I did not know what to write about until I saw this message in a Jacquie Lawson Birthday card for old people. "BE yourself, everyone else is taken." Oscar Wilde
That is so true for me - I have always wanted to be someone else. I grew up wanting to be a ballerina for the New York City ballet. Imagine how ballerinas look, size, weight, etc. a certain body type for sure. Well, now imagine me taking ballet for six years 10 till 16 from a very sweet understanding teacher who saw my desire and ignored the rest. I was not so short as just plain chubby. My body type has always been drawn to overweight not dreadfully so than to thin or skinny. I won't say I lack grace or the ability to move nicely, but chorus ballerina for the New York City Ballet -- NOT!
I've talked about some of my dreams that I had to let die. That one was major. Then I wanted to be a Carmel cloistered nun which meant I would never see my family again nor even be allowed to go to their funerals. I thought I was willing, but not to break my mother's heart, I hesitated and the spot was filled by another girl. So that dream of total prayer and contemplative life in and for Christ also died. I am not so sorry since the life in Christ I have been given has been quite blessed and wonderful in a million ways. Still there are days when knowing I would only have to pray and possibly clean and do laundry too, well such simplicity can appeal at times.
When my life turned around and I became much more dedicated to God's Word and I fell in love with Bible Studies. I wanted to be Kay Arthur - founder with her husband, Jack, of Precept Ministries teaching the world how to study the Bible inductively. She teaches and gets to go all over the world to speak and to writers' conferences and Christian seminars and takes a trip to Israel every year. But the Lord would always chastise and remind me, "Annalou, I already have Kay Arthur, right now I need you to become the person I want YOU to be. So listen up, obey, learn and grow!"
So even though I will be 75 in a couple of weeks - I am definitely still trying to do as my Dear Lord said. I am trying to learn and grow every minute of every day He has decided to grant me.
I hope and pray that you all are also seeing our older years not as a hindrance or a problem or annoying and inconvenient at times with what I want or hope or plan to do, but rather as the amazing gift they actually are. For some it grants us more time, maybe even more money therefore more opportunities than ever before to do or become anything we have ever dreamed or desired.
Monday, July 31, 2017
Monday, July 24, 2017
A New Day
When I had to work 40 hour weeks all the time - Monday was a sad "back to it" kind of day. Now that I only work part time then my days off are always this marvelous gift with all its possible surprises and miracles just waiting to happen to me.
I have been very happy to notice lately that the old cliche՜, "learn something new every day" is actually true. I really do learn something new every day. I get very excited over them even when they are - well others would say - "stupid" - but I jump up and down and say wow I never knew that.
Here is a great illustration - I love brown butter which means you put a pad of butter in your skillet and have to wait for it to brown. Now if you walk away or forget you have placed that pad of butter in the skillet it will get very smoky and you will hear a screeching loud sound that almost breaks your ear drum. Even when you stand up on a chair and push the center in it will NOT stop. It just keeps screeching on and on and on. It eventually stops after you open the front door and wave it back and forth thus dissipating the billows of smoke.
I thought those things were to protect us when a fire broke out on the stove or because of a candle falling over or whatever. When I asked my friend about exchanging it for one that would not do that just because of smoke and no flames involved. He very kindly said, "Annalou, it is called a "SMOKE" detector because it detects smoke. It is not going off until there is no more smoke."
I am honestly telling you I learned something new. For me I always thought it would be flames not smoke that set it off. I promised my daughter I would NOT wander away from the kitchen when I put anything on the stove. I've only broken my promise once so far. I'm praying I won't again.
Getting older can be fun and knowing my mind is still interested it growing makes it a happy time too.
I have been very happy to notice lately that the old cliche՜, "learn something new every day" is actually true. I really do learn something new every day. I get very excited over them even when they are - well others would say - "stupid" - but I jump up and down and say wow I never knew that.
Here is a great illustration - I love brown butter which means you put a pad of butter in your skillet and have to wait for it to brown. Now if you walk away or forget you have placed that pad of butter in the skillet it will get very smoky and you will hear a screeching loud sound that almost breaks your ear drum. Even when you stand up on a chair and push the center in it will NOT stop. It just keeps screeching on and on and on. It eventually stops after you open the front door and wave it back and forth thus dissipating the billows of smoke.
I thought those things were to protect us when a fire broke out on the stove or because of a candle falling over or whatever. When I asked my friend about exchanging it for one that would not do that just because of smoke and no flames involved. He very kindly said, "Annalou, it is called a "SMOKE" detector because it detects smoke. It is not going off until there is no more smoke."
I am honestly telling you I learned something new. For me I always thought it would be flames not smoke that set it off. I promised my daughter I would NOT wander away from the kitchen when I put anything on the stove. I've only broken my promise once so far. I'm praying I won't again.
Getting older can be fun and knowing my mind is still interested it growing makes it a happy time too.
Monday, July 17, 2017
ONCE AGAIN
So much for being more regular-hah! Well again I am telling myself to do a blog every Monday before everything else, well after devotions, of course, and maybe breakfast and coffee too and ...
No, definitely before anything else so here I am. My latest comment and sense of overcoming emotions about old age is this. Lately it seems like time and I are in a race and time is winning out big time. I want to ignore it or come out victorious or depend on the lesson of the tortoise and the hare - slow and steady wins the race.
Heaven knows I am SLOW so what's the problem? Why don't I feel like the victor in it? I definitely do not feel like I'm winning any victory in anything. I do no accomplish all I wish to do in any given day. I do not become more efficient, more productive, more successful or more determined to complete or even begin all those things I want to do or need to do or-on and on it goes.
What to do; what to do? Funny I haven't thought to pray about it. I pray about everything and I do mean everything so why have I not brought this to the Lord and begged His assistance, His wisdom, His overcoming power, His Holy Spirit comfort in it all? Today I will do that. Today I will follow through on the things I planned to do today. Just today to accomplish it will help me to know I can continue to do it again tomorrow.
I won't plan to do too many things - just a few so I don't defeat myself from the get go. So far so good. I did my devotions. Doing my blog. Have a crafting idea I need to work on for a possible Christmas item I could beg my dear sweet friends to buy as gifts. But it means I have to make it become a finished product first. Yes, there's the problem. Am I going to make it work or not? Am I creative enough to pull it off? I haven't a clue. So far I can't quite get it to cooperate, but am going to keep on trying. That will be enough to challenge myself with today.
If I have any followers, then I hope and pray you too can face whatever factors of getting older are driving you crazy and you will meet them with boldness, self-confidence and a trust that by God's grace we can and will face it all and be the victor.
No, definitely before anything else so here I am. My latest comment and sense of overcoming emotions about old age is this. Lately it seems like time and I are in a race and time is winning out big time. I want to ignore it or come out victorious or depend on the lesson of the tortoise and the hare - slow and steady wins the race.
Heaven knows I am SLOW so what's the problem? Why don't I feel like the victor in it? I definitely do not feel like I'm winning any victory in anything. I do no accomplish all I wish to do in any given day. I do not become more efficient, more productive, more successful or more determined to complete or even begin all those things I want to do or need to do or-on and on it goes.
What to do; what to do? Funny I haven't thought to pray about it. I pray about everything and I do mean everything so why have I not brought this to the Lord and begged His assistance, His wisdom, His overcoming power, His Holy Spirit comfort in it all? Today I will do that. Today I will follow through on the things I planned to do today. Just today to accomplish it will help me to know I can continue to do it again tomorrow.
I won't plan to do too many things - just a few so I don't defeat myself from the get go. So far so good. I did my devotions. Doing my blog. Have a crafting idea I need to work on for a possible Christmas item I could beg my dear sweet friends to buy as gifts. But it means I have to make it become a finished product first. Yes, there's the problem. Am I going to make it work or not? Am I creative enough to pull it off? I haven't a clue. So far I can't quite get it to cooperate, but am going to keep on trying. That will be enough to challenge myself with today.
If I have any followers, then I hope and pray you too can face whatever factors of getting older are driving you crazy and you will meet them with boldness, self-confidence and a trust that by God's grace we can and will face it all and be the victor.
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