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Pain: Friend or Foe?
I have a new “friend” in my life. Day after day he’s with me in varying degrees. Sometimes more obvious, sometimes more subtle, but always there. On my good days, I try to ignore him, careful not to irritate my constant companion. On bad days, he can’t be ignored. Pain is his name. Recently our family moved to another house. All the packing, lifting, and moving took a toll on my lower back. Since Pain joined me on my journey he’s drained my strength, my activity level, my pocketbook, and especially my joy. Wait! Before you abandon this blog, let me assure you, it will not be filled with…
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The Challenge of Choices
My daughter and I recently explored Woodman’s for the first time. Wow. Now I’ve shopped Costco, Sam’s, and a host of other “super centers,” but Woodman’s blew me away. If you’re not familiar with this chain, it’s known for its huge variety of grocery items. The cereal selection alone takes up two, (yes, TWO) aisles!! Thankfully, I know our favorites and could locate those fairly easily. But I wondered, what if I was new to the world of American breakfast fare? What if I had no idea what I wanted? Would I need to spend an hour just reading labels? Or would I just grab something and hope for the…
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When Dark Days Come….Remember!
“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?” Psalm 77:8 That verse pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling recently. We are just days from closing on our house. I’ve packed more boxes than I care to count, and from that, have awakened an old back injury which put me into a back brace. Not a pretty picture just prior to moving. But the icing on the cake came a few days ago when my husband called. “Honey, I’m okay, but I’ve been in a car accident.” Of course my first…
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Walking on Water is No Walk in the Park
One day I was walking through the mall, feeling fine, when suddenly a jagged white circle entered my field of vision. I sat down, called my husband (just in case) and calmly waited for the circle to grow and eventually disappear as I knew it would. Obviously I had experienced this before. It’s called an Ocular Migraine, a painless, head-ache-less, distortion of the vision. But of course I didn’t know that the first time it occurred. Those first few episodes were terrifying. To have your vision suddenly hampered, even without pain, stops you in your tracks and panic takes over. Peter experienced a similar situation. Peter, a follower of…
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Living with the “I Can’t Believe I Did That!” Moment
“I will NOT blow my diet today!” It was a Friday morning when I made this firm resolve. While driving to Zumba I mentally planned a healthy menu. The weekend was upon me, the time when I often lose my resolve. But this time I was determined to stick with the plan. Then I went to Costco. Later I recall shaking my head in wonder. How could a person with such strong conviction and determination be so easily swayed by pizza samples? Please tell me I’m not alone! Indeed I know I’m not. Take Peter from the Bible for example. Peter had just spent some quality time with Jesus and…
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Facing Change and Living to Tell About It
I’ve always dreaded new situations. Even as a kid I never wanted to go anywhere new alone. New park, new school, forget it. New dentist, okay ANY dentist is scary, so that doesn’t count. Seriously, I hated calling people I didn’t know or going places I was unfamiliar with. Can you say INSECURE? Lately the old feelings of anxiety have been making my heart pound again as I begin this new journey of blogging. I could make a list a mile long of why I should put this off one more day, but at the top of the list is this: NEW SCARY UNFAMILIAR THING. Let’s face it, change is…
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