A New Christmas Tradition

This is not an original idea with me. My principal told me about his family doing this and I decided that I wanted to incorporate it into my life.

So let’s start with a question… What do YOU do with all of those Christmas cards that you receive? I used to just keep them and throw them away after so long. I did keep the picture cards or the pictures that were in the cards, but I never kept the actual cards themselves.

My principal’s family would collect all of the cards that were sent to them and put them into a basket. Then for the rest of the year, they would take time during their family devotions to pull a set amount of cards out of the basket. During the time of prayer they would pray for the individuals or families that had sent the card.

 

 

What a great way to remember to pray for people who you have been in your life and remembered you at the this special time of year. Another idea is to write inside the card when you prayed for them or a special request concerning them.

So grab a basket put those pretty cards and pictures in it and your devotional Bible. And be prepared for a blessing of praying for others.

Some one loved

"Grief is not a problem to be solved. It is simply a statement that you have loved someone."- Author Unknown.

This quote was given to me shortly after my mother passed away. And truly it has been a quote that I keep going back to time and again. I have found that as I make this journey through grief, there are times that I think that I am just being silly... or I am just taking it too personally... or am I just over-reacting. But it all boils down to I loved her. Was she perfect? Did she always say the things that I needed to hear? No she was a human just like me, she had her faults but that doesn't mean that I love her less. She was the one that I talked to every day. She cried with me, was happy with me, and was proud of who I became. So after a couple of months of trying to be strong, I have come to the conclusion that it is ok for me to be sad, cry, and miss her terribly. I won't be one of those people who lives only in the past. She wouldn't want that from me, nor is it healthy. I will celebrate who she was, and the legacy that she left not only my brother and I, but also her current and future grandchildren. They will know that Nonna was so excited about being a grandma and looked forward to meeting them.

At first I felt guilty for all my tears and wanted to stop them. But my mom was a lady who gave so much of herself and loved others so much that grief on the part of her family and friends is natural, normal, and won't necessarily go away quickly. So those of you that have lost a loved one may understand to a certain point what I 'm going through, we need to remember that we have gone through this and need to be supportive of those around us that may be grieving. They have loved and lost and we can use this as an opportunity to reach others for Christ. God is a source of comfort and strength when you need it the most.

I apologize for my rambling. But these thoughts have been on my mind for a while now but how to put them into an organized manner escaped me....

Confused

I was reading the subtitle of my blog and realized that it needs to change. It says "happy" it should say "joyful". I know that I will not always be happy. I'm not sure why I even used that term, but I can be joyful. Right now I am sad. As most of you know I lost my mother last week, and my life changed forever. I feel so lost at times, and can't imagine how my dad feels. Despite this horrible time in my life, I have found that serving God pays. The family of God has been so good to us and so concerned for us. I have learned so much about what it means to have someone that helps to bear your burdens. If it hadn't been for so many people praying for us I'm not sure how we would have made it.

I know that I have a long road of somber holidays, little moments that I would love to share with my mom, and a wedding that she was so looking forward to planning for me. But as I do I know that God has the grace and strength that I need to go through these events with a quiet peace that He is carrying me through. I needed to write this down so that I will remember this in the days to come. There are moments that I am fine, I feel strong. The very next moment I feel so weak and I'm not sure that I can go on.

Sorry that I sound disjointed, frankly, that is how I feel. I am hoping to blog a little bit more. But I know that I always make that promise.

Quick Weight Loss SCAMS!!

Ok so I have to rant…. I was listening to the radio paying only partial attention to what was actually being said. When I tuned in to the commercial being played, I was frustrated. A weight loss commercial was playing offering the listener a fast easy way to lose weight "without changing your diet or exercising." When will people learn that without a permanent change the weight loss will not be permanent! It drives me crazy that people think that they can continue the bad habits that created the weight gain and still have a permanent weight loss.

Most of us that have gone through a weight gain, whether over a long period of time or a whether an explosive weight gain, can identify a cause. For some it was a stressful time period, for others it was some bad habits that have finally caught up with them, for others it can be the onset of a physical problem. No matter what the cause the solution still needs to be a long term one. No matter how good the promises sound a "quick fix" is just that, quick. If you want to have a lasting weight loss you must effect long term changes. Pills, fancy diets, or crazy food combinations have never been a lasting substitute for good ole’ fashioned self-control. A good dose of self-control mixed well with a reality check on why (How) you gained your weight will produce more lasting results than a pill.

One of these days...

I was just looking at my last blog and realized that I am way behind on an update.

So much has happened since Sept. 2010 and that is one reason that I haven't blogged much... I will be trying to post pictures and give updates of Nate and I.

Nate and I started texting in the summer of 2010 and officially started dating this February. He is a wonderful man that is very considerate and generous with not only his money, but also his time, energy and talents. I am blessed that he is in my life.

It’s hard to walk when you know how to run…

I recently began thinking about this concept of the Christian walk when I popped my knee cap… again.

When I was still heavy it happened regularly (like every 3 months for a year). I actually was diagnosed with having an underdeveloped muscle in my knee when I was 16.  When this happens I have to be really really careful and wear a brace, etc. Well in the process of losing weight I came to actually enjoy jogging on my treadmill. Shocking for a girl who had bad knees and a history of asthma. But I worked my way up till I could jog. Tonight I walked on my treadmill. It seemed to take forever. It seemed more natural to keep increasing the speed, but it wouldn’t have been healthy. I have to retrain the muscles of my knee to walk before I can jog again. As I was walking it came to me how often we refer to the life of a Christian as a “Christian walk.”

We often hold up those who “walk with God” as being saints and patriarchs… men and women to be used as life models. Enoch walked so close to God that he was taken to heaven without seeing death. We are considered blessed when we walk “not in the counsel of the ungodly”(Ps 1:1). We are commanded to walk by faith. We will “hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30:21) So what is it about this lifestyle that deems it a walk?

A walk is deliberate. If you have ever watched children and teachers in the hallway of a school, the teacher is not admonishing the children to run but to walk. To slow down seems to be something that is against human nature (to a point). For some of us it seems that the busier we are the more people seem to think we can do. But the more we cram into our day the more we are likely to “run” around.  To walk with God requires a deliberate action on our part to slow down our pace.

If you have ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone while jogging? It gets more difficult the longer you keep the pace or the faster the pace gets. When we are running around in our  daily life it can be hard to truly have a conversation with Our Father. That He would want that conversation with us should be enough to stop us in our tracks let alone slow us to a walk. As we take the time to have a deliberate relationship with Him, He is able to point out His effects on our lives (a beautiful sunrise on a morning you had to get up early, a mysterious gift on a day when you need to feel the love of a friend, someone stopping you to give a compliment on something that you thought no one would notice). He is able to do so much more for us when take the time to cultivate that loving Father/ Child relationship that He is offering us.

Instead of resenting the seeming endless slow pace, let’s rejoice in possibility of time spent with the God, who created the universe, who waits patiently for us to spend one-on-one time with Him.

My new car!!! Ok so it’s not a car it’s an SUV….

I know it’s an SUV… But after driving a car for almost ten years it is hard to break the habit…

This is still at the dealership just before I drove away with Yeoman. I know I named it a guy name (for those of you who know Frank, you understand why…….) I was going to have my students vote for the name for my car, but I realized that I hadn’t chosen any names that had to do with being a forester. So being a literature teacher I named my car after the forester in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. 

I have been accused of being a tree hugger while in this car. When it has a bike on the back it does lend itself to that look :-) Just wait till I have the kayak on the top and the bike on the back I’ll look like a green freak for sure.

 

 

Can you tell I love the sun roof???