excerpts

I am still slowly making my way through "Self Talk, Soul Talk" by Jennifer Rothschild. One reason for the slow pace is that I often have to put the book down and process what she has said. Here are some excerpts from her book that I have been thinking about for the last few days:

"Happiness isn't something you experience. It's something you remember." ~Oscar Levant

"The real power of any moment is fully realized when it is remembered. The experience might have been painful or pleasant, but its intensity and meaning grow when we remember and reflect upon it, when we place it alongside those milestone moments we've stowed away in our thought closets.

Remembering is essential to the health of our souls. So we must tell our souls to look back often...Here is your guiding principle: Tell your soul to look back only to what is profitable.

Some memories are precious, so we can tell our souls to recall them with pleasure. But other memories bring pain, and telling your soul to remember those is difficult. Yet both can be profitable to your soul as you assign meaning to them. Profitable memories are those that add to your soul wellness rather than subtract from it. They prompt maturity and growth rather than drag you down or keep you stuck in your own immaturity. Profitable memories contribute to your personal depth and understanding. They challenge you to think broadly rather than narrow your perspective. That's why profitable recollections can be either pleasant or painful. Even hard times in our lives can contribute great wisdom to our thought closets."

looking back

I have been here a year. It's been a very hard year; the most difficult year of my life so far. It feels like I've accomplished something huge just to have stayed with it for a year. Somehow, sometime, by the grace of God no doubt, there has been something changing. Not in my circumstances...life is very much the same and to some degree is more of a challenge since I've been working overtime and trying to stay on top of school. The change has been inside me. I think I am beginning to accept this season. Not resign in defeat or allow the bitterness to set in, but accept the lessons and allow the hardships to mold me into who Christ wants me to be. Notice that I said I am "beginning to accept" NOT "I am fully and completely content and satisfied with where I am right now" because that would be a very large exaggeration. It would be a wonderful thing to be at that maturity, but I must confess that I still struggle on a daily basis. However, I have been evaluating my heart and attitude this week and have been greatly encouraged to see that God has been bringing me to a new place of acceptance. My heart is slowly changing and my attitude is making its way from the place of bitterness to the place of surrender. Slowly. Ever...so...slowly. I think it would be a much easier journey if not for my darn stubbornness...

I am so thankful that God is answering my prayers. Believe me, if you ask Him to change your heart He will do it, but it WON'T be in the way you had in mind, and it will possibly be a long refining process. But it is oh so worth it. I pray that He continues molding me and my stubborn little heart.


Changing subjects just a teeny bit here: this is a tribute to my house and the year we have shared together.

Home improvements

Painting disasters

Break-in

But perhaps I have not properly introduced you to my home and all its wonderful features. Allow me to do that now:

I have a barn for my pony (I think most people refer to this as a "garage" for their "car")

Garage door opener (that would be me)

Security system (burglars beware!)

Dishwasher (me again!)

And of course, indoor plumbing and electricity. While we are on that subject, I would like to say that the cost of living here is ridiculous! Here is an illustration:

My house basically has five rooms. It is not total electric. I keep my a/c thermostat set at 81 degrees, thank you very much. I am very careful to conserve electricity in all ways possible. Uh, I also don't have other people using up excessive amounts of power in my humble little abode. My electricity bill from last month was a little less than what my parents average in their 3,000 square foot, total electric house!!

But I am not bitter; no, not at all. Yeah, I'm obviously still working on the attitude thing!

I am currently studying for Western Civ II and am using a Christian textbook as part of my study material. It has been really good. I generally like history, although it tends to depress me because of all the constant wars between nations, religions, philosophies, etc. That is why it has been nice for me to read about it all from a Christian perspective. It reminds me that God is still sovereign and is still controlling the events in our world. How amazing it is to look back and see what He has brought about through pivotal moments in time!

Here is a quote from my history book:

"Man's only hope for a better world, therefore, is through the sovereign work of God through, first, the evangelizing efforts of the church, and, second, the reforming efforts of those whose hearts and behaviors have thus been changed and submitted to the

Lordship of Christ."

Here is a quote from George Washington's Farewell Address:

"Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of

religious principle."

 

pictures of OK State Capitol building taken from my phone

*rain*

This summer has reminded me that rain is one of the

most beautiful things EVER.

There have been soo many grasshoppers...make sure you keep your mouth closed when you are walking through the yard!

Ah yes. I couldn't help it. I slipped my rain boots on and dashed outside to sing and dance in the rain. Good times.

This is for real, people! Seriously, the sun shining through these clouds was amazing.

Okay, now we come to the story of my injury by the deadly umbrella. I had grabbed my umbrella on my way out the door to work this morning because it was pouring. My umbrella is such a cute, innocent looking item; but I now know better. When I got into the office and put my umbrella on the floor, I discovered that my hand was covered in blood. What?? Apparently I had sliced my finger on the umbrella when I was opening it...and didn't even know it...in my mad dash through the downpour, I had not taken the time to look at my hand I guess. Sooo, I had blood on my jeans, my shirt, my phone, my umbrella, my car...yeah.  I had no idea my finger could do that. Since the gash went right across my knuckle, I wrapped it up so that I basically can't move my finger because I want the wound to close up. That made for an interesting day at work. Just imagine for about 15 minutes that you are unable to bend your pointer finger and you will see what I'm talking about. I'm just glad I didn't have to go to the emergency room because I don't need more medical bills right now and I really didn't want to try to explain the situation in the ER. "Well, you see, there was this umbrella..."

Happy Anniversary

Country boy/farmer meets city girl/schoolteacher. Twenty-nine years ago today they got married. And the rest, as they say, is history. I love my parents and am so lucky to have such an amazing family. If I get to be a mom someday, I hope I can be as great as my parents are.

Love is not a fight, but it's something worth fighting for. 

All because two people fell in love

staying with it

I feel lost.

My sister left Tuesday. My brother left yesterday. My house is quiet and empty. Summer is officially over. Not that I really had a summer - I didn't go anywhere and July was filled with overtime and studying. I am already looking forward to doing whatever I want after I get my degree. haha! It's going to be awhile.

I do have an announcement to make though: I am merely one exam away from finishing my first year!!!!

O.N.E. exam, people!!!!

That is exciting and hugely relieving. It's been three months: a very tough journey. I get a teeny bit scared when I think about the next eighteen or so months. (Which means that I am more stressed and overwhelmed than I want to admit on the world wide web.)

My academic advisor shared this quote with me and it was quite encouraging to me because it came in the midst of difficulties this week.

"Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have, and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else."


~ Brian Tracy

That is so, so good. I am going to frame it. No joke. You can too, if you like.

Stay with it. You don't have to be perfect, or have it all together, or do it all by yourself, or be the most bubbly, optimistic person out there who never lets anything get them down. You just need to stay with it. Perseverance - one of the greatest assets.

By the way, pop quiz here, what develops perseverance? Yes, you got it: the testing of your faith. This is gonna make you stronger. Stay with it.

And yes, I am preaching to myself right now. Nice healthy dose of soul talk. ;)

hello weekend, I've been waiting for you

Hooray! I am finally off work; now my weekend can begin! First on the agenda: eat. Then study. If all goes well, I might clean my house. But I am hoping to get some rest so I can be ready for another week and more overtime.

So as I get started on the list, I will leave you with this:

One year.
15,500 miles of memories.
This is how I remember that God answers prayers and can give us EXACTLY what we are looking for.
Just because He can.

Maybe I will celebrate our anniversary by cleaning it! :)


Happy weekend everyone!!