My life consists of (school) meetings, it seems. I have another one tonight so will miss my exercise class.

I see God's hand in all of this, though, and don't want to miss an opportunity to have God touch my heart to allow me to see more clearly (through His eyes). People are what matter. God is so clear in His Word how we are to treat others.

I pray my life is a bridge.

It's funny how being at sixty, the pretwilight period of my life, I feel my life has (finally) just begun. Oh, how I urge people to stay the course (and not make quick decisions) when times get hard and the ups and downs come during those middle years--their beginning of life might be missed.

God designs each happening for a specific maturing in the Lord. (Only God knows how many times I wanted to throw the towel in the first thirty-five years of our marriage telling God it isn't working.) God, in His faithfulness, kept me from giving in to my many "better ways."

What does it cost to live, to rest, to abide in God's peace? It's free.

I woke up feeling bloated and fat.

I eat too much, and the way I feel this morning is its consequence. I feel God's nudge in all of this to keep moving forward and to not return to bad (eating) habits. My flesh is so strong in this area and does all it can to stay in control.

Allowing the Spirit to take over is an act of my free will, a powerful gift God has given each of us.

I am really lagging behind on my course work. That seems to be true about most areas of my life right now.

I guess I'm waiting for an energy surge to enter my body and move me into a productive speed. For one thing, my full time job is sucking the life out of me. I'm not trying to find excuses for my lack of drive but do know when one is depleted on all levels, it is hard to push through the weariness.

God grants us twenty-four hours each day. Though I think I can't fit it all in, that's all I need.

This is a special Monday; it's our (second) daughter's birthday.

She lost her job to downsizing a couple weeks ago and has a (second) interview this morning with a small company in the medical field, the field she has been in for over ten years. It's not an easy (or enjoyable) task to look for a new job.

What brings shalom-like comfort, though, is knowing Who is in control. How wonderful it is to rest in His omniscience.

Well, we made it through the winter--it's spring!!

The weekend looks busy (but not with meetings, at least). We will be celebrating a daughter's birthday, so that will be the main focus. Of course, there are many other things that need to be done as well; and that's what makes the weekend "busy." It's hard to fit so much into two days; I now have a true appreciation for anyone working full time out of the home. It's a difficult pair of shoes to be in.

I love knowing God is in control, though. I just have to do what is right, and He will do the rest. That's a praise!

Spring is fast-approaching, and I think we are all ready for it! God, in all His wonder, is bringing signs of life back in the surrounding nature.

My course-work has been on the back burner for a couple weeks (since sleep has to be a part of my day), but I'm ready to start working on it again. What I had hoped to accomplish this month--becoming certified--will have to wait until next month. It will be a happy day when that happens!

Until then, God is preparing my heart for what lies ahead beyond the still closed door.

What a busy weekend! We enjoyed having the pastoral staff and families over, then celebrated our granddaughter's sixteenth birthday. (Can she really be sixteen already?)

My husband and I are trying to get a better balance in our lives and work on making time for people. We walk around feeling consumed and depleted all week; that needs to get turned around. Life is too short to not put people ahead of work and schedules.

It's not an easy task, as something will always be urgent--so, we will carefully sift through the "urgent" to find the "important" and work at keeping people our main focus.

Meetings are on the front burner right now. We (the committee) are working on a project that needs to be finalized by Thursday and are meeting every night to meet the deadline.

It makes the rest of my life completely out of balance; but, thankfully, it is temporary. I am doing the best I can to stay caught up on the home-front. We are having the pastors and families over on Saturday for an early supper (a taco bar), and I really need to put some focus on that, too. (And, of course, there's my full time job--and my exercise classes and course-work.)

It will be a busy week!

I'm beginning to feel it is crunch time (with many of my commitments), and I'm a little apprehensive of what's on the other side.

It seems my whole life consists of loose ends (but close to being tied up). I need to take some giant steps in these areas and put a period. (I'm ALMOST done with my course, I'm ALMOST where I should be with my weight, I'm ALMOST ready to begin my widow's ministry, I'm ALMOST to the end of committee obligations, etc., etc., etc.)

I have so much going on in my head (and heart); only God can take all of this and make it beautiful (in His time).

I woke up this morning with a prayer in my heart for my daughter--she lost her job yesterday.

Those unexpected things happen throughout life, things that are out of our control. I love how God (perfectly) keeps our lives balanced with life-experiences---opportunities to (keep our hearts tender and) draw closer to Him.

Knowing God is in control gives a peace that sings, "It is well with my soul."

This has been a harried morning. I overslept!

I have another easy day at work (thank you, Lord), so I should be able to work at a sane pace. Tonight is a workout night, so I will leave work and go straight to the gym. It's nice to go from one to the other, then go home to stay.

Home is my haven, that's for sure.

Welcome to the month of spring! (What a wonderful feeling that is.)

The weekend was a blur. I know I had one; I just can't visualize it. Between meetings and studies, my life is pretty nonexistent. The good thing is both of these (meetings and studies) are temporary and should have long-lasting fruit. There will be a marathon of meetings this week and next, and my studies will go on through the end of the month.

Then, the search for a job begins. What a comfort it is to have an all-knowing God.