Honestly, the first thing I remember from high school, was our basketball coach, which I was in love with! I was certain that he loved me, as he’d offered me the job of being the schools Basketball Manager for both the junior varsity AND varsity team. Why else would he want a girl to take clipboard notes and pick up sweaty locker room towels after a game?
The next thing that came to mind, was how I joined the schools track and field team, only to be informed that I had to choose between smoking cigarettes and sports… the nerve of these grown up people!
From there, I remember skipping class with my best friend, driving to Big Bob’s Burgers for an early lunch, followed up by getting fully baked at the park, while sitting in her car. We would then try to eat our burgers and fries, amidst laughing at how the other looked while eating, until we both nearly choked!
While I did engage in a large number of unhealthy things learned in high school, I also learned the pain of both rejection and misunderstanding, while trying to make friends in yet another school.
In the end, I did also learn a great many valuable things that were mingled in with all my hormonal development! Just so that you don’t think I simply ogled boys and smoked pot all through high school, I happen to be very bright, which allowed me the opportunity to soak up all the education possible in under 2 years!
That’s right folks! I had missed so much academia through my school years, due to being passed around differing foster homes, I began my junior year with only a freshman’s credits. My foster mother had to go before the school board, requesting they waive all of my elective classes in order for me to graduate with my age class. They actually approved!
So, amidst all the crushes, heartbreaks, and partying, I’d some how managed to complete 4 years of school in only 2; graduating with an accumulative GPA of 3.94… go figure!
While I don’t wish to go through the heartache of those times, I have very fond memories of friends, dances, football games and the like. I would also like to add that I love education so much, I’d go back to school in a hot minute, if I could choose STUDENT as my full time career… I love to learn new things!
In home economics class, one of my favorite memories is learning how to make a Baked Alaska, so I’ve scrounged up one for our snack today.
So, as usual, I sat down today planning my normal writing, where I share how I’m feeling about life and such! I wasn’t feeling it! Ha ha… get it, feeling it? And yes, I still need reading glasses for the up close stuff, even though my surgeries corrected all the rest of my vision. I am 55 you know, so I cannot expect the eyes of a 20 year old, as those days are long gone!
Instead, I opted for doing girl things… you know, like doing my nails and putting make up on, which is not something I really do any longer, with any regularity. As I’d already cut and colored my hair a few weeks ago during my last girl day, all I had available this morning was a bag of old make up products, and my jammies!
You know, I’ve done a great many home jobs on my hair over the years, but this is actually the first one that I liked! My husband had to even it up in the back for me, since I obviously can’t see the back of my own head. But I think he did a fine job, as it doesn’t look too choppy back there.
I’m too cheap to cough up a hundred bucks, and not willing to sit still long enough for anyone else to mess with my hair. I’m hoping to go even shorter, at some point, and get rid of the rest of my dark hair, but that will definitely need an actual Hairstylist; even I’m not that good. I discovered how much I love using a light caramel brown color, as it does a beautiful job covering and blending with my gray, silver, and/or white roots. I can no longer sport my dark hair, as I take on the look of a rabid skunk, from the moment my hair starts to grow out. I finally grew tired of dealing my head stripe!
I’m not even gonna pretend that my hair is cut evenly, hence the way I always tilt my head for photos, just in case. There is less chance for you to notice any of my mistakes. Trust me when I tell you, I’ve done some pretty horrific hack jobs on myself over the last few years, but for the first time, I really like this one… Kudos to me!
Anyhow, if you’re wondering why I am doing such ridiculous things today and writing about it, it’s due to having a sore foot. WordPecker Down! I think I’ve injured myself trying to navigate all the road construction going on right in between myself and the river. Sometimes, I’ve had to trot across a road in between traffic to get around things. The day before yesterday, as I was hoofing it across the street, I felt a small twinge in the area just above my big toe, where I carry most of my weight when stepping down. I made it home without too much trouble, and woke yesterday, forgetting all about it! About halfway through the walk, I remembered it! I was still about an hour away from home, so I tried to be careful with it, as best I could.
Again, I had to trot across the street to get around all the torn up roadway, but when I did… this time I felt a pop! I’ve walked at least 4 major marathons in my days, and am very familiar with that feeling you get, when something gives! Twice, over the years, I blew out both my arches while refusing to quit a marathon. I’ve learned to be much gentler on myself since those days. Rather than ignoring the pain, I immediately slowed down and hobbled the rest of the way home, walking on the outer side of my foot. I must have resembled a Rapper walking with an attitude, as I swaggered home.
Funny thing about feet is, there are so many bones in them, unless you snap a major one, there isn’t anything they will do for it. I’m just going to take a couple of days rest to let it mend, before hitting the trail again. Since I’m stuck in the house alone, and left to my own devices, this is why I found myself in the closet pulling out my old bag of make up. Don’t you feel so lucky! You read all the way through my blog, just to hear me tell you why I made myself look pretty. Sorry, not sorry!
Even though you feel like you’ve earned a cookie for being put through this, you’ll have to sit through my prompt response for the day… if I fed you cookies every time I got a wild hair, we’d all end up like the fat people on those floaty chairs in Wall-E!
I finally figured out that we can often become our worst enemy! Always looking at the negative and assuming that nothing good will come, only leads to more depression and darkness.
God doesn’t want me to waste anymore time focusing on the past, but instead, to seek the good and the beauty that still DOES exist in this world! Notice that I said IN and not OF… there’s a big difference!
There is much good to be found, when one stops looking at themselves and begins to search what lay beyond them! I am learning and growing in ways I didn’t think possible, simply by letting go and letting God!
God is Good… All the Time! So Let’s BEE Positive in how we perceive our circumstances, as well as those around us!
It’s sunny out and I hear the river calling, so I’m out!
No cookies today, as I’m in the mood for a waffles…
Am I the only one, or does anybody else feel like, the moment you say the word exercise, we’d rather stay home and sleep?
The word exercise takes me all the way back to gym class in school, you know, climbing a rope to the ceiling and running around the track until you wanted to thought you would be sick.
I want to change the word “exercise” to “play!” The beauty of writing a blog is that it’s just that… my blog! Writing ones thoughts and/or feelings, without caring what others think, is a lovely thing to experience, in my opinion. I think I’m capable of answering the prompt in my own way, without really deviating from the subject matter of exercise.
While I’ve actively participated in sports and physical exercise throughout my life, from walking in marathons to playing softball for the local church team, mostly I’ve just played! I looked up the definition to exercise, and it seems that my playtime accomplishes the same result.
I’ve run in track and field, but I’ve also jumped hay bales out in a field with my horse. I’ve played softball, but I’ve also had to catch a lot of fly balls within my own home. Try attempting to referee, or more accurately, coral three children along with their passel of pets, under the same roof.
There is no rest for the weary when it comes to parenting! I spent five years homeschooling my children, which included way more than just classroom studies. We hiked, camped, fished, swam, gardened, learned musical instruments, went on bike rides, rode horseback, drove dune buggies and on and on and on…
My answer to the prompt is to say that any form of exercise works, I think, as long as it feels like playing. If it ain’t fun, it ain’t worth it, and it won’t last for the long run. Choose an exercise that feels like play, if you wish to maintain both a healthy mind and body.
There, see? I think I still answered the question, even if I had to swap out one word for another… if not, well then, here…
In appreciation of all the good it brings, I’ll not begrudge the rainy days, nor will I pass up the chance to snuggle under a warm blanket with a steaming cup of my favorite coffee. I’ve a list of things I could be working on, both the writing kind and the choring kind; though none of them seem to be more pleasurable at the moment, than drinking coffee.
My hubby has gone to classes, leaving me the whole day to move about freely in our little RV and clean up here and there… but quite frankly, it’ll be there whenever I get around to it, so it can wait for another day!
With the fireplace heater going, slippers on feet, and coffee in hand… it feels sort of like I’m relaxing in a little cabin in the woods all by my onesies, and I like it!
I was poking around in the book of Galatians earlier, and I was rewarded with a new verse to memorize. It’s Galatians 2:20, for anyone who might be curious. When I was younger, memorization seemed more like a chore than a pleasure. Now, however, I find the verses rising to my lips in just the right moments, bringing me peace and comfort in whatever circumstances I encounter. I had always assumed that I should be able to recite verses for others, to either save someone or to display my own Godliness. Only now do I realize how much the memorization was, and is, for my own edification and encouragement, as well as those listening.
In honesty, it’s much easier than trying to memorize study notes for tests about names of states, or chemical compounds, neither of which have ever really been that helpful in my personal survival… just sayin. Don’t get me wrong, those subjects are vital for the students who wish to pursue government or the sciences… for them, it is useful in furthering their future studies in those fields. As it happens, the field I find myself in has no real use for those subjects, so…. if you don’t use a thing, you can easily lose a thing, if you get my meaning.
Anyways, my coffee has gotten cold while I was writing this and that won’t do, so I’m off to reheat my Jo. Once that’s done, I’m back to the task of editing my book. It’s going smoothly and steadily I think, as I’m attempting to take my time and listen to Gods direction. My desire is to produce a thing honorable to the One who called my name! My goal is to share my heart, by revealing Gods faithfulness in my life; possibly helping another soul to heal from their own wounds. If nothing else, God is using the writing of my journey to bring healing and growth to my own heart, in ways I never thought possible! I think it’s a win win sort of situation!
Well, I’m off! God Bless and big hugs from this heart to yours…
The only time I desire to read something over and over again, is when I want the words I’m reading to leave their mark!
While I may have read books over and over as a kid, it was because I wanted to relive the experience of whatever adventure I was on, but that desire ended when I gained children and lost free time. Now that I’m way beyond those years, I find that most of those books seem trivial and insignificant compared to the things that are so much more important.
I’ll be honest in saying that I’m a practical girl, wanting the most bang for my buck! If I am to read something, it better be useful for my journey ahead… or I ain’t got time!
If you didn’t already know this, I spend a large portion of my time on WordPress, writing my own stories, as well as, reading what others have to share. Beyond that, my free time is spent writing on other literary projects, physical activity, and spending time with my best friend, and partner in crime. I read one and only one book repeatedly nowadays, and if I’ve not made it abundantly clear yet… it’s the BIBLE! Beyond this book, all bets are off, as to any other written words that I would read more than once!
I sure hope everyone had a beautiful weekend, preferably getting some much needed rest, and spending quality time with loved ones.
My husband started back to college last week, so we spent the weekend relaxing amidst his studying and trying to adjust to the new daily schedule. His hope is to finally complete a degree that has been a goal of his for some time. My hope is to see him get up, dust himself off, and rise above all the curve balls that life’s been throwing him. Thanks be, to our Veterans Programs, he has been given such an amazing opportunity for success!
While I could list a myriad of unfortunate things that have gone wrong, are still going on, and/or may occur in the future… I would rather share all the good that I am seeing. I am so eternally grateful for the VA and all they have and are currently doing to help us. To see my husband finally get the care and support that he so desperately needed, has been such a blessing to witness. Though we are nowhere near out of the woods yet, I have seen God work through others in so many wonderful ways, I’ve never felt more carried within the palm of His hands!
Circumstances occur, no matter who you are, often leaving a mess behind that can often feel too hopeless for one to bear… let alone, try to clean up and make right!
All it takes is someone lending a helping hand, heart, or prayer, to facilitate recovery of something lost. There have been so many unwitting ambassadors for God’s purposes, I’m not fully able to thank each and every one of them, but that won’t stop me from asking God to bless their socks off!
So much of how we see and cope with a circumstance, is based on our perspective… our attitude about a thing, or an emotional state brought about during the experiencing of said circumstance. As I have been learning, keeping a Godly perspective, as a whole, helps immeasurably! Believing in Him and trusting in His plan for my life has forever changed my perspective, and for the better! Choosing to look for the good in others, instead of expecting the worse, has radically altered my mental and emotional perspective.
If I can give any words of encouragement for the week ahead, it will be to remind folks to focus on how important all the little things you do for others can be, and remember that it will return to you 100 fold. Love, and generosity of heart, are only valuable when you give them away. Something as small as holding a door for another, or saying thank you to the checker at the grocery store holds great value! How do you know if that person has been struggling with a circumstance, so close to just giving up? Your kind words can have an incredible effect of comfort and reassurance that you never even realized. Pay that love forward folks, because it will most likely pay you right back in ways you never dreamed!
If you know me at all, in even the least of my writings, you already know the answer I offer this prompt! In truth, we are all in the very same story, book, tale, movie, script or song… we are all intricately woven into God’s tapestry. Many have written about it, sung about it, reenacted the story in a movie or play, but in truth… we are all in there!
Why? John 3:16 baby! For God so love the world, that he gave his one and only son, that who so ever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life! If I got any of those words wrong, it’s due to simply writing without looking at my source, but you get the truth of it!
Since we last spent time talking about the Israelites journey, much has changed. From one side of the Jordan, Moses spent his last days trying to ensure the people would remember what God had commanded them, by repeatedly going back over everything they’d learned so far. Once that was completed, God sent him up the mountain, in order to show Moses the land that they were about to inherit.
Remember, Moses knew that he was not to cross the Jordan, due to his earlier disobedience to God. Moses also knew, before he ever headed up the hill, he’d be dying up on that mountain. I was left pondering what it must have been like when God spoke to Moses about the climb. He was to view the land he would not set foot in, and then be called home to his people (God told Moses of his own death). After reading of all the journey thus far, I am left thinking that Moses was probably relieved. He was quite old by this time, so my belief is that he was very tired, and looking quite forward to God taking him home.
As you may or may not already know, this is the place where Joshua, son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim, became the leader of the Israelites. Joshua, remember, was one of the 12 spies that had scouted out the land earlier on. He and Caleb were the only two that brought back favorable news to the people, about the land they were about to inherit. This is what I found on my search engine, from Newworldencyclopedia.org, when looking for Caleb’s lineage:
Caleb, the son of Hezron (I Chron. 2:18-20), is identified with Caleb, the son of Jephunneh (Num. 13:6), the epithet “Jephunneh” having been given to him because he “turned away” from the sinful intention of the other spies who advised the people against going into the Holy Land.
While you may or may not be interested in that bit, I find reading about lineage fascinating sometimes. In this case, it’s more about what is in ones heart, than what’s in ones blood!
Anyways, back to the journey of our village, who were now planning to cross the Jordan into the promise land. I’ve only read as far as the beginning of chapter 6 in the book of Joshua, and I’ve already had to stop and chew on some things… three, in fact!
The first thing that I found myself wondering about, was the sheer number of those crossing. Even with three tribes of woman and children staying behind in the place they’d chosen as their portion, their fighting men were still required to cross over the Jordan along with all the rest of the Israelites! To put a realistic picture in your heads, of the actual size of this village… just the fighting men from the three tribes remaining on the other side of the river, numbered approximately 40,000. This should give us an idea, about the amount of people that crossed the Jordan at this point. Obviously, the woman and children of the other tribes wouldn’t be battling it out with the warriors, but they still had to cross and camp somewhere along the path, so you can imagine the sheer number of the people crossing that river.
Just as in the parting of the Red Sea, once again, God parted the Jordan for another safe crossing. The bible says that the cities were very fearful of this mobile city, and with good reason! Can you imagine watching the procession from your kitchen window, of probably, over a million people in one large group, as they moved along. You might as well invite your in-laws over, because you were going to be watching for a good long while.
Here comes the second thing I pondered, while following the story of this village. The bible says that the people celebrated the Passover, once they’d reached the other side of the river, on the 14th day of that month. When it said that the very next day was the first day they’d begun eating food from this new land, I was a bit surprised. I’d completely forgotten about the fact that they’d been eating manna for this entire trip… 40 years of basically eating oatmeal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, aside from the holy celebrations.
Not only that, but all of the circumcised fighting men that left Egypt had died along the way to the river… as they’d disobeyed God and forfeited the right to enter the promised land; hence, the 40 years of wandering in the desert! Now that the people had crossed into the promised land, it was quite a change for them, as they experienced both the return of normal food and the return of an act of obedience and cleanliness… circumcision! I’m trying to wrap my mind around the logistics of how many actual Israelites of fighting age, lay recovering for a week from this procedure… not babies, but full grown men down for the count!
The third thought, which I’m still chewing on, arose from reading about the city of Jericho! This city was surrounded by massive walls that kept enemies out and the citizens within its walls safe. While this seems to be the perfect place to feel safe, we know that those dwelling in the city were scared witless! I don’t think it would be fun having to watch an enormous army march around my city for a week, blowing trumpets in my direction.
Though there is much discussion as to how many warriors were in that army, I guarantee you would be able to feel the ground vibrate with their repeated pass by’s! Even if I can logically assume this vibration aided in the collapse of those walls, riddle me this… how did that one tiny wall piece, with Rahab and her family tucked inside, manage to remain fully intact? One teensie weensie red scarf, that’s how!
Belief, obedience, and just a little tiny grain of faith, was all that Rahab held onto. Yep, folks, a prostitute! I’m left with such gratitude that God always seems to work with the broken, discarded and unworthy. The beauty of the truth is, God knows we aren’t perfect, nor are we capable of serving and/or obeying Him by our own merit!
The truth is the same, from all the way back then, to the here and now… believe in Him, obey His direction, and hold onto our faith in Him, no matter how little our faith might be… down to the tiniest grain! Even when we feel as if we’ve lost our faith in Him, God will faithfully continue a good work in us! Just sayin…
Journey With Me! 