Monthly Archives: March 2015
Saturday March 14 and Sunday March 15 Days 8 & 9
Day 8 of my trip took place on Saturday March 14th over two weeks ago. Either no WiFi or no time to Blog since then. I promise to try to do better. I fear so much is lost when I don’t do it within one or two days after the events happen.
Saturday March 14th was a great day! Spent the morning with Rita and Jerry going to second hand shops (my favorite places to browse). I discovered a plethora of Sermon CD’s by a minister that I never heard of. Bought one, listened to part of it and went back and bought 13 more sets. Each case has 3 to 5 CD’s in each set. The speaker’s name is Creflo A. Dollar. Very interesting Bible teaching. I have had opportunity to listen to several of the CD’s and find them to be enlightening and extremely interesting and in line with the scriptures. The CD’s were my big find for the day. I left Branson Missouri midday when both Rita and Jerry left for work.
I drove down to Russellville Arkansas to visit more family. To my delight my cousin Dale and his wife Judy came to visit me that evening as I was staying with Dale’s mom, my mother’s sister. Just a short comment on the drive from Branson to Russellville. It goes through the Arkansas Ozarks. Very winding roads with severe drop offs on one side of road. In the past my husband and I actually drove around a sharp curve to realize that the road was no longer there.
“continue reading…” Read the rest of this entry
On the way to Arkansas Day 8
So much I wish I could post Arkansas’ post but my time is up and I must come back another day. People waiting. Places to go and things to see. But just so you know, on this 8th day of my trip I was heading to Arkansas. Now I must go and head out to church with my current hosts. Will blog more later.
Just so you know, Janey’s words of wisdom that she told me today on the phone is:
TRUST IN THE LORD EVERY DAY!
To Cousin Rita’s House Day 6 and 7
Be aware that what I am writing today on March 21 happened on days 6 through 8. It is now day 15 but I want to post about the days I was in Branson MO. My cousin Rita and her husband Jerry are creating a beautiful sanctuary of the home they purchased a while back. When I think of Rita I think of color. And..I think of purple color in particular. Her husband is one of these people who have been gifted with boundless energy and no moment is to be wasted if he can fix, restore, or create. It will be fun to see their home in a few years with all the color and artistic talent that lives there. I have permission to share some of Rita’s artwork hanging on her walls. Also, I was blessed to sleep under another beautiful quilt at Rita and Jerry’s. This quilt was made by her mom, my dear Aunt Vela. I think I recognized some of the scraps that were part of the quilt. In days gone by there was never any waste. All clothing were made by hand and all the scraps were saved to make warm, beautiful, and sometimes crazy quilts. If it were not for quilts while growing up,the nights would have been cold. We didn’t even know that blankets existed. I can still remember the first blanket I came in contact with. Oh how soft it was and it seemed one had to be so rich to have a blanket. Little did I know about all the love and toil that went into the quilts that kept me warm. I know now. Fortunately I have been recipient of several of my mothers quilts, many made with my leftover scraps of clothing worn as a child.
Again, I came with lots of food and cooked up some chicken broth and quinoa and salads to take to my next destination which would be Aunt Ester’s house. But that is another story. Rita was so gracious to let me use her kitchen and fridge. And speaking of food…I was invited by my cousin Janey (or maybe I invited myself) to come for a Friday night dinner with her family at her home in Springfield MO. My contribution was to be a bag of salad greens. Okay, that sounded easy. Well, here is the story of the salad greens.
Again, I located a gym where I could work out. It is connected to a resort hotel and to say the least it needed a little update. Lots of the equipment did not work, and no, it wasn’t me not knowing how to use it. But I did find out later that the reason the treadmills didn’t work was because they weren’t plugged in. I didn’t know I had to plug my equipment into the electrical source. Go figure. Well, after an exasperating workout experience I headed out to find the store that Rita told me about. Which, by the way, was no where to be found. I asked someone how to get to a market, was given instructions, and followed them. I got there, but let me tell you, Branson is not an easy trip with all the out of town people there. But, I got there. Because I was working out I did not take my purse but put some money in my pocket to pay for the $3.50 fee for working out and some for the salad greens. No more money in my pocket except for $6.50. Surely that would pay for a bag of salad greens. Well, there I was looking at the prices in this grocery store and realizing I probably needed more money because I thought Missouri charged tax on food. I asked the man next to me if that was the case and he said yes. So I spoke outloud (what’s new) that I hoped I would have enough to pay the taxes. Food in Missouri is more expensive than in Madison. This man (named Gary) said he would follow me and pay for anything I was short. I tried to confirm that I thought I had enough but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He told me, as a matter of fact that he was going to pay for the entire bag of salad. I would not let him as I had enough. He said, no, swiped his card, and said that the lady that was with him (by the salad area) was helping him get his B/P down so he could have surgery on a tooth that needed to be removed and he wanted to help someone else. I asked him “Do you have the love of the Lord in your heart?” and he answered he sure did. I thanked him and told him now I could do something nice for someone else but first I would like to pray for his infected tooth and B/P problem and consenting, we went over to the liquor aisle and had an opportunity to pray together. He left and I left. I was going to go out one door when I felt something tugging at me to go out the exit way at the other end. So I did. As I was walking by I hear this woman try to get my attention by speaking loudly. I turned, thinking she was selling Girl Scout Cookies and didn’t really want to be engaged in having to say no. But…it was a lady asking me if I would support Teen Challenge. There was a table full of things they were selling to raise money for their Teen Challenge Ministry which helps drug uses get clean and on their feet while feeding them spiritually.
I said yes, I do support Teen Challenge and would like to tell them a story. I told them about the salad bag incident and reached into my pocket and gave them the $$6.50 I had on me. I did not want to buy anything but what I had, I believed, was for them. As I was walking out of the store I had been thinking, hey, that was really nice that I didn’t even have to pay for the salad. It was not planned so came as a nice something that had happened to me that day. Well, after leaving the Teen Challenge table a realization popped clearly into my head. I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit within me saying “That was a test”. I turned my thoughts to God and knew I had passed the test. I know this sounds like a little thing, but for me to realize that God is with me always and what I do even in the little things is an important aspect of my walk with Him. I don’t tell you this to tout me being so good, rather the opposite. It would have been so easy for me to just wave off the Teen Challenge young lady and not give any more thought than, “whew, I got away from that one”. I truly believe that that $6.50 belonged to Teen Challenge.
We had a wonderful time at Janey’s that night and the salad was great! We got lost on the way (Rita was driving) and were about 45 minutes late. Going home I drove. It was raining so heavily and was so dark that I could only drive by seeing one or two lines on the highway in front of me to the left of the car. I actually do not realize how we got home in one piece. I have had people sending me emails telling me that God has actually awakened them to pray for me at certain times. Well, I want to tell you, your prayers are working! I have an incident I will tell you about that happened yesterday when I get to yesterday’s blog info that will show you the power of prayer. And I promise I won’t forget this story because I already wrote it in my journal.
We enjoyed visiting with Janey and husband, son, daughter in-law, grandson, and daughter in-law to be. Ate a delicious dinner and took lots of pictures.
Janey is my dear Aunt Esther’s daughter. Janey is believing for healing from cancer that she has. I ask that all who read this will pray that God will answer the believing prayer of His saints and heal her. Also, please pray that she will have peace and joy restored to her.
Willow Springs Part 2
Okay, I must confess. It has been days since I have been able to connect with WiFi. I read my last post and I can’t remember what was so great that I wanted to tell you. And…I can’t seem to find any notes in my journal. You out there in the world of reality have no idea how much time it takes to live in the never never land in which I am living. Every moment seems to be packed with places, and people and sights and sounds, and learning and sleeping and eating and NO WiFi!!!! So, I’ll try to take better notes of what to tell you.
Back to my time in Willow Springs. It is a place of slow living, peaceful atmosphere, friendly people, and a southern drawl. Perhaps not the place I would choose to retire as it takes a lot more action available for me even though I like quiet peaceful living. I enjoyed some of the artwork around town painted in larger murals on old brick buildings. I will post a couple of photos. The library was like walking back in time. It just had the flavor of the old library tables and rows and rows of real books and card catalogs. Don’t remember if I saw any card catalogs there but could not testify that I didn’t see them. Sat at a table that filled up with teenagers. Interesting. I think teenagers are about the same everywhere, searching for life, silly, learning to experience “love”, just waiting for their school days be be over so they can do as they want. Interesting what you can learn just by listening to one side of a telephone conversation. It will be a long time before they learn the true art of living which to me means living in the moment. AND I LOVE EVERY MOMENT I LIVE. I’ll post this and a couple of pictures and then tell about my Branson stay.
March 13, 2015 Day Seven (Part 1)
MORE BLESSINGS
Almost one week on the road. It has been a fabulous experience. I packed soothing and inspirational CD’s. Some, which are by my favorite favorite artist, David Hollandsworth. When I listen to the music Hollandsworth creates, it’s as if I am listening to part of heaven, exciting, soothing, peaceful and inspiring. I only have three of his CD’s but with the other three CD’s I brought I don’t seem to tire of any of them.
To update my travels. I had a marvelous time visiting with Kathleen and Matt. I like Kathleen’s philosophy of retirement. The first night I was there I asked her when she got up in the morning (trying to be a considerate guest) and she replied, “when I feel like it”. Oh, so I asked her what time she went to bed and she replied, “when I feel like it”. Hmmm was my thought response. So I ask, well what time do you normally go to bed? “Oh between 1:00 or 2:00” (that would be A.M.). Okay, I’ll just follow suite I decided…when in Rome do as the Romans… Well they kept me up until almost midnight that first night and I’ve been paying for it ever since. Up late, sleep late and my day is about gone before it gets started. So…I think I like my way best. Early to bed, early to rise. That way my day seems much longer and if there is anything I like doing less than sleeping I haven’t discovered it yet. I don’t like to give up one minute of my day to resting or sleeping. I have too much I want to do. So…here I am on the road, fitting in to all kinds of schedules, sleeping in all kinds of beds, travelling all kinds of miles and loving every minute of it. I am learning something everywhere I go! I’m asking everyone for their very best advice for my life. I listen and enjoy what is said and then, unfortunately, before I get to my next blog time I forget what was said. So maybe I should start recording it and collecting all the sage advice, some from those even older than myself.
The time at Matt and Kathleen’s was restful, peaceful and lots of fun. We played many card games, ate lots of good food (most of which I brought and prepared), planned a destination trip to ALDI’S (yes the discount grocery store), worked out at the Y, and attended the ladies Bible study. Great study it was too, and of course, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. We then went to lunch, went back to Matt and Kathleen’s, packed my bags and hit the road toward Branson. I thought I left on time because I was going by my car clock, only to find out when I hooked up my GPS for the first time, that the times didn’t coordinate due to the fact that it WAS NOT 3:15 p.m. but 4:14 p.m.. I had forgotten to move the clock an hour forward last weekend. Oops! Very seldom do I wear a watch or look at the time. For me, that is a beautiful place to live.
I have experienced blessing after blessing since leaving my home. While in Willow Springs I walked into the YMCA to work out. My friend is a member there and she said they offer a free pass on the first day. I mentioned this and Hannah asked me how long I would be staying. I told her I would be coming back two more days and knew that I would be paying for those days. As I spoke she wrote out , not one free pass, but three free passes that I could use. I was so surprised. When I was in Rolla the most reasonable quote I received on the phone for a day pass at private clubs was $10.00. Sorry, but that is a little too steep for me so I worked out in the home where I was staying. It was so refreshing to receive a gift of the three passes from the Y. When I left the third day I thanked the personnel and met two wonderful people, Logan and Terri. I shared a little of my story and asked them if I could mention them in my blog. I got the okay. So…Terri, thank you for the generosity of your club to allow me to stay healthy a little bit more affordable. I appreciate that your YMCA reached out to a stranger and made me feel so welcome. My hat off to the OZARKS FAMILY YMCA in Willow Springs!
I found Willow Springs to be a delightful interlude of life in the slow lane. Probably no more than 2,000 to 3,000 people. I stayed in a house on the hilltop that overlooked one end of town and a beautiful park. The train rail was very close and I could hear the comforting sound of the trains going by all times of the day and night. Didn’t hear much of them at night as I slept so deep and peaceful. Every where I have gone I have had deep, relaxing, refreshing sleep. I took a couple of pictures of some buildings while in Willow Springs. I will log them later. When things get boring I want to remind myself to tell you the story of the “house on the hilltop”. Quite interesting!
I hope I blessed Kathleen and Matt with my short stay. I know they blessed me. I packed a lot of food before I left home and was able to share some of what I made last summer from the vegetables I received from a from a local organic CSA farm. We have been members of WHOLESOME HARVEST CSA for several years and we love what we receive. I was able to help with most of the cooking while at Kathleen’s and Matt’s and delighted them with yummy lunches. Kathleen made me take pictures of food I prepared because the presentation so delighted her. I so enjoy working with live food and creating wonderful dishes. It was actually a blessing for me to do it. And…for the most part, they liked it.
Before I left, Kathleen showed me the beautiful quilt she is in the process of making. Oh my! My head just spun when I saw all that when into it from the design, piecing, sewing it all together, quilting and finishing. Not my cup of tea. It actually made my brain go haywire. It was also my privilege to sleep under the very first quilt she made. It was beautiful. I think I might have a picture of that too. While she was showing me her quilt I was admiring a beautiful necklace she had on. I complimented her on it. She reached up around her neck, unclasped it and said, “here, I want you to have it”. I tried to refuse it but she would not take no for an answer. So, again I have been blessed by something I never anticipated. Now it makes me hesitant to give a compliment. But…maybe I will still do so.
I am in a time crunch and must leave quickly. Will proofread this after it is published and make corrections. Know that when I am doing these blogs I am usually squeezing them in between the actual “living” part. I know I have more to tell you about today ( BECAUSE IT IS ANOTHER BLESSING) so I put “part 1” on today’s date. Look for part two at a later date. Bear with me as you stumble through all my mistakes, but must get it published before I walk out the door so I can turn my computer off. More later.
Missouri
March 7, 2015 DAY ONE
I wish I could capture words as I live through each moment. But alas, if I am writing, then I am not doing. So I must rely on my 24 hour memory to write all that my brain was experiencing yesterday. It was a beautiful, wonderful, uneventful day of driving. It was my wish to have it so. My prayer this past month was that God would allow the storms to go before me or come behind me. Because of my postponement of leaving last week I missed an awful ice and snow storm at exactly the place I would have been had I left on time. Today I sat in the church in Rolla Missouri and the pastor told about how the church had been used as a safe place for 60 of the people who were stranded on the highway after being involved in a 25 vehicle car crash on Interstate 44. There were no services at the church last Sunday due to the horrible road conditions and all the people who were stranded without a means of transportation, using the church as a place to stay. The church body braved the storm and accommodated the people with places to sleep and food to eat. Well, that was one storm I missed.
Back to yesterday, the sun was shining, the sky was full of beautiful clouds, the land was covered in snow and the air was pristine. I saw a wolf alongside the road, dead, but still beautiful. And I must admit I have never seen such beautiful artistic power lines. Really amazing works of art. I so much wanted to stop and capture their beauty with the camera but knew it would not be safe with people speeding by at 80 miles an hour. The speed limit was 70 and they were all passing me so I figure they were going 80. Fortunately there was not much traffic and I don’t recall there being any construction. I also was surprised as I drove into Rolla to see so much carnage and twisted burned out MAC trucks still on the side of the Interstate awaiting removal. So many skid marks and deep gouges in the earth made the accident all too vivid and real.
My first stop was in St. Louis where I promptly got lost following map quest’s written instruction. “Lost as a goose” as my mother used to say. So what does a damsel in distress do? Well, ask for instructions of course; did it on my hands free car phone by calling my source point, my nephew Eric. I only got lost a couple more times. Finally, safe and sound, I arrived on a quaint narrow street from the 1930’s. Beautiful, all brick homes with gingerbread and arched doorways and steepled gables. And we were all hungry and that is where the pizza above originated from.
Now, just so you know, my car is packed to the gills. I didn’t have time to cull my last clothing list so I stuck it all in. And after one day, my car is already a mess. And it will stay that way until I get to my next stop tomorrow evening when I plan to take everything out, and start over!
I’ll tell you one thing, I never realized just how much God still has to teach me. And…He is using every day to do so. I think I am in for an interesting trip!
Briefly, as this message is getting wordy, everything that was in my front seat was rearranged to the back seat (bigger mess) so nephew Eric could ride to Rolla with me. His wife followed, for a while until she realized I drive the speed limit and then I followed her for about two minutes. She arrived a few minutes before we did. And oh what a delight I walked into. Eric’s wife’s aunts graciously opened their home to me, sight unseen so I could stay in Rolla and visit my Aunt Gracie. A home that you actually felt love dripping from the ceilings. Their story is amazing and interesting and too long to tell in this post. Remember this adventure is to tell it like it is. Stay tuned to hear about these two identical twin ladies with hearts of gold.
March 8, 2015 DAY TWO
…A day that was more priceless as gold. Spent the entire day with my precious Aunt Gracie, my mother’s sister. It was one of her “good days”. She is experiencing memory loss. Some times the loss seems more severe than others. Aunt Gracie seemed to be her same usual jovial self. She remembered me, my face that is, but not a lot of the details of my life. She still had a recollection of my children at different times during the day. She asked the same questions over and over and I answered each one as if it was the first time. Moments are always new to her and she seems content most of the time, but at others, shows concern for what she know is happening to her. Even if she didn’t remember me, I remember her, and I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for anything. I so wanted to see her one more time in my life and I have done so. We talked and talked and shared long ago memories that she recalls vividly. It was so fun to hear her tell of them, and how new and refreshing they are to her. I think she especially enjoyed to have someone to listen to her. Her precious Bob is in recovery from a serious fall several months ago. He is able to walk with the aid of a cane but I can see the sadness that he has due to his loss of activity. He was always such a hard worker and doer of anything that needed to be done. It was such a beautiful thing to see how devoted they are to each other.
I went to church with her and then met up with her daughter and we all went out to eat. Aunt Gracie’s appetite is alive and well. When seeing how much she loves to eat it is surprising that she is so tiny and thin. She seems like a delicate flower, fragile and beautiful.
March 9, 2015 DAY THREE
My last day with C and S. Worked out on their stationery bike, more delightful conversations and story time, preparation for my next trip, packing up for the ride south and then time to meet my Aunt and Uncle before leaving Rolla.
Gracie and Bob were able to meet up with me the next day for a lunch at a Burger place. I passed on the menue, she ate half a burger. But she was not having a good day. She was unable to stay long and we parted with tears and hugs.
Went back to C and S home, packed the car and I was on my way.
March 10, 2015 DAY FOUR
Started the journey Saturday and now it is Tuesday and I feel as if I have lived a lifetime in between. And what a beautiful lifetime! Amazing how much can be packed into three days. Today I am resting. On Saturday I met up with my nephew Erik and wife Karen at their home and had a wonderful LATE LUNCH, as I was late for my first scheduled appointment. I tried so hard to arrive on time. I did everything except speed. I suppose if I had not left 2 hours and 40 minutes late I would have had a better chance of being there on a time. It was a lovey surprise to find out that Eric and wife were going to my second stop with me. Karen had made it possible for me to spend two night with her aunts in a location where I needed accommodations. If nothing else wonderful happens on this trip it will have been worth it just meeting these two delightful, godly ladies. WOW! What a weekend of learning and blessings from the Lord.
These two ladies, I will call them C and S, are identical twins. They are so full of the Lord that God’s love just drips from the ceilings of their home. I could feel the Lord’s presence when I entered their home. I have never felt so humbled to be in the presence of such loving and caring people. The parts of their story I heard while there would make a long interesting book and a better movie. I will have to write more about them later as I do have their permission to do so. They have lived an amazing 82 years. I wish I could have spent many more days learning from them and hearing about the wonderful miracles that have happened and are still happening in their live. From the moment I walked in and met Miss C my learning experience began. God started doing a work in me that even surprised me. I believe I was supposed to be there exactly when I was there. I was presented with a wonderful opportunity to reach out and share God’s love with a young man who was staying with them. As a new believer he was searching for so many answers. I know the words God allowed me to share with him touched him deeply and possibly will make a great difference in his life. It is always a great joy to be able to pray with others. However, this was a situation where I think I was much more blessed than those I was with. The seed had already been planted and God allowed me opportunity to water.
I arrived in Willow Springs last evening just in time for dinner. So wonderful to sit down and have dinner with friends that I haven’t seen for awhile. I am currently visiting with Kathleen and Mat formally City Church attendees. We played a wonderful game of 9 hole golf (cards). It was wonderful because I won! Up way too late again and so today I slept in, raided the fridge, spent time with the Lord, and finally showed my face between 12:30 and 1:00 p.m.. This was all done with advance notice as it was Kathleen’s (the other Kathleen) idea. What a great idea. I’ll try to log a picture of the homes I’ve been to so you can see the different places and styles.
After updating the blog I will go work out at the YMCA. I’ll try to log a picture of the homes I’ve been to so you can see the different places and styles. Hopefully this will publish with the slow internet speed here at the Willow Springs Library. None of the homes I’ve been in have WiFi. And not many more do that I’ll be with the next week or so. Uploads may be far and few between.
I’m hitting the road Jack…
But I do “want to come back for more”!
FINALLY! Saturday March 7 2015 is my expected date to leave. Hopefully I will be packed up and ready to fly between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.. I Have a luncheon date in St. Louis with a very special hunk of a man! (And his wife). And when I say hunk, I mean hunk! He is my beloved nephew Eric, first born son of my late brother. Eric is as special as he is big. When I get there I’ll take a picture of this late middle aged nephew of mine and show you just how handsome he is. Maybe just being handsome runs in the family. Eric has a heart for the Lord and his spirit is gentle. In my eyes he is a gentle giant in so many ways. I look forward to visiting with both Eric and his wife.
Between flight take-off in my little Silver Fox (yes, my car has a name too, as well as Soul) I have about 10 more days of preparation I’d like to do. So I must zoom it all in three days and still make sure I have time to go and say my farewells to two more beautiful men, my precious grandsons ages three and seven. I think the farewells will be the most difficult part of the “getting ready to go” aspect of my journey. Then one son, one daughter-in-law and my precious husband of 42 years I must bid goodbye. And that is the sum total of my family living in Wisconsin.
I’ll try to post another update on Saturday night when I reach my destination of Rolla, Missouri. Must sign off as I actually need to accomplish a few thousand things today.
Good News!
GOOD NEWS IS WORTH WAITING FOR! Arrived at the Doctor’s office at 2:00 p.m. today and he was called out for an emergency. We had the choice of rescheduling our doctor’s appointment or waiting. We didn’t care how long the wait, we were waiting. We were called in about 3:30 or so.
BOTH GROWTHS ARE BENIGN! The first one (which could be felt) was a calcification of of scar tissue and the leftovers from the first tumor I had removed three years ago. The second, deeper growth is not cancer but I can’t remember what it is exactly. I was given the option to have the surgery now or when I return in June. That decision is still pending. As of right now I am scheduled for surgery March 10th for the removal of two lumpectomies (also referred to as a partial mastectomy). I must call tomorrow with my final decision. That decision is pending. I am going to sleep on it.
I thank all of you who have been praying for me. It was a great relief to hear such good news. I thank God for giving me strength and joy and peace these last days. Had the diagnosis been different it would not have made a difference in how much I love Him for He is my continual strength, my continual peace, and my continual joy.
Once I make a decision on my departure date I will post it here on the Travel Log and will be contacting all who are on my route to make date arrangements for staying at your home or for the visits we have planned.
Prayer From a Friend
Early Thursday morning I was in my prayer room writing in my journal. I had just finished writing a poem when the phone rang. It was a new friend calling to give me encouragement for my recent news. He said he had a prayer for me and would like to pray for me. I never turn prayer down. He began to say a simple beautiful prayer to our Lord. My heart welled up with joy and laughter. I actually laughed out loud as he prayed for it just bubbled up from within. When he was finished I asked if I could read what I had just received from the Lord (for I believe all my poems are a gift received from God). Of course, how could he say no? I told my friend that the prayer he just prayed was the same as the poem I had just written. I read it to him. Afterwards he exuberantly expressed “Oh how wonderful to know that the Lord is just confirming how He has you wrapped in His arms”. And I agreed. Following is the poem:
Everlasting Treasure
Kathleen Martens
February 26, 2015
You, O Lord, are my song
That sings within my being.
Oh so sweet is Your voice
As a beauty that I’m seeing.
For your song is dance
And in Your presence alive.
Harmony flows from Your glory
And my spirit feels Your vibes.
A melody that fills my heart
And lasts all day long,
It fills me with beautiful words
Saying, to You I belong!
And I respond to Your rhythm
And gentleness of Your touch.
Though I deserve not Your grace,
To me You give so much.
Thank You Lord for filling me
With joy and peace without measure.
To carry Your song in my heart,
Is my everlasting treasure!
A Different Kind of Journey
My thoughts keep flitting to “where I should be right now” if I had left on schedule. But…that was not to be. Over the past few years God has taken me on some personal journeys. One journey in particular was learning how to live in the moment. That was something I could not do for many years of my life. Do I have it mastered? Perhaps not, but I am so much more content living in the present of each moment I live than I was in the past.
Tomorrow, Monday March 2nd is an important day for me. My husband and I will see the surgeon who will give us the results of my breast biopsy on the two growths growing inside me. Will they be malignant? That is a question I cannot help wonder about. And WONDER is the operative word in this sentence. I have not been worried, upset, sleepless, or discouraged. Worrying about something I have no control over only robs me of my current joy. I choose to think positive, believe positive, and trust in God’s plan for my life as I live in this moment. This moment is the only time I actually live and I will not squander it with worry.
I will send out an update tomorrow. This is a different kind of journey than I thought I would be taking at this time but day by day it will unfold and I will live each day to the fullest regardless the diagnosis I receive on Monday. Everyone has a different journey, a different adventure and when you have the Lord with you , you are never alone and never need fear. How awesome is that!
Visions of Poetry 