Phew! We survived the storms that blew through this area last night on into the early morning hours. My hand was in pain and the rain that shook our windows kept me up -- I did get a few loads of clothes done! My plants are so beautiful and green today!! I can sit on the back patio and tell that they are getting stronger each day.
I've missed being able to get my hands dirty and work in the back yard. Lately, I point, Michael digs a hole and plants. He's NOT an outdoor person nor does he like anything having to do with the yard so he's been quite a trooper since I've had my bum hand. Maybe, just maybe, one of these days he will enjoy fussing over the greenery popping up out of the ground. I get so excited when one of my baby plants makes it through the Winter. He looks at me, shakes his head, and rolls his eyes.
My hand that got the dog bite started festering yesterday morning. I went in to see one of the doctors at the Hill Regional Clinic and liked him very much. He could see that the bite had healed over BUT that something was amiss ... it was swollen and quite red. He changed the antibiotic I have been taking and told me to come back in if it continued to get worse so that they could reopen it. Golly gee ... that didn't sound good to me at all. I told myself, "Keep the faith!"
The past few weeks have been tough ones. I've struggled with Fibromyalgia which has included pain in my muscles and joints, extreme tiredness, weakness, and that feeling of depression. I can understand why I am struggling but I still have to work my way through it. The easiest thing to do would be to give in to my feelings but in the long haul, it's best for me to get up and get moving. In fact, the more I rest, the worse my mood becomes. I am just naturally a worker bee -- working on a project IS restful to me!! I tell myself, "Keep the faith!"
The furniture I put in the Consignment Store in McKinney has been sold -- in fact, it sold in a few days. I will have a check coming from that and have been checking at vintage architectural stores for an old tub. I've told the Lord how much I want the tub to be a part of the casita so we'll see! I tell myself, "Keep the faith!"
Sometimes, there are things going on in the family that are tough to digest. I am so grateful for my faith that keeps me looking forward and upward. It's amazing to watch the Lord take us down deep into the valleys of woe before lifting us up to where we are soaring. Last Sunday, I watched Joel Osteen preach on TV. It was a sermon on offering encouraging words that build up. When you tell someone they can't or you don't allow them to stretch their wings and grow, you are stifling them. You are making decisions only God should be making. Joel cited many celebrities who had people give them those words of "you can do it" ... "you will succeed" ... "you're beautiful" ... "what a good __________ you are"... I found myself saying, "Yes, yes, yes!" The things from my own childhood that haunted me were those words of "you're too small" ... "you have the ugliest hair" ... "you're too loud" ... "you ask too many questions" ... "you don't fit in that group"... I could go on and on. My shyness comes from being told so many times that I wouldn't fit ... I was afraid to be rejected or made fun of. Now, I tell myself, "Keep the faith!"
I am fortunate. First of all, the Lord watches over me and puts people in my life to build me up. It also helps me to get "out of myself" and concentrate on others. My daughter, Jane, has a very outgoing personality -- often times I wish I was more like her. My son, Tommy, is shy. I see a lot of me in him. My children have a way though of wrapping their arms around people and the encouragement they give their children have helped them to soar. If I could take out a text book, Tommy and Jane would be right up there as great parents. They are open, honest, straight forward, kind and loving people of God. When they were little, I prayed for them, talked with them, let them struggle with their weaknesses, and celebrated their triumphs praising their efforts. I saw them as God saw them and I encouraged them, telling them they could rise to be the cream of the crop. They haven't disappointed me. I tell myself, "Keep on praying for your family and keep the faith!"
Faith told me that the labels I put on my children would define them just as my labels had defined me for so long. Faith told me that all things are possible with God when each of us stumbled and fell. What man meant for evil, God meant for good ... I stood on that principle and roared as a lion claiming my cubs. Faith can move mountains ... faith in knowing that everything (yes, everything!) is Father - filtered. Faith has kept me sane ... faith has kept me humble ... faith has moved mountains for me and for my family.
It is so easy to have faith when things are going my way. Yet, I have been through enough peaks and valleys of life to know that God is in control and has my best interests at heart. What does the Bible say about faith?
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1, KJV).
To me, faith is knowing that I am the daughter of the most High and that He is loving me through the ups and downs of my life. The best times of my life have followed the darkest of storms. So many times when I was young and talked to an older wiser person about my troubles, they would say, "This too shall pass." Now I am saying that to my friends, children, and grandchildren.
Keep the faith, my Readers ... enjoy your day today and speak good and positive things into your mind. Keep focused on the One who is able to take a lump of clay and make it a beautiful piece of pottery! This morning, I prayed for you asking that the Lord bless and keep you in the palm of His hand.
Until we meet again ... (one more time) KEEP THE FAITH!!
Miss Dottie
Since I am reading this in October...I can say hind sight is 20/20. It is interesting to read your blog and know the outcome of the move, the little casa, etc. Still....love-love-love your blogs!
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