. All the hopes, the dreams, the investments in each other and their family and home…just left behind like it never really mattered anyway. I think we should mandate couples counseling a divorcing couple before granting them a marriage license. Nobody wins. Everybody looses. Family, friends, co-workers, all are affected by the split. Whenever one is tempted to think that the grass is greener on the other side, they should realize that it takes a lot of manure to make that grass look green. Do you really want to get in that mess? Perhaps that is why God says in Malachi 2:16 "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel.

Having said that; the people are already suffering. Embrace them, love them and try to give them a hand up. Plenty of people will be there to push them down.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my daddy’s 74th birthday. He is not the most educated man you will ever meet, but he loves people and he loves to have fun. The strict disciplinarian of my youth disappeared when the grandchildren came along. I have told them several times that I didn’t really know their Grandpa. He was nothing like my Dad.

Some of his favorite sayings;

• Ya’ll come nearly home with us
• Ya’ll come see us, we will show you how poor people live
• All I know you can write on a little piece of paper
• You don’t work, you just sit up there and watch that T.V. all day (computer)
• I am 39 and holding. (when I caught up with him, I told him he had to change)
• Oh you know, it’s ole hickey-doo, he lives down there by what’s his name.
  

Yeah, my Dad’s not perfect. But he loves me and my brothers and all of his grandchildren. More than anyone in my life, he taught me to laugh and have fun. He has never really worried a lot about anything (my mom does enough for everyone) and he always tries to find the funny side of every thing. Happy Birthday Dad, I love you.

I have been on a high protein diet for a week and a half. I am beginning to see results already, but I have NO energy. I am still in the phase where you eat very little carbohydrates and I have been surprised at the energy drain. This Tuesday morning workout I usually breeze through was an effort. I am not doing this for the short run, so I can back my ears and get through this phase. I have read that after the first couple of weeks you get something like an energy boost from the protein you are eating. I am SO ready for that boost.

I can’t believe it is February already. I am striving hard to keep my New Year’s commitments.
How are you doing on yours?

My lethargy, whether caused by the diet or just plain laziness is bleeding over into my work. I just don’t want to be here. It’s not so much that I want to be anywhere else; I am just tired of all the paper and files…. But on the other hand, I am very grateful for my job. I love what I do and the people I work with. I just wish I didn’t have to handle all of the paper!!