Blessings

Blessings, blessings, abound, even though its been a tough week. A best friend from college has had her world turned upside down, a best friend from work is moving on, and another one at work HAS moved on. (Jill Beall that would YOU). I totally understand the moving on and am in fact a little jealous. I don't understand why young mothers get stage 4 brain cancer though. One day they are fine, the next, normality is gone for their whole family. Kind of like when Denise had her wreck that changed her life forever. One night she was baking chocolate chip cookies with her son, and the next night she was paralyzed. I'm concluding that there are something we aren't supposed to understand and that has to be enough. It's kind of like trying to figure people out. Some you can't, others you have no chance of-for whatever the reason. Those of the ones I spend endless hours trying to figure out, too. I shouldn't. I should simply TRUST HIM. He never promised I would understand the why of everything and everyone else's business. He has promised to love me like no one else can. One thing I am learning through Sunday School....in the book of Judges for those who use the same curriculum....is that there are always consequences. Yes, God loves me and yes he forgives me when I ask, but he doesn't take away consequences. There are temporal and everlasting consequences of the things I choose. While I don't have what most people would call  'serious' sins, to ask forgiveness for, I do sin. Sin is sin. Period. Sin means there will be consequences, whether I like it or not, whether I WANT it or not. At that point I just have to accept it and GO ON. Staying where I am and griping or pouting only makes for more consequences (from my experience).

Blessings

1. Leigh Ann and Cassie--we may not see each other alot, but I am so thankful we keep in touch and text and facebook! Leigh Ann we love you and are here for you. One step at a time, sweet sisters.

2. Air conditioning (and Gary Smith who fixed ours). It's just plain hot here. Over 105 today. Way too hot to get out and do anything. Just laying on the couch in the dark with the curtains closed is the best thing to do while its so hot.

3. The little snow cone stand we discovered in Mabank. Sort of like Mr. G's in Brownsville but without the mango and tamarindo flavors! Coy's favorite so far is pink bubble gum. I think mine was the strawberry lemonade flavor.

4. Television-especially during the Olympics. I just like the Olympics and watch it nonstop-even what Grace calls the 'dorky' sports such as handball, ping pong, field hockey, water polo, and synchronized diving. I really don't even understand how to even play those sports!

5. Coy working me out in the gym. Yes, I actually typed that. My workout today was kind of wimpish, but others have not been. He tells me what to do then leaves me to do it. I enjoy that he isn't constantly critiquing me. I am overweight, so I'm not the picture of a healthy body yet. My blood sugars have done well, too. I have to eat something before I work out, otherwise it gets whacko on me. My knee is trying to be a pain but I'm determined to not let it stop me. I ice after every workout and take advil. That seems to help (til the advil wears off).

6. Christian friends. Friends that show me how to stand up for what's right. I have a friend who was in a difficult situation. Her friends were all telling her to divorce her husband but she refused-said that was not what God intended when they got married. That made me really stop and think. Looking for the easy way out is not always the right way out. Friends that listen to me and love me despite my downfalls and insecurities. Friends who don't care if my house is clean or what I make for supper. They just love me because I'm me!

7. Food to cook and experiment with. I am blessed to be enthralled with recipes and blessed to have enough money to go get what I need when I truly want to try a recipe. Lots of people in the world can't do that. God has blessed me in this area. We have enough to eat and often enough to share.


~Laurie