A New Year

New Year
It has been very hectic in my life these past couple of months. I was working as a temporary fill-in for a person on maternity leave, in addition to my church ministry positions. My puppet team was preparing for a Christmas show for some mentally challenged adults and another show for some elderly in assisted living. Also my mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer, quite a shock to be sure. Now here we are, beginning a new year and facing surgery and chemo on January 5. Please remember us in your prayers and know that this is why I have not been online so much. God has always been in control, but we need to have strength and encouragement as we begin a new journey. Peace be with you.

Renewal

I do not know where Elizabeth is getting these words!

Renewal -- this is something that we all need... I need to have my mind renewed daily (that's what the Bible says), and I need to have my spirit refreshed.

Renewal is a sloughing off of the old and a putting on of something fresh. This is what we do when we exfoliate and clean our face - our skin is the largest organ in the body and it is constantly renewing itself - but we do not SEE that new, fresh, pretty skin unless we scrub off the old, dead skin. This would be a good analogy for us to remember. We cannot SEE that we have the spirit of Christ in us UNLESS we get rid of all those sinful habits. Is that easy? Goodness no! But we are to spend our lives here on earth with the goal of becoming more Christ-like each day. So set your sights high, keep your standards lofty, and aim for the stars! With God on our side, we can make it.

Challenge

I do not like this word.
It brings to mind something that is difficult, an obstacle... you can have someone challenge your authority, or challenge your opinions and beliefs... or you can be challenged by situations... it is the situations out of my control that I perceive to be the worst. We all know those "full of faith" people who are inspired by challenges, those folks who have such a great faith in God that their circumstances are always received as blessings, even the difficult ones... but I have never been one of those people.

I have thought that my childhood faith was somehow skewed in my childish mind and those early beliefs get me every time! Did any of you have this thought: If I am a good girl, then things will go well for me. That translated into, if I am a Christian, my life will be perfect.

Okay, I know... you are saying, what an idiot! Anyone who reads the Bible KNOWS that this is SO NOT TRUE! But my head knowledge does not align with my feelings, and particularly when I am in a situation where I believe that I have done nothing wrong.

Immediately, the HS will nudge me and say, 'but Jesus did nothing wrong', 'he was perfect and he obeyed perfectly' --- so unlike me who disobeys almost daily... and if Jesus was not protected from circumstances of this evil stinkin' world, why would I presume that I SHOULD BE?? I mean, that is pretty arrogant, right?

~sigh~

Anyway, this is my entry for today - these Word challenges are not exactly what I want to be thinking about... it reveals so much in me that still needs to be worked on. :( God help me.

Inspire

Our challenge at Scrappy Chatters today is to share about the word Inspire. This word is something that I struggle with... probably because of my own more "realistic" (dare I say negative?) view of the world. Especially during the past few months.

As a Christian, I believe that it is wrong for me to not be inspired... but how can you do that if you do not have hope?

The thing that I have fallen back on is the love and support of friends. THEY are the ones who have inspired me... they believed in me, believed that I was a person of value, and their words of encouragement have inspired me to pick up my feet and move one step further than I thought I could.

In the lowest of times, my children can inspire me with their smile or laughter - they have such a purity in their emotions. It is only as we grow older that we learn to guard ourselves, perhaps even becoming manipulative or deceptive...

I will end with a word to inspire you! Never quit, never let go of your dreams, and never let love grow cold... Your next big thing is just in the horizon so keep on walkin'.

CARS!#@$!

Why is it always something? After a not-so-good night of not-sleeping-well, one of my girls came in and said that she needed to borrow my car because she had a flat tire! Not that I have a life, of course, or might need my car... ugh! So she left me with her disabled car and her keys and instructions for me to get someone to take care of it. These are the times when I revert back to childhood and wish that I was Samantha and could just wiggle my nose. :)

Yesterday, I took another daughter's car to the dealer to have a couple of minor repairs made - things like buttons to move the side windows... nothing huge you see, but those little annoying things that just drive you CrAZy!!

I did have a meeting to attend tonight, but without a vehicle, I will not be able to go. And I also cannot clean out my car which has some yard sale stuff inside... I have to try to do all of these outdoors things now because I HATE cold weather and cannot be outside at all once the weather turns. I might freeze, then crack, and then what good would I be? lol

My daughter ~ Photo Cube

Funky Friday

I'm doing laundry and straightening my bedroom a little. I've had a headache all week and it's been a bad week in that regard. However, I'm hopeful for next week. I seem to have more trouble with migraines when I'm having menopausal symptoms, and the hot flashes have been bad this week as well.
It was fun to celebrate one of my daughters birthdays this week - and I have another girl to celebrate this coming week - it is crowded this month!
So today is a quiet day, no expectations, no schedules, and I hope that I can relax and get over this headache syndrome... it's exhausting me.

Super Sunday

Well, we continued to celebrate #2's birthday by going out to eat. We had a 45 minutes wait but we talked and visited with each other and it was all good. It did take so long that we were not able to go to the movies though. This afternoon, we printed out some photos, figuring out my new computer printer a little bit. I hate change, so anything new is always a big disruption to my life, Grrrrr. Singing tonight for church was the youth choir, so I was really enjoying hearing them again. Still... church continues to be hard for me. Too much anger still inside me. I cannot seem to let it all go... #3 had a friend over and after I watched Design Star, we all went to the big ol' Walmart store. They are continuing their remodel and so things are still in disarray, and again, change is not good so I'm wandering all over the place looking for items that used to be in one place, now in another. We got paint for my LR which I hope to use this week. However, I have out of town plans again, so it's really hard to be working on your house or any housework when you are not at home! :)

Rainy days

Well, today has been a pretty steady downpouring of rain and a gray cloudy day outside. It doesn't matter since I haven't had to BE anywhere. For that, I am thankful. I was out of town for 2 days and staying busy. I'm feeling some better. Since I attended the High School Open House tonight, I was reminded of my daughter's absence - the choir sang the National Anthem and they sounded so good, as usual! I remembered last year's Open House when I walked around with her and visited all of her teachers who always have had wonderful things to say about her.
I was able to meet a new teacher this year. An art teacher who says my child is very talented and that she will be pushing her to create outside her comfort zone; I re-met the Latin teacher who always has a lot of information; of course, the choir teacher and assistant; and finally a re-meeting with the math teacher who summarized how the semester would unfold. I think that three of these classes are okay (math always has lots of home/practice work) but the english class will require a lot more effort.
Am preparing for a birthday weekend as we take Labor Day weekend off! Hooray for ALL holidays!!

Tired...

Well, we returned home last night after an exhausting 2 days to help move one of my girls into her dormitory. The weather was HOT and humid; she was up 3 flights of narrow stairs (crowded with other students, dads, and family!); we had more shopping to do and then all the electrical and computer cords and wiring! It was a full and successful time. We spent the night with good friends, who we then took out to breakfast the next morning. Then to make a bank deposit for daughter, and then out to lunch before another trip to Walmart and Lowe's. Last minute things, you know!
I'm already planning another trip down on Monday, perhaps with two of the grandparents. It is still 4 days before classes start, but they are going to be busy with team-building exercises and ropes courses, all things designed to get the kids bonded and knowing each other before school starts. I'm excited for her, as well as anxious. I know that it will be harder than she expects and it will be more fun than she can imagine. I'm also sad for myself, as I have another one that is leaving the nesting area of my wing-span! It's a hard thing. As we move through the transitions that God has laid out for us, He is always there, but I'm not always open to talking. It is a problem when I'm depressed.
Anyway, just wanted to post an update.

Sunday Smiling

I have to say that today has been a much better day... even though I was dreading it and woke up about 5:00 a.m... I had told one of my daughters on Saturday afternoon that I was planning to go to church even though I didn't want to... maybe just saying it out loud helped me push through the painful anticipation.
Sunday School was good, but another hard lesson from Romans. Kinda weird, talking about Rejoicing in our sufferings because it produces in us perseverance, then character, and then hope. I mean, who needs character anyway?!! Wow. God's Word is always so powerful. I don't know why I struggle so much reading His Word or talking to Him when I'm feeling so down and depressed. Logically, I KNOW these things, but my feelings just overpower my good sense sometimes. That's why it is so good to have a godly husband and godly friends to pray for you and lift you up. Anyway - if you want to read some of this deep-ness, Romans 5 is the location.
And then tonight, we had a Ministry Fair at our church and it was so good to be doing something useful. I almost felt like my normal self. Oh I'll be so glad when this latest valley is a faint memory.
Hope you had a good weekend as well. Chat with you soon.

Sandy's Smiles

Where IS the Joy??
Well, after a night of crying myself to sleep, I can only surmise that I'm depressed. Do I have reasons for this? I suppose, but it's no way to live. Oh, I can ACT the part and do what I have to in order to fulfill my responsibilities, but I am having no joy. Things... well, I don't even want to share them "out loud"... you would wonder why a Christian person would even suffer in this way? Well, I wonder... my DISC personality is a "C" - this is an easy test that Larry Burkett first shared on his website and I have really learned a lot about myself and others, and yet - it doesn't help me to cope with things when they ALL come crashing down at the same time. If you aren't familiar with this personality inventory, it's very good and very accurate. You can find it here (http://www.crown.org/tools/personality.asp). Don't forget to share with me, okay?
Still waiting for a smile from someone, anyone??

Sandy's Smiles

Technical Difficulties, eh??

It's been a little while since I've been able to post. We've had more than the usual summer thunderstorms here and have had some power/technology issues. Who would have expected that in this modern age we live in...

Anyway ~ one of the things that happened while I was "out" --- it was the first-ever Sales Tax Free weekend in our state and so we used that time to purchase school clothing and needed items, even a computer. I also celebrated my birthday with family. And church has become like high-school drama land lately. All of these things are more detail than I can bear to relate. Just know that my life continues to be full in all ways. I need a smile from you, can you share?

Hump Day...

I am pondering why Wednesday is called "Hump Day"... does anyone know? I have found Wednesdays to be difficult, in different scenarios and for different reasons. Working at the church, it was a hard day because that meant I was there in the same building from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. (regular hours) and then over to the fellowship hall for the supper hour and then continuing into the evening for the regular midweek activities. That's a very long day. On the other hand, as a non-working person, Wednesday seems to be the day that we are just anticipating the weekend and how can we get through the rest of this week?! It's funny I suppose... if anyone has an idea, please comment. I'd like to hear it.

Smile for today: A sense of humor can help you overlook the unattractive, tolerate the unpleasant, cope with the unexpected, and smile through the unbearable.

Monday Morning

After two nights of interrupted sleep, I'm feeling exhausted. Up at 5 a.m. and up until 12:00 midnight --- I've always been one of those people who required at least 8 hours of sleep, so as I've gotten older, this no sleep/little sleep thing has been distressing. When I visited my OB/GYN last month, she told me that the best thing I could do is just think, well, I'm awake, and then roll over and go back to sleep. Easier said than done.
HOWEVER ~ growing old is better than the alternative, and I don't mean plastic surgery!
Although, speaking of plastic surgery, I watched extreme makeover this weekend and am always amazed at the difference. I just wonder, if you fell in love with one face, and then that face is so different... I mean, that has to impact you, right?
My smile for today comes from God's Word where He says to each of us, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That's to YOU! You can make a difference and you are worthy. Believe it, Live it. :)

Sandy's Smiles

Sandy's Smiles
Sunday Sunday... what a day. :)
I'm glad to be back home, that's all I can say.

I'm home

Well, after a long summer of mission work and family events, I am home. It's good to be home - no matter that my house is a disaster area!! I'll get started on that soon. You know, I just discovered this past year that you have to actually BE at home in order to CLEAN your home... duh! Anyway ~ that is my latest goal. We'll see where I can go with that.

In the meantime: The smile for today is "No place like home"!!!