It's Friday--at last!!

I'm so excited about the weekend. Not that anything special is planned, but that Saturday will be the last day of February and Sunday, the first day of March. That may sound silly, but I've looked forward to those two days all month--winter will soon be phased out!

It's the little things that keep us going sometimes!

Food is something I've always enjoyed.

I not only enjoy eating it, I enjoy getting the groceries (for it) and preparing it. I enjoy arranging the grocery items categorically in the pantry and keeping it as full as possible. One could easily say it is a passion of mine. Of course, something with that kind of hold on my life is what can also get me into trouble.

Life is a constant "loosening the grip" on the things we "love" and seeing them for what they are--temporal, with no eternal value.

I am sore all over--but it's wonderful!

I didn't think I would ever be one who got excited about exercise, but I am. (That's another thing that was in God's perfect timing--the open house that led me to this class.) It is not the typical exercise (that my limited knowledge on the subject thought of), but a stretching of each muscle giving strength and mobility--which I'm already feeling the benefits of.

My only advice: Don't wait; begin today.

February has been a fast month--hopefully March will be swift, too (only to get on the other side of winter)!

I have a great need to continually give my all to God (because of my tendency to be a micro-planner and project myself too far into the future). My prayer is, "Take my course-work, Father; take my job, Father; take my hopeful ministry, Father; take all of this swimming in my head, Father, and do with it what pleases You." It's so easy for my to get so entangled in myself that I lose sight of God in all of this.

God's ways never change. That is my solid anchor.

I'm planning a small birthday party for my daughter-in-law Saturday.

Daughters-in-law are special. Though I love having "real" daughters, a daughter-in-law is someone who has enough disconnect to the family to give a true pulse on the things we might miss. For instance, she felt my mother was getting lost in the shuffle at one of our gatherings; and she we right. We were too busy interacting to notice.

She fills in the little gaps we unknowingly keep open.

This is what working people call "over the hump" day. I know I'm always glad to be on the other side of it!

I have been restless lately in the (seemingly) slow pace the "musts" in my life are happening. I know God has a time (a perfect time) for everything, but what I know in my head and feel in my heart are sometimes at conflict with each other. This happens when I project too far into the future, too far past "the day at hand."

I'm thankful for God's tender pull back to center where I can rest (once again) in His plan and all-knowing arms.

And the cycle of a new work-week continues.

It's interesting how slow some people are in processing things. I have gone from a size 24 to a size 16 (since May 5), yet I was asked after church last night if I had lost weight. I thought she might be joking; but by the queried look on her face, I knew she had to be sincere. Imagine her shock when I said, "Yes, sixty pounds."

Thank you, Lord, for this reminder of how far You have brought me.

What a blessing to be able to say, "It's Friday!"

Words cannot express how truly blessed I feel. God has put many life-changing opportunities in my path, and I'm (finally) giving response to them. Of course, the latest is adding exercise to my weekly routine--and I'm loving it! (Who would ever believe that would be coming from my mouth!)

My muscles are sore, and that is God's way of saying, "Thank you for trusting Me."

It's an exciting time of the year. The days are getting longer, and spring is coming!

I know this weather, more than likely, will not last (since we're still knee-deep into winter!) but what a blessing each warm day is. I have a renewed exuberance each morning when I see signs of spring (melting snow!) instead of the harsh blows of winter.

Through each Iowa climate change, I is see God's hand of order--as one season slips into another.

It's a beautiful day, though the wind is blowing with great gusts. To think that in early February we have a temperature of 41 degrees (at 5:30 a.m.)!

I feel energized and ready to take on the many tasks of the day. After work I have my second class in weight lifting to get my muscles in working order, so they can operate in the way God had intended. (I don't lift dumbbells but the individual hand-held ones in ways that all the muscles are worked.) It takes about four months for someone like me (who is on the bottom rung of the ladder!) to see satisfying results. I am encouraged.

God keeps opening new doors; He is my Guide and my Strength.

I've had an enjoyable weekend, but I'm still not ready to start a new work week. (Part of it is because of the time-consuming menu I have to work with this week.)

Working outside the home is certainly not for me. I've only had a year and a half of it, and I'm already burned out. I had a lofty idea of working ten years, but I now realize how out of my element I am living in such a structured forty hours (every week). How do people do it?

It's good to see doors open and close; God uses all doors to instruct and prepare us for His purposed plan.

I am so thankful it is Friday. I am depleted.

For now I have many "front-burner obligations" on my plate. Seeing God's hand in this keeps me going. When I look back over the past nine months, I can only say, "To God be the glory, great things He hath done." What has been impossible is now possible-- none of this could I have accomplished.

That's the song in my heart as I move closer to His all-knowing plan.

What I said yesterday about making the day longer didn't work today--I overslept!

Well, today I am sixty. My dear daughter said (in her card) that sixty is the new thirty. That makes me younger than three-fourths of my children! I know what she meant, though, and appreciate her loving expression. I feel good about entering this new decade. In the twilight of my fifties I had some amazing things happen, and I want to use that as my springboard to begin this fresh start.

I know God will continue showing me His program and aiding me in my quest to live a life in complete balance.

I am finding out the only way to make the day longer is to get up earlier!

My blog has suffered from lack of time (and mental strength). I see some light coming through this long, (seemingly) never-ending tunnel, though--the long tunnel of my home-study courses. It will be a rewarding day when "Certified" is stamped over my name!

God keeps making His way known to me. I rest in that wonderful peace.