Category Archives: Gratitude

Woop, woop, wrapping it up!

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TGIF!  It would seem this is the only day of the week I actually have a GOAL in posting…the days/weeks are flying by and fortunately I don’t get paid to blog or we’d be starving!!!    And so, I’ll just lob onto the many fabulous people blogging on @ 7 Quick Takes with Jennifer Fulwiler @ Conversion Diary.

And since our weeks are basically work, school, taxi to cheer/soccer/church, try to squeeze in some exercise, feed the family (without burning down the house and/or my fingers) and get everyone showered (mostly) and in bed (at a somewhat reasonable hour) , that would probably sound like YOUR week, so I’ll just entertain you with a few pics and words from our weekend, K?  K.

1)  Our cheerleader and I drove to Merritt Island for an early game (be there @ 7:30 a.m….it’s an hour and 15 minutes away….you do the math) on Saturday.  We did have most of the day left, so that was good….

2)  These are the cute little reminders that it is October, ladies.  (Guys, make sure the ladies in your life get theirs! ) Yes.  Go ahead.  Make the appointment.  Get the girls squashed.  Get over your dread.  It’s less than 10 minutes and it can SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!  Get your mammogram today!!!  Or at least make the appointment.  Have your bestie make one, too and then go to lunch.  WhatevAH works for you, just.  do.  it.  K?  K.

3)  Saturday night we did S’mores.  We’ve been promising since last weekend.  And then it rained on Saturday.  We resorted to the gas grill with sticks that were losing their “stiffness” and everyone still enjoyed them.  No one lost an eye, thanks to my drill sergeant persona as well as droopy sticks.  We tried out pumpkin spice marshmallows which weren’t such a hit with the kids, but for Mama (who doesn’t really love marshmallows) I LIKED ’em.  yum.  So, more for me…

4)  We went to our town’s bi-annual carnival and business expo.  The kids love it.  We tolerate it.  In small doses.  Like the sidewalk art….fabulous.  Oh to have a smidgen of that talent. What would it be like?  sigh.  I’ll never know, but I am certainly grateful that people DO have this talent!

5)  The kids love the rides.  The girls opted for a wristband and ran and rode like the wind to get their max spending power out of that band in the alloted time.  I’m happy to say, yes.  yes they did rock that band.  (The boys went Friday night with friends and promptly passed out after coming home—6 hours at the carnival is apparently too much for some….)

6)  Coke.  Ice cold.  In a bottle.   What can I say, it was exhausting watching the girls ride those rides.

7)  One more sky shot.  God paints a mean sky, doesn’t He?

Take it one day at a time

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It’s been an interesting week this week.  I must say, I’ve been looking at life differently for a few days and tonight I adjusted even more.

Earlier this week, I had a patient, a “frequent flier” (of which you do NOT want to be when you come see me at work); it was a 6 month check up for him and his lung cancer.  We’ve scanned him since he was diagnosed about 2 years ago.  28.  Firefighter.  In firefighting shape.  I’ve seen a lot of ugly, ugly cases in my time and every once in a while you get a patient that floors you.  He did.  It was an awful cancer and it took a tremendous effort to take him off the table and smile and give him the standard directions to hydrate, etc knowing full well we’d see him again.  and again.  and again.  hopefully.  Then yesterday, there he was.  Hair growing back. Skeleton replaced by flesh.  Almost back to his starting weight.  Same good spirits.  He’s running again, almost a mile.  Oh, and he’s missing a lung.  The whole lung.  He’s not even one bit short of breath.  Hoping to be back to full duty in a month and complaining that he’s not running further yet. We both laughed about that, knowing full well what a difference those 6 months made.   Medicine is amazing.  Truly amazing.  Yet, when I have a patient like this, I know medicine alone can’t take the credit for this healing.  This young man’s work isn’t done yet.  I can’t wait to see what the next 6 months bring for him!!

Then tonight, my step-dad told me of a neighbor a few doors down that passed away a few weeks ago.  A family with all boys.  The youngest 2 are our son’s ages roughly.  The older 2 are in college.  The husband and wife have never been overly friendly to me,but I’ve seen them at school, and the dad playing in the yard with his boys.  41 years old.  Massive heart attack.  The dad died.  What!?!?  They are healthy.  I see them at the gym.  He’s younger than me!  Talk about smacking your day into perspective.  You never know.  Really.

Plan for tomorrow but live for today.  Make each moment count.  The little stuff is just “stuff”.  Engage with your family.  We see it all the time.  We hear it all the time.  Life is precious.  Take it one day at a time and make every one count.

Blessings.

Home stretch…or is it?

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Photo CREDIT

The above mentioned photo cred is to an article on network marketing, however, you’ll see it has the same tools to get to ANY goal….commitment and accountability in surrounding yourself with like-minded folks.

Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

Today I find myself heading into Week 5 of the Peak313 challenge and for me, it’s been a GREAT springboard for getting my heart (mind and body, too!) back into the healthy frame o’ mind.  Instead of this being “The End”, it’s rather a beginning, to keep marching forward!

And like the article in the photo above, this challenge, along with fanTABulous encouragement through Clare, seriously make-you-sore exercises and the important scriptural foundation, commitment and accountabilty have contributed tremendously to my staying on track.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not naive and I’ve been in “this place” more times than I can count.  I FULLY expect to continue to be tempted and challenged along the way as I strive toward my “Healthy goal”, it’s a lifelong exercise……..just as it is with our spiritual Walk, budgeting goals, raising children, cultivating healthy marriages, and so on.  Anything worthwhile is worth working on!!  Each day presents its own challenges, and in facing each day as it comes, I find it’s easier for me to keep focused when I keep the one-day-at-a-time mentality.  The choices we make TODAY contribute to where we are tomorrow…we canNOT focus on the worries of tomorrow which haven’t even occurred yet!!    We canNOT focus on the failures of yesterday.  Today.  One step at a time, one foot in front of the other.

And so….to wrap up this week, here is a quick summary:

Exercise:  I modified my plan according to what the day brought.  I had my “plan” and as with anything, sometimes plans fall apart.  This is where Plan B came in.  Modified.  Life changes.  Adaptation is key.  I did.  I was sore.  I got in my time!!

Food:  I planned.  I ate in moderation.  I kept cravings in check and when I simply HAD TO HAVE IT……moderation.  Case in point:  Spontaneous dinner date with Hubby Friday night…healthy choices @ dinner, but skipped the bread and ate in moderation….including the coconut cream pie.  A few bites, savored and enjoyed and I was satisfied.  Moderation not deprivation.  We have to live, people.

Scripture:  Above all things, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.  Proverbs 4:23.  How true, how true.  Especially after my dear friend’s dad underwent open heart surgery this week.  Physically and spiritually, heart=life.  Guard it likewise.

And this week we have….

Wishing you much success, peace and strength in the coming week(s) ahead!  Blessings!!

Over the hump….week 3!

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If I did not simply suffer from one moment to another, it would be impossible for me to be patient; but I look only at the present moment.  I forget the past and I take good care not to forestall the future.  When we yield to discouragement or despair it is usually because we give too much thought to the past and to the future.  St. Therese of Lisieux

We are heading into Week 4 with the Peak 313 5 week challenge and I am pleased to say that Week 3 was a FAR better effort in every manner (for me).  I KILLED it in exercise, mainly cardio however, I did squeeze in serious sets of lunges during a cardio session and hit my abs as well.  The biggest deal (for me) was that I ate amazingly well.  The key was simply…..plan.  Wow.  It worked.  I was ready each day with my snacks and I wasn’t hungry and get this…..I had energy.  Crazy, right?

The scale deal for me is I’m not weighing until the end of the challenge.  The scale is a deal breaker for me.  I can be doing EVERYthing right and if the scale isn’t where I want to be….I’m done.  I will hit Dunkin’ Donut, Starbucks, whatev….because…why? Apparently I like to derail myself.  Therefore, as I get older (and hopefully wiser), I aim more for how I feel, in my clothes and and my skin.

This week, I have my snacks and lunches pretty much stocked and ready to go.  We are changing up a kiddo routine which calls for adjustment in my lunch hour, but that’s life…fluid and ever-changing, if we can’t adjust…..we’re sure to combust!

Stay focused this week!  Here’s this week’s Scripture verse….

 

Mid-week JUMP!

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This week has been drastically different, in a good way, as far as exercise and food choices go. Of course, it’s only Wednesday…..however, one major change is that I’ve (so far) been able to wrap my brain around “One day at a time”.  Eating that elephant in small bites is a lot easier than tackling the entire thing.  Therefore, my planning for lunches has helped tremendously–especially at work when I hit the “hungries NOW” AND making it through the evening without that little “somethin’ somethin'”.

While I can’t say I’ve gone CLEAN EATING so far, I have absolutely cut a lot of junk and made some substitutions, i.e. brown rice with my sausage and spaghetti sauce instead of pasta.  Not quite the same, buuuuuuuuut, extremely filling and satisfying.  And I’m curious for those of you out there who have “cut the processed stuff” and gone clean….how long did it take you to lose the “craving” for sugar and junk?

This articleby Candace Cameron Bure via Peak313 was great, and my favorite “vision” in fighting against temptations is this excerpt:

In my book, Reshaping It All, I talk about “the eye covenant” found in Job 31:, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?” Using Job as a role model, many committed husbands, like mine, have decided to make the same covenant with their eyes. If a beautiful woman walks by, a man may take notice, but if he gazes at her for a while, his mind will travel to places it shouldn’t. So rather than looking her way, he turns his eyes and his attention to something else.

If this covenant helped Job overcome lust of the flesh, it can also work for us in regard to food! Instead of fantasizing over lunch, or spending the evening meditating on what dessert we’ll have, let us turn our thoughts and attention to something else. Use this covenant of the eyes to avoid the snack isles while shopping, passing up free samples instead of stopping to consider them, replying “No, thank you,” the next time someone passes a brownie your way and to stay focused on the car ahead of you when you drive by a fast food chain.

Thankfully, this week’s challenge Scripture verse is ALL about cravings and I find God’s timing is once again perfect.

1 John 2:16

For everything in the world, the sinful cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does, comes not from the Father but from the world.