Yesterday was a fun day. I cooked breakfast, which made hubby very happy. Afterwards we didn't do much until it was time to go to a great-granddaughter's dance recital. She looked so cute in her outfit and the littles ones did well. Afterwards we came home and I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I really was thinking about getting some baking done, but didn't. I had picked up fried chicken at the grocery and added some veggies for dinner. The chicken was the worst I have ever picked up at Fry's. It looked to be 'double-breaded' (which one layer is more than enough) and still pink on the inside. I only ate a couple pieces, but my stomach was reacting to it most of the evening. I told hubby it just felt queasy. Guess I won't be buying chicken at Frys anymore. Fried chicken doesn't need breading at all, let alone double breading. Even hubby said it wasn't that good. Will try stripping the breading off and see if it tastes any better on the remaining pieces. I'm a little leery of it since my stomach - which is usually the strong one between us - wasn't real happy after eating it.
I ended up not baking but finishing up a quilt I have for another great-granddaughter. Now my focus is on the one blanket for a new one coming in January - not sure if I will get it completed by the time they gather with us for Christmas but will give it a try. It will be my focus now. Once it is done, I have two more small quilts for the little ones coming next year. Not going to stress over those - they will get them eventually.
Today we go to the RV park in town. I've already gone through the message this morning and after that I give it to God and ask for His help in not losing my place, that I will speak clearly. He always does. Well, I have lost my place a time or two - and I usually say God allows that to keep me humble. The messages are not about me, but about Him. Many times, they don't even know when I've messed up, but I know. And trust me, it does keep me humble! I don't speak next week, but then I speak the next two Sundays (one is communion as well), and then skip a week, and then I speak again. All at the same place so I need to come up with three messages within a very short time - and Christmas is almost upon us - and I have lots of things to get done! But I love every minute that I get to speak about Jesus. Yeah, preparing the messages sometimes are tedious and time-consuming, but getting to share Jesus is well worth it. I need to have the first one started by next Sunday as they will be calling me to get the title and scripture. Then the next one by the following Sunday - and on down. They always call the week before to get the information for their bulletins. Yeah, they still use bulletins. Helps me stay on track. The one up north all I have to do is preach and give the benediction. The one down here I also do the pastoral prayer, the offering prayer, communion on the first Sunday of the month, the message and benediction. And I love every minute of it. I have a captive audience for what I want to share. LOL
Hubby and I were both exhausted last night for some reason. All we really did was go to a dance recital for a great-granddaughter. We went to bed a little after 8PM and I don't know about him, but I woke up at 2:30AM; prayed for my children, then back to sleep until nearly 5AM, when I finally got up. I obviously needed that sleep and it was deep. I had bought one of those grounding sheets and I really think - as silly as it sounds - that is helping us to sleep deeply. I have more nights of deep sleep than not.
I received yet a third package from my big brother yesterday. I asked him if I could open it, but he said if I did, I'd have to use it. That's enough to scare me. I didn't open it. I told him I couldn't open it because I had no room to 'use' anything right now. I did get one package from my little sister yesterday as well - we had decided on cookbooks this year, I think I have shared that. She gave me 4 books - two were Taste of Home cookbooks - which I love - and one is to write recipes in (she probably forgot she gave me a similar one a couple years ago, still haven't written any recipes in it), and one that is 'Grandma's recipes' - which looks like photos of old index cards when we used to write the recipes on them and put in a recipe box. I still have mine and the one Aunt Mae and Aunt Sue used. One of these days I need to go through them and do something with them - you think? When I retire, perhaps? HAH. Good thought though, right?
If I did everything that I put off doing until I retire - well, I'd never get things done! I do need to quite procrastinating - I am a good one at that, right? If one of the grandchildren said 'I need' or 'I want' I would look to see what I have that I'm not using and give it away. We have so much 'stuff'. My kids will not speak highly of me after I'm gone if I don't get rid of it! The only thing that 'saved' my mama was that she moved in with my big brother and had no choice but to let go of a lot of things. I want to do it before it gets to that point. Yes, I hold on to a lot, I admit it. But hubby is just as bad as I am. I am my mother's daughter, and yes, I inherited the procrastination and holding on to things from her. I also got the 'give it away' gene. Tell me you want something!!
Mark 1:40 (NKJV): Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."
You will read many times in the scriptures of Jesus being moved with compassion. Don't we wish that people nowadays would be moved with more compassion than what they show?! Compassion is kindness in action. It's more than tossing a couple bucks at someone. It's more like picking someone up who has fallen, making sure they are ok, and walking with them aways to make sure they are well enough to go on. It's waiting on your spouse when they feel ill - not because you have to or because it is the right thing to do, but because you feel compassion and love and care for them, and want them to feel better. It's going out of your way to provide a meal for someone who may not need it, but they need to know that someone 'sees' them and cares about them. Does any of that make sense?
Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone and touch someone who has a need? Maybe the 'need' one has isn't physical, meaning you can't see that need. Maybe they just need to know that they matter. We see it all the time, don't we? Only we miss the opportunity when it arises - or we ignore it because we 'don't want to get involved'. I'm just as guilty for some of that. If I hear of one having a need, I am more than happy to pick up a meal and drop off to them. And that works. But what about after that?
As I'm writing this, I'm thinking that I still have not been over to see Ms. Diane or Ms. Vicky for the past two months. I really have no excuse; I can take my yarn with me to crochet there (and have). It would have been more difficult to take the quilt. My only excuse is that I have been feeling so tired and worn out lately that I've allowed 'me' to interfere with visiting our neighbors. Hubby is still after me to invite our new neighbors over for a meal since they had us over for a meal. I really do want to before Christmas - but I know they want to see the house and I'm no where near the decorator they are and next to their open space now, ours looks so tiny - ok, the reality is that this room is still such a mess I don't want anyone to see it. So suck it up Buttercup! I can shut the door and invite them over. Mayber one night this week. I will fix 2-3 different kinds of soup and invite them over. Maybe. And I still need to go see Ms. Diane and Ms. Vicky. But I want to bake first so that I can take them Christmas stuff for I probably will not get back over there. Sigh. I really do want to go visit; I'm just too weary to make myself do it. Maybe this afternoon I will go see Ms. Vicky. Maybe one lunchtime next week I can pick up Arby sliders (I know Ms. Diane likes them) and run over to have lunch with her. Maybe. Lord, help me be a good neighbor!
Time is slipping away and I need to begin getting myself presentable for church. Even at the RV park I dress up and try to look nice. :-) Don't want to scare them away. Not sure if we will make it over to the SA church or not; our two couple friends at this RV park do go over after the service, but we stand at the back and say goodbye to people as they leave after service. I told hubby that if there isn't enough time to get there on time, we can go home. He's ok with that. This RV park has about 200 people when it's full. The RV park up north only had about 40 people when we were there last week. Many snowbirds hadn't came in yet.
Which reminds me - our friend from this RV park in town mentioned to me last Sunday that the man who had spoken that day had seemed kind of weak and he may quit preaching there; could I pick up the slack. I said "Sure! If I'm needed." One pastor retired last year and I got some of his Sundays. I usually have only one Sunday a month - but this time I have about 3 more times to speak. Yeah, I'm loving it, but it sure is keeping me busy!
And with all that - I'm off here. Got to start getting ready. Have an amazing day!
Blessings!
