Thank Goodness It's Sunday #21

~Blessed rain!

~Blessed books! No surprise there. :-)

~Blessed friends!

~Blessed internet! That keeps me connected with blessed friends. :-)

~Blessed inspiration.

Quotes I heard this week in preparation or during America's Divine Destiny and Restoring Honor event:
"Darkness cannot push back the Light." - Charles L. Jackson
"A hypocrite isn't someone who says one thing and does something else; a hypocrite is someone who believes one thing and does something else." - Miles McPherson
"Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God" - Founding Fathers
"Give up what you want for what God needs you to do." - Glenn Beck

America's Divine Destiny...

Undeniably amazing, fantastic, inspiring, wonderful, emotional, and I am so very grateful I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part, thanks to my computer and the internet. It's available. WATCH IT! Embrace it. Allow it to change your life. We were supposed to have thunderstorms, tonight. I desperately wanted to see this. Our storms typically cause power outages. I truly wanted to see this event. I signed the 40 days/nights pledge and the Pledge of Nonviolence. Have I done it perfectly? No, I have not. I was better than I was before I signed it. The original 40 days/nights may be almost over, but it will not end for me. These pledges set in motion changes I knew I wanted but did not know how to implement. God has granted miracles. Changes have happened. Not a single thing did I anticipate, and yet each thing is right for me. As for those storms, they never made it. I watched them on the weather channel disappear. Thank you, God, for immeasurable blessings.

What will I choose...

My thoughts of late have been swirling in an attempt to find some pattern that makes sense to me. Studying honor for the last month, I've learned a great deal, and not only about honor. There are many values that are interlaced, when bound together are strong, but are easily torn apart piece by piece.

At the New Zeal blogspot, an adaptation of Patrick Henry's speech, at St. Johns Church, Richmond, Virginia, March 23, 1775, was posted. The closing lines struck a chord with me:

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

How often have I sold my integrity for peace? Too often, and yes, I feel the chains of being enslaved to peace at all costs, including the death of respect, honor, truth. As I reclaim my self-respect, embrace honor, and recognize truth, it is wondrous to feel those shackles fall away. Is is easy? Not even remotely. This is not a new struggle for me, so I expected turmoil, as always, and there's been plenty; however, though the winds howl and the storm buffets, there is a new encompassing serenity that reaches bone deep that far surpasses anything I imagined.

Thank Goodness It's Sunday #20

I watched a program on PBS for as a long as I could on human trafficking, more specifically the trafficking of sex slaves. My heart cries at the horror of what these women and children endure. (It's mostly commonly women, but men are not exempt.) When I could watch no more I channel surfed. The first station I hit was on how to make your home more homey with cutesy projects. I thought of articles I read only this week about not enough people caring about being "green." And I almost lost my dinner. Being "green" and other such frivolous concerns distract from what truly matters. I'm sure there are those who are gasping at my description of frivolity, but all I can say is WAKE UP!! Wake up to what truly matters. Honor, courage, strength, endurance, integrity, respect. These are things, as well as other values and principles, I need to make a part of who I am. These are the things that need to be taught and learned. I also remember talks in church about seeing beyond the mark. Too often, the problems that cloud my view truly don't matter, in the eternal scheme of things. That being said, I'm embracing more fully the need and the right to choose, for myself. I make mistakes, a lot of them, but they are my mistakes. I try to learn from them and do better. I know myself well enough to know that if I'm told what to do because someone else thinks I should, I will most likely not do it. On the other hand, if I'm given the opportunity to learn for myself, I do try to do so. God forgive me for when I am ungrateful because I am truly richly blessed. My life is nowhere near perfect, and, in truth, I would not wish it on anyone else, but God knows me and knows what I need. I don't understand His plan for me, not even a little bit, but I will, from this day forward, endeavor to trust more fully in His perfect understanding. Every day, I will strive to be more grateful because God has given me so much. My blessings are as the sands of the sea and the stars in the sky. My hope in the Atonement gives me this gift of change. And I pray God continues to inspire and bless all those people who fight every day to rescue those who are abused, tortured, enslaved by the wicked, both those that sell them and those that buy them. God have mercy on those poor souls robbed of peace, innocence, life.

Carpe diem...

Laundry, of course, was done. Pancakes and Chocolate Chip Cookies, compliments of Joanne Fluke's yummy recipe, were baked before eleven o'clock in the morning. Catching up on reading. Worked on a project and did a little homework. Didn't do some things, but okay with the decision to wait a little longer.

Glenn Beck as started a morning devotional with prayer and a scripture, and David Barton offered the prayer and scripture, this morning. I'm so glad they've arranged it so you are able to listen to it later since they broadcast at 7 a.m., that's 4 a.m. my time, and honestly, I'm not awake, usually, at that hour, at least not if I can help it. They're adding to my studies on honor. One of David Barton's scripture references was from Proverbs 22:4 ~ Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.

Am I humble? I've always had the feeling that if I ever answer 'yes' to that question, then I'm not. That being said, I've also been taught that if one is teachable, then one is humble. I try to be teachable... but now I'm back to my first thought, how do I say yes without sounding arrogant? :-)

Do I fear (love) the Lord? I must remind myself that when the Bible was translated, back in 1611, to fear the Lord meant to love the Lord. Following the teachings of Christ would be a way of showing my love. I recognize that I'm no where near perfect, but I want to believe that I am trying to follow the Savior, a day by day effort.

Thank Goodness It's Sunday #19

~I enjoyed the opportunity to see four shooting stars during the meteor showers, this week. That's more than I've ever seen in my life. Very cool.

~Books I love.

~Friends who warm my heart and lift my spirits.

~Positively encouraging K-LOVE radio station that plays Christian music.

~God's infinite patience.

TBR #27

Read the last four books of Justine Davis's "Redstone Inc." series. Loved it so much, I hunted down every book in the series and bought them all. One of the used books had a bit of the smell of cigarettes about it, so it's sitting in a plastic baggie with some ground cloves. Cat litter is another good odor remover from books, but I enjoy the clove smell. Justine Davis is a must-buy writer.

Not Your Average Cowboy by Christine Wenger was all right, but I didn't love it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke: The murder mystery was typical. The recipes included, between chapters, were outstanding!! I'm trying to decide if I want to collect the series for the recipes alone.

The Russell Twins duet, Charlotte's Homecoming and Through the Sheriff's Eyes, by Janice Kay Johnson, painted an interesting contrast in personality.

Teresa Southwick's The Nanny Network included three books. I've chosen this author before because there are things that make me laugh, but it no longer enough. When I find myself looking for other things to do besides read I figure it simply isn't holding my attention.

And FINALLY! Chivalrous Captain, Rebel Mistress by Diane Gaston. THIS IS WHY I LOVE ROMANCE NOVELS! Ehem. Sorry, couldn't help but shout. Diane has an amazing gift. I know she works hard at making sure the historical details are accurate. She also possesses a good understanding of human nature and relationships. Add to that, she doesn't write the typical Regency Romance between the Duke and the society miss. Diane's heros/heroines aren't the typical rich enough to not have to worry about money; in this story, the hero is a second son and the heroine is the daughter of a tradesman (not good ton). The only complaint is that the next book doesn't come out until next year!!

Carpe diem... vacation is over...

So, laundry is done, both loads. I know, the horrors of being single. All the laundry... two whole loads, until next week. I enjoyed the clean house while it lasted. Catching up on some reading. I'll do the next TBR list later this week. I tried a new chocolate chip cookie recipe this week that was absolutely deadlicious, as in don't ask for the calorie count, between the butter and the chocolate chips... just sayin'. I also made Cowboy Coffee Cake, as muffins. Thank goodness for the freezer. I've worked on a couple of projects. Gradually reading through the candidates' statements published by the State, for the primary election coming up. Wrapping up work for a client who's moving at the end of the week. Less money, more time for other things. Feeling productive.

Thank Goodness It's Sunday #18

~Finished everything on my to-do list during my two-week mini vacation. I didn't think I would, but I surprised myself.

~Football season has started again. Only pre-season right now, but I'll take it. Did I really say that?

~Oddly enough, a cricket in my room. I told him he could leave or stay and be the gecko's dinner. Makes no never mind to me. It made me smile, and reminded me not to take myself too seriously.

~A/C Yes, I've said that before, but it bears repeating, all summer long.

~Work I truly enjoy and bosses that love what they do.

Potpourri...

Restoring Honor Rally, on 8/28. I wish I could attend. Since it isn't feasible for me, I'm planning to celebrate anyway. I won't be there, but I will be fasting and praying for the event that it is peaceful and uplifting. I do know a couple of people attending, and I'm looking forward to hearing all about it from them. A full report is expected, and they know it. :-)

There was a sand castle contest, and the pictures were posted by Yahoo News. Oh, my goodness. Wow. Just wow. I had no idea sand could look like that. Well done. *wild cheering*

Solar storms: who knew? I found it interesting that some news stations didn't report them at all, others gave them a passing mention, and others went for doom and gloom. It wasn't until today that I was finally blessed with the side effects. Thank you Yahoo News, again, for posting the pictures of the Northern Lights. Yep, solar storms create them. I've never seen them for myself, but I'm very grateful there are photographers ready and willing to share the treasure. God bless them. Awesome.

Carpe diem... catching up...

Thank goodness it's Sunday (a day late) and what a week it has been! Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain.... Lots of it. I thank God for watching over me. The grass has been growing like crazy. My allergies have left me sleeping a lot. Blessedly, today, it's starting to dry out again, and I'm feeling better. So, what have I learned? Though I have thought about living someplace greener, it seems I'm consigned to the desert. I'm so grateful for A/C making this desert more bearable.

I've accomplished several things this week, sorting through the hundreds of books in my personal library, sorting them in alphabetical order because I'm tired of looking for books I can't find because I don't know where they might be at the moment. I've caught up a bit on reading. I've worked on some other projects. I shut off my computer for the weekend because of all the thunderstorms. It worked out for the best, since I slept most of the weekend. It was terribly unsettling to experience that sensation of trying to breathe water instead of air. We actually had humidity as high as 97%. A month or so ago, we had a record low humidity of 2%. Amazing. I'm feeling much better now.

Pancakes are a buttermilk syrup delivery system. Really. I tried them without syrup, and they're okay, but not out of this world, so I'm cutting back on the pancakes, though not cutting them out. Sort of neither here nor there type thing. That being said, I'm enjoying a variety of other foods, and taking time to prepare healthier options than I have in the past. And I've cut back how often I eat and feel much better.

Sunday afternoon was spent in conversation, and it was eye-opening and fun. My younger brother, his wife, and their daughters stopped to visit, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Congrats to Carl for Top 10 finish in Nationwide and #3 in Sprint Cup, even if I did have to wait until today to find out. The news did show Kurt Busch's crash as well as Elliot Sadler's. Thankfully, they're both okay.