It's Been a Week!

And I'm not even going to try to remember it all or tell about it. It was a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly! So there! But it is all about perspective, right? The good is good. The bad can bring positive, and out of the ugly, can come beauty! Remember the Ugly Duckling? Well, that remains to be seen about the ugly.

Last Monday I followed through on my resolve to go exercise at the Senior Center here. They have a walk strong program three days a week. When I got there, most all the ladies were there to do some line dancing, so I switched over and had a great time. Next morning and through the week, I paid for that fun with sore everything! On Friday, I joined the walk strong and lasted about 10 minutes. Something has got to change here! I will try again next week!

But, Saturday evening was the Ladies Rejuvenate at church, which is an annual event meant to encourage and bring all the ladies together, hopefully bringing in new people, too, to share in the love of Christ and each other. The theme this year was encouraging yourself in the Lord and encouraging** one another and the evening was fun, filled with laughter and the sweet times of worship!

My old friend Victoria

A new friend, Trish!

A mix of other sweet ladies … it was standing room

only in the center and the Chapel!

There were over 300 ladies there! Great fun!

The bad was waiting on pins and needles all week long, we finally heard from the doctor and will be waiting this week to hear from another doctor as to the procedure that will be taken for my DH and the leak in his aneurysm. The good is, it sounds like a minimally invasive procedure and should take care of the problem. That will be good.

The other bad was my dear friend, Kay, who went into hospice last Tuesday and on Wednesday, I went to visit. It was shocking to see how quickly she had gone down from the few days before when I saw her. It was difficult to know what to say, but I just prayed with her and rubbed her arm and hand and head. She was so fragile. Another gentleman came in with guitar and songbook. He played, he prayed, we sang. A very sweet spirit of peace in the room. And the good: dear Kay is now resting from all her labors on this Labor Day as she went into her rest with Jesus early this morning! 

Last week, I discovered the ugly! Some kind of water leak going on in the front flower bed. Long story short, everybody gave their opinions and thoughts, but it was a mystery until I got the plumber out who said there is a leak in the water line. The good is they will be out to fix it this week and I pray it is an easy fix. The flower bed is going to be a mess and I am wondering how much will be torn out. My plan had been to put in a few shrubs, but now I'm thinking, hmmmmm, a makeover?? That could turn out quite nice. We will see.

Yesterday morning, I had the preschool kids. Two little guys were having that "my Daddy is stronger than your Daddy" conversation, only this was about the number of guitars! So funny.

Today DH and I had breakfast at the Biscuit Bar! (Libby, I had the chicken and not a waffle!)

This afternoon we are going to go see the Operation Finale movie which is about the hunt for Adolph Eichmann! It may be hard to watch, but I was always glad when they caught those Nazi criminals.

And maybe … just maybe … we will have lots of rain this week!!!!!

Happy Labor Day to all!

** If you are going through a painful time, this is an excerpt from Ashley Terkeurst Hodges When Good Goes Bad:

"Here are the three things I must do every day to fix my eyes on the Lord:

1. Get in His word.God will speak to us so tenderly, powerfully and perfectly through His written word. I especially love the book of Psalms in this season.

2. Worship often.Turn on your favorite praise music (really loud) and get lost in praising God for who He is and who you are because of Him. I am determined to walk through this trial with praises, mixed with my tears, so that others can experience Jesus through me. My tears will turn into a victory for the cause of Christ.

3. Look beyond.Look beyond your pain, current circumstances and what you’re feeling right now. Find comfort in God’s truths, knowing that He uses all things for good – that there’s a purpose for your pain. In adversity, you have the opportunity to shine Christ’s light brighter and louder than ever before. The darker it gets, the brighter His light shines. The more impossible it gets, the more it becomes evident that the only answer is Jesus.