How To Reinvent Yourself

On my last visit to my doctor, he was full of praise for my weight loss. I'm still struggling with those last few pounds. But I'll make it.

We discussed how I am spending my days. I must say, I am not happy with how I am spending my days. I am content most of the time to be home with my dog & cats. Not that it's a bad thing, but not what I wanted my retirement to be. Of course, the price of gasoline & a limited income prevents me from traveling as much as I did at first. That's a little let down. I have thought and prayed about what it is God has planned for me to be doing. I have some painting I have to do inside my house & I am going to start on that. I can't bring myself to volunteer at the nursing home or hospital. I guess watching my husband's quick health decline before he went home to be with the Lord, put those in the No category. I have considered volunteering at the school affiliated with the church I attend. That still may be an option. My doctor told me I have to "reinvent myself". He did say that I am no longer the efficient data gatherer in the medical office where I worked for so long. He did not say it, but I know he was also thinking "You are no longer Al's wife.". So I guess my quest begins. I want to take courses in Hebrew and Greek, but have not found any college who offers either of these without enrolling in an entire curriculum. I'm not giving up on those. Have also considered a course in Public Speaking. Do you think I'm a little confused? Well, you would be right. It's not easy to find your place after 43 1/2 years of marriage to the same man, and 24 years at the same job. I don't want to go back to work unless it becomes a necessity. For some, they never want to give up working, but for me I was just tired after 33 + years in the work force. So I have to trust God to send me in the right direction or place a burden on my heart for His purpose.

If there is anyone else out there who's had to reinvent themselves and have been successful, please share your strategy.

Losing Excess Baggage

Decided it was about time to do a little blogging. So here I am. Now what???

Let me see. What accomplishments have I made lately? Well, none without the help of my Lord! I would say my weight loss is one of my biggest hurdles. Still have a little way to go, but so far so good although it has been slow going. I will post a before picture here. This was taken in April, 2011 at 163 pounds.

During my husband's illness I lost 5 pounds. After his death, I knew I needed some accountability so I returned to Weight Watchers in September, 2012 at a weight of 158.8 pounds. It had worked for me in the  past  and knew  it  would work again if I stayed with it. It has been an up & down battle at times. My next picture was taken on October 21, 2012 at about 151 pounds.

Vegetable, vegetables, vegetables! Eat those power foods!! The next picture was taken around mid-late March, 2013 at a weight of approximately 139 lbs.

I have learned some new recipes. I have also learned to make a great fresh fruit mix that gets better each day in the fridge. I have never been a big fruit eater, but I absolutely love it. I am also trying to use my elliptical glider at least 3-4 times a week, hopefully working up to daily. The glider is low impact on the knees when used walking. Using it in the ski position does take more effort and toll on these old hips. But I know this will be worth it. As I only have a little bit left to reach the goal my doctor set for me, I will neither take nor post another picture until I have met my goal. Hopefully that will be soon.



I love all the traffic on my blog, especially all those from other countries. Would love for you to click on follow so I can get to know some of you.

Better Left Unsaid

Have you ever tried to right a wrong only to compound it? I feel pretty certain we all have. I seem to have a real knack for it.

As Christians we still goof. We are human - bet that comes as a surprise to a lot of people. We have always tried to explain to the world that Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven. We say things that hurt others, sometimes not meaning to or even realizing it until the damage has been done. Then we try to fix it! When will we (I) learn that we (I) can't fix anything? We (I) have to let God fix us (me)!

Some people are gifted in verbal communication. Unfortunately I am not one of those. The written word has always been my way of expressing my feelings. The only problem with that is it may not be read in the same tone you wrote it. A perfect example of this happened to a young coworker many many years ago (1969 to be exact). She wrote a very sarcastic letter to her supervisor and fully expected to be fired for it. However, it was read as complimentary and she was even commended for it. My young friend told me she was so embarrassed.

So before you say it, weigh it. Before you send it, read it - from every possible interpretation. Most often you will find it is better left unsaid. If it absolutely has to be said, use only 2 words - forgive me.

Rejections

I find it baffling why we let the smallest rejections ruin our whole day. Count me guilty!

If you have any political opinions, you will encounter people who not only disagree with you but want to argue their point. As a Christian you will always encounter people who disagree with your beliefs and sometimes belittle you because of them. This has happened to me in the past and more recently on both points. Most times I can let these things go. Today has been more difficult. I've been asking myself why is today different? I have no answer. I don't know why. It's not like the offenders were friends, just acquaintances. I think it was such an obvious shun that I was really surprised. Shame on them! I have to admit that it hurt and it did affect my day. Shame on me!

So what do I do? Avoid them? Go back and give them a piece of my mind? Go back and carry on as if nothing happened? At first I decided on the avoid approach, but that would be at the expense of something much more important to me than their approval. Giving them a piece of my mind is not an option (maybe my fleshly preference but definitely not an option). So that leaves only the carry on as if nothing happened.

I have thought a lot about all the rejections Christ faced when He was here on this earth. He had human emotions and it must have hurt Him deeply when time and time again people showed their hatred. How it must grieve Him when even now people reject the gift  He died to give them - salvation. Risen and waiting at the right hand of the Father, He loves and forgives. I have no right to be down about the rudeness of a few so-called intellectuals.

So I will see how next week goes.

The View

This has nothing to do with the TV show The View. This is all about the view from an airplane. Recently I took a trip to San Diego, CA to see my oldest grandson graduate from Marine Corps basic training. This was my second trip by airplane and both were to the west coast. My first trip was 14 years ago to Seattle, WA, followed by a car ride to Oak Harbor to visit the same grandson, his brother, mom & dad. I really enjoy flying. It is always the connections that make me nervous.

This trip we boarded in Raleigh, NC on time & with no problem. However, as everyone settled in the pilot announced that we would have an hour delay because of low visibility in Chicago, where our connecting flight to San Diego was to be. Some people chose to disembark and try other connecting flights. It actually left an empty seat next to me. My daughter & youngest grandson had an empty seat between them. My way to fly! Of course, this meant we would miss our connecting flight. NOOO! Fifty-five minutes later we were off. It was a little bumpy but nothing frightening. The clouds were gorgeous. Of course I am a cloud freak.

I had to remind myself that I wasn't looking at the Antarctic & I couldn't get out & walk no matter how much it looked like ocean, snow, & ice peaks.

As we neared Chicago visibility became pretty low & the landing was a little rough. The pilot announced that we would make our connection & again apologized for the bumpy flight. Make our connection? Just! We literally walked out the gate, crossed the isle, & boarded our next flight. Thank you, Lord! No elbow room now. With the exception of the sites out the window, it was a most uncomfortable flight. As I was in the center seat I did not get to see as much as I would have liked. One of the young men next to me insisted on having the window cover low so he could play on his computer. So I obliged. With my head lowered to see out the small area, I did see some pretty sites and thought about how awesome our God is to have created such beauty. Just couldn't take pictures of them. The young man in the window seat slept from take off till shortly before we reached San Diego. When he did wake up the first thing he did was look out the window & raise the cover. YES!!!! So I was able to get a few not-so-great photos, which for some reason I can't upload here. But I did get a great view of San Diego. It felt like we were just hovering over the city.

It was great to see my grandson and spend some time just enjoying the family together. And of course, graduation day was very moving & I am so proud of him. Even though we didn't see a lot of San Diego itself, what we did see was beautiful. 

The morning we left was sad. We have no idea when we will get to see him again. Because he had moved to Colorado to live his senior high school year with his dad, that is his state of residence as far as the USMC is concerned. He will be stationed on the east coast for a year as he receives more training so hopefully we will see him during that time. As we waited to board the shuttle to take us to the airport where we would board a flight to Dallas-Fort Worth and then back to Raleigh, I took the last picture of our trip. In fact, several people were taking the same photo & still talking about it as we left. A beautiful sunrise. The shuttle driver said they don't see many like that in San Diego. He didn't say why. It was really a reverent attitude. I think you will see why.

So even with the little irritants, it was a great trip. One I will never regret taking. My prayer as we started off on each new flight was that God would surround the pilots & planes with a protective hedge and He did. I hope to make a trip across the pond to England & Scotland in the not too distance future. Can't even imagine the beauty I might see. So I'm enjoying the beauty here, till He calls me to the beauty of heaven.

Window To Heaven

The Sunday morning service began like every other. Jeanette came down from the choir loft & took her seat between two friends. She sat back to enjoy the special music and the preaching of the Word. However, something caught her eye on the upper right wall. Something like a big, white cloud with a clear center. Afterwards she would think how much it reminded her of the bubble where words went in the comics.

She softly gasped at what she was seeing and almost audibly said, "There's Roy." Before her, within the cloud, was her husband. He did not look like the man who had died months earlier. He was the young man she married so many years ago. He was smiling broadly and said, "Here she comes". He turned and looked back at someone standing behind him. The figure was visible only from the waist down and he wore a robe the color of homespun. Then it was gone, replaced by the wall that had been there all along.

Jeanette had no idea what the special music had been and it was impossible to concentrate on the pastor's sermon. She knew she had been given an incredible gift and she was consumed by the joy of it all. Months passed and the vision stayed in her mind and heart. She thought about what Roy had said, "Here she comes". She was neither afraid nor did she feel this was a sign of imminent death. She knew, for some unknown reason, God had slightly opened heaven and allowed her to see the man she would always love.

At her lowest moments, this comforted her. She knew when the time did come for her to cross the veil, Roy would be waiting.