Normal Week

Well, I'd say this was a very normal week. Nothing out of the ordinary happening. On Wednesday I had my normal day off and it was maybe abnormal compared to what I have had the last many days off. For once I was a little bit more free than normal. Too often I plan things and then I don't even get to sleep in! Well, I got to sleep in and I went to get my license with Mom. That was in the same complex as Goodwill so we shopped in there as well. I miss our Ephrata Goodwill. I like Salvation Army better because they have half price items every Wednesday but I don't get there as often as I'd like because it's farther. The Ephrata Goodwill had a fire a couple months ago and I sure wish they'd open up again. I have found good stuff there. They are not as organized as Salvation Army or as big but I like em just the same! There fire was just in the back of the storage but I'm assuming it set sprinklers off and if it did, then I can understand that they'd have alot of water marks, i.e. stinky clothes to wash. Things might smell like smoke too.

Wednesday night was preparatory service instead of discipleship class. Then of course on Sunday was Communion. I like the way they do Communion. They have a pew at a time come up and get their bread and drink the wine (grape juice). It doesn't take long. Sunday afternoon I hung out with the Brills and my brother. Oh, what a nice time we had. Oh, and Saturday night I was at the Brills for a cookout. That was a great time as well. Sunday night Bethany and Sharon Martin came and we played Bible Challenge. I have really begun to like the game. My friend Amy Bryant was kind enough to read the directions and teach me how to play. I don't like reading the directions, it drives me crazy. So I am grateful to Amy because now I know how to play the game and others love it too. First we played "oh, my word" and then Bible challenge. We had so much fun that the last girl left at 12:10.

Tonight, Monday, I was at a birthday party for Trivette Rhoads. He turned 3. What a cutie he is. His parents had cake and icecream and a little party for him.

Tuesday night is the work banquet for King's employees. I look forward to that. I usually have fun at those.

Wednesday night is discipleship class and Thursday night I have free and Friday night I get Johann Brill for the weekend. We'll see how he likes working with me at King's cause I have to work that day. I got tickets for a Ken Davis night and I look forward to that. Saturday night I'll probably go out to eat with him.

Well, have a good week everybody!

Talents, Inspirations, Discipline!

Oh, boy, where do I begin? I'll start with that I've been struggling with this past LONG while! Can you guess? Discipline! Who can tell me the importance of discipline? What must I do to learn it? Must a great calamity fall upon me so I get the drift? God forbid, but let me learn an easier way! But how can I teach it to myself? Let me explain what I mean by discipline! Eating is one of them. Our body is supposed to be subject to us, not us to it. So I should teach it that it does not get whatever it wants, when it wants it, right? Why is it that I have a huge problem with that? It seems like I cannot stand it when my stomach is growling, I just have to eat! But sometimes it should not be hungry, it just thinks it is! Why can't I ignore it and not eat? The other huge thing is bedtime. It's only gotten worse this past while and I'm so annoyed with myself. I know that our body is the temple of the Holy God and as a Christian, it is my duty to take as best care of it as I possibly can. So why can't I hike off to bed when it's time and my body is saying it's tired? It's like I'm possessed with an insane urge to finish certain things first and night after night after night it gets way too late for a girl like me to be up! It'd be one thing if I'd be up that late praying. But no, that's the sad thing, I get into bed and it's so very late and I just crash, I don't have time to say much of a prayer, just a short one for a few of my favorite people. GRRR! But if I go to bed without geting certain things done, I'd probably lie there and not be able to sleep because I know that work is still waiting to get done. Oh, can someone help me discipline myself. I don't want to get mono or some other sickness, if I do I will be so sorry that I did not take better care of my body. Maybe I should be accountable to someone. Sigh, but that's a bother too! Oh, and excercise is another fault of mine. It's not a first priority, and how do I make it one? I need to burn more calories but I will be honest and say I just really don't enjoy exercising. It's just not very fun and there's oh, so much other stuff to do that is more appealing. Can someone scare me or convict me or something so that I put my priorities on the right place and use self discipline before God takes it into His hands!

Okay, the other thing is talents. I am so inspired today, being at Uncle Dick's memorial. He was such a wonderful man. If I live to be 79, will others be able to say as many good things about me as they did about him? He was talented in so many things. The list is just long. But, he used every one of his talents, he milked em for all they were worth. I feel so little and useless compared to him. He would not want me to feel that way at all, I know that. He would hate that. But at the rate I'm going right now, what will I have to show for my life by the time I'm 79? What do I have to show for being 27? Have I used the talents that God gave me to their fullest or am I just floating along with the breeze, enjoying what happens to come my way? Am I grumbling that I don't have more talents or that I don't have the talents that I wish I had? There was not a lazy bone in Dick's body. He worked like an animal, yet somehow he had time for all his friends. I am a workaholic, but I don't always take time for my friends, and that's scary because friends do not stay friends if you do not nurture relationships. I tend to spend time with them when it suits me best, and if they call and I have other things planned I say no. I don't think Dick was that way at all, if someone wanted to visit him I believe he dropped his things and spent time with them. I know I have writing talent and I do use that, but I don't think I'm using it as much as I could be. I don't know, I'm just feeling pretty small right now and wondering where to even start! I just really have not done as much for others as I wish I would have by now. How can I know when it's time to just let my work sit and go make some old lady's day by visiting her, or let my work sit and go help a busy mom who's in despair with her workload? I have the ability to go farther in school. Why didn't I? I loved school and I could have gone to college. But I didn't want to spend the money, I wanted to earn money instead. Was I selfish? But do you have to do everything you are capable of doing just because you have the capability to do it? No! LOL! I know that much! I guess I just need to get prayed up some more and ask Jesus to show me where I am not using my talents to the fullest and to help me be in the center of His will, not just on the outskirts!

Does anyone else struggle with any of these things? Am I alone? No, I won't believe I'm alone! The devil likes to isolate people in their problems, but that strategy doesn't work with me because I know better. If no one leaves comments then I will know you all are just not admitting to anything:):):)

Sometime I have some other questions that I want folks to answer on but right now this is enough. I want to hear your advice and suggestions on this first! So, now your job is to let me know what you think!!!!!!!

Another week of God's Grace

Well........I keep wanting to post another question for my readers to comment on but time keeps running away from me:( One of these days........so in the meantime I'll just write normal stuff that doesn't take much thought or many brains.....

Last night I got word that Dick James may not live more than a week.....or a day for that matter. Sounds like he's doing very poorly. I know it sounds awfully cruel to pray that someone could just die, but that's what I pray because the poor man has been suffering so much from his cancer. I hope he just dies in his sleep and very soon, too. He is not eating really anything and hospice is helping him to be comfortable as much as they can. His poor wife Pat is run ragged. She doesn't sleep much when she hears him stir or moan. Their dear daughter Cindy is there alot, pretty much every night, God bless her. Cindy's reward will be great in heaven because she has helped out the Jameses so much as well as taken care of her inlaws. I'm just waiting to get a call any day now that Dick has moved to his new home.

I was sick all day yesterday. So far I feel good today........do I dare to even say that???? Oh, well, I do not believe in superstition so I may say what I wish and that will not change anything! I do not normally get stomach flues, hardly even once a year, but I sure had something yesterday. I had a bitter taste in my mouth all day and didn't know if I dared to eat but I managed to keep food down. I wasn't sure if I should sing with Steve's in the evening but I did that too. I felt very refreshed to sing and wished we could have sung longer. I miss choir so badly, wish I could be in it this time.

Speaking of choir reminds me why I am not in it this time around. The church I attend, Living Waters, is having their discipleship courses every Wednesday night for anyone transferring membership. So I am married to that, every Wednesday night. So far we've had an introductory one and lesson 1. 11 more Wednesdays to go, which will take us into the first week of December. Yuck, December, let's not think on that:( I don't want winter to be here yet. Sigh! I am forever bothered by how fast time flies, and no one encourages me, but they rather discourage me because they all say it gets worse as you get older........wah!

On Saturday if nothing changes, I think I shall just be lazy and scrapbook my heart out again! Well, that's not really lazy at all, it's just working as you're sitting down:) So I hope I can do that because I need to get my pictures in so badly! I have not done any pics for this year yet besides Israel pics. I have not even put in my moving pictures......I was working on that when I went to Israel and now I've been doing Israel pics ever since. Work fast, Dawn, work!:) But I want it to be really neat and full of new ideas so I'm taking my good old time. Rather neat and slow than fast and sloppy.

Sunday I have a tea party to attend. I am SOOOOOO looking forward to that. I love dressing up Victorian and it just sounds like a pile of fun. Then in the evening, I have a baptism to attend. Johann Brill gets baptized. So my weekend is cut out for me, not a chance of boredom.

Well, that's all for now, maybe next time I will actually get to write my debateable material for you all to comment on!

Longwood Garden, Misc.

Well, it seems like awhile since I wrote. Well, this weekend from Thursday til Sunday morning, I had a guest at my house. My friend/adopted sis Amy Bryant stayed at my house. It was great to see her again. We had fun shopping at the Tanger Outlets on Friday. Amy got some goodies. On Saturday we went to the BEAUTIFUL Longwood Gardens. I had not been there for a little while. I saw it over Christmastime twice and saw it in the summer once when I got my pictures taken there. So this was at least the 4th time I have been there. Oh, but it is so worth the money. Now that I have my own house, I appreciate it even more when I see all the work that goes into a flower garden. It’s time consuming and tough to keep everything in tip-top shape! We enjoyed the water fountains in the Italian garden, especially. I could write poems to that sound, if only I was left to myself at that spot. And, I would love to spend time there with God, just me and Him. I need to find that sign that they have on metal, you know, to put in a garden. The sign reads: The ___ of the ___ for pardon, the kiss of the sun for mirth, one’s nearer to God in a garden, than anyplace else on earth! I forget some of the words but anyway I love the saying. After we got done at the gardens, we ate at Applebee’s and then we went to Lancaster to a furniture shop. We found an ice cream place where they actually make the ice cream on the premises. It’s really a cute place and all kinds of unique flavors. I had a banana nut bread ice cream, so yummy! I tasted a mint sample and that was very refreshing. Next, we went to Salvation Army and Ollies. Then we went home and I had the Brill boys for the evening. We ordered Papa John’s pizza. It was a lovely evening. Amy liked the Brills like I thought she would.
This week was normal. Today I worked for my aunt. It’s been ages since I’ve been there. I cleaned her pantry. I love organizing stuff so that was right down my alley. I shopped at Horning’s a little. Found some pears for $6.50 a basket. Found some cream of chicken soup for 3/$1. I wish the bent and dent places down this way would be as cheap as Horning’s. It seems like food is more plentiful and better priced up through. GRRR!
By the way, I love living at my house. I am so thrilled we get to stay another year. God is so good! I did not want to move and it just seems like an awful lot of work to only live there a year. What will happen after that? I’m not gonna worry about that. That would be borrowing tomorrow’s trouble and I have enough in the current time to add to that! Now that Sharon’s dating, I could perhaps have to find another housemate til then but I’m not going to think about that either. For all I know, maybe I’ll be courted by my future husband til then too! Part of the adventure of serving God is that you never know what the future holds. It could be mighty exciting, or it could have a lot of grief, or some of both. But, this one thing I know: my God is bigger than life itself and because I am one of His kids, I get to inherit a mansion in the end so whatever it takes to get there is okay. I already know He is in control and He promised to take care of me and give me the best. What more could I ask for? I feel bad for those who don’t claim Him as their Daddy. They’re missing out BIG TIME!
I really had a stressful day yesterday. This is a holiday weekend and we expect to get some extra business at the store. So yesterday I was putting out the Christmas stuff. Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s ridiculous how early we have to put seasonal stuff out. I don’t like it at all. I get tired of the season before it’s even here. And, you know how fast time goes? Well, it seems to even hurry the year along! And, we got tons of stuff in and I was so tired til I was able to come home. And we had gotten a lot of Dunn plaques and picture in and there’s a bunch of walls to do Sigh! My feet were sore by lunch time already from working so hard.
Wednesday night we went to church. It was the first of 12 more meetings for the discipleship program they use for transferring membership. That will be every Wednesday night til December. I have to skip choir this time around, which really disappoints me but that’s part of life I guess.
Well, that’s all for now.