Thankfulness = Contentment

When I am thankful, I find it difficult to not be content with my lot.

I have a chronic illness. I am so thankful it is not a degenerative illness.

My granddaughter has autism. I am so thankful she is able to hug and be hugged and able to communicate as well as she does.

My husband has to wake up for work at 2:30 AM which is really rough on his system. I am thankful for his health and ability to work.

All of my clothing is either ill fitting or out of fashion. I am thankful for being clothed.

Some of my friends are so hard to keep in touch with. I am thankful for the time we have spent together.

We have only one working car. I am thankful for the one that works.

When I have a complaining spirit, I need to remind myself to be thankful. Have you tried this? g

(Playing it) Safe

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver.”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.” John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

How dull to always play things safely all the time. Think of some of the things we would be missing out on had there not been a spirit of adventure within the hearts of some:

There had to be a first person to try sushi. clams, oysters!

What about taking a ship out into the open sea?

Building suspension bridges?

Flying like a bird…planes, hang gliders, etc.

What about discovering electricity?

And, greatest of all, giving one’s life for another; in the battle field, on the streets, on a cross.

Safety can be highly overrated.

Rejuvacote

And now for something completely different (name the show that comes from and you win!). My fingernails have always been brittle. A friend introduced me to a product called Rejuvacote. You use it as you would regular nail polish or as a base and top coat and reapply each evening for a week. My nails have never been so strong! Let me know if you plan to give it a try. In the USA, you can get it at Harmon and use a Bed, Bath and Beyond 20% off coupon. It is also available on Amazon. Have a great weekend! g

A New Quest

Just this evening, a friend and I were discussing how our lives are going to change over the next year. She will finish homeschooling her youngest child and will start. I am trying to downsize my belongings in anticipation of moving.

We are on quests; searches for what is to come next. My friend will probably continue her education. I haven’t a clue what is next for me.

Because of a chronic condition, I am unable to work outside the home. Because of this same condition, I am unable to go back to school, which I would very much like to do. I never know from one day to the next if I am going to be able to drive a car or need a nap. Today, I slept an extra six hours after seeing Isabella off to school. There was no choice; it had to be done.

One thing I do know is that God has a plan for me. Right now, I don’t know what it is. However, I know it will be a great ride!

(Local) Politics

In my town, we have a board of commissioners. Nine people are running for five commission seats and the person who gets the most votes is the mayor.

With this being an election year, to introduce the candidates, private citizens have “teas” in their homes where they serve snacks and have a candidate or two talk about themselves and their vision for the town. I have attended two and plan to go to a League of Women Voters round table or whatever they are calling it.

This is the first time I have attended any political interest meetings in town. Why now? I am becoming a one or two issue voter. I want to know how, or if, the candidates are thinking of the future needs of our special needs loved ones.

Statistics can be skewed but if the 1 in 88 statistic for Autism Spectrum Disorder is accurate, and even if it isn’t the rate is still high, we are looking at an epidemic. What is going to happen as this population ages? As their parents age and can’t care for them?
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So far, I think I might have one candidate thinking about this, after all, he is a politician. Maybe my being places where I can stir the stagnant pot of the status quo will make a difference (oooo, I like that). g

Oh, No!

It is late, I am tired (probably from staying awake last night trying to figure out a topic for today) and I’ve got nothing, nada, nil.

Oh, but we have made it through more than half of the challenge.

Oh, we have been having summer weather in April.

Oh, the local honey has been making my allergies manageable.

Oh, my parents had to cancel going on their trans-atlantic cruise because my father thought he could tough out a tooth ache and didn’t do anything about it for two weeks…

Oh, I am selfishly relieved that they didn’t go.

Oh, figuring out local politics has been exhausting (I think I just figured out tomorrow’s blog post).

Oh, I don’t want to move to Florida like Himself does even though it is so expensive to live here.

Oh, enough already. Good night, dear ones.

Never Can Say Goodbye…

…no, no, no, no I never can say goodbye…” The Jackson Five had that right about me. I find it so difficult to leave the past in the past.

There are nights when I can’t fall asleep for all the visitors who enter my thoughts. Most of them are not welcome.

My goal is to leave the past in the past along with regrets, live in the present and have hope for the future. I pray about this every night before my sleep.

I don’t know if you believe in demons but I am certain of their existence. I know they want to continually remind me of my past mistakes – or make me believe they were mistakes. They want me to experience discontent with my life. My contentment can come only through faith in my Savior.

Evil has power but I have power over evil. I have power through the name and the blood of Jesus Christ. Do I hear an amen?

Medical Care

When an elderly friend of ours was visiting his son in Canada, he became ill. His son, a medical doctor, called his dad’s doctor in the States. He put his dad on a plane and made sure he took a cab directly to the hospital where his doctor had arranged for his admittance.

With socialized medicine in Canada, our friend’s son knew he would be taken care of much more quickly in the States. Our friend is now recuperating from open heart surgery. Do you have any idea how long that would have taken in Canada? A long time; probably longer than our friend had to live without it (he was given only a couple of months without surgery).

Is this really the route we want America to take?

Lunacy Friday

Lunacy Friday
Instead of Friday Falderal, we are doing Lunacy Friday. Why? Because I want to do the Friday Falderal and today’s challenge letter is “l” and lunacy is a synonym for falderal so, so, so there. If not the spirit of the law of the a to z challenge, I have the letter of the law on my side!

Therefore, let the questions begin!

For those of you doing the a to z challenge, we are almost halfway there! How are you holding up? So far so good. I have visited quite a few sites and have noticed that a majority of them are by “authors.” Have you noticed that?

There was an ad campaign a while back that said “Just do it!” What would “it” be to you? For me, it would be just be honest! I hate dishonesty. If I find you in a falsehood even once, I doubt I will ever completely believe you again. Trust is not something easily won back.

Italian food, Chinese or Peruvian? I just discovered Peruvian and it is delicious so I would have to go with Peruvian for now.

How do you feel about clowns? Oh, they scare me! I don’t know if it is the fact that they are always in disguise or if it is because of scary movies with them.

Would you consider crossing an ocean on a cruise ship? I ask this because my parents leave on a transatlantic cruise in a couple of days. I don’t know if I could handle that long on the open sea. Having the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic observed is NOT helping!

Looking forward to your answers! Have a great weekend, g
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Kryptonite

There is only one substance in the universe that can bring Superman to his knees and it is that green, glowing substance called “kryptonite.”

What is your kryptonite? I have several:

1 – Sweets. Even when I was anorexic, I ate my sweets, especially chocolate.

2 – Good manners. My daughter used to let her friends know that, if they said thank you, I would give them just about anything! I fed them often.

3 – Dissing me or hurting my feelings. If someone disses me or hurts my feelings it is a blow to my solar plexus. I become a small, hurt child and want to either hide or strike back. It happened to me tonight and I know, with everything in me, that the person who did it didn’t mean to hurt me. Still, I, who do not cry, almost broke down like a blubbering infant.

4 – A lack of time spent with God. When I don’t communicate with God through studying His Word and prayer, I am brought to my knees in weakness. I become less and less like Him and more and more depressed and anxious.

What is your kryptonite?