I had a wonderful weekend, well balanced with duties and pleasure.

I have a very busy work-week ahead of me, though. (Nothing is hard but very time- consuming, and I only have eight hours to get it all done.) I ask God to carry me through each day--I could never do it in my own strength (especially mentally).

"To God be the glory great things He hath done!"

I'm glad it is Friday; it's good to bring this work-week to a close.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, because it is (I hope!) completely empty of obligations. It's been one thing after another at work, and it's good to have a rest from the insanity.

I'm looking forward to finishing my book, The Secret of Happiness, by Billy Graham (on the Beatitudes). It is a wonderful reminder to keep that which is important and let go of the rest.

I need to stop weighing myself!

Word of caution: If you want to lose weight fast, don't wait until you're an old lady to do it! The scale is discouraging--but the way my clothes fit and the way I feel are encouraging.

This is an exciting time in my life. Hope is a wonderful thing.

My excitement increases daily in my walk toward a whole-body (healthy) make over.

I have a goal in mind which includes the numbers "74" and "60". (It's pretty easy to figure out!) But, I don't want to run too far ahead--just keep a steady, daily gait.

God encourages me each day to meditate on that which is "true..., noble..., just..., pure..., lovely...,----and the God of peace will be with you." I am truly blessed!

"I'm too blessed to be stressed!" is what I'm choosing to play in my mind this morning.

My flesh wants to go toe to toe with an issue, but my spirit is quietly saying, "What good will come from it?" I know no good will come from--just a moment of satisfaction in feeling righted. It's not worth it; my peace is too important to me.

God's ways are full of peace and holiness, wonderful by-products of living obediently.

I ate out twice this weekend (which is unusual for me).

I was surprised to see vegetarian choices. Either the restaurants are expanding their service base, or I just didn't notice these options on the menus before.

Even in eating out twice, I managed to lose a pound! I thank God for redirecting my path (that was once going nowhere).

This has been a busy week. I (my daughter and I) will be traveling to a meeting tonight after work; I'm glad it is Friday!

The speaker will be the doctor/herbest who helped me get on the right track, so I'm looking forward to it. He allows time for questions and answers at the end, which is always helpful.

It has been a good week. I give God the glory for that.

No one has noticed I'm losing weight.

The first twenty pounds kind of gets lost; it's like removing a thimbleful of water from a gallon jug! However, the next twenty will be like removing two cups from the gallon--a little more noticeable.

Each day is a joy, a day to give thanks to an Almighty God.

It's hard for many to understand (or make sense of) my drastic lifestyle change.

They are polite about it, but it is obvious they are perplexed. I can understand it. I was, too. That is what's so amazing; God is leading me in this new venture.

I'm glad I didn't miss His call to get my life in order.

Today is one of those days I'm eager to get started.

It's not because it is a special day (though all days are special), but because I feel so full of life. Each day I feel fewer and fewer aches, as if the clock is moving backwards. Part of it might be because I'm not taking a lot of medications anymore(which all come packed with side effects).

I praise God for the path He has me on for good health. It is such a comfort to know "He cares for me."

I can hardly believe it is already the middle of June. Did we have spring?!

I am ready for another week of work. I am thankful that rest gives such a renewed boost to the body, soul, and mind. I'm thankful also that sleep comes so readily when I lay my weary head on my awaiting pillow.

God has provided so much; the least I can do is handle it with care.

The weight is slowing dropping again. I feel so much better, and that should be my main focus.

My long term-goal is to have the pleasure of maintaining. I love that word! It means I've reached my goal! (Then spending the rest of my life doing what it takes to stay there, of course.)

God's by-product of all of this is clarity of mind and peace of heart---wow, what more could one ask for!

Another day filled with rain. My heart goes out to all who have suffered so with the tornadoes and the flooding.

It's sometimes hard to see God's plan and purpose, but He has one in every event in life. He is the Good Shepherd, the Rock of all ages, the Mighty Fortress, the Lover of our soul. I turn to Him for comfort and a renewed strength.

He is the great "I AM!"

My body is being stubborn about shedding pounds. It likes things the way they are, so I need to step it up a notch to get things moving again.

That means eating more foods in their raw form. I have been enjoying whole wheat pasta with vegetable sauce, and I think that is too satisfying, too hearty. So, it's back to cold meals!

"Whatever it takes" is my new motto for getting healthy. Health is a serious matter; I don't want to wait until it's too late.

Life is certainly a classroom. God puts situations together, so we can see the areas that need work.

He gave me a big test yesterday, and I learned how fast my flesh can go into survival mode! I had to commit that all to Him this morning, so I wouldn't play the tape over and over in my mind keeping me from displaying the joy of the Lord.

It's freeing to get past yourself!

What a busy weekend! I managed fairly well but could have done better.

With this eating program, the more raw foods eaten the better. I try to eat over fifty percent of my food raw but don't think that happened this weekend--too much activity.

I made a beautiful salad for lunch today (full of assorted peppers, tomatoes, onions, and chickpeas) and that will get me going in the right direction again!

Yesterday our phone lines were down; it usually happens after a heavy rain--(I'm surprised they are not down again this morning after our early-morning storm and tornado alert)!

It's good to be at the end of the work week. I need a break from this hectic pace of racing the clock all day. I'm fitting nine hours worth of work into an eight-hour day. By the end of the week, I'm spent.

I'm thankful for my job God graciously provided for me. Maybe after shedding some weight, I will be able to move faster and fit all my work into eight hours without traumatizing my heart!

It's been interesting to watch God work in my life as I've traveled this l o n g road to good health.

No matter what I tried to get these extra pounds off, I've felt His presence. Sometimes that was the "only" comfort I had. Working on a weight problem for over twenty years, and never experiencing success, needs the presence of God to keep one ever-encouraged to keep trying.

That's the wonder of it all--He cares for me.

Yesterday was a crazy day at work; no time for lunch, no time for breaks.

I came home very weary--and ready to eat! I had a plan, though, and that really helped. I ate some supper, then took a shower and brushed my teeth. (I didn't want to do any nibbling the rest of the night so brushed my teeth early.)

I am thankful for God's ever-presence. I feel His constant indwelling as I move through this chaotic world.

What a busy weekend! I am ready to start a new week.

I am disappointed that I am not losing faster. I think I will start eliminating some foods for awhile, like the almonds I am enjoying. I start out on good footing but seem to end on shaky ground--eating a little too much for supper.

I will try cutting back and see if that helps. I don't want to lose fast, but I want it to be steady. I feel so much better, and that counts for something, too!