.......the numbers don't lie!
Am I really 65? Yes, I am! 1955 - 2020 = 65 (at least it used to be.....using OLD math, that is)! And, even though I have been so blessed with relatively good health, under the coloring, the gray hair is there; the aches and pains of arthritis in certain joints are there; the forgetter is more at work lately than the rememberer! And, don't ask me to run in a race! I will forfeit! And, I used to be able to do pretty well at arm wrestling.....not so much so now! My muscles are pretty saggy and jiggly.....flapping in the breeze when given the chance!
When I reflect back over my life, it would be silly for me to say that everything has been perfect! I don't know a single person who could or would say that! We are human, after all.....sinful humans who are good at bungling things up on our own! But, what I CAN say is that the LORD has been the one to give me the perfect life He intended for me to have! Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to His cross I cling! He has worked ALL things for my good and His glory! And I KNOW, without a shadow of a doubt that HE alone has worked ALL things together for good to ALL that love Him and are called according to HIS purpose! Romans 8:28
Do I always like or understand why He does or has done certain things in my life? For instance, He has clearly answered this question I've asked Him.....Why couldn't You just take Tim and I to heaven together because I don't want to live without him? Ask my children and grandchildren how He answered that prayer.....ask Mark.....ask Ilene.....my life, your life, is not about me.....it's not about us.....we are here for HIS purposes! We need to remember our focus should be on HIS purposes for our lives! Let's be real.....I pretty much fail in this EVERY DAY to some extent! How about you?
I don't always start each day by asking Him who He wants me to "touch" for His kingdom during the day. I'm pretty much at home most of the time. But when I do go out, I make myself aware of how I interact with those I come in contact with (as much as you can actually come in "contact" with others this year). My speech, my attitude, my actions towards others will go a long way toward having an influence on someone if the opportunity ever arises for a kingdom conversation! And I know I am not as forward or as bold as I should be for His sake, but you can't treat your server at the restaurant like dirt, not leave them a decent tip, yet leave a gospel tract and expect it to be read with enthusiasm and joy because of the way you treated them! Let's be real.....I think you understand how hypocritical that is! Even I would be offended by those actions, and I'm not offended easily!
The long and the short of this rambling is this.....EVERY DAY.....
Remember your Creator.
Be thankful in ALL things.
Remember there is a divine purpose working in your life.
Live for Him, not yourself.
Be a blessing to someone today!
I've joined the ranks of the Medicarians! And, I'm ok with that.....so far! I told my kids yesterday, after sending them this picture.....
.....that I don't feel like I'm 65. And, I don't! And, I can only thank the LORD for that! I actually feel a WHOLE lot younger and better than I did 4 years ago! That is when my stomach problems kicked in! I had (not-so-seriously) been wanting to lose weight.....NEEDING to lose weight.....but had no will power to tackle a lifestyle change. I had asked one of the ladies at church to pray that I would be able to stick to a diet. That failed, but not on her part! Her prayer WAS answered, even if not by the route I would have chosen. When IBS kicked in, I lost the weight because I would (out of necessity due to nausea) go a week at a time not being able to eat! Now I understand stress to be a big factor in IBS.....and I had a little bit of stress back then (wink, wink), even though I THOUGHT I was handling the stress of Tim's disease just fine and dandy! Obviously, not so much! And becoming a widow certainly didn't change the stress situation any. I had lost 50 lbs. by the time Tim died, but I continued with being sick, losing a total of 76 pounds.....until life change abruptly for me in 2018 when Mark and I got together. I was still sick every once in a while when we were first married, but not much at all now. I still have to watch what and how much I eat, but I am 20 pounds heavier now than when we got married! Here are some "comparison" (and memory) pictures of my not-so-well self compared to my doing-much-better-now self:
11/27/15 Thanksgiving weekend at Jessica's at my heaviest weight.
12/3/16 Eating out with Liz and family.
10/8/17 Birthday celebration with my girls (and guys!).
10/6/17 Last day with Michael, Jessica and Kara.
10/28/17 Hate that gray.......
11/2/17 .....wash it away!
Compared to a 70's photo.
11/17/17 Getting ready for the Thanksgiving gathering, lol!
12/22/17 Our first Christmas without Tim. The smiles are deceiving, compared to the emotions going on inside everyone's hearts.
6/9/18 Jeanne and Jennifer (my forever-loved in-laws) came to spend the weekend with Ilene and I. Here we are at Olive Garden.
6/23/18 And, the next thing I know, Mark and I are texting one another with silly emojis, he invited me out to dinner, and the rest is history! I started leaving my hair curly instead of straightening it because that is the way Mark likes it! I always wore it straightened before because that is the way Tim liked it! The things we do for love! I was down to my lowest weight by this time.
After dinner, since the weather was so beautiful, we rode to Troy, NC, which is about 40 miles further out Hwy 109 from Thomasville. The temperature was still 77 degrees at 5:30. But, we had to stop and take a potty break and put on our jackets because it cooled off pretty quickly after that!
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