Life Will Getcha!

Well, I haven't blogged in a million years, but I've been busy having a life. I don't worry, this blog is more like a private diary with a lock on it, since no one reads it anyway! I make sure to hide my computer under my bed each night, so no one can read this "diary"! LOL!

You know in high school when you don't know what you want to do with your life, you are approaching graduation, maybe, and your parents are getting nervous? Nervous that you will be sleeping in your pink bedroom full of dolls and posters of your favorite hearthobs until you are 30? Well, my nervous mom thought it would be a good idea to give me an aptitude test to see what careers would best suit me. The careers that came up were things like teacher, social worker, and nurse. Well, I couldn't see myself in any of those jobs. However, as life has happened, I've ended up performing all of those jobs without the college degrees or the paychecks.

Summer of 2008, I went for another summer to help my mom through another surgery. Am I thinking about nursing school? NO WAY! To all the nurses, aides, orderlies, and Hospice workers, I salute you! Caring for someone who has had surgery, who is sick, or who is dying is a labor of love. To be able to care for strangers makes you angelic. It is an emotional, intimate situation. It is terrible to watch someone you love in pain. It is worse to have to cause them more pain by doing what needs to be done to aid in their recovery. I'm not glad that my mom has had to go through these experiences, but I am glad that they drew us closer. We cried, we laughed, we were exhausted, she recovered, and I was rewarded-spiritually-by the experiences.

While I was at my mom's house, my husband informed me that, out of the blue, he got promoted. His promotion would require that he go away for some training, and, as soon as he returned, we would be moving. Yikes! I needed to get home and start preparing for the move-alone. Ok-I'm not good at this sort of thing, but I got good at it quick! Funny how we convince ourselves that we can't do things, only to find out that we can when we have no choice in the matter. So, all alone, I set up the move, found a new house and secured it, etc, etc, etc. My husband had seven weeks of training. He returned and in less than a week, our stuff was packed and moved, we cleaned the old place, went to his aunt's house for Thanksgiving, and moved into the new place. WHEW! What a whirlwind! Then came Christmas.

So, with furniture out of place and boxes everywhere, we set up the Christmas tree, decorated it, put the wreath on the door, and lights up outside. If I hadn't hurried and put up the Christmas tree, I would have probably forgotten to shop. Christmas went by fast a furiously. I shopped some online and some locally and got it all done. We attended a neighborhood Christmas party. We enjoyed the day. My husband and I made chicken enchiladas for Christmas.

WOW! I really picked a great neighborhood to move into. The neighbors welcomed our family with brownies, fruit baskets, and open arms. We were invited to a neighborhood Christmas party, where we were treated like family, and given gifts from people who had never met us. It was amazing! It was so great that it seemed unreal, like a dream. I kinda felt like I was watching it in black and white, waiting for Andy and Barney to come through the door. Well, Andy and Barney couldn't make it, but as I sat talking with this really eclectic group of people who genuinely accepted each other , (and us), so lovingly, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I felt like our family had finally been released from the belly of the whale! God had deemed it neccessary to take us to a place of isolation and lonliness, so that He could teach us about truth. We met so many people who spoke out both sides of their mouths, wounding, telling lies, using the Bible to stand on as they promoted their soap box themes. I thought that this neighborhood welcome would be grand and then wane as people got on with their lives. That isn't the case. People stop by to chat or ask if you need something from the store. On Saturday, there will be a yard full of neighbors, chatting, catching up on the week, or politics, and you know they want you to come join in. Our life has truly turned a corner in this community of kind, loving souls.

Well, I can say we are mostly unpacked, but not yet settled totally. Our lives have taken off since the new year. We have lots of oppurtunities for my son, that we are taking full advantage of. I had to buy a second slow cooker to keep us fed because I often don't have time to cook. We run, run, run, but it is finally nice to have activities.

Well, I'm off to grab my sneakers, again!

What A Blessing!

I've been thinking a lot about blessings lately. Often we are too busy trying to get along in our lives to notice them. We are working at jobs we don't like, sitting in traffic, trying to get a few groceries among a huge multitude of other people, cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of children, and more. We often don't stop trying to get it all done to stop and see the blessings. When we take time to stop, relax, reflect, and really consider, we can see the blessings around us. I couldn't possibly list all that I am grateful for, but here is my list for today:

My salvation-humans chose to sin. Sin was so great and prevalent that God created His Son whose blood covered and paid for our sin. If we believe that Jesus died for us and rose from the grave so we would not perish, confess our sins to God, we can have a relationship with God. Awesome!

Stars and planets-How often do we really ever look up at the night sky? It is truly beautiful to be here, a small person on earth looking up at the dome of stars that surrounds you from all horizons, where the Earth meets the sky!

Sunrises and sunsets-No two are ever the same! Beautiful colors painted across the sky-dark blue, aqua, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, white. When is the last time you took time to be "WOWed" by the rising or setting sun?

My family-from the family I was born into to the family that has been created with my husband and son- we are happy, sad, dysfunctional, wacky, humorous, depressed, functional, loving, crazy, sane. I am grateful for them all, for all the triumphs, and all the tragedies.

Bad times-These are horrible. Sometimes we think we can't get through them. When we have these times, we usually can't see anything good. In times like these, however, we can choose to learn, grow, gain knowledge and wisdom. Often the learning, growing, and gaining don't happen until much later when we reflect on it. I am grateful for hindsight! We would not be who we are without adversity!

Electricity and Indoor plumbing- I wonder if anyone ever died from a snake bite on the butt in the outhouse! The generations of people who suffered through outhouses and no electricity are either gone or in their golden years. I am so grateful for hot showers and flushing toilets! Can you imagine taking a bath once a week or less and bathing in your brother's bath water? EEEWWWW! I'm grateful I can turn on a light and read before bed.

Nature- By this I mean animals, plants, flowers, insects, Everything! Ok-I don't really like bugs that bite-mosquitoes, fire ants, horseflies, but I know that they exist for a purpose. I don't know that purpose, but God does. It boggles the mind to think of all the interesting animals, their homes, their habits, their differences! WOW! Think of all the different types of trees, grass, flowering plants-Amazing! It is amazing that God has surrounded us with so much wonder and beauty!

Friends -I don't have a ton of friends. I have a few really, really good friends. I can see God in each of them. Certain friends are in my life for certain purposes. That is truly Awesome! I have friends I talk to every week. Some I talk to once or twice a year, and some friends fall somewhere in between those two extremes. Some friends are sent for a "season" of life-a certain bad time or good time when I needed either lots of support, or lots of laughter, or some nourishment. I could not make it without my friends-seasonal or long-lasting!

Wind, rain, clouds, food, shelter, transportation, my husband's job, my child's smile, ice, sweet tea, pillows, telephones and computers that keep me in touch with others, books, libraries, music, memories.

Like I said, I can't possibly name in one day all that I am grateful for. The list is just too long! Today's blog is a reminder to myself and, hopefully, others who may come across this, to take time and count your blessings, smell the roses, enjoy the sunset, marvel at the stars, forgive a grudge, hug a loved one, pass on a smile to someone who needs it. We never know how we affect others. Go out and bless someone else today. Give a stranger something to be grateful for!