Our church had a ladies retreat this weekend. The theme for the weekend was "perseverance" and discipleship. I was honored to be invited to be part of a panel for the perseverance theme. I don't really feel like I'm an expert at persevering, but when I told my daughter that, she responded with some very kind and encouraging words: "...Being that an expert is someone who has a comprehensive knowledge about a particular subject I would say you qualify to talk about suffering. Maybe you don't feel that you are suffering well, but you do know it well and will certainly have wisdom to share. I'm sure it will be good for you and I'm glad you are going."

I'm glad I did it. I spent a lot of time this past week thinking about the subject, looking up Scripture and praying about how the Lord could use me to minister and encourage others who are going through hard times. One of the questions that was asked was: "How have you maintained your faithfulness in your journey?"

Anyone who reads my blog knows I am a reader. I constantly have 2 or 3 books going. I choose books that will challenge me in my walk with the Lord, books that focus on the goodness of God, on the purpose of suffering, or biographies of people who have endured through hard times. 

Here is a list of some of my favorite books:
1. Be Still My Soul, by Nancy Guthrie
2. The Rest of the Gospel, by Dan Stone
3. Holding on to Hope, by Nancy Guthrie
4. Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow, by Nancy Guthrie
5. If God is Good, by Randy Alcorn
6. Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, by Timothy Keller
7. When God Weeps, by Joni Eareckson Tada
8. A Place of Healing, by Joni Eareckson Tada
9. Jesus Wept, by Bruce Marchiano
10. Abide in Christ, by Andrew Murray

Music also ministers to me. Often times, songs are developed in the heart of the song writer because of difficulties they are facing. Those kinds of songs speak to the heart, reminding us of God's faithfulness, love and presence. 

My suggestions of songs that are uplifting and God honoring:
1. O My Soul, All My Days by Casting Crowns
2. More Than Anything, by Natalie Grant
3. Even If, by Mercy Me
4. Reckless Love, by Cory Asbury 
5. Trust in You, by Lauren Daigle 
6. The Cross Has the Final Word, by the Newsboys
7. At the Cross, by Chris Tomlin


And there are many more.

One of the things I mentioned that helps me through the hard times is Scripture memory. Years ago, when I started memorizing Scripture, I promised God I wouldn't brag about how many verses I knew by heart. It would be a secret between him and me. But I felt him prompting me to mention the importance of "hiding God's Word in our hearts." I confessed that I have memorized whole books of the Bible, as well as whole portions of other meaningful texts. The reason I felt this is an important step in being able to cope with life's trials is that now when I have a night where I can't sleep, I have something to think about. Reviewing passages I have memorized places my mind in the right place - instead of going to the worry place. I do that anyway, but I'm so grateful that I can leave the worry and go to the Scriptures for peace and comfort. Sometimes, I review for hours, but usually, it only takes a minute or two before I feel myself relaxing and drifting back to sleep. 

One of the passages I memorized a while back was 2 Peter 1:1-11. As I was reviewing it this week, I was struck with the word "perseverance" in the middle of a list of qualities that we receive as a result of knowing Jesus. Perseverance is next to godliness (not cleanliness!). But that list of qualities, faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love, are given to us by Jesus' divine power for life and godliness.

All of life is dependent on Jesus living in and through me. Apart from Him I can do nothing. He is faithful and helps me to be faithful. He is the God of encouragement and encourages me to do what I need to do. Jesus persevered through what God had called Him to, and He helps me to persevere. Even the perseverance is from Him. Without Him, I would quit...this is too hard. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 ~ "May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance." He certainly didn't quit, but was faithful to the task the Father had planned for our salvation.

Spring is taking its good old time to warm up. Everyone seems so ready for it to get warmer, but I think the flowers are staying with us longer because it's cooler. It's like they're refrigerated!
 

 I "borrowed" a book I saw at Christy's the last time I was at her house. It wasn't even her book, someone had loaned it to her. And I didn't ask her permission to read it, I just picked it up and told her I wanted to read it! So because of that, I felt I needed to read it quickly since I didn't ask permission and since it wasn't hers. The book was When God Doesn't Fix It by Laura Story. She tells the story of how after only one year of marriage, her husband developed a brain tumor. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor, but the surgery affected his vision and his short term memory. He will never get better. He's young with a young family. Laura is the bread winner, working a full time job, taking care of him and her children. How does she do it? She writes candidly and honestly about their situation. She felt prompted to tell her story, "a story without an ending. A story, not of hope, but of being held by Him during [her] hopelessness."

It got me to thinking. How often have I wondered "how long..." It's already been 5 years that Andy has been ill. He continues to decline, it's painful to visit him and see him suffering. How long??? But there others who are suffering and have suffered their whole life. I know a family that has a severely disabled daughter. She is currently 18 years old, has been in and out of the hospital those 18 years. How long can this family endure? I know another woman whose husband died several years ago. She has a daughter who is in her 40's with the mental capacity of a 3 year old. How does she endure? Or what about Joni Eareckson Tada who has been a quadriplegic for 50 years?

Then I was reading Psalm 13 where David asked 4 times in the first 2 verses: "How long?"

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?" But then David appeals to the Lord.

"Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death."

And he concludes with this declaration of his faith in God: "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me."

What a perfect ending to our angst and questions...look to God, trust Him, focus on his goodness and love and the many blessings we enjoy.

Tuesday was my birthday - the beginning of my last year in the 60's. My friends came through with lots of love and attention. I met two friends for lunch, then another friend took me out to dinner. Andy's brother very kindly bought a bouquet of flowers and a card, took them over to Andy and helped him sign the card.
 

On Valentine's Day a bouquet of roses showed up at my front door from another couple, thinking of me. So I have quite a collection of flowers and cards.

Meanwhile, not much has changed...which sometimes is a good thing.

I continue to read Randy Alcorn's book, Ninety Days of God's Goodness. Every day's reading is so comforting with good reminders of God's character and how we can trust Him with everything that we are going through. 

What I read today was titled: Too Small to See the Big Picture. The Scripture reading was from Isaiah 55:6-9 familiar verses where God tells us: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Randy asks: "Why should I, a finite and fallen creature, expect that I will understand God's reasons for doing what he does and allowing what he allows? If God always thought the way I do, something would be terribly wrong with him."

He continues in a later paragraph, "We tend to see God as a bigger, smarter version of ourselves...But God is not like us: 'God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind' (Numbers 23:19). God says, 'you thought I was altogether like you' (Psalm 50:21). Whatever seems good to us, we think, should be good to God. Whatever we think is fair, God should do...Yet we have neither the qualifications nor the authority to exercise such judgment. Not only does God's character infinitely surpass our own, but his thoughts and perspectives radically transcend ours."

And he concludes this section with the assertion that "we don't need explanations, we need 'God, who comforts the downcast' (2 Corinthians 7:6). God doesn't always explain why we suffer, yet millions of people attest to the comfort he has brought them in their darkest hours."

I say "amen" to that. It's very difficult to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it for themselves, but when life is so hard, there is no one else to turn to but God. And he gives peace, life, comfort, the strength to go on, but the greatest gift of all: Himself.

Psalm 147:3 ~ "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Psalm 94:19 ~ "When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul."

Psalm 63:7-8 ~ "Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."

Psalm 62:1-2 ~ "My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

In the Sunday school class I've been attending, we've been encouraged to memorize one verse from each chapter of Hebrews. I've been enjoying that and the verses have been so precious as I review them before I fall asleep at night.

Hebrews 4:16 has been especially meaningful to me; "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." I say that verse, then I tell the Lord that I am there, I am in a time of great need. His mercy and grace are available to me, giving me the strength to go on. He never gets tired of me coming to him, but tells us we can approach him with confidence. He always hears me and delights to serve me by meeting my needs.  

How good is the God we adore! He is worthy of our love, adoration, praise and worship.

Dealing with Grumpiness

It's getting warmer and we're hiking less. That may be why I was feeling somewhat grumpy and out of sorts as the week went on.There really didn't seem to be a reason for feeling that way...Unless I let it get to me that Andy didn't seem to be too with it. On Friday morning, he asked me why I was all "duded up." I asked him what day he thought it was and he said Thursday. Well, even though that was wrong, it didn't make sense because if I was dressed up, I would be going to work. But he was wondering why I was going to work. Sometimes, conversations go around and around. 

Then when we got to church, I was doing my work, when he came in to the office looking for the staple remover. I asked him what he was going to do with that, and he said he was going to take down the name tags. Well, that was wrong, too. He takes the used name tags down on Mondays and puts new ones up for me on Thursday. He had already put the new ones up and started to take them down again. Fortunately, he hadn't gone too far before coming in to the office to ask for help.

If I focus on the negative, it can really get me down. In the middle of my grouchiness, the Lord gently reminded me that he never changes. He is always faithful, always loving, always kind, always patient. Where would I be without his love? (Matt Redman has a song with these lyrics that encourages me whenever I hear it.)

Sometimes I think Andy's not doing too bad...but then we have these little incidents.

On Friday afternoon when I got home from work, our lawn service was at the house cutting the lawn. I was wondering why they weren't doing as much weed whacking this year as they had done last year. When I mentioned it to Andy, he said, "Oh I told them we'd do it." I bit my tongue and didn't say anything to him at first till I could calm down and talk to him reasonably. Finally, I explained to him: "But Andy, I can't do weed whacking! We need them to do it."

I texted our lawn service to tell them I wanted the weed whacking done and mentioned what Andy had said. He texted me back saying Andy hadn't mentioned anything to him.  That was pretty confusing and I'm not sure what Andy was talking about. It's all overwhelmingly perplexing sometimes. I have to try to stay one step ahead of him and what he might do. He's so used to taking care of things and he's still trying. But at this point, it's just getting him into trouble!

Because there was a possibility of rain on Saturday as well as high temperatures, I thought an alternative might be to walk around the mall. I had been thinking of looking for some new clothes. When I mentioned to Andy about going with me, he was game. I prefer not to leave him alone at home too much. So off we went. We spent a couple of hours at the mall, walking from store to store. I didn't end up buying anything for myself and we still got some exercise. He wasn't really too thrilled about it, but he was a good sport!

We did end up buying him a new pair of shoes and some new socks.

Today was a beautiful day - in more ways than one. First of all, the worship service was so refreshing and drew my mind and heart toward the Lord.

We sang:

Hosanna
More than Enough
Wonderful Merciful Savior
I Need You More
Lord, I Need You
Sinking Deep

Wonderful Merciful Savior was especially meaningful.

WONDERFUL, MERCIFUL SAVIOR

Words and music by Dawn Rodgers & Eric Wyse

Wonderful, merciful Savior,

Precious Redeemer, and Friend,

Who would have thought that a lamb could

Rescue the souls of men?

Oh, you rescue the souls of men.

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper,

Spirit we long to embrace;

You offer hope when our hearts have

Hopelessly lost the way,

Oh, we hopelessly lost the way.

Refrain:

        You are the One that we praise,

        You are the One we adore,

        You give the healing and grace

        Our hearts always hunger for;

        Oh, our hearts always hunger for.

Almighty, infinite Father,

Faithfully loving Your own;

Here in our weakness You find us

Falling before Your throne,

Oh, we’re falling before Your throne.

                                            © 1989 Word Music ASCAP & Dayspring Music BMI

My heart was hungering for his healing and grace and God met me in my need.

I finished reading Tim Keller's book on Prayer. He really stressed how important it is to pray God's words back to him in our prayers. Amazingly, Pastor's sermon this morning reiterated the same theme. He said it's like a child learning to talk. He listens to his father, then speaks the words back to him. That's what we do with our Lord. We hear him speak in his Word, then we speak his words back to him.

The psalms are especially appropriate as prayers to God. How about Psalm 86? - one I memorized many years ago:  

Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

Or how about Psalm 116:

The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me, I was overcome with trouble and sorrow, then I called on the name of the Lord. O Lord, save me!

I've been challenged by a friend who is memorizing Romans 5-8, so I decided to give it a try. I'm already blessed by the first few verses:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

What a wealth of resource is ours - available because of Jesus Christ.

We decided it was better to get out to the park than sit around in the house again - no matter what the weather. There was a mix of clouds with some patches of blue. The forecast today was calling for scattered showers, but it didn't look too threatening. So off we went to explore a new park.

Pennington Park in Delanco, NJ

It was a little humid but not too unbearable. There were plenty of people in the play ground and picnic areas, but we were the only ones on the trail to the Rancocas Creek. The trail was well maintained and easy walking.

 

yellow iris along the trail, but don't pick because it's in with poison ivy

This park is #28 that we have now crossed off on our brochure of Burlington County parks, only 12 more to go!

I'm so grateful for God's grace that enables me to carry on. Even when life seems overwhelming, God is more than enough. He is bigger than my biggest problems and always provides exactly what I need when I need it. He also doesn't love me less just because I'm having a hard time dealing with life. He gently and lovingly reminds me in many ways of his care.

I'm including some flower pictures. I received two lilac bushes from my mother several years ago: a deep purple one and a white one. They outdid themselves this year, blooming beautifully and the air smells so sweet as you walk out the door.

Tis the Season

Let the parties begin!

A couple invited us to go to Longwood Gardens with them on Tuesday to see the Christmas display and light show.  But it was raining on Tuesday so we rescheduled for Wednesday after work.  It rained all that day, too, but tapered off as we were driving there.  By the time we got to Longwood Gardens, it was still very damp outside but at least the rain had stopped.  We were hoping that because of the weather, maybe it would deter the crowds.  And it wasn't too bad.  Of course, the displays were awesome.  The people who decorate the trees and gardens are extremely creative and must have unlimited resources!  

It wasn't quite dark when we got there, but the lights were already on.

I'm sorry about the quality of my pictures.  They were all taken with my iphone and I'm admittedly not a very good photographer.  But I hope that my inability to take good pictures is outweighed by my many other fine qualities (which I hope I have!!!).

The couple who took us to Longwood Gardens have season passes with complimentary tickets for friends, so we were able to enjoy this beautiful evening for free.  On top of that, they treated us to dinner at Texas Roadhouse afterwards.  One of our daughters asked me what I had to eat and I told her salmon.  She was aghast that we were in a steak house and didn't get steak.  Well, I grew up on a dairy farm and ate steak/beef all the time.  It's nothing special to me.  Ha, ha.

The next evening, Andy and I were invited to join the pastors, deacons and wives at a catered dinner.  I was thrilled to be included, especially since Andy isn't technically on staff any more.  Little did I know that they intended to honor us at this dinner.  It was very special, with one of the ladies reading Philippians 2:14-16 and comparing Andy and me to the stars that are shining in the universe.  They presented us with 2 Moravian stars which we have since hung on our Christmas tree.



The Scripture and what was said about and to us was very special and meaningful and then the Pastor laid his hands on us and prayed for us.  Our hearts were very full.

Philippians 2:14-16
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..."

We didn't get home that night till pretty late - a lot later than what we've been accustomed to for our bed time.  Friday saw us both pretty exhausted, and we realized how important it is for us to continue to stick to the routine.  It's so crucial to our functioning at peak level.  Andy was able to take a couple naps on Friday, but I went to work as usual.

On Saturday morning, I went to another party - this time a brunch for and with some of my women friends.  It was another time of encouragement being with those of like precious faith, reassuring and supporting each other.

The other day I was reviewing the book of James that I memorized many years ago.  In chapter 1, we are told to "consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

PURE JOY - wow...I can't say I am ecstatic when I'm enduring trials.  But then near the end of the book of James, in chapter 5, James comes back to the subject of perseverance.  He reminds his readers of the suffering of Job.  Verse 11:  "As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered.  You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about."  Job refused to curse God and die at the advice of his wife, and even though he questioned God at times throughout his ordeal, he came through with nuggets of faith statements:  

1:21 - "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised."

2:10 - "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

13:15 - "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him..."

19:25 - "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth."

And what the Lord finally brought about for Job, as James mentions, was more wealth and greater blessing than he had before.  But I was especially struck by the next sentence in James 5:11:  "The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."  That is the greatest lesson we learn as we persevere.  We experience the goodness of God - how he meets our deepest needs - every hour of every day.

Poor and Needy

"Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy." Psalm 86:1

Fifteen years ago, I decided I needed to more proactively memorize Scripture.  I am so glad I followed through on that because there's nothing like God's Word to comfort and encourage when you are facing hard times.  The first full chapter I memorized way back then was Psalm 86.  Every night, I say the psalm to myself as I'm falling asleep.  Sometimes I get through the whole psalm, but often I just make it to the first verse.  I do feel very poor and needy but thankfully, the psalm goes on to describe how it is that we can call on God in our neediness.  He hears our cry in the day of trouble (verse 6), there is no one like Him and no deeds compare with His (verse 8).  He is great and does marvelous deeds (verse 10).  His love is great toward me and he has delivered me from the depths of the grave (verse 13).  He is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (verse 15).  And verse 17:  "Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord have helped me and comforted me."

God has given me many signs of His goodness and he has helped and comforted me.  Let me give a couple specific examples.

A number of weeks ago, someone called me to tell me that God had awakened her in the middle of the night and impressed on her that she should give Andy and me a check for a very specific amount.  She said she was going to send the check to us and we were not to return it because God had told her to do this.  The check came a day or so later and I was shocked to see the amount for $740.00.  I wasn't sure what to do with it, but decided to just stick it in the bank in a designated category for our health expenses.  When later that month, I was figuring out our visa statement and adding up all the co-pays, doctor visits, prescriptions and expenses related to health, I was so amazed to discover that the total came to $743.00.  Wow!  Talk about God giving us a sign of His goodness!

We feel God gave us our home and property that we enjoy, but with Andy's illness and my preoccupation with taking care of him, we haven't had the time or energy to take care of upkeep and maintenance recently.  We have so many beautiful trees on the property but with that beauty comes a lot of leaves to rake up in the fall.  Again, someone felt God was leading them to help us out and offered to come with their family and rake up all our leaves.  They came yesterday with their 4 children and raked for 4 hours.  It was a beautiful day and they seemed to really be having a good time outside doing all that work.  What a relief to have that job taken care of.

I confess that in spite of these and many more signs that God is taking care of us, this morning I was struggling with feelings of worry and fretting.  What is our future financial situation going to be like?  How quickly will Andy's illness progress?  How will I ever take care of him?  But God's Word comforts and helps.  Here are the verses that spoke to me today:

Psalm 32:7:  "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

Psalm 62:1-2:  "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Yes, there is no doubt that I am poor and needy, but "God is my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble."  (Psalm 46:1)  Fortunately, I don't need to depend on me but I trust in the One who knows the end from the beginning and gives careful attention to every detail. 

The birds of the air...

My current memorization project is the Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5 - 7. So far, I've made it to the end of chapter 6 which has been especially meaningful and comforting to me in these economic "hard" times.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air;they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Everyone is talking about the economic downturn and how hard things are. Not to dismiss those who have lost their jobs or houses, etc., but really, we in America are still very rich. Andy and I have been to Bangladesh, and we have seen some of the poorest people on earth. They scrounge the gutters and dumps for clothes and scraps of food.Or what about our houses? Even the tiniest house in America is huge and "fancy" compared to houses in the rest of the world. If you need a new house in Bangladesh, you must build it in the dry season because it's constructed of mud bricks. If you wait too long and the monsoons come, your house will literally wash away and you'll be left with nothing but a pile of mud. Well, I admit it is hard not to worry. But God has promised to care for his children, and with His help, I resolve to trust Him. (I need His help, because I cannot trust Him in my own strength.)

All of You is more than enough for all of me,
For ev'ry thirst and ev'ry need,
You satisfy me with Your love.
And all I have in You is more than enough.
words by Chris Tomlin

We had a coating of snow on the ground this morning and the bird feeders are very busy. I had just filled them up yesterday afternoon so am enjoying watching the drama. (It's better than watching tv!)

The little birds were busy on the feeders and on the ground, then all of a sudden Mr. Jay would drop by and all the little ones would fly away. I almost got a picture of Mr. Cardinal, but just as he sat on the bird feeder, old Mr. Wily Squirrel jumped on to get a share. I named the squirrel Wiley, because Andy likes to pop him with his air gun when the squirrel is helping himself to the birds' food. (For all you animal lovers out there, it doesn't kill the "poor thing," just stings him and he runs off.) However, this morning the squirrel was no where around as long as Andy was still home. He must have waited for Andy's truck to leave the driveway, because then he came out of hiding and helped himself to the delicious bird food.

Juncos

tufted titmouse

downy woodpecker on the stand being camera-shy

Old Mr. Wily - caught in the act

Stress & Distress

One of the benefits of memorizing Scripture is that the Lord can then use it to minister to the soul/heart of the one in distress.

Years ago, I memorized Psalm 86. I found myself this week one day in the bathroom at church, taking a few moments to breathe deeply, gather myself together and cry out to the Lord: "Hear O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy." Was I ever! The week started with the distressing news of our little grandson being transported to ICU at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia). Then going on in to visit and see him lying there so helpless and pathetic didn't help me feel any better.

On top of that, this week has been extremely stressful at work. The church is having a Ministry Fair tomorrow, which means all the ministries of the church will be on "display" and available for people to visit and find out about those ministries and how to get involved. This means that the office had brochures and literature to produce, copy, fold, etc. on top of my normal workload. I don't think I left work on time any day this week. In fact, yesterday I didn't leave until 5:20 pm, and I usually leave at 4:00. I was so burned that Andy and I went out to eat. Normally, I would have been delighted to have the excuse, but I was so tired, all I really wanted to do was go home and veg.

But isn't it wonderful to be able to lean on the Lord and have our strength renewed. "He will not grow tired or weary" (Isaiah 40:28). And today as I worked in my kitchen, I was reminded of Isaiah 30:15, "...in quietness and trust is your strength."

Well, after a good night's sleep, I have a fresh perspective. I played little Suzy Homemaker today, working and creating in the kitchen.

I made another loaf of applesauce bread, a loaf of English muffin bread, tapioca pudding, and taco casserole. I don't have a picture of the taco casserole...I put it in the freezer before I remembered the camera. You'll just have to imagine it! And I don't remember where I got the recipe. I think I got it from allrecipes.com but in looking for it to provide a link, I couldn't find it. If anyone is interested, I have it in my computer cookbook and it would be easy to copy and paste to you.

I'm still preparing for vacation. Will it never get here?!

Andy is busy with Nativity preparations. What??? It's only September. That's what I say, too. But it was decided to rebuild the walls of Bethlehem, so they had to start early. He's at the church all day.
Blogging has become therapeutic for me, too. It's like an online journaling. I am so much more comfortable typing than writing. Maybe it's age or lack of practice, but my hand gets very tired from writing.

I hope to make minestrone soup for dinner tonight. The recipe makes lots and lots, so there will be plenty for several meals. But till then, I can relax a little with a book. See you later!