Thanks on this Day

I'm sipping Raspberry Cocoa by my woodstove as the flames lick the wood releasing warmth to our chilly house. Being the first cold morning (19F) of the season, I awoke at 5:30am to get the fire going. I'm by myself with my thoughts.

Having not blogged for over eight months, the time has come to get back to it. I'm inspired by my pastor as he began a blog several weeks ago. Another woman I just met last night also had a blog. As she and I chatted, I realized I now have time (and a bit of desire) to step back into blogging again. For a couple of years now my daily reading has included touching base with about 30 different blogs. Some of those bloggers post every day; some only once a week or so. A good blog feeder and coffee make good reading.

Why get back to it now? For the last year and a half my evenings have been full of college work. Writing three to five papers a week throughout my various courses seemed to dull my desire to write - not to mention the time factor. Two classes away from my May 10th graduation date, it seems now there is more time for writing in my life. So much really has happened in these last months. Those details might be for other blogs - or not.

Today though, enjoying the last of my cocoa with the crackling fire behind me, I am thankful for my Father's love for me. In these quite moments before the rest of the family awakens and we start cooking for our family Thanksgiving Dinner together, it is an awareness of the peace in my heart that seems to loom large in my thinking.

Thank You Father for this peace . . .

A Year Later . . .A Little Clearer

A year ago, March 28, 2006 I started back to school. I wrote about my thoughts that day. I'm humbled by the events of this year. 2006 was really eventful for us. Upon this writing, it does feel like my passions and my future might be lining up a bit more. Maybe by the end of this year, much like this window will become unobstructed when squeeged, my vision will also become more clear.

It looks like it could be Spring of 2008 before I gradutate. It seems that grants and scholarships are not awarded for summer schooling. The classes cost the same and the work load is ever as challenging, but I can only seem to get grants and scholarships for Fall and Spring semesters. The Summer semester class schedule isn't out yet, so I am not sure what I will be taking. There is some loan money for the Summer semester.

One of the most special parts of this year has been the chance to meet so many people I previously did not know. There are so many unique people around me. Whether it's church or work or school, the vast plethora of people have such a desire to live their lives. There are some really neat people surrounding me these days. For having lived in this city for over twenty five years, my sphere of influence was very very small. I knew I needed to broaded my horizons; I just didn't realize how much!

So, I just keep asking the Lord to help me be focused on the days ahead. I need His clear direction for balance, productivity and fulfilment in my life. I want my latter years to be greater than my former. (That has been spoken to me prophetically as well.) If the past year is any indication, this year will continue to make defining marks on me.

Deleting is a Mouseclick Away

After a year of no posts on one of my blogs, it was time to delete it from my blog list. The only challenge was that it was a record of the two previous years. Probably very few people ever saw it, but it recorded the happenings of some significant changes in a church. Gone . . . with a click of the mouse.

"Nope, we don't want it, " was the leader's reply. Didn't have a clue of what was on it, but sometimes that's what happens with changes. The past is forgotten; the hidden things remain hidden. My heart smiles though, because I know God has not forgotten.

He remembers the hours of labor and sweat. He remembers the tedious way decisionmakers toiled to make the best selections. He smiles recalling members of the greater Body of Christ came to invest their time and talents into various projects. The work would have never been completed without those precious laborers; intergenerational workers came to bless. He continues to grow them and encourage them.

Thank you, Father, for all who touched those several years. May we always remember what teamwork looked like and how a job well done felt.

If I Just Had Time

In reading the chapter about procrastination, I found myself getting just a little tense. Thoughts ran through my brain like "whoever wrote this must not have family, friends, church, dirty dishes, pets, a house and yard, a car to keep up, school, assignments, kids who need rides, etc, etc." Well? Am I too whiny?

I once heard someone say I would have enough time in each day to do what God was directing me to do. What do you think about that statement? If I don't get things done, am I over committed? Or just procrastinating?

Among our group, there are those of you who really aren't pressed for time and can have a sense of only doing what you want to do. You're probably retired and have earned that position! Now, for the rest of us . . . I've often said I feel like the guy who has to keep 12 plates spinning all at one time. You ever felt that way?

It's likely I'm "avoiding" because it doesn't feel like I can complete all I need to do. Ever heard of the Tyranny of the Urgent? Sometimes the peace of God that passes all understanding gets squeezed out by "emergencies". What is your experience and how are you living in peace without procrastination?

Catching Up

The New Year slipped in and lost a month before I turned around!

After enjoying about five weeks of holiday break, I got back to college classes. Human Resource Management I wasn't all that hard. Our professor works locally as an IT manager for our county. His real life stories have been helpful for me to connect with the whole idea of human resources. I appreciate his down-to-earth thinking in daily work. I can see he has a very real faith in God that filters through his life. Tomorrow night will begin a second class with him. From the reading I've gleaned so far, I can see that I will really enjoy this second part of Human Resource Management.

The other course I am will finish after this week is Life Span and Development. Looking at every age group through the lenses of 1) biosocial, 2) cognitive and 3) psychosocial development has been interesting. I have a four hour exam to take on Friday to see just how much of all of this I have learned. Have to let you know on that one . . .

My husband will go for another bone scan on Tuesday. The oncologists are looking for anything that might be showing up different than the May '06 and Nov '06 scans previously done. He is taking good care of himself and working every day. That's a good thing, I think.

Still feeling this urgency to keep on this time line, my graduation hopefully will happen at the end of '07. There is so much to learn. After 25 years in one area of work, I wonder what I'm going to read this year or who I will meet that will nudge me toward my next area of work. Mysteries are not all that fun for me - particularly if I am in the middle of it!

My small group is my connection for discussion these days. Laurie Beth Jones wrote Jesus Life Coach. Killing some time at Barnes and Noble one night, this book jumped right off the shelf at me. You've had that happen, right? I bought it and started to read it. Then I realized I needed someone to walk with me through this book. About that time, the Small Groups people at my church were encouraging me to start a small group. I mentioned this book. They said, "Put a table up at the Small Groups Rally and see who is interested." I did; thirty women signed up to connect in one way or another. About a dozen find their way to our weekly gathering at a local Christian bookstore. Watching the hits on the site tells me there are more of the group who connect via the blog. There are teachers and other professional women who can't get away during the day, but they are following along with the book and the blog. It's interesting; God knows who He is touching through this endeavor!