It's Monday. Most people groan about Monday, and I could say that I do as well. No one likes to get up early to do things that require preparations and thinking and listening and doing.... yet, we all do like the income, don't we?! It pays the bills, anyway. It's Monday and I'm back to a full week of work. I realized during our 'Christmas and New Year Break' how mentally burned out I was. I am going to need to track myself and take more days off I am thinking. Got to build my PTO back up first; I used nearly 70 hours over the holidays. I will know exactly what I have left after this pay period processes. I think I still have 60-ish hours, but I'm not sure. I'm not even sure how much I earn each month - although they have told us recently. I jumped to a new level when I hit 7 years...but I don't remember. No PTO is scheduled at the moment, and I need to save for April 24-27 as that is when we girls plan our next Jailbreak Getaway. I'll only use 16 hours since two of those days are the weekend. Something to look forward to and plan for.
Hubby is back to the gym at 7AM this morning. He's groaning at going so early, but he does like getting it out of the way in the mornings. When he comes back, he will finish up his quiet time. I don't go until 4:30PM so I've got my workday ahead of me. A full workday at that! I did get the minutes done but need to upload to the Teams site and review extended meetings again. I'm sure I've missed some. Lots of distractions at the end of the year and my mind just was not wanting to function for work.
Our friend came home from the hospital yesterday. She was admitted with chest pain - but the pain wasn't from her heart - she has shingles under her boobs! I called her on the way home from church and she updated me. She and I got to laughing somewhat - we are 'old-fashioned' and don't really want everything hanging out for all to see.... the doctors would come in to see her and leave the door/curtains open while they looked at her boobs and the rash under them. She finally told them that she was 'old' (she's younger than me, I think) and old-fashioned; she had modesty. I get it. Anyone who walked by her room could see her boobs. God made them for nursing babies (and our spouses) and not for the world to see.
We started our 21 day fast yesterday. I'm not going into detail as to what each of us is fasting; hubby is doing his thing and I'm doing mine. It's a choice we make first of all to fast, then what it is we are willing to give up for 21 days. It will be difficult at times, but we have committed and will follow through. I'm starting off with just ten days on what I have decided to fast and then will possibly include or remove some things for the remaining 11 days. Or I may leave it the same. I want the fast to draw me closer to God, not make me dread doing the fast. Does that make sense? I want to keep my eyes on Him, not on what I am - or not - eating.
Did you choose to give up something for 21 days? If so - for what reason? Sometimes our giving up something is good for us. I will say chocolate is not on my diet for 21 days. You may think that wouldn't be hard - but you haven't seen all the dark chocolate I got for Christmas! Plus, I have M&Ms still in the candy dish. I may have to bag those up and put away as we don't usually have many visitors that would get them eaten any time soon. Yeah, lots of chocolate sitting around here. I'm sitting here looking at 5 bags on top of my printer right now. I may need to hide those so that I won't be tempted.
Did you know that if you read 10 chapters of the New Testament a day, that in 21 days you can have read the entire New Testament? Pastor Jentezen Franklin challenged us yesterday with that so hubby and I started last night (we watched his message on YouTube last night since we didn't have time to yesterday morning) to read the chapters. Hopefully we will continue. I was already reading in the New Testament for this year and was already in Acts - but I have started back to Matthew to read during the fast - and my daily morning reading I have started back to Genesis. I love the Old Testament for what it teaches of God, but I love the New Testament as it talks about Jesus and how to live. So Old Testament in the morning and I will work through the New Testament during the 21 day fast. Can you do it? It's only day 2 of the fast; you can read 20 chapters today and be on track for tomorrow. You can do it!
Colossians 3:23 (NIV): Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.
I've often referred to that verse in my many years of working (I've been working since I was 15 1/2!) - but more so in the last 42 years I have been a Christian. I've had some 'trying' bosses who were difficult to work with. I can remember walking up and down a corridor singing 'The Joy of the Lord is my Strength' as I walked. That was a tough year, until I got moved out from under her. Now I sing it because of the work! LOL I've always tried to do my job with excellence and do it well - but sometimes it is difficult, especially when I don't like doing it - as in minutes. Except I have changed the way I do minutes now and I don't get as detailed as I used to. Just the basics and it goes through. There is a lot about my job I don't like, but it is because I work from home and not in the office where I can ask questions and have space to work. I definitely do need to clean off this desk - but even then, I won't have much room. I have a stack of papers on the left which are a lot of receipts for taxes.
Yeah, it's going to be that time again real soon. I ought to move the papers to the bed (and clutter it again) and sort out the papers as to where they go. I also need to call my dermatologist office and see if they have figured out from the insurance how much I still owe. Last time I figured it out, it was about $600-$800 dollars. Since I get my EOB before they do, I get an idea of what the insurance says I have to pay; but I don't know what they will discount. I do want to get it paid off quickly.
Hubby goes to see his prostate doctor today. He's had 5 shots, and he had some tests done last week to check on the progress of it. We're praying all is well. I still feel this doctor saw the aneurysm in hubby's abdomen and thought it was cancer and that the cancer in the prostrate had metastasized - but with the aneurysm getting bigger and that doctor wants to do surgery - possibly this month - on it, well, these two doctors need to get together on their diagnosis. In fact, I may mention to hubby that he needs to have this doctor talk to the cardiovascular doctor to determine the sites of this 'cancer'. It may be the aneurysm that showed upon the one report. Don't want to open an infection to cause it to spread it if is cancer versus an aneurysm. The aneurysm has been there for two-three years but has grown from 1cm to 4cm, which is why they want to do surgery. Yeah - I'm rambling, but the doctors need to compare sites of what they see on their scans. Are all scans the same? No - cause they are looking at different things.
And with that - I need to get off here and get ready for work. It's going to be a productive day - at least a busy one. Only one email came through since Friday - looks like no one wanted to work over the weekend, which is unusual. And it also means everyone is back from 'vacation' during the holidays and today will be busy! I've noticed, though, that some people are taking a week or two during this month - upper leadership anyway.
Have a productive, amazing, day!
Blessings!
