On purpose

I could not sleep last night for anything.  I woke up, for no apparent reason, at 2:22am, and laid there and laid there and laid there.  I very rarely have that problem.  I can usually fall asleep within seconds of my head hitting the pillow (or as my husband and children can attest, withing minutes of starting a movie at home regardless of what time it is or how interested I am in the movie).  So, I got up and read and messed around on the 'puter for a couple hours until I started getting tired again.  I did get back to sleep, but it was a restless sleep for the next couple hours until my alarm went off far too early.

As a result, I was quite tired today.  Normally this would cause me to be in less than a chipper mood for the day, and I would be struggling and feeling a little overwhelmed with everything all day long...

But not today.

Because of my new best friend, Joyce Meyer, I chose to have a good attitude!  I have been listening to some Joyce Meyer cd's loaned to me by a friend, and I have to tell you they are changing my life...more accurately God is changing my life through the messages she shares in them. 

The cd's are about attitudes...how to have a trusting and patient attitude, a hopeful attitude and a peaceful attitude, no matter what your situation.  They are about choosing to have these Godly attitudes, not only when things are going well, but when we go through trials.  Especially then. We can choose to have a good attitude on purpose, and not let the enemy of our souls tell us what kind of mood to be in all the time.  We so easily give up our peace when things don't go our way, or when we are struggling with things...big and small.  Joyce said "If you are already in a tough situation, it doesn't do any good to make it worse by having a bad attitude about it."

So I chose to have a good attitude today, despite the fact that I had only about 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, and it was Monday, and my job requires alot of mental and physical energy.  Was I tired?  Yes.  But did I complain about it or let it determine how my day would go or what kind of mood I would be in?  Nope.  I believed that God would get me through the day in His strength, and He did. 

And I was happier, too.

So I have a feeling that this little lesson that I learned today is just a small building block for God to use to continue to build my character.  To make me more like His Son.  Yay, go me!  Yay, go Joyce!  Or rather...yay, Go God!!!

"Do everything without grumbling or arguing"  Philippians 2:14

Today

I'm going to resist the urge to try and summarize all the happenings in our lives since the last time I blogged.  It's hard for me, to resist such a tempting temptation, but I quite often  have trouble summarizing things and tend to ramble on and on, so it's probably best if I just talk about today.

Today was....

See, I'm doing it already.  I have typed and backspaced about 14 sentences and just can't decide how to describe my day.  What is my problem?  There may be a name for this, I'm not sure, but whatever it is I need to just press on and keep typing until something resembling a coherent thought finds it's way out. 

Church was amazing today!  It usually is, but it was especially amazing today.  Besides great worship and a great message, there were tables set up in front of the sanctuary where people could come up together or individually to take communion.  I love that.  We went up as a family (I temporarily left my post at the piano to join my clan) and it was very special...to hold hands with my husband and children, remember the sacrifice that bought our freedom and salvation, and pray together with these wonderful people that I am blessed to share my life with...well it doesn't get any better than that at church. 

I also had the opportunity to talk with three parents who are grieving the losses of their children this week.  I am quite sure that they ministered to me more than I did to them.  The strength and peace that emminated from them at the most painful time in their lives is truly nothing short of a miracle.

This afternoon I had the opportunity to partake in my favorite Sunday afternoon pleasure....a nap!  Then it was on to Kyle's baseball banquet at the city park.  Fun!  I love baseball season, and also love when it comes to an end and our lives can resemble something a little more close to normal.  And there is alot less sand in our couches.

Tonight I had a photo shoot, and learned some very valuable lessons in my photography quest:

1.  Make sure to allow plenty of time for the shoot so you are not playing beat the clock with the sun. 
2.  Don't be afraid to reschedule, it's better than trying to rush and getting frustrated when there just isn't enough light left in the day, and you have to reschedule anyway.  Hmmph.
3.  It is SO WONDERFUL to have understanding and gracious friends who not only understand the need to reschedule, but totally don't act inconvenienced at all, and are even grateful for the "dress rehearsal" and the time we got to spend together!
4.  It's also wonderful to have very generous friends who are awesome at gardening and bring you fresh vegies from their garden....yum!
5.  And last but not least, always be sure to scope out a location ahead of time to avoid wasting precious daylight by trying to find the just right spots and realizing that the waterfall you were told about wasn't all it was cracked up to be. 

And now, it's time to retire for the evening...I did it!  I summarized today without rambling on and on (at least not too much.  I think.)  I surprise myself sometimes.