Time to Be Still

My job continues, but looks totally different than it did. I am working on an as needed basis and was told that with budget concerns I probably would not be working much...I had no problem with that, I felt like the Lord wanted me to be willing to let the job go and I had. The next week I was told I could work as much as I wanted to in July and I was trained to do another job in my department, so I could be available in that position if needed. I have been working less (by choice) and I have been able to decide when I work, including taking time off  time when I need to.

I saw this as temporary, every indication I had gotten from my manager was this was temporary....but now it looks like it could last awhile and I am left a little perplexed. What am I supposed to be doing? I thought the job was ending or at the very least be limited. I don't mind the job, the pressure is now gone and I have flexibility that I wanted, but is this what God had in mind all the while,was it just the willingness to let the job go? Do I continue where I am at or is there another direction that God has for me, I feel like I am at a crossroads of sorts and need to hear from God.

 "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

Husband is out of town on business...I am with him. He is gone all day working, I am alone without a schedule. This is something that is quite foreign to me, (no schedule) but its a good thing. I have been encouraged by friends to use this time away to be still before the Lord, to let family handle things at home and to turn off my cell phone..(probably can't do that)  I have planned to do some reading (I brought some much neglected books) some photography...it is a beautiful place and yes I have planned to be still.

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice, in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation  Psalm 5:3

Changing Roles

We recently had the pleasure of having our youngest son home. He was here for about three weeks, it was a time for him to "decompress",  visit with family, get some rides in and practice for the next gig. He is planning  to come back for a couple of days the end of August to join the family at a lake house...if that can happen I will be thrilled.

While he was home he was able to spend some time with his brother and we were able to arrange a family outing...something we have never been able to do because of various reasons.(schedules, commitments, finances etc) It was fun seeing the brothers "hanging" together...and the nieces and nephew loved spending time with their uncle.

With each visit home after my son moved out I would notice more and more of the child disappearing and more of the man emerging...I think this summer I noticed that the transition was complete, he is grown and well able to take care of himself. Note to self...mom if you haven't figured it out yet your role has changed! (actually it changed a long time ago)

As a parent of adult children I need to remember God has a plan for them, it may not look like my plan but that's okay because his plan is going to be better anyway. The training is done...don't look back, just as God is in control of my life he is in control of theirs too....really! I need to talk less, listen more and pray often....Am I always going to remember this...nooo... it's pretty hard not to voice my opinions, after all I have so many, but with God's grace I will learn how to adapt to this new role. A quote I read the other day pretty much sums up what we all should be doing when it comes to our children

"It didn't take me long to realize that I did my best parenting by prayer. I began to speak less to the kids and more to God. It was actually quite relaxing."  from A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller. I'd say that was pretty good advice

"My grace is sufficient for you , for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me"  2 Corinthians 12:9






                              

Water Play

Our deck is well used in the summer. It's great for morning coffee, summer dinners and family gatherings. Put a baby gate at the stairs and it makes a perfect kiddie corral for our newly walking granddaughter. She loved the freedom of being outdoors and we liked the idea that her area of exploration was limited to the deck. At first she just walked back and forth from one side of the deck to the next, then the water fountain caught her attention
                                            

                                                   

We knew the water fountain would be tempting. We expected that she would want to play in the water, but there were plenty of adults on the deck to supervise the play

She enjoyed splashing around with her hands but it got to the point that she wanted to take a closer

look....okay where are all the adults that are supposed to be supervising??

You knew it was going to end this way, didn't you?

Wishing this little red headed gal a very Happy Birthday

Keeping Forever In View

I woke up early this morning, before the sun was even up. I could have gone downstairs but instead I laid in bed thinking about the day ahead. I thought about the friends I might run into today, situations I have been praying for in their lives and mine.Then I started praying for each situation as the Lord would put a name on my heart, asking the Lord how he would want me to pray.

We all want answers to our prayers and I believe that God does answer prayers but in that moment I felt like the Lord was asking me...what if these situations don't change...how are you going to encourage? What if this is my plan for them. What if your circumstances don't change, what if this is where you are going to stay, are you willing to be satisfied?

Can we still have peace, joy, contentment, even in the midst of difficult situations, I think we can if our hope is vertical instead of horizontal. I know it is not always easy, we get tired, weary, discouraged...we want relief! So back to the question, how to encourage or be encouraged if a circumstance never changes? We need to encourage each other to put our hope in that which does not change. ( The Lord and his promises) We need to be reminded  that this world is not our forever. We need to be reminded that God is in control and that he will never give us more than we can bear, that he always has a plan and it is always for our good....always. We need to help each other see what we cannot always see, through God's word

We need to be reminded that horizontal hope will always fail us (hope in people, things, jobs, health, finances etc....broken world, fallen people) but we have a hope that is secure, that will not fail us.

With Christ as our savior this life is as bad as it gets, without Christ this life is as good as it gets. That gives me hope

Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time  1 Peter 1:3-5

Drug Holiday Continues

I have been on a "drug holiday" from my Arimidex for the last couple of months. The purpose was to see if they could get me healthier. The good news is I have had a lot of improvement off this drug, the bad news is that they want me to go back on something else but are going to extend the "holiday" a couple of more months. The purpose for the extension...he wants to give me a chance to continue to get healthier and he wants me to get moving....that would be to start exercising.

Now like I said this is a temporary thing, we will be discussing drug alternatives when I see him again in September. In the meantime he wants me to start drinking pomegranate juice on a daily basis. Apparently studies have shown that it works as a very mild aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase inhibitors help block the production of estrogen....estrogen fed my tumor. Arimidex is just one of  the several aromatase inhibitors out there that are prescribed for women who have estrogen positive breast cancer. He made it quite clear that drinking pomegranate juice could not replace taking one of the aromatase inhibitors but it was something I could do until he was able to get me back on another drug that I could tolerate better. When I asked him if I really needed to go back on something the answer was yes...I was too young and the risk of the cancer reoccurring in the long term would be too great without continued treatment

The down side of drinking this stuff, is it's high in calorie and I think it's on the expensive side. I was told you can find it cheaper in places like Costco but have not made the trek yet....it also has a taste that takes some getting used to, not bad just "surprising" I can only drink it cold

Now to the other part of the recommendation...the get moving part. I have pretty much been a couch potato for the last couple of years. Since surgery....almost two years ago,  I have been able to resume walking and do some light gardening (no more digging or heavy lifting at this point) but as far a going to the gym, bike riding or long distance walking....that has not been happening. Following surgery I had one medical problem after another and a hip that just wouldn't tolerate much exercise. I have never been able to get to the point that I was presurgery. The good news is things are much better, including that pesky hip...so hopefully I'll be riding one of these again real soon. I have this little excursion planned for August, there will be some walking involved....perhaps that will be my motivation to get moving

**Please note I am not a physician, never make any changes in any type of your treatment without consulting YOUR  physician first, this would include adding things like pomegranate juice to your diet...every situation is different**

Gonna Be Some Cooking Going On

Because of my job change I am now going to have more time on my hands...or at least that's the theory. (There are those that have their doubts) I get so excited when I think of all the different things I can now do, some of the projects I would like to tackle, but I wanted to get some feedback from my husband to see if there was anything in particular he would like me to do with all my new found "free time" first. He replied that he would think about it and send me a list...email of course...it is after all the electronic age. I was surprised by the following list that I received

     My Special List...things you can cook

•  Your special pizza                                    
• Special pasta sauce
• Home made bread
• Chicken pot pie
• Texas chicken salad
• Fajitas
• London broil
• Barbecue chicken
• Brownies

Got to love this guy, not exactly what I was expecting, wow I never thought about doing more cooking  It's not that I don't cook, but meals here, well they are kind of simple most of the time, anything that requires much preparation is usually reserved for the weekends. So you know what I am going to be doing with some of the extra time I have on my hands don't you.... I am going to be cooking...I started by making my special pizza.

Spending The Holiday At The Beach

I have a lot of fond memories of the 4th of July, it has always been a time that we have spent together with friends and family and this year was no different. Our son and his family decided they were going to go to the beach and called and asked if we wanted to join them. Now I love the beach but I  don't like sitting in the hot sun, but I am also grandma and this grandma will take any opportunity to spend time with the grandchildren. So armed with SPF 70 lotion, hats and umbrella we headed to the beach.The plan was to get there early and leave before the sun got too intense. It was a plan that worked well

 Body surfing in the "waves"

Little Miss has no fear of the water...thus the life jacket

Miss B is the swimmer of the bunch, I think she spent the whole time in the water

This little gal has been walking about a month now, she spent her time walking to the surf and back again to "home base" with the adults keeping a watchful eye.

The day ended quite nicely, we left before it got too hot and the little ones got too tired. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, guess it's all about timing.

What kind of holiday memories did you make?

Some Things Never Change

 My sons enjoyed playing with Legos when they were growing up, they could spend hours building things. The following pictures are of my youngest son many years ago at an event called Lego Mania

My grandson is now old enough for Legos

 Facebook

From the looks of this picture I think his uncle might be willing to pull out that stored bin of Legos and build some stuff with him the next time he comes for a visit