Symphony

    Our date was interesting. The Richmond Symphony was at Longwood University. The tickets were free. Can't beat that. They began to play. Pretty soon my husband says, "Something is wrong." Except he said it in German. The conductor was an Asian lady. Very dramatic. The piano player was also Asian and very good. The problem was no heart. The last two pieces were conducted by a different lady and the difference was amazing. Jerry just shook his head and loved it. He picks up on these things a lot quicker than I do. I will not say all that he said lest I offend but it was interesting.
    It is interesting how you can be technically correct on every note and be incredibly good with lots of show but it does not do very much for you. Then someone comes up and is not too concerned about show but is connecting with the musicians. They relax and the music has some soul. :)
   Self and show is rather an ugly thing. Being real and connected with your fellow man is beautiful.
   On another note, I was reading a book on heart disease today. Very interesting. They have found that clogged arteries can be reversed in some people by eating right, exercise and this is the interesting part, confessing your faults and being really honest about things you feel insecure about and loving people. They called it opening your heart.
    There was a testimony of a man that was helped. He was a very hard man and always ready to take offense and get into fights. Anyway, he went into this program and started sharing with the people around him and showing love for people he used to hate and despise. He got off his medications and is a well man and his marriage greatly improved.
    What this researcher had seen was that eating right and exercising often did not do the trick so he went deeper. He saw that if you are not healed emotionally the other things don't help to its full potential. What is amazing is these are Christian principles. Confessing our faults, being honest and loving each other. The hardened man was afraid if he was honest with his wife and others, they would not like him for sure, but found the exact opposite to be true.
     May we be transparent, honest and loving.
   

Winter

    I think my blood has slowed down to a crawl. It is not used to cold any more. I had forgotten what winter is like. I am still trying to figure out whether I like it as much as I thought I did.
    We don't have much of the white stuff but cold we have. Frankly, I prefer snow when it is cold anyway. I think I do, that is. What is not so cheerful, is the cost of heating a not too tight house and Chris's house building being stalled.
    Today I could feel the heat of the sun. This is something I had never experienced in Ohio. It is lovely at times like this. I decided I still like Virginia best. I don't envy the Northerners who don't get a reprieve from the cold.
    The diet is still going but am feeling very deprived. Maybe I should just quit eating until I reach my target weight. Just drink my kefir, Reliv, and maybe take my energy green drink. It would simplify things.
     I need more sleep seemingly which I find annoying. I am getting up early and doing my exercises before going to work so maybe that is part of it. I wanted to start walking every week day this week but then the cold intimidated me.
     The foot is not out of the woods yet but there is some improvement. I am trying to be very faithful with the exercises that I was given to do. I am working two jobs on some days and it seems to be holding up pretty good.
     The watching fast is still going but somehow I don't feel very victorious. I guess I am in the doldrums. Discouragement that the weight does not disappear faster haunts me. I know it has not been that long but still feel blue.
      Thankfulness time. Let me see what am I thankful for? Well..warm clothes come to mind. For three Applebee's gift cards that the girls are using tonight. For a husband to hug. For a twitter pated daughter to work with on both jobs today. That the guy we worked for yesterday gave us ninety dollars instead of eighty. That we have a symphony to go listen to tomorrow night. That tomorrow is Friday. Oh yes, for candles. I like them. They make me feel warmer. For people who buy books. :) For vehicles that do well in snow. I am tired now. Good-night.

Two More Months

    Two more months to go with the watching fast. Soon it will be over. Have I decided how to procede from there? Not quite. I know I don't want to go back to watching some of the things that I used to. A lot of it has gotten really distasteful. My downfall is comedy. Well done comedy. I want a plan but am also hoping for some burden or work that will occupy my mind.
    The diet is bringing benefits. I feel like I am fasting. I guess in a way I am. Twenty-two pounds have been lost. I feel good. No headaches. More sleep is needed. I guess burning fat is hard work. I have been emotional, depressed and grouchy. Usually at different times. Thankfully, not all the time. I am exercising too but don't think my energy level is what it should be. To be expected when you are going hungry. I need to start thinking what I want to do when I go on a more lenient diet. Definitely more meat.
     Why do people have animals who have neither the money nor the time to take care of them? This is a pet peeve, an aggravation and when they are in our field, exceedingly annoying. The agreement was that she takes care of them all the way. Does she? Oh no. Several weeks ago we threatened to call animal control. She came out immediately and also finally paid but now it is the same thing. Why have horses if you don't want to take care of them?!
      Burning candles are all over the place. The fireplace is burning. It is peaceful. Jerry is on the computer while sitting in the recliner. Stacie is reading her literature. The rest of the family has gone skiing with the youth. (Lord, please protect them.) My tea is waiting for me. Yes, I can have tea as long as it is not black tea. I drink herbal teas.
       I am thankful: for the joy brought to Stacie by a package from Bradley.
                            for the excited happiness going skiing brought to Jolene.
                            for Christoper's that Christopher's poured walls are finally done.
                            for the grandbaby that is coming.
                            that Debi got to go snowboarding and that a friend who also likes it went along.
                            that I now and then can have a baked sweet potato.
                            for the sermon last Sunday.
                            for the patience of God. Amen.  

Winds of Adversity

    A Jonah day is here and not quite over yet. "When you have done all that you can, stand!" A good verse for me right now. When the pounds don't roll off as fast as you'd like them to, stand! When the job you are getting paid for five hours takes six hours, stand! When you start walking for exercise and your knee is hurting, stand! When the therapist won't take you in for it but says you have to go to a doctor first and get ex-rays, stand! When the vacuum cleaner guy is supposed to show up and doesn't, stand! When the baby afghan you have been crocheting is turning into a hexagon instead of a rectangle. And you spend time taking out row after row, trying to figure out what you did wrong, stand! When someone is having nightmares again, stand! When you are trying to treat someone like an adult and fail miserably, stand! When you feel like this world is a dry and dusty place, stand!
    The knee thing is probably the worst discouraging thing to me. Here I am working on my foot as much as possible and my knee which had been giving me a little trouble starts giving me more trouble. Maybe God is trying to work character in me. I know I need it. Submitting to discipline has never been my strong suit. May I learn so that I might not have to trod this road again.

Long Doth It Look

     The road looks very long tonight. The road to a thinner me. I think I will count the the things that give me pleasure, see how many there actually are. They seem rather slim right now. Birding, of course. I enjoy it immensely. That's one. Candles, I enjoy burning them in the evening. Did you know they warm up the house? Thinking..thinking..Crocheting, I am crocheting a baby afghan for our upcoming grandchild. :) Our kids, they were hilarious tonight! Brandon was here and the interaction between him and the girls was very entertaining. Stacie came close to Chris and he said, "Get away from me! Your electrons are getting on me!" That might not be the right word but something to that effect. Her being in love makes her more lovey dovey than our family is used to being, so funny things occur. She was also asking Brandon rather personal questions about their courtship which had its funny moments. Then Jolene's oneliners were failing and yet hilarious and had her brother in stitches. Did I mention that I am very thankful for our children? After they left, I thanked Jerry for giving me nice children. He looked like he thought I had lost a marble. Chuckle. My husband, his love, his example, the twinkle in his eye when he is amused. The girls want Papa to come home when I am grouchy. They know that is usually all it takes. Friends and church friends in particular, it is lovely to have women you can share with, laugh with, and pray with. Lovely to have ladies around whom you feel comfortable and at home.
      So long friends, may we be grateful for our many blessings.

Fasting Update

    Three more months to go. The fasting continues. Some more results or fruits if you will, that have come from this fast: Actually, I realized that I had first quit playing the online game that I was pretty much addicted to. Then came this one of not watching anything. Now I am on a rather severe diet. But they are not all minuses. There are plusses. One of them is more of a desire to spend time in prayer. Another is feeling more attuned to God and wanting to hear from Him. Lately, there is a yearning for Him that I have not felt in a long time. Thank-you Jesus.

             I am getting some direction on what I want to do once the fast is over. Very glad for this.            Also got some direction on my diet. Three months of severe diet and then go to something
         not quite so severe. I am losing pounds which is helping in the motivational department. Next          week I would like to incorporate some aerobic exercise preferably fast walking. For me it
         won't have to be very fast for me to get my heart rate up. I am already doing other exercises.
       
             The desire of my heart: I want to love Him more.
           

            

Dieting Not For The Fainthearted

    Six days are now under my belt and hopefully the belt is shrinking. Watching Jerry devour one of Stacie's lemon bars tonight was almost too much. I love lemon bars, at least the ones we make. My candles are being extinguished. I got this from a book by Isobel Kuhn called By Searching. First it was games on the internet especially Settlers Cities and Knights, then movies and such, now food that is not good for me. In this book, she would feel God calling her to give up so called harmless pursuits. One time when she had a big temptation but in the knick of time stood firm she went up to her room asking God if it would always be like this. That night in her small room, God met her wonderfully and blessed her profoundly. This made a big impression on me when I read it about a year ago. It was not sin she was letting go of, it was things we would call harmless fun and it was years and years ago so it was even more harmless then what we would think of nowadays. May I be willing to let go of harmless fun for more of God.
    When I was walking Wilck's Lake Trail on the second of January, I think it was, something happened that made a deep impression on me. For once there were no other people on the trail and on the way back at one point it was like the Lord came and ministered to me. I am not sure how to explain it but it meant so much to me and was so fulfilling I wondered why we concentrate on anything else. (I was birding.) My heart cries out to live like this. In His presence is fullness of joy.

New Year, New Challenges

    Well, day two of the diet is almost at a close. A monumental headache is pretty much past. Due to the gruesome feeling, pounds have already taken flight. I am on an anti-inflammatory diet in hopes that it will cut down on the inflammation in my foot and of course, also to lose weight. The mourning for food and coffee has diminished and the actual dieting has commenced. I would like to stay on it for a year but am not sure how it will work out. Coffee was not on this diet and since it stimulates the appetite and is not that great for inflammation, I will try to stay off it. Sob..:)
    My second appointment with the therapist was this afternoon. He was very pleased with how well his last treatment held up. Again, he worked on it for an hour. I can not say how thankful I am for this. It is such an answer to prayer. He seems quite sure that he can get me out of this brace.
     I started my yearly bird list. Joy said she does it every year so I want to follow suit. See how many birds I can see in a year.
     My wish for this year, is to see more bondages broken, more healing take place and lots of growing in Jesus.