Stream of Consciousness II

Just a lot of different little things going on this week. Most exciting is the kids naming the baby boy coming in September! His name is Landon Michael Evans. Sounds so nice together. Now I can go from "Sweet Pea" to "Sweet Boy" to "Landon".

This past Sunday night I had my first experience of allowing harm to my granddaughter...turned my head for a millisecond and she fell on concrete and scraped her nose up to where it was bleeding. Ouch! I felt terrible and she did, too! Ha. She's better now but that was traumatizing. I know it's the first of many little accidents. I just don't want them happening under my care.

On Monday we got word that a dear co-worker's daughter-in-law had died of cancer. She left behind teenage children after a year-long fight with the cancer. According to her mother-in-law, she was the heart of the extended family also. I've been praying for them so much this week. I just can't imagine.

On Tuesday I talked to my son on the phone. He's going through some trials I think with finding the right job. He has a fine work ethic and has never had problems finding a job. He has one he likes right now but just needs a little more dinero. I continue to pray for him and hope to see him on Mother's Day.

My folks are adjusting to their new home and just turned off the old phone number...that was somewhat hard for me. Been dialing that number for 36 years. Just a strange feeling.

I've been faithful on the treadmill this week. Now I'm up to 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Hope to see some improvement soon. I'm also pretty well into my online course on childhood language development and am enjoying it. Having to take that to keep up my teacher certification. Of course, if I ever wanted to go back I wouldn't be hired! No vacancies and too many cuts. Who would have ever thought that this would happen.

My problem in the previous post has improved somewhat. I'm having to discipline myself (or rather depend on the Lord for His convicting prods). Hopeful to have victory over this soon.

Loving this beautiful spring weather and this sweet little face that I get to see every week!

Struggles

To struggle is to proceed with difficulty. That's what the dictionary says anyway. I am in a season of struggles. There are various things going on in my life and I pray about them as I should. Some I can do nothing about. Others I can do something about and this is where the sin lies. This is where I choose to obey or not. God gives us the power to obey. I have to want to give the problem to Him. Sometimes I just want to hold onto it and dream about it and think about it.

Lately there has been one particular problem that I'm feeling overwhelmed with. It's an area of weakness that the enemy enjoys making worse. Even now I'm struggling as I write this. I had a particularly rough time this week with it and it's amazing how daily devotionals can be used by God to zing us with the Truth at just the right time. I was reading one by Marilyn Meberg. The reference is Romans 7:18-25.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Sounds confusing? It is...I am just as confused. But the Truth is this...Jesus, in His perfection, paid the price for our imperfection. As Marilyn says, "Behind this huge relief effort is God's love, a stubborn love that will not let me go, a love so tenacious, so gracious, so unfathomable that He willingly made a new covenant with me at the highest price. That covenant is designed to assure me that in spite of poor performance, I am His and He is mine."


It's just one of those things that I will daily turn over to the Lord or try to do so anyway. There will be days of defeat and "poor performance" and other days of relief and victory. The problem may go away for a time but then return when I am at my weakest or least expect it. He will still love me in spite of it all.

Stuff

This week consisted of:

1. Doctor's office calling with the bad cholesterol news. Ha. I knew it was coming...I talked them into letting me diet some and exercise more to get it down on my own in the next 3 months. Then we'll see. I am trying to avoid the medicine. My blood pressure stinks, too. I've been on the treadmill 3 days so far and have good intentions to keep at it.
2. Seeing my son and his girlfriend on Sunday and a nice impromptu family gathering at my parents' new house.
3. My parents DID move this week to their new house. Amazing to think that I won't be going to the house I lived in for 5 years and visited them in for 31 years after I married. Crazy stuff. No more Christmases there, Easter egg hunts, Friday night visits, etc. But I am happy for them as the new house is beautiful and fits them well. We will continue the family traditions in a new setting. I'm up for that!
4. Little granddaughter has been sick all week with tummy troubles. I hate it. Can't stand it when she's sick. She's on the mend now, thank You, Lord.
5. Started a new online course on language development to keep my teacher certification.
6. Struggles in another area of my life. I can't even begin to go into them but let's just describe it with these phrases: confused emotions, conflict, compassion, aggravation, "stuck in the middle with you"...I'm desperate to have some quiet, peaceful off-days and take time to breathe and get things in perspective. I pray I will be willing to let the Lord lead.

So, hallelujah, now for my long weekend of time alone, time spent with family, and some extra sleep.

Little Baby Boy

This week's events included a physical for me, an ultrasound for daughter and extreme busyness at work. I just can't wait to get my blood tests back to see how bad the ol' cholesterol is. Ugh!
Anyway, the bright spot of the week was this:







We are the proud grandparents of a boy! Everything looks perfect right now...all measurements, heart, etc. We are so happy and feel very blessed to have now a grandson as well as a granddaughter. I pray for continued good health for mom and baby.

Easter Weekend

What a wonderful, busy, and beautiful weekend we've had! I'm so thankful for little things and the big blessings. I spent the day on Good Friday with my sweet granddaughter as her mother was out doing the wedding festivities with her best friend. They had hair appointments, lunch, dress, makeup, pictures, etc. So I got to spend some good, quiet, quality and QUANTITY :) time with the baby. We spent some time outdoors walking around looking at sunshine and flowers.





Then it was off to the wedding. Hubby and I dressed Baby up and went to see her mom be a matron of honor. Mommy was gorgeous and the wedding sweet and so happy a time. The reception was fun and, even though the baby had not had a nap, she had a great time running around on the dance floor. We didn't leave until 11:30 pm and the grandfather and I just crashed at home. We were exhausted. That's why the Lord plans for YOUNG couples to have babies...



On Saturday, we tried to recover and then went on for lunch to........MY PARENTS' NEW HOUSE! I'm still just amazed that my folks, at their ages, have decided to move from the house they have lived in for 35 years. We are so proud for them and proud of them. I jokingly say that most folks in their 70s are looking for assisted living homes not buying another house. The place is gorgeous and fits their personalities perfectly. I can see them being very happy there and the whole family enjoying the beautiful place in special times and ordinary days!

Today, we spent the morning at church in worship of our Lord, the Risen Jesus. Amazing music as the choir sang "Were You There?" and "We Shall Behold Him". The church was packed with 1700 people who sang loudly, joyfully, clapped, and just enjoyed the morning.

Again, I'm so thankful for my life, the blessings God has given me in family, church, health, but most of all, salvation and eternal life. I don't understand it but I receive it gratefully.