Overcoming negative thinking

Unsettled...Anxious....Frustrated.....Disappointed........Sad.....Defeated........Undone

The weekend is over and those words expressed my emotions this morning. I know I won't stay there and usually I don't post my negative thoughts, but somehow I just wanted to be honest. I'm hoping to put it out there will help to move me away from the feelings.

Nothing is really all that wrong. I had a significant amount of alone time over the weekend and spent the vast majority of that time studying. I took care of some household chores that needed doing. I spent some time with various family members and I had fun with the photo challenge.

So there's not really any reason to feel such negative emotions.

I didn't get as much done on my term paper as I had hoped, but I did start it and I do have next weekend to work on it.

I don't feel completely ready for Tuesday's test, but I did get over all of the material and have some good notes to review. I have time to do that tonight.

I didn't get all of the household chores done that probably should have been done, but I did some things that I had been putting off for a while and my hubby says he'll help on the ones I didn't get done.

I have made some poor eating choices this past week, but I can make better choices today.

There is so much positive and yet the negative seems to overwhelm and for no REAL reasons. I feel like a wimp for even posting these frustrations.

Lord, I need YOU and Your strength today. Please help me focus on You and the good things. Transform my poor choices into good choices. Change my focus to one of positive, productive thinking. Help me know that I have nothing worth complaining about.

Thanks for letting me vent a bit!!

I think I do feel better.

Orange Photo Challenge

Orange Memories!

Can you guess my high school colors?



Orange Flowers


During tax season, our accounting firm had a new flower arrangement on a table in the reception areas each week for about 6 weeks.
After a couple of weeks, I started taking pictures of them. This is a tulip that opened wide during the week.

Orange Leaves!!


This picture was made while on a fall folliage trip with my husband in Arkansas a few years back. Aren't the rain drops on the leaves beautiful?

Alarm Clock

I thought you all should meet my most reliable alarm clock. This is Little Bit! Her primary role in my household is to wake me up at 6:06 AM. She fulfills her responsibility very well.

We go through the same routine every morning. Just after 6 AM, her sharp piercing, "Meow, meow, meow, meow" finds its way into my ear canal and bounces off my ear drum. Somehow my hand finds its way to her body and strokes her in hopes of stopping the persistent, "Meow, Meow." The stroking only stops her meowing for a few brief seconds. An eye seems to find its way to the clock to verify that Little Bit's internal clock is still set to 6:06 AM. My mind acknowledges that I really should get up. My mouth forms the words, "OK, Little Bit, I'll get up." My feet hit the floor and the "Meow" is no more. Little Bit and I manage to find the bathroom and then the kitchen. We both verify that there is indeed food in her bowl. I usually find my way to the recliner and my laptop, to check email and the latest posts to blog pages as my mind attempts to transfer into "awake" mode. So "Good Morning, World!"

Relationship

Today's message is that NOTHING is more important than my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I must do everything possible to protect that relationship. It is amazing how easy it is for Satan to distract me from this very important part of my life.

First Test

I had my first test in my college class last night. I had studied the material and had felt pretty confident before time. However, when the teacher handed the test to me and I started reading through the questions, there were several that I had no idea of the answer. There were more that I was unsure of as well. The further I went, I became was becoming panicked. So I stopped, bowed my head and talked with my God. I asked for help in calming down and focusing. It was amazing that almost instantly, I felt better. The next several questions were questions I felt fairly certain that I knew how to answer. I took my time and read each question thoroughly. I believe I did my best. Afterwards, I checked out a few of the ones I was unsure of and know that I missed some of them. I'm hopeful that I will end up with a B even though a C is a possibility. I will be surprised if I get an A.

I recognize that I must spend more time studying for this next exam than I did the last one. I also know that I must put forth significant effort on my research paper in order to get an A on that project. It appears that I will need a solid grade on that project to improve my overall grade.

I have a full day ahead of me today. Work, study time, drive to Jill's to pick up Mema.

My Weekend

I had a very good weekend. Friday evening after work I stopped by the grocery store to get that task out of the way.

That left Saturday for household responsibilities. After some blogging time and Bible study and even a little bit of college class study, I got started cleaning mid morning on Saturday. I was able to accomplish the normal weekly cleaning tasks and a couple of extra projects too. I took time out in early afternoon to watch Bucket List with my husband. It was a good movie. It felt really good going to bed with my house, laundry, and yard work all in good shape. I even had lunch mostly prepared for the next day.

Sunday morning included checking in on final photo challenge comments and pictures and making dessert, Dirt and Worms, for lunch before going to my wonderful "Heartstrings" ladies class and church service. Arriving back home, I put the finishing touches on lunch. Two of our sons and our daughter-in-law were here for lunch. We had a nice meal and visit.

Rusty and Kirsten showed us pictures and movie clips of their recent visit to her brother's in California. They had especially enjoyed Universal Studios.

After everyone left and the kitchen was cleaned up, I did a bit of reading for my Economics class.

Around 5:30, I went to the local half-way house to meet with Cindy who had visited our Heartstrings class last week. (I wrote about her visit to our home last week.) We weren't having small group, so Cindy and I ended up at Town Lake Park for a visit on a park bench. Another new friend to get to know.

Some more study time and my weekend is through.

New Friends

Sometime during the last week I stumbled onto the Communication Photo Challenge. I thought it would be fun to participate and it was a lot of FUN. I enjoyed reading the comments and looking at the other pictures and reading some of the other participants posts and profiles. I find myself anxious to see what is going on in the lives of my new found friends lives and thinking that I'd like to share more of my life and thoughts with them.

I'm a bit afraid that my obsessive, impulsive nature will allow this new interest to interfere with my already hectic life and responsibilities.

Somehow, I think I will receive inspiration from each of my new blog friends to be a better person in all areas of my life.

Photo Challenge

This is my first photo challenge. Thank you Cindra for hosting it. At first I couldn't imagine what photo would fit that category and then I realized that almost any photo could fit that category. Any way I found some pictures I have taken over the years that spoke to me as I reviewed my pictures.




My kitties are not very respectful of "boundaries."

My co-worker discusses every tax return she signs with the taxpayer. A personal touch to help them understand how their numbers fit the tax law.

My heritage lies here!

Frustration is the message!!!

Tagged, I'm It

My friend, Karen, has tagged me. I'm okay with giving the 7 random things. My problem will be who to tag to keep the game going. I don't really have any blog friends other than Karen. Maybe I'll find someone to tag, even if I can't get the 7 according the following rules.

The Rules of the Tag Game:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

My Seven Facts about ME:

1) I love cats and have almost always had a cat ever since I can remember. Here are some of the names of my cats: Snowball, Snowflake, Lucky, Smokey, Poko, Fireball, Whitey, Brown Sugar but we called him Sugar, Fluffy, and my current cats--Panther and Little Bit. We have a neighborhood cat that really wants to be our cat. She stays on our porch and ever so often convinces someone to let her in for a little food. We call her Blondie sometimes. (I think maybe she is our cat, we just aren't claiming her yet.) Now that was a trip down memory lane as my mind considered special events in my life with the typing of each cat's name. I think I just relived 40+ years.

2) On August 4th, 2008, I will have been married 29 years. WOW! I can't believe it.

3) I'm a numbers person! Numbers make sense to me and I love the fact that there are right and wrong answers to math problems. I like the challenge of problem solving to figure out an answer. I get frustrated in the process, but am so intrigued by the challenge that once I get into a problem, I just can't quit. Then I feel so fulfilled when I get the answer, that it's like an internal celebration!!

4) I have 3 sons and a daughter-in-law. They are all adults now--An engineer married to a medical assistant (well sort of), a paramedic on his way to be an RN, and a soldier still searching for direction in life.

5) I like taking pictures with my digital camera. My favorite thing to take pictures of is flowers.

6) I am the youngest of 3 kids. My parents have both gone to live in heaven. Daddy in October 1999 and Mama in March 2002.

7) I love Mexican food!! El Chico chips and Hot Sauce is my all time favorite.

Now, who can I tag? I really don't have any blog friends other than Karen.

Leigh

Life's "Interruptions"

I have an amazing story to tell of how God works in the details of our lives and those around us. Many times our plans are interrupted by events or opportunities to serve. These "interruptions" are not really interruptions from God's point of view. The are not coincidence either. He directs and orchestrates many situations to bring about interactions between people that need each other. When we are in the midst of the "story" it can be frustrating or ordinary or troublesome or exciting or just plain crazy. When we look back upon it all, the only response can be, "God, You are soooooooo.........HOLY!" God, You are so amazing, in control, awesome, incredible, fantastic, and so on and on. Words are really so inadequate to describe God.

A new person joined our small group family today. Hang on tight to follow the twists and turns of this journey.

Last November, Garry and I responded to God's message regarding small groups by making a choice to host a small group in our home beginning in January 2008. Our group has been meeting off and on since then with 5 people other than us. Rarely are all of us here at the same time. Our group is a varied group with some married, some divorced, some never married, some widowed. Our ages range from 25 to 62. So just what is the "common" denominator of this group? A desire to cut away pretense and experience a genuine relationship with God. Although our group hasn't exactly developed according to our initial expectations, Garry and I remain committed that this is something He wants us to do together.

Along comes twist number one for today--Garry is finally released to go back to work after 14 months off due to a work related injury. His schedule includes him having to work during our regularly scheduled meeting time. After consideration of our schedules, we arrive at an alternative time slot earlier in the day. This doesn't work best for everyone, but it really seems like the only time available.

Time to take a detour and examine some unplanned events in my BFG teacher's life. Our class has collected money to buy Gas cards for the local half-way house ministry named Freedom Crossing. For some reason, she is delayed in delivering the cards until this past Tuesday which just happens to be Cindy's first day at the home. Cindy has spent the last 6 months in a wonderful faith based rehab program for drug and alcohol addicts. She has moved to the next step in her journey to a life honoring her new found Lord and Savior. She is hungry for Christian influence and fellowship, so she immediately connects with the teacher who invites her to attend our class and church today. Cindy is lovingly welcomed by the Heartstrings class. The lesson challenges us to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us to meet needs in the lives of people around us. Just as class is dismissing, the teacher receives a message from her family that prevents her from taking Cindy back to the home. I overhear her asking some other class members for help. Garry and I drive very near to Cindy's new home and so I insisted on us taking her home.

The wonderful uplifting music and scripture readings during the music portion of the service are so beautifully in line with the subject of our small group lesson that I'm amazed again at God's coordination of topics in different venues of my spiritual journey. Did you stay with me in that turn?

Now back to the detour. On our way home, Garry invites Cindy to have lunch with our family and stay for small group meeting at 2:00. We aren't really sure who from our family will be joining us for lunch. Our married son just got home from vacation and hadn't told us if they were planning to come for lunch or not.

Are you ready for another detour? Our other son had been wanting us to invite a young couple from his church for lunch sometime. All of a sudden it just seemed to make sense to include them in today's events. Another phone call and the place setting number rises to 6. A text message confirms that Rusty and Kirsten are indeed coming. Now there's 8 plates on the table. A little while later, Jessica decides to joins us as well. Our final count of 9 for dinner seems a far cry from the 3 I thought I would be preparing lunch for this morning when I put some canned veggies on the counter. Garry did a great job entertaining Cindy while I put together a delicious meal including dessert.

We sit to eat with only an hour before time for our small group lesson to begin. During the course of lunch discussion Stephen's friend tells Cindy of a potential job within walking distance of her home. A coincidence? No, God orchestrated these twists and turns to connect those two individuals. Wonderful help from everyone gets the kitchen cleaned up in record time.

We transition to our small group time. The group welcomed Cindy with open hearts and arms. We all enjoyed a lively discussion of God's holiness and His call to us to live holy, separated lives.

There are so many other details and ins and outs related to the appropriateness and connections that were established today that I could type for hours and not fully describe them all.

I hope you could follow the twists and turns and see the incredible work of God's hand in today's events.