Miserable at its best

the wear and tear of my life has finally caught up with me and now I am just a miserable person and no matter which direction I turn I feel sadness and emptiness.

A man's spirit sustains him

Which pain is worse is the subject of my devotion today. Emotional or physical? Like you I've faced both, I am currently dealing with bursitis in my hip. Some days I can distract myself and the pain fades into my distraction. Other days the pain sits (no punt intended) on the front burner and no matter what position or way I walk or move will ease the pain.
some days I deal with both, crushing physical pain with no position in which I can get comfortable, crushing heartache in which my head spins with grief and I can't get away from the pain.
While physical pain can be distracted, inside suffering is another matter. You can't put mental anguish or heartache behind you. Those hurts create an emptiness that refuses to be pushed or crowded out of your thoughts. It bites, gnaws, grinds away at your sanity.
Feeling like your heart has been stomped on; your feelings have been trampled. A slandered reputation, a love relationship spurned...painful memories of abuse. I am convinced emotional pain is much worse than physical pain. But I am also convinced it does something to our heart that physical pain often cant'. Inner anguish melts the heart, making our souls pliable and bendable. Because we can't drive it from our thoughts, hopefully it will force you to embrace God out of desperate, urgent need.

A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

Proverbs 18:14

The month of August is flying by, we will be in December before we know it. This is my second week of trying to cut back my food budget and still eat healthy. Sunday was spaghetti day, it was also family day, we shared with 7 people, spaghetti and meatballs, salad, home made ice tea, ( I am told it's every ones favorite) and great family time.) for dessert I made brownies and homemade blueberry cupcakes with real whip cream . (they were good). From this meal I sent home food with my son and also had leftovers Monday night also with salad.

 I was watching a show in the middle of the night (since sleeping all night is a rare event now) and it was on nutrition. The person said your salad should be your biggest part of your meal, not the side dish. Hm mm that made sense. but it shouldn't just be greens and tomatoes, it should also be fruit, and nuts. The reason the nuts should be added to salad and not as a occasional snack is because the nuts help absorb the vitamins from the salad. Wow that makes sense. So my new challenge is to make a bigger salad and cut back on rest of meal. I can see getting bored very easily with the same salad every night so research will be done to provide interesting combos. While this is not my salad it will be this week.

Okay back to my menu and budget. Monday was suppose to be meatball subs with salad and fruit, but hubby already had spaghetti cooked and so that's what we ate, I put the small leftover sauce in freezer which equaled to about  pint. This will be used at a later time for english muffin or bagel pizzas as a side with soup or salad.

Tuesday my husband brought home fried chicken, not sure why, I didn't ask, I also made chicken soup, so our meal was chicken and soup. It was another rainy day so the soup hit the spot. Wednesday I made London Broil, Baked potatoes, zucchine on the grill (from garden) and corn on cob. From this meal again I fed 7 people.

Thursday I was in and out all day, cooking was not in my mood. My husband went to a baseball game with the grandsons and my son. So my meal, gosh this is so bad, a pint yup a pint of Cherri Garcia ice cream from Ben and Jerri's, I swear I did not mean to have a whole pint, and I've never taken a spoon and eaten out of the container, but I did and well it's gone. I topped this off with cheese and crackers and a peach. AND we wonder why I didn't sleep well?

Tonight I am making beef lo mien with leftover steak from my daughter, she didn't know what to do with it.. aah the secrets of using up leftovers. I love beef lo mien and its so easy to make and not that expensive. Recipe for Beef and Broccoli lo mein is here: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/beef-and-broccoli-lo-mein-685945/

my total this week for all groceries and I didn't separate what was food and what was other stuff was $122 and change. I did stock up on a few household items like laundry and cleaning as all were on sale and of course I had coupons so I made great use of both. I think that what I bought for groceries was still in the $80 range. And again some of this food bought will be used in future meals. I did use the chicken from the soup to make chicken salad for some lunches, I also boiled eggs for hard boiled to use for either lunches or with breakfast.

Meal planning and eating healthy

My goal this week, was to feed us for under $12.00 per day for all meals, Us includes myself, my husband and sending leftovers up to other family members. In order to provide my menu and how I managed this, I have to do a bit of rewind, the first week of August my husband went to our butcher and bought a 24 lb box of assorted meats. This cost $100.00, it is around this box of meat that I planned what we would eat. What I did, is for each type of meat I wrote down as many different meals that I could think of. Example: Chicken breasts: breaded, on sandwiches, in salads, Parmed etc;, I did the same for london broil, ground beef and pork.
Each meal would hopefully provide another nights meal either in a different capacity or as it was. I also planned a lunch or two. (of course all laid out plans can and will go up in smoke at a moments notice)

This week went like this:
Monday: Breaded boneless chicken, rice, sauted spinach and garlic, watermelon and blueberries
Tuesday: Breaded Fish, leftover rice and sliced cucumbers
Now Tuesday was suppose to be Spaghetti and meatballs but due to my uncontroled schedule that did not happen
Wednesday we used leftover breaded chicken to make sandwiches on hardrolls with lettuce, tomato and melted cheese. homemade pickles, chips and cut up peaches were the sides
Thursday: well as I said all laid out plans go up in smoke, the Fireman's fair started, my husband had to be there at 6 and he eats there, so my dinner was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, glass of milk and a peach,, it tasted like heaven!

Tonight we will eat at fair, The meatballs which are cooked will go in freezer as I don't see the sauce getting prepared now until Sunday, that will be the beginning of next weeks meals

My total for the food needed for this week and some of this food and staples will be used for other meals was $87.42 now this is not the $12.00 I planned but its not that far off either I was only .48 cents over. My goal is to cut our costs, eat 3 healthy meals, and I think this has been accomplished.

Encouragement towards others

Encourage one another daily as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness
Hebrews 3:13
Encouragement has never filled a flat tire, encouragement has never made a car payment, nor fixed a broken washing machine. But encouragement from another gives us the strength to do what we feel we cannot do, hold on when we feel we cannot hold on, and try what we might not dare to try. Encouragement doesn't sound like much, but it's everything to someone who may need it.

What can you do today, just Today to encourage another?

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

And then there are days

Two years and still I am waiting, wondering why I haven't heard from Eric, I see him often in my dreams, I see photos, I find cards he gave me, its a daily mind boggling challenge. I found my flash drive yesterday and decided to see what was on it, I forgot that Kevin put photos from Eric's computer on it, I saw these two and they spoke to me, the top one is one of Eric's last trips to Costa Rica, he really enjoyed that trip, the second photo is almost saying to me "Look Ma" (he called me ma) I am in a peaceful place. look at the beauty around me."
Eric rarely smiled, hate having his photo taken, in these photos he is smiling. He was at peace. I will never know what caused the sadness that took over his heart. Was it a chemical imbalance, was it too many prescription medications, was it the environment he was living in. I will say probably all impacted the final results. It doesn't really matter at this point what the final straw way that caused so much pain in one's soul that sleep was the only answer. A sleep that was permanent, I truly believed he thought someone would find him, this in his mind was a desperate attempt to seek help. He had visited many doctors in the months prior to his death, as he thought he had some sort of disease. Someone who was so troubled by thinking he was terminally ill (he wasn't) would not have gone through so much trouble seeking medical help if he wanted to die. His mind was so troubled, so disoriented, he would call me 2 in the morning to say he was having a panic attack, I would speak calmly to him, and he would then say he was better. He was in a very troubled relationship, he couldn't see that the person he was with was causing most of the dysfunction, he couldn't see that he needed to get away from that person.
Not a day goes by that a thought of Eric, a photo of Eric or a mention of Eric still makes me sad, still takes my breath away. Thoughts can come at the oddest moment, the weirdest time, anything will trigger a memory of when he was little or a conversation, a gift, some day or time that had Eric in it. Is this my mind playing tricks, or is it Eric giving me that thought? I see pennies in oddest places, I like to think Eric is giving me a sign.
I do know I am in a healthier place, but I also know that until the day I die, I will always be thinking of my final day with Eric and how broken his heart was

Choosing the Best

Read Luke 10:38-42

Seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
-Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

RECENTLY while I was weeding my garden, I saw half a dozen sturdy yellow sprouts that didn't look like any of the vegetables I had planted. After investigating, I realized that they were pumpkin plants, growing from seeds that had been in the compost I added to the soil. At first I was excited; pumpkins are delicious! I quickly remembered, though, that pumpkins are plants that could easily take over my small garden, leaving no room for anything else.

Every day since then, I've found more pumpkin seedlings -- sometimes as many as 30 in one day! I'm allowing one plant to grow, but the others I diligently remove.

Like my garden, I have limited space; I also have limited time. If I'm not careful, even good things -- like the pumpkin plants in my garden -- can easily take too much of my life, leaving no room for better things. Work is good, but it's not always the best choice. Tending relationships with friends is good, but spending time with friends is not always the best use of time. To have a balanced life, I need to check my heart as I check my garden to make sure that good activities are not crowding out the best in my life.

Amy Peterson (Arkansas, USA)

Dear God, help us to cultivate our hearts and lives wisely, giving space and time to what is most important. Teach us to seek your kingdom and righteousness above all else. Amen.

Chart how you've spent your time in the last week. What priorities does your chart reveal?

Yesterday was a crappy day

Praying for a better day, without the horrible adventures from yesterday would be nice Lord, but if you should decide that I need another dose pleease at least give me the strength to go without offending or sharing hostility towards the other person

In your name I ask for my tongue to remain inside my mouth, and to praise you for all things

Focusing on Real Estate

Thats my daily journey lately, who knew it would get this involved. It is exciting and stressful and such a different situation each day. I like finding rentals for people just as much as I do finding a home. It's such a great feeling knowing you put someone in a place that they will feel comfortable. This past week I was able to negoiate for a buyer, that was such a thrill to be able to talk the price down so they can afford to purchase the home and I got the seller to throw in a home warranty.. Seeing this young kids face when I told him the deal was excepted put everything into prospective.
Of course the selfish side of me loves showing homes as I love seeing what each home entails just as much as the potential buyer or renter. Of course listing a home is not as easy. Trying to find a buyer for a home that you have on the market is very stressful especially when you know thier future is riding on your shoulders.

Rental



Rental

 Organizing the different prospects, different properties-holy cow, this is where an assistant would come in handy. Although ttying to communciate each and every message, appointment, phone call to the assistant would prove just as daunting. Lots to learn in this new business I started, looking forward to learning, growing and sharing my journey

For Sale

Dare to Dream

Dreams make the difference between living  a life and really living a life. But some of us, caught up in the busyness of life, have forgotten how to dream. Here are some suggestions: Identify where you want to grow an then start dreaming about possibilities for getting there. Writer Gary Hardaway comments : "We must dream, because we are made in the image of Him who see things that are not and wills them to be." Find a quiet spot, sit back and let your thoughts roam. What has God already done in your life? What might he still do? Consider just for a moment, what isn't but could be. Dream beyond where you are. Dreams begin with asking such questions as, "If you could do anything you wanted with an extra hour a day, what would it be?" Sometimes dreams have roots in the past. "When you think back over your childhood, what did you do with your spare time?" Dreams also peer around the corners of our lives and right into the places where we live, giving us clues as to how we can grow. Identify where you want to grow. Then start dreaming a dream for your life and make a plan.

Verse: Philippians 2: 14-15

Do everything without complaining or arguing, So that yo may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars of the universe

Passage: Philippians 2:12-18

Serving God in all circumstances

We don't have to be far from home serving on a mission field to help others. God offers us little opportunities every day to serve someone else in some way. I pray that God will open my eyes to little acts of kindness that I can do right here and give me a loving heart so that I happily serve.
Dear loving God, open our eyes to opportunities for serving you through helping someone else. Give us courage when we are shy and thoughtfulness when we think we are too busy to help someone in need. Amen.

We can be God's hands and feet for someone today.

Thursdays devotion

Read Psalm 119:145-154

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
-Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
"MOM, come here! Mom!"

The frantic cries of a four-year-old wake me in the darkness. Bleary-eyed, I hurry to our son's room. He's had a bad dream, and now he can't sleep. Speaking softly, I try to ease his fears. Then I lie on the floor beside his bed until he is resting peacefully once more.
I can empathize with my son. I know about not sleeping. My mind races with worries of the day, struggles with my faith, concerns about my family, anxiety about what might happen. These concerns rob me of peace and rest. Only through God's word have I begun to release my anxieties.

Like my son, I seek words of reassurance, and I want to know that my loving parent — my heavenly Father — is by my side. Psalm 23 and Joshua 1:9 remind me that God is with me, leading me, even in the darkest hour. When my soul cries out in the darkness, God's words comfort me and help me to let go of my fears. I can wake in the morning refreshed.
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your holy word and for your promise to be with us always. Hear our cries, and grant us peace and needed rest. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Prayer focus:
Those who have trouble sleeping
borrowed from this link
http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/

Readings for Sunday February 20th

Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17-18
 Matthew 5:38-48
  1 Corintians 3:10-11, 16-23,
The words in our scripture readings that popped out at me while writing and preparing for today were Laws, foundation, temple and serving. So I thought it important to briefly provide my thoughts on each scripture reading to show how these words will enable us to live as God intended.
Law, by its very definition, conveys the idea that someone, or a collection of persons, has the legitimate and binding authority to institute, establish or impose certain standards, expectations, rules, regulations, principles, etc. on others. Since our concern today is divine law, that the One in authority is God, with authority over all His creation including mankind. More specifically, God established a law for His particularly chosen people in the Old Testament, and made that known through Moses.

God wants us to love and serve only him in holiness. Leviticus is the 3rd book of the Pentateuch and a continuation of Exodus. In the beginning of Leviticus Israel is completing the construction of the tabernacle. Also mentioned in the text are the different types of offerings God expected. Further reading makes it clear that Gods is providing instructions for holy living. We have often heard people say I wish that this person or that came with instructions; I know I’ve said that often when my children were growing up. As a parent we want to know the correct ways to raise our children and having an instruction manual attached to their little feet when they are born might be beneficial. Well God provides us each of us with our very own instruction manual. It’s called the bible. In today’s verse in Leviticus God is instructing us the way to be and how to act. Starting with “1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” the instructions continue and are clear, don’t show favoritism, don’t spread gossip, don’t hate your neighbor, don’t seek revenge and very clearly “love your neighbor as you love yourself> These laws were written at first to help the Israelites worship and live a holy life but also for future generations such as ours. “I am the Lord” echoes throughout this text and clearly reminds us that although Moses wrote the scripture God was the enforcer and the author. The connection of the law with the character of God thus marks daily human interaction as sacred. The way one treats ones’ neighbor is an act of devotion to God.

When we heard the Gospel lesson today again we hear more ways in which God wants us as his holy people. We learn God’s laws not to become acceptable to Him but as an expression of our love and trust in Him, How we react and behave to others, how we treat others in public and how we behave behind closed doors should both be worthy of God’s grace. We can put on all the charades we want in public but God can still see us behind closed doors. Loving, praying for and forgiving one’s enemy is an extension of Jesus broader teaching about the perfection of God. Of course, people cannot so easily love those who harm them and shame them. This counter-intuitive act requires prayer. So, Jesus advocates praying for enemies. We pray in the Lord’s prayer, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.,

Keeping in mind forgiving others who have wronged you is crucial to receiving God’s forgiveness as well

Rules, laws, sounds very overwhelming at times, so many to learn, so much information, baby steps, slowly we learn, as we learn we grow and as we grow we become mature Christians. In Corinthians we hear the word foundation. IN verse 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ”

The dictionary’s definition of foundation:
The basis or groundwork of anything: the moral foundation of both society and religion.
The natural or prepared ground or base on which some structure rests.
A foundation is what is built on the earth usually by rock to place on it a house or structure

In this sense, House is the dwelling place of the soul, earth is the affairs and interests and pursuits of natural life and rock is a person’s spiritual life in Christ. Therefore if a person looks for the deep things of God and maintains a spiritual life in Christ, then his life will not be disturbed when trouble comes. If a person maintains a life concerned with the affairs, interest and pursuits of natural life, then that person’s life will be ruined when trouble comes.
A foundation is the beginnings or first principals of a system of truth. A person, who comes to the Lord and hears and does what he says, builds a foundation on rock. When trouble comes that person’s life cannot be shaken. Paul’s ministry was as a master builder of foundations. He was responsible for building foundations of those who has never heard of Christ, and teaching them so they could perceive and understand the signs, wonders and powers of the Spirit of God.
We often seen people over the years who have started a foundation building with Christ and stopped suddenly when they realized that Jesus required them to follow him completely by giving up their will and embracing God’s will only.
How do we build our spiritual foundation?
• By learning God’s laws as God intended,
• nourishing our spirit by spending time daily with God,
• Praising God for our blessings,
• Being thankful in all things,
• Treating others accordingly
For each prayer we pray, each act of kindness, each person we share God’s love with our foundations become stronger.
Talk of foundations leads naturally to another theme in our text: The temple, Given the common foundation in Christ, Paul appeals for unity in Corinth: “Do you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you?”

We need to be aware of the special role that the temple played in the lives of the Jewish people, following its return from captivity in Babylon, Israel rebuilt its’ destroyed temple. This temple received a special emphasis in the lives of the Jews. It was the center of Israel’s worship. Paul’s’ identification of the community with the temple was a real eye-opener. This church heavily divided by conflict is identified as God’s temple. “For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” This is not any ordinary building that is being discussed here, we are talking about our bodies and how we are God’s temple- so how are you treating God’s temple?

Scriptures show the need for regular nourishment.
Our bodies both physically and mentally respond to the environment we create for them. Perhaps we need to move beyond merely talking about the physical benefits of good health, exercise and time management. Feeling good is not the ultimate objective here living a healthy relationship with God is. A daily walk shouldn’t just be for exercise, a daily walk with God is just as important and will provide you with strength in your faith, your spirit and you’re willing to serve.

How much time did you spend this week watching TV?
How much time did you spend on some hobby or outside interest, which may not be immoral but is not necessary? While both are fun, and relaxing, can this time be better spent?
How many hours did you spend studying your Bible?
Which do you nourish the best: your spirit or your body?
Are you feeding your mind on God's word or pleasures?
Christians need regular nourishment from God's word to grow.
God wants us to love and serve him and only him-how do we love and serve Him only? Well let’s review, in today’s text we learned that if we follow God’s laws we become filled with the Holy Spirit and we become skilled in his words, which helps us build our foundation with experience, courage, good values and the right tools, which encourages us to care for Gods temple by being healthy, not over indulging, taking care of ourselves physically and nourishing our mental health. Full circle, Laws, foundation, temple, serving
All of the above provides us as Christians and God’s holy people the ability to serve others which is how God wants us to serve him.

God is more concerned with the condition of our hearts than all the busywork we do. In fact, the love and affection we have for God should be the motivation for why we serve Him.
As we continue to follow God’s holy life, building the strongest foundation we can, we can discover an environment in which worship and wellness become a way of life. Faithfulness to God’s word allows his peace and presence to fill our lives.

Let's make it about God

"I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music."


Psalm 101:1 (ESV)
Devotion:

God seems to do an incredible amount of things for people, almost like a personal valet. "I found the perfect pair of shoes on sale," someone once told me. "It's like God knew I needed that little boost." Or the time that God helped another person find their glasses. They prayed and "poof" they found them.

This sometimes makes me question. How is it that people give God credit for helping them find shoes on sale, or that really great parking spot, and yet other people suffer? Loved ones get hit with disease. Financial problems cause sleepless nights. A hurricane hits Haiti as they struggle to overcome the effects of a devastating earthquake.

Maybe you too have pondered such things. Maybe it's caused you to question how much God loves His creation.

God is deeply interested in and intimately involved with us according to verses such as this one: "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).

The fact that God allows you to find that perfect-for-you little blessing one day, and come down with the flu the next doesn't negate His love for you. God's song plays strong and consistent over you, regardless of the good times or the hard times. His individual notes dance around us, inviting us to find Him, and then to find our part in His song.

Living in harmony with God, and finding our note in His song can compel us to look for ways to reach out to others who are needing to hear Him sing over them in their suffering. I also believe it can help us live in joy despite our circumstances. And I believe living out those notes will lead us to live lives of peace, even when times are not peaceful.

Today, let's close our eyes and open our hearts as we listen for our God singing over us. And let's take the time, eyes still closed, to imagine what it would look like for us to live in tune with Him.

Dear Lord, You do care about the intimate details. Just like the sparrow, You feed us; just like the lily, you clothe us in beauty. Father, for that I am immensely grateful. Help me to stay in tune with You and not stridently sing my own song over top You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Held up to God's light

3 He wants me to help those in Zion who are filled with sorrow. I will put beautiful crowns on their heads in place of ashes. I will anoint them with oil to give them gladness instead of sorrow.
I will give them a spirit of praise in place of a spirit of sadness. They will be like oak trees that are strong and straight. The Lord himself will plant them in the land. That will show how glorious he is.

God
I want to spend my time here on earth allowing God's light to shine through my life. In Isaiah's prophecy in 61:3 God says he wants to use us to display his splendor. God says we're like priceless jewels. He wants us to reflect his own light and beauty. God sees us as special jewels, sure we all have imperfections. We live in an imperfect world. God doesn't intend us to be flawless in this life.

We are not to misuse our time on this earth, focusing on every little flaw within us. We are created to shine with the light of God's creative genius. Everything about you could be appreciated as a unique part of God's masterpiece of creation.

When you appreciate yourself in all your uniqueness, you will dare to hold your life up to the light. You will dare to live out the beauty you were created to express. You will keep your life cleaned and polished with the foregiveness of God

My next three weeks

Will be above and beyond what my normal schedule will be like, my schedule each week will now be
Monday's 9-12 RE office 1-5 Temple
Tuesdays 9-1:30 RE office
Wednesday's 9-1 Temple
Thursdays 9-3 Temple
Friday's 9-1:30 RE office
In the past week my 15 hours has had 12 hours added as the RE office admin had to retire due to health issues. So they asked me if I wanted the position and I said yes. Since RE is very slooooow this will help offset my license fees. So in addition to my Temple job which is 15 hours, and my new 12 hours which is not nearly enough time to learn everything that the prior person did, especially since she had no clue what she was suppose to do anyways.. (different story) In addition Some day's I will add showing rentals and houses to some of my clients that I am working with.

Now that doesn't seem too bad at first, but on August 6th I am going away, for two weeks, ha, never been done before in my life.. How I let two vacations get booked back to back is beyond me, so before August 6th I have to prepare both offices for anything that needs to be done in the two weeks I am gone, and any deals I have going through have to be ready and have all paper work in order. I also have to pack for two different locations. One is a beach house, pretty simple, shorts, bathing suits, (wait what is a bathing suit) the menu for the week, activities planned,, etc, etc. The other trip is to Las Vegas, this is a bit  harder, I don't have any shoes that are comfortable, nope none, my feet and shoes do not get along at all it could be because of a huge bunion that i have let take over my foot,, Yes Mr. Bunion as I have referred to prevents any shoes from fitting add that to a very bad back and well walking is not easy. So shoe shopping is on the list, as well as some comfortable cooler outfits to wear. My plan is to buy four nice outfits add a few extra shirts, a dress or two and in the suitcase it will go. So time planned for shopping is needed. I also need time to find time for maitenance for me, these eyebrows and mustache - maybe a weed wacker? I also need a hair cut,, chain saw please?
If that isn't enough my husband and I decided neither of our cars are safe enough to make a trip to the beach house that we rented, so we are car shopping. Poking me in the eye is more comfortable to me than car shopping. I hate the sales people. I have a price range, I have an idea what we want, when I am ready I will come bother you. We actually went to one car dealer where all the used cars were listed at $99,000 make us an offer. That really irked me, I don't want to guess or have the sales person tell me how much the car is... I want to see the price. Could you imagine if we listed all houses at X million dollars, with make us an offer. Gees Luise

I also want to get to the Doctors as I have some issues that might be well issues, I want to have blood work done but I am afraid the blood work will make me even more tired than I have been lately... And of course if further tests are needed than well time is a factor. I also want to purchase a lap top before I go away, it will be okay if I don't get to purchase one before I leave, and finding time to research them is really not in my schedule.

Now I also like spending time with my family, an area I seem to be lacking in majorily lately. (is majorily a word?) I miss my grandsons, I miss hanging out with my children. I am one of the lucky people on this earth, they like hanging together. Did I mention the wife duties, cleaning, shopping and all other categories that fall under wife? Did I mention babysitting, haviing fun with family?

Did I mention I am going away Sept 6th. aah yes another mini vac, its only over night, but again preparation is key... I need to get really organized to get all this done, but who has time to organize?

Days of summer so far

Josh Holding baby Kaiden Eric at 4th

                                              Jason playing at Sandy Hook

Joshua at Sandy Hook

On some ride at Great Adventure

Becky, Jason, Kevin and Joshua, can you name the building???

Well the photo says it all!

I am so cute

How fitting that this was Tuesday's devotion

Eternal RebirthMay 25th, 2010
Tuesday’s Reflection
THE PROOFS OF ETERNAL REBIRTH are everywhere. Spring comes every year. Dawn comes every morning. Love happens out of hate. Birth absorbs the pain of death….To the Christian, both the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus we see as proof of God’s will for the world, and in the Paschal Mystery the demonstration of the cycle of struggle.
- Joan D. Chittister Hope: It’s More Than Wishful Thinking
From p. 41 of Hope: It’s More Than Wishful Thinking Copyright © 2010 by Fresh Air Books. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
What examples of rebirth do you see in the world? Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Romans 5:1, nrsv