A Texas January Friday

Good Morning, Readers!  And, it is a good morning here at our home.  Grab a cup of coffee and let's settle in for a morning chat!  Michael is up and moving around with ease and getting stronger each day.  We are so grateful for modern medicine.  He is soooo glad to be able to walk upright without shooting pain.

 

A.W. Tozer wrote, "Prayer is not learned by rote; it is experienced.  Just talk and listen.  It's no more difficult than that." Being brought up in the Lutheran Church in Minnesota, there was a lot of memorization before being confirmed into the church.  I am grateful for that time as it gave me a solid foundation.  It wasn't until I joined a non-denominational church in Plano, Texas that I began talking to God several times a day.  There are times, though, when I miss the ceremoniousness of the Lutheran Church and can replay the services in my mind with a big smile on my face.  I didn't understand being born again to the newness of God ... I had been baptized as a baby and thought there was no need for another baptism.  However, God had other plans and I was baptized in the pool in my own backyard and oh what a party that was!!  We turned our backyard into heaven with Tiki torches, music, and had lots of delicious food to eat.  Best of all, I was surrounded by nearly 100 friends cheering me on!  Yee Haw!  Who says Christians are boring?!
 

Wild Child!

 Because "my way" has always been a little different, I always gave in to the beliefs of others thinking mine was flawed.  Now, I march to the tune of my own drum and celebrate my uniqueness.  Oh my goodness, the first time I raised holy hands, my knees shook.  What would the people around me say.  Good grief ... they could have cared less.  Funny how we think everyone is just sitting around judging us!  At 64, I've learned to take serious things seriously but not to take myself so seriously!  Being able to laugh at my own mistakes and quirkiness makes for a fun day rather than fussing and fuming over people or things that I have no control over.
 

During my 40 days of prayer, I have been praying for divine revelation in several areas ... one being the subject matter of my blogs.  My purpose in starting my blog was to walk down the road of life encouraging other to come along with me.  There is always hope in the worst of circumstances.  So many nights I have cried myself to sleep wondering how things could possibly get any worse.  Now, looking back, I realize that life is a series of peaks and valleys.  There is the birth of a child and the passing of a loved one.  The circle of life...  I am not a polished writer.  I write to the common man in a language that is easy to understand.  My hope is that my readers will think about what I say and know that they aren't alone in their plight whatever that might be.  There's not much I haven't experienced in my life...

I have reached a point in life that has been hard to accept because I have had to be dependent on others.  From the time I was very tiny, I learned to take care of myself.  Although, I was small of stature, I was smart, strong and very savvy in the business world.  Even though my heart would be bleeding, I could put a smile on my face and do what I needed to do.  Those around me looked at me as the rock.  At every low point, I would pick myself up and start over without skipping a beat.  It's funny, in 2002, I had stopped dying my hair and needed to go back to a full time job.  I applied at several companies and at one, they slipped and said, "You are such a cute little grandma."  I was looked at like I was a sweet little lady too old to be in the work force!  Good grief ... God intervened when I was in the Women's Shelter and one of my client's at Jenny Craig said that I had been so good to her that she wanted to redo my hair color.  I needed to change my appearance so I took her up on her offer.  I had a job within two weeks!  It was a big ego boost but with that hair came a $150 a month price tag!  Augh......Our society is so youth based...  Now, I work with my grey hair and wear it proudly.  At 64 ... I am one of those baby boomers that got hit hard by the stock market drop a few years ago and am trying to make retirement more than just sitting in a rocking chair looking at the grass grow.  Maybe the world needs another Grandma Moses?!  Or another writer who has been inspired by Hamilton Elf?

 

Toby and Sadie are beckoning me to go outside and play.  They love to roll in the grass and chase bugs and an occasional rabbit!  I have been putting away Christmas decorations .... slowly, I might add.  Michael is making me a to do list ... I am not a shopper so he has to remind me when it's time to get in Lily and make the rounds ending at the grocery store!


As I sign off today, I want to throw out a quote written by Francois de la Rochefoucauld:  "We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others, that in the end, we become disguised to ourselves."  Lots of food for thought!!
 

You have a great day and we'll talk tomorrow.  Always remember you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!