Today would have been my mama's 106th birthday. Highly unlikely that she would have lived that long, but she was born 106 years ago today. That seems like forever, doesn't it? And yet, I think of how far away 75 years is and it's like - wow - when did I get so old?! But I'm young at heart - or try to be. Sometimes my body has to remind my mind that it isn't as young as I like to think it is. I'm really glad that I have kept 'somewhat' active over the years - at least before covid I did a lot of walking. With sitting all day at a desk, and then sitting all evening on the couch, can you just imagine what atrophy my body would have if I didn't work out a night or two and at least try to get some exercise? I shudder at that thought! I choose to be active. I reject medication as much as I can. Yeah, it sounds like I'm being proud when I say my only medication from my doctors is for my thyroid and my cholesterol and my bones. The cholesterol I still argue about, but at least at 10mg it's only a smidgen. My bones - well, I do need my strength, but as I may have shared before, my doctor said that if my bones continue to show strength and density, then after taking the Fosamax at 5 years (2 more years to go!!) I can quit taking them. I won't need to take any medication for it. And working out has helped immensely in building my bones up. My mother was a hypochondriac - she was always finding something that hurt, and if she wasn't hurting, she was thinking of something she might have. Every doctor I have gone to I have told them, please don't let me get caught up in taking pills for everything. I don't want to live my life sitting in a chair, taking pill after pill. I know that if you tell yourself long enough you have a headache, or your shoulder or leg hurts, it will begin to hurt, for you have convinced your mind. I've seen it happen. I don't want to be like that. I want to be able to live my life as a 'free woman' - not as an invalid. They miss out on so much! I will fight against taking any medication at all for as long as I can. I may end up eating my words at some point, but I will fight for my health as long as I can. I hope you do as well.
Sorry - guess my thoughts just rambled away up there. Sometimes we do need medication, and we do need to take it as prescribed. But I saw my mama take pill after pill and I don't want that for my life. I choose life. God decides HOW I live it - healthy and well or sick and needing medication - but my choice is to live healthy. I do my part.
I miss my mama. I miss her fried chicken. No one can cook it like my mama did. Shoot, I don't even fry food anymore here at home. Fried chicken from Frys has been the closest to what mama cooked, but it has gotten salty lately so haven't gotten it for awhile. Albertson's is good, as is Safeway's. Yeah, I've tried a few of them. I love fried chicken; what can I say?! KFC is 'ok'; Church's was mama's favorite, but one time I had it, it was greasy, and I stopped eating it for awhile. Last time I had it, it wasn't bad. We also stop at Popeye's - I like it - a lot - but nothing beats my mama's fried chicken.
Reminds me of the story of the little boy who, when asked at school what was his favorite animal, he said chicken. When asked why, he said because he likes it fried. This went on a few times and he kept getting sent down to the principal's office. He said he couldn't help it. His favorite was fried chicken. I can't remember exactly how the story goes - but I read it again the other day and it just popped in my mind, cause I too, like fried chicken.
I got through the board meeting yesterday and nearly had a panic attack afterwards. Because the powerpoint was sent out just that morning, a board member complained they didn't have time to review the minutes of our last meeting. Asked if they could be sent out after the meeting. No problem. After the meeting I went to May 8, which was to be our last meeting. There were no minutes in my folder. I went to the Teams folder, where we put all the information given to the board members. No minutes there. I go to the power point we sent out and saw it was February 14th's meeting minutes that had been attached. I was horrified that we could have made that mistake! I was going through every folder - did I misfile it? and searched everywhere, trying to find the May minutes. After about a half hour, I remembered. We cancelled the May 8th meeting, therefore there would be no minutes, and February was the last meeting. Breathing a sigh of relief at that remembrance, I typed 'cancelled' beside the May 8th folder so that I would remember in the future and resent out the February minutes. Whew. Now I do need to get these minutes typed from yesterday's meeting and get them in the folders. I also made a note on my calendar that for our November 13th meeting, to send out the week before so that the board could approve at the meeting. What an afternoon it was!
Hubby came in the other day and asked if we could runaway up north in a couple weeks. I declined the weekend he suggested, but decided we could 'run away' the weekend of October 11th. We'll just head up north - I got the executive suite at the hotel so that we could have lots of room. I have a feeling we may get the one we got the year I got so sick up there. One thing for sure - if it even hints of a smell of disinfectant, I will request a room change. I have learned my lesson. I know that is what made me so sick - and I still have the aftereffects of staying in that room for 2 days. But, I pushed through it then and I push through the effects now.
I will be 'out' of the office this afternoon to get a couple tests completed - my mammogram and the bone density test. At least I am able to get them both done this afternoon and be done with them. I'm hoping my doctor will contact me after these tests; I'm still concerned my iron has dropped so low. I really don't want to take an iron pill so am going to up my intake of kale and spinach. Greens are always good. I don't really eat a lot of meat, so that could have been my problem as well. I get tired, but only occasionally do I feel exhausted. I have heard my sister had to get iron infusions for her low iron, and my little brother has mentioned his iron is low as well, but the doctors think something else is the cause of his. Mine is probably just age related - and if I eat more greens, I will build it back up. Food, not medication, right? And I do love food!!
Psalm 100:5 (NIV): For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
When I awoke this morning, a song came to my mind. "All my life you have been faithful, All my life you have been good, so good! With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God! "
No matter what we go through, our God is faithful to walk with us through that journey, no matter how hard it seems. Sometimes it may seem like you are walking on that journey alone, but you are never alone, for He is always with you. Why? Because I asked Him to watch over you and take care of you. He is faithful; always faithful. And I am so grateful He is. I can seek Him for each one of my children, my grandchildren, and great grandchildren as well. I can seek him for hubby, and even for myself. And I know that He hears me. He has never forsaken me - in my tough times when I don't feel Him near, I know that He always is. And He is always near you as well.
When was the last time you talked with Him? Why not just sit back and have a conversation now - tell Him what is going on in your mind, in your life, in your family. He knows it already, yes, but have you ever had a conversation with Him about it? Ask Him what to do? You may - or may not - get an immediate answer, but it feels good to tell Him all your thoughts and get it out. You will feel so much better. Experience I have in this area! I can tell my Jesus about my heartaches and know that He will walk with me through them.
I saw a blog this morning about another senior pastor being dismissed from the pulpit for having an 'inappropriate' relationship with a woman. What are these men thinking? Their lives have been filled with preaching the Word of God - and yet - moral failure. It breaks my heart, for many times it causes the people who trusted him to fall away from church. Not only church, but many will fall away from God. There have been several 'falls' this year. It is heart-breaking, and I can imagine how grieved God's heart is. But the Bible tells that in the last days that secret sins will be brought to light. And we are in the last days and the end is near. No one knows the date or time, but Og and Magog are already in place; there is war in Israel, earthquakes are happening; rumors of war are everywhere.... read Revelations and you will see all the signs that are in place. But the question still remains -
Are you - and your family - ready for Jesus to return? It is our responsibility to entrust each one to God and help them know Him. To do that, we need to know Him. I am often reminded of something a pastor friend of mine said as she was being put out for surgery several years ago. She kept telling the doctors...."let me tell you about my Jesus".... who are you telling about your Jesus?
Blessings!
