Post #82 - I'm feeling blessed.

My heart is overwhelmed with the feeling of being blessed.  God is so good!

I am rich. I am rich beyond expression. I am rich, not it earthly possessions but in eternal, unseen and untouched blessings.

God is alive and doing a good work and He has blessed me.

I hold the love and respect of a godly man who loves the Lord, is a wonderful provider, the master of his home, an excellent father to our children and a good son and son-in-law.  We have a love language that is both playful banter and loving, uplifting support for one another. I adore this man more than words can express.

I have the love and respect of three gorgeous children. They are the product of two imperfect people, so they, too, are imperfect...but they are loved. They are good people from good stock and they love the Lord.  They are caring and funny and trustworthy and helpful and loyal and all shades of nice.

 

I have the love and respect of some pretty wonderful people whom I am blessed to call friends.  God has chosen a great circle of friends for me--I'm so glad I turned that over to Him.  The support, prayers, godly advice and love that they have showered over me has meant so much to me.

We've had some sad, happy and rough times...my family, my friends and I...and God was there--helping us through them, watching over us and guiding us. 

I am blessed.

Post #39 - Note to my 20-something year old self.

Dear me in my 20's,

Don't sweat it, you've got this.  The 50's don't feel a whole lot different than the 20's. Well, except for some aches and a few pains, but they make medicine for that. But you usually don't take it; either because you are relaxed and comfortable in bed before you remember and you don't want to make the trip downstairs because it will completely wake you up and it will take hours to get to/back to sleep (which is a lie because it will take hours to get to/back to sleep anyway)...or....you don't want to risk any of the side effects of said medicine.

Other than that, life is good.
You still feel the same.  You think you can do all the things you did at 20-something, but after you climb a ladder or get on top of a chair you realize that probably wasn't the best idea.

But still, not much has changed.

Eh, I wouldn't say that--life is better in lots of ways.

You no longer make plans for "one day."  One day is here and if you want to do something, you do it.  You make it happen, not just dream about it.

You have friends. Real friends. You make plans to do things together and there's no drama. You have double/triple dates, bonfires, hayrides, girls nights, parties, come-over-for-pie or let's-grab-a-pizza impromptu get togethers. And there's no drama. Your friends are there when you need them, no questions asked, no stipulations, no matter the time of day or night. You have good friends.

You're lazy now.  Well, not really. You are better at prioritizing and so well organized that you get more done in a day than you did in your 20's. It's just that you like to take naps in your down time now.

And somewhere along the way you lost the filter to your mouth. If you think something, chances are it's going to pop out of your mouth.  But it's okay because your friends have the same problem.

There have been some tough times, but God has been faithful and been by your side, helping, loving, caring, guiding. He is your best friend. Never forget that.

You graduated college, had a career, fell in love, got married, had three children (and home-schooled them to boot). You are still madly in love. Your children are not ugly. They are good kids. Not angels; but good kids. You have kept your mind active over the years by learning another computer language and building web sites, mastering several computer programs and becaming accomplished in many others, having blogs, teaching yourself to sew, crochet, knit, quilt, embroider, applique, play guitar & drums, cook, bake, campfire cooking, photography, home maintenance/repairs, jewelry making, cake decorating, puppetry, puppet making, painting, carpentry, candy making, paper crafting, and the list goes on and on. Basically, if it strikes your fancy, you explore it.  Keep that up!

And yes, you read that right...you did learn to cook. And bake. And make candies. You've gotten much better at prioritizing the dishes so now everything is ready to eat at the same time--no more cold hamburgers because you didn't start the french fries first. You collect recipes and are getting pretty good at picking out good ones to try. You enjoy creating.  Again: always trying new things, always expanding your capabilities.

P.S.- You got fat.

Post # 22 - Just keepin' in real

I grew up a little bit today.

Going through the Facebook news feed earlier I saw several people defending free speech and others arguing for the sake of arguing, some people with sick kiddos, some funny ecards, someone who posted repeatedly about petty stuff, and someone who is struggling with voices (real or imaginary) who tell them they aren't good enough.  You know, the normal stuff.
And while I had compassion for the person who is struggling, I wished the one who was whining would just grow up.  You know; be mature like me.

That's when the Holy Spirit took me to task.

Somewhere in all the talk about free speech and don't judge me attitudes, people were reaching out to others. And even though I had family support and Godly people in my life who showed me how to handle the kind of stress that is thrown at each of us, not everyone has had those.
Sure, I could relate to that person who didn't feel good enough. But, let's be honest; I've done my share of whining, too.  Ahem, mostly when I was younger.  (Okay, yesterday I was younger then I am today.  That's not the point.)

The point is, I need to pray for all of my friends. Those in real life and those I've met only on social media. Those who annoy me and those to whom I can relate.  No, I won't pray that you be like me; but I will pray for your families, your life, your spiritual growth. And you need to pray for me, too. I still need to grow up.

And to those who are struggling with the kind of things life throws at you I want to hug you and tell you that life isn't like that all the time.  It is full of ups and downs/hills and valleys. So while you are going through that valley, look up; for one day you will be on top of that hill that looks impossible to climb and you will look down at where you were and be thankful for all you have. God will help you through it all.  If you want to know more about Him, ask me.