I remember well taking this photo as I sat in the courtyard of Independence Hall. Looking up at the bell tower, I pondered the magnitude of the moment when men chose to break the shackles of tyranny and the divine right of kings and pursue self-governance. The cost of freedom was high that July the 4th 1776 and forever will be. Freedom is a priceless treasure, requiring sacrifice, courage and eternal vigilance, but I would rather be free than a slave… even with all the promises of being fed and housed by a master. Let freedom ring!!
Every time I stand in front of the mirror I am happier and happier with what I see. I am not just going for external change. I’ve lived long enough to know that improvement on the outside doesn’t always mean improvement on the inside! My journey towards true and lasting change started about five years ago when I began to cry out to the Lord in the midst of a lot of challenges in my life. His unexpected answers of biblical truth, who I am in Christ, support of friends and family, supplements I didn’t even know existed and much more, has helped my life begin to transition to a place that I didn’t think was possible. I share this as an encouragement…. You don’t have to stay stuck. Whatever your difficulty is. There is hope! There is always hope!
We had a wonderful time today hiking at Saltpetre Cave Nature Preserve with my daughter and husband. There was a time not long ago when this would have been impossible for me. So thankful!
Over the years I was diagnosed with multiple health problems…. I’ve had psoriasis on my legs since my late teens (autoimmune) and I began having symptoms of arthritis in my 20s that resulted in my having two partial knee replacements about 2 years ago. I was diagnosed with IBS. I began struggling with depression and anxiety in my 30s. Had very early breast cancer in 2003. In more recent years I developed a significant food sensitivity to wheat (had to go gluten free) that would cause me to be in significant joint and muscle pain for days if I accidentally ingested some. Then shortly before I started on my supplements… I also suffered with severe acid reflux, had become prediabetic and was diagnosed with super ventricular tachycardia. Over the years with these health issues, I became less and less active and put on a lot of weight.
Changes since starting journey to improve my health via my wonderful supplements, etc. in November 2017!
-Energy I haven’t seen in years!
-Shakiness, weakness and fatigue I would often get when my blood sugar dropped has stopped!
-I am no longer in pain all the time!
-My mindset is significantly improved (my husband and daughter have told me this is the best version of me they have ever seen)!
-After about a month and a half… I could eat wheat again!! ???
-Psoriasis has improved significantly.
-I used to get sick with about every virus that came down the road. For the last two winters I have hardly been sick at all. A couple of times I would start to feel like I was getting a bug but it was minimal and it would last a day or two at most.
-Off all my prescription meds!
I am still on my weight loss journey (although I have lost between 25 and 30 pounds and my body shape is changing)! I am trying to undo years of “emotional” eating and habitual bad food choices. I have to wrap my head around eating differently but I feel better than I did in my early 30s. I am going to continue to transition to a healthier approach to eating and I know the Lord will help me to lose all the weight that I need to!! Going to be 58 tomorrow!! ? I have so much hope now for having some future fun with this guy!
Do you ever wake up frustrated, feeling like you’re already behind before you even start your day? I have more times than I care to admit. This morning fighting that old emotional battle… I stepped outside mostly to escape seeing the household chores I had not done last night… when I noticed something tumble down the little hill by our driveway. It was a box turtle. He went end over end! It gave me the chuckle that I needed. I went out to get a picture of him and was greeted with a beautiful doe stepping out of the woods. Before I knew it I was running around my yard getting my feet soaked with dew taking pictures of wildlife and the morning sky. As I sat on my porch writing this, sunlight starting to stream through the morning mist, I realized there was a time not long ago when I would’ve stayed with the grumpy attitude I started with today. I used to think I couldn’t help how I felt. How many times do we hear people say that very thing? Now I know that feelings are a reflection of our thoughts and we CAN choose our thoughts. Scripture tells us that we should take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and bitter about life is not the Lord’s will for His people! Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit is! “Thank You Lord, for a little box turtle You used to remind me of that!”
God knows our needs before we ask! My husband stopped at Lowe’s after work yesterday. As he was getting out of his truck he slipped his keys in his pocket, or so he thought! They actually fell out on his seat! Upon coming out of the store he discovers he’s locked the keys in the truck. Several years ago we had locked keys in a vehicle and called the police to see if they could help us and were told they no longer did that. So Jim went back into the store and tried to find something he could use to fish through the window and pop the lock. He was struggling to do this when a kind lady, who just happened to park near him and just happened to work for the Fairfield County Sheriff’s office, walked up and said a deputy could unlock the truck! She made a phone call and shortly therefore a deputy came with her SlimJim and in minutes the problem was solved. This kind of sums up how life is. Doesn’t it? We face all kinds of obstacles and challenges big and small along the way. But God in His providence makes a way to overcome. We have a choice every day to look at the problems or look at the answers! We can focus on the struggle, stress and the hardship or we can focus on God‘s love and provision to see us through every time! I used to spend a lot of time dwelling on problems, now I choose to see answers! “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” – Philippians 4:8
Did God miraculously give me these steaks? For real?!? My friend Jason DeZurik tells of a time, in his book, when his children had need of milk and the Lord’s miraculous provision regarding that “need.” That makes sense to me! But, steak? For real? Steak is not a “need.” Steak is actually a little extravagant in my mind. But not, apparently, in the heart of my Heavenly Father who loves to show His love and give good gifts to His children! So, let me back up and tell the story…. As my husband and I were grocery shopping the other day I mentioned to him that I would love to grill out and actually had a hankering for steak. But as anybody taking a look at beef prices knows… getting a decent cut can be rather expensive. So I passed it up. A day or two later I was looking at a grocery store flyer, and still hankering for a nice grilled steak… I checked out the sales prices. However, again, I did not purchase. Then Sunday evening my husband got a phone call from a neighbor, who shared with Jim that he had some meat in his refrigerator that he wasn’t going to get used and it was ours to have. When my husband returned he had these beautiful steaks in his hands!! Immediately I knew my good, good God had given us this gift! Not a need! Not even something I prayed about. Just a quiet desire of my heart! His love is beyond understanding and so so vast!
Took this photo the other morning of a pretty old springhouse on a country road near me. For those who aren’t from the area… there are people here in the Hocking Hills that still regularly drink from these natural springs. Back in the day these little “houses” were put over a natural spring before electric refrigeration. Not only did the house protect the spring from debris, etc. but the spring made things very cool in the springhouse so the family would keep meat, dairy products or anything else in danger of spoiling inside.
What’s today look like for you? Where are you going this week? Is it intentional? Are you making a plan with purpose? So much of what we do is a reaction to whatever appears urgent at the moment. And as the saying goes “urgent gets in the way of important.” Guard “important.” Protect it from dwindling away in the midst of the work and pressures of life! Ultimately faith, hope and love, God and people are really all that matter.
I aspire to a lifestyle of boondocking and taking in a view of the Grand Tetons from my camper! Jim and I, like so many others were hit hard by the 2008 recession. We are so blessed to have recovered in part from that financial blow. God has granted us a beautiful home and a “beautiful” mortgage to go with it. However, planning for retirement in the midst of years of money struggles, when you’re just trying to put food on the table, didn’t take a high priority. So we have recently come up with a Plan B. We are going to semi-retire and do lots of Boondocking!! If you don’t know what Boondocking is… it is the kind of RV camping that can come with a view like the one in this photo! It is off grid camping which of course requires some planning, but on public lands you can often camp up to 14 days at no cost and in remote beautiful areas! This RV lifestyle will also have another blessing associated with it! Being mobile we will have the opportunity to volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse which sends volunteers into hard-hit areas after wildfires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, etc. Anybody who knows my husband knows he has a lot of skill in the area of construction and is perfectly suited for that kind of volunteering! It is a perfect way for us to serve others in our later years while traveling! We have never been ones to sit around and do nothing… even in retirement! Too many hurting people in this old world to not try to make a difference and share the love of Christ. I believe with all my heart the good Lord has graciously brought me a home business that will give us the semi-retirement income we need for RV living! We never even knew this business opportunity existed a year and a half ago! We were praying for a way out of debt and to be able to semi-retire. God is so so good and I know I will see this dream fulfilled! Never, never to old to dream and make a difference! Live intentionally!
