Blueprint for Progress

June 28, 2018

Dear Family of Readers,

It's a sizzling hot day in N Central Texas. I've been working outside today and, I must say, I am drenched from the top of my head to my toes. Yikes, my cottage and gardens were in deep need of some TLC so I've been cleaning up, digging in the dirt, rearranging plants, and watering. Actually, it feels good to work hard and see the fruits of my labor.

I've had quite a long spell of quietness. Oh, I've done some mini blogs on social media (Facebook) but haven't tackled much of anything with real meat in it until today . My blog of Family For Better Or Worse was a way of allowing others into my imperfect world fraught with struggles, failures, and triumphs but when my heart got entangled in some heavy duty hurts in 2017, I really couldn't open that box up for everyone to look in. Still can't. There are some things that are best prayed about and left to the Lord to work His magic.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

~Romans 8:28

To live means just that. Living doesn't always mean walking on smooth ground and grinning from ear to ear. It means walking through the valleys with a parched throat ~ it means getting up out of bed when you don't feel like it ~ it means putting one foot in front of the other and pleading with God for strength, courage, and wisdom. As the weeks and months of 2017 went by, I began to regain strength and to make decisions completely based on faith. I put together a team of people with different areas of wisdom to offer guidance. I chose people who would tell me truth vs what I wanted to hear and I became a student NOT the teacher.

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel

of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinner,

not sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord;

and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

~Psalm 1:1-2

As the days turned into weeks and months, I began to feel the strength returning to my mind, body, and spirit. I relaxed and allowed life to unfold. One morning I woke up and smiled. Oh, putting on my socks was still a funny ordeal BUT I realized that instead of taking 8 different medications, I was taking 3; I had lost over 30 pounds; my mind was clear; the thoughts of being "less than" weren't at the forefront of my mind; and, I was genuinely joyous. I closed the box of hurt and set it up on a shelf.

Progress! Life doesn't unfold all at once and even in those darkest hours there's always that sliver of light. I attended a class, REACHING FOR PERSONAL FREEDOM, and, realized that's exactly what progress is ... reaching inward, upward, and outward (sometimes separately and sometimes all three at once) The pearls of wisdom I wear around my neck glisten with years of practice.

I love listening to people's stories ~ especially the ones who have overcome darkness to walk in the newness of life. I love REAL PEOPLE. Many years ago a wise woman had me stand up on a chair. She said, "Pull me up." I tried until frustration got the best of me. Then, she said, "Let me pull you down."  A couple tugs and she had me on the floor. The lesson? It's easier for people to pull you down than you pull them up so STICK WITH THE WINNERS. I've never forgotten the wisdom she poured into me and have sought out people I am able to learn from. I watch for those who are passionate about something ... anything. I listen to testimonies with open ears.  I have cried out, "Teach me, I want what you have."

The whirrrr of the air conditioner reminds me that Summer is here. The Seasons of 2017 are but memories and, now, here I am, a year older and wiser. My heart is filled with peace and I walk forward with a smile. Life isn't easier. In fact, I think it's more difficult; however, I am taking more steps forward than backward!

Always in Christ's Love,

Miss Dottie

PS  "It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching." ~Saint Francis of Assisi