44 Days

Yesterday my daughter came running up to me exclaiming, "44 More Days!  44 More Days!"

She's the countdown queen always counting down to the next big event.  Skipping, singing...44 more days!  As soon as the jubilant words were in earshot, I was overcome with a huge sense of anxiety.  My heart began racing.  Adrenaline was coursing through my extremities.

FORTY-FOUR more days until...

Trying to Find the Joy

No lies. This transition has been tougher than I ever imagined.  As my earlier post noted we've been through quite a lot and this week it has continued.  I'm documenting some of these events so one day when we look back we'll be able to see how far God has led us.  He is Faithful. He is Sovereign. He has a Plan.

But, I forget.

To Want For Nothing

I've sat down to blog my thoughts many times in the last few weeks, but every time the words just don't come and the ones that did echoed my whiny complaints.  Our circumstances within the last year or so don't seem to make sense and I've asked the question, "Why?" too many times to count.

Not to bore you with the details of our life drama, know we've dealt with trials that encompass a cross-country move, loss of friends (due to move), sale of what we thought was our dream house, health issues, financial strain, insurance problems, auto issues, new school, renter issues, hotel living, court dates (to deal with non-paying renter), worries about our kids making friends, and as of Friday I learned my identity was stolen.

It Could Be Worse...I Could Be A Tribute

Remember Job?  We're having a Job kind of week.  If you're not familiar with this book named after a faithful man of God, Protestantism Suite 101 describes it as, 

"The biblical book of Job that gives an account of Job's sufferings and his trust in God has great quotes about the immensity of God's love, power and greatness.

The story of Job's life in the Bible comes up as the best example of extreme sufferings. From the moment Satan tests Job to the time God restores Job's fortunes, many great quotes and sayings can be found that exemplify God's divine power.

Job is the ideal good man, husband and father. Satan challenged this and said to God that Job is a complete believer because he is prosperous. God allowed Satan to test Job through a series of immense hardships, practically stripping him off all his possessions and loved ones; he also suffered a disease.

Job was in conversation with some friends, with mixed emotions as they try and help him out. In the end, Satan was unsuccessful as Job's trust and respect in God remained steadfast."

Great Article on Stress

Here is a great follow-up article a friend sent today in regards to the effect of stress on the body.

As the article states, the first step is admitting there's a problem.

"I'm a stress junkie, and I have a problem."

Here's the link to the article:

http://whole9life.com/2011/11/stress-addiction-2/

Reducing Stress

A couple days ago, after running errands, I sat at a red light on a routinely traveled road, making a mental list of the many things I still needed to do in preparation for a get-together at our house.  In addition, to this mental planning, I'm sure my brain was also cataloging "to do" lists for the coming weeks and months.