O God, You are my God.
Earnestly I seek You;
my soul thirsts for You.
My body yearns for You
in a dry and weary land without water
So I have seen You in the sanctuary
and beheld Your power and glory.
Because Your loving devotion is better than life,
So I will bless You as long as I live;
in Your name I will lift my hands. Psalm 63:1-4
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1.) Oy! Last week was another best of times, worst of times one, but finally--for now-- I worked through deeper acceptance of Life at Hobbit Cottage.
The aging. The walking problems of both husband and cat. The 'if God wanted us to move, I'd not have to force the issue' re-realizations. Basically, the diving into deeper levels of dying to self and doing battle with self-pity, as well.
Never rent a room in your brain to Mr. Self Pity! He'll leave it a sorry mess.
Er hem. This (technically, it was a 'short' from this, but I can't find the link) and this evicted that Mr. Self-Pity from the room he'd rented. Whew. Color me thankful.
2.) We signed-up for 3 free months of Apple TV Plus (via Roku, but I'm sure you can find similar offers) mostly because of Michael J. Fox's documentary, Still. Fascinating, truly, my only complaint being the 'language', yet when you've prayed for someone over the decades, you can forgive that.
If you're interested yet not wanting to mess with any Apple TV offers, this shorter Youtube video with a Michael J. Fox interview also proved riveting. Well, to me, anyway. シ
3.) Lately, yes!
4.) One reason I love New Year's Resolutions? The focus they can bring. For instance, I vowed to read more books this year and oh my. May was my readingest month in years!
The Saturdays
Trillium Hill
Practically Seventeen
Thoughts of Home
The Brass Keys of Kenwick
Class Ring
Boy Trouble
The Real Thing
Revealing Heaven 2
Double Date
Double Feature
Showboat Summer
Woodswoman 1
Woodswoman 2
The Disappearance of Anne Shaw
Double Wedding
Sort of felt like reading in the waiting room of Life while working through those 'Old Grey Mare She Ain't What She Used To Be' issues. シ
5.) Man, since turning 63 (last year) my body suddenly decided it can no longer handle (most) onions, hot sauce, kombucha and now, since May, salmon. Oh, and if I have even the occasional real coffee, I can't sleep and most milk products mess with my ears.
Good grief. Are we having fun yet?
6.) Oh! Tom and I love a good documentary and The Codebreaker was awesome. Here's the trailer.
7.) Yesterday I watched 50 Things I Quit To Simplify My Life and was amazed at how many I, too, had released along my journey. How wonderful that this young woman discovered these early.
8.) Lately I'm rewatching Restaurant Impossible for the usual reason that human nature fascinates me--and--during my 'trying times' I've often quipped, "Well at least we don't own a restaurant!! Whew." シ
9.) And this may come in handy for some, especially these days of home-sharing: Master Bedroom Converted Into Studio Apartment. She shows us terrific ideas.
10.) And for anyone also going through times of acceptance or disappointment?
Hang in there.
Give yourself much quiet time with God. (I unplugged from the Internet for a few days.)
Let go of what God asks you to release.
Resist Self-Pity, and instead, insist upon Hope.
"You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon You because he trusts in You." --- Isaiah 26:3,4
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"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15
Life can sure bring challenges doesn't it? Happily, God is right there to help us navigate them if we only ask him. I'm sorry you're dealing with so much right now. I have admitted that I can't do many things I used to, but others aren't willing to do the same. They think I should still be able to walk miles every day and be outside in the heat and humidity with no negative issues. Not so. My dear hubby is four years older and in much, much better physical condition, but then, he doesn't have the issues I do. I try to accept what I can't do and rejoice in what I can. God supports me through it all.
ReplyDeleteMany Blessings,
Betsy
Hi Debra! Thanks for the great links. 😊 And the encouragement!
ReplyDeleteAging truly is something else. Often, I wonder why some of the older people in my life never warned me of the challenges. Maybe we're better off not knowing. I'll be 70 next year and I cannot wrap my head around it! Nowadays, I try to plan my days by doing my most demanding tasks early in the day because I'll fizzle out by noon. Some days I wake up with extra energy, and it's such a blessing. The one thing that I appreciate about growing older is from an old chorus, "Everyday with Jesus, is sweeter than the day before. Every day with Jesus, I love Him more and more. Jesus saves and keeps me, and He's the One I'm living for. Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before." While we face many challenges, we can be sure that with each passing day, we are one day closer to heaven. Debra, thank you for this post. You always make me think--I'm sure it's the Holy Spirit working through you.
ReplyDeleteI should proofread! Could I possibly have said the word "day" a few more times! Oh my!
ReplyDeleteKeep on keeping on! I enjoy reading your lines and in between them.☺️ You certainly have plenty of spice in your life!
ReplyDeleteHi Betsy! I think the people in our lives don't want to face where we are physically (etc.) because they don't want to imagine we've grown older and what may be around the corner. So they put off thinking about it as long as they can. Yet I hope you'll be bold and tell others what you need and what you can no longer do. I've had to do that myself and really, it's freeing once you get over the shock of it. heh.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Robin, for reading here for so many years! And I'm glad you liked the links,too.
Pam--that's so true about doing things in the mornings! That's when I get the most done. When I find myself in the afternoons sitting around and feeling lazy, I look at the things crossed off my to do list and feel a little better. ha! It's wild how we do have to encourage ourselves these days, and wonderful that God encourages us, also.
Rebecca--I love that you said you read between the lines! I'm always hoping people will do that. :) Thanks for reading here!
Thanks so much, Everyone! Blessings, Debra