Thanksgiving and T

 Home but didn't expect fully to be.  God is good.

I thank the Lord for a great Thanksgiving with my family.  I was able to bring some Middle Eastern food and my son was satisfied with his kebabs, rice, and even tried my mother's turkey.  My mom usually makes everything else and my dad the turkey but this time she did everything.  I'm a vegetarian but saw the effort my mother went in to making everything so I tried her turkey and dressing and it was delicious. 2025,  I have relaxed on following a strict plant based diet.  I celebrated my parents birthdays by trying cake with dairy.  Just reminded myself how much I don't care for that stuff. I'm a weirdo who does not like cake, pizza, or bread.  The rest of my family loves that stuff.  About a week ago, I made meatballs for the first time and I made them from scratch for my son. He is extremely picky and doesn't like pasta sauce, which I discovered when he tasted one. He refused to eat any more and it didn't make sense to me to throw it away so I ate them and they were delicious.  Who knew I could make good meatballs?  I also have been eating my son's cookies when he makes them (not often though).  I prefer dairy/egg free vegetarian food and I don't want my palate to change to unhealthy crap so I'm continuing to buy the stuff I usually do. I made turkey for the first time in the crockpot today but I am putting my foot down and not eating that.  My house smells great and my son tried it and said it tasted like chicken.  

He is laying down because unfortunately, he ate something that he is allergic to from church.  We were supposed to go to another church for children's practice but his stomach started hurting after he had two pieces of chicken from church and rice.  He said it tasted like the smell of Popeyes chicken and they use egg so if someone bought it and tried to pass it off as their own, they failed on that one.  He tried my turkey when he got home and has been laying down since. Away from the food talk, I was able to talk with my sister about a cousin who is in great need of prayer.  I had no idea she was going through what she is and I'm thankful for a sister and others who despite her mistakes and issues, continue to encourage her and support her.  She is in prison initially for attacking my aunt and also slashing a bunch of tires in a neighborhood.  She would have been out by now but ended up getting into an altercation or two in prison and her time has been extended.  She is only 36 and has a tumor on her brain which is now causing her to lose her sight, she is not able to walk or talk, and her health is failing.  I remember holding her as a baby when I was just a little kid and as an adult, she was the sweetest person one could know.  People may judge her but from the signs and things I saw, she was not being treated right and I believe different forms of abuse led her down the path she is on now.  However, the Lord is the God of the impossible.  She is precious in His sight and I know He can turn things around for her and her remaining family who too were  negatively affected by things around them they had no control over. If you are interested, please say a prayer for my cousin T. 

I hope that you had a great week and thanksgiving. I hope that your week was safe, free of stress, and that your future is full of blessing and God's presence.  God is good.  Give thanks to Him and bless His name!

Keeping It Short

 Happy Sabbath

God is good all the time.  I had a great day at church.  I invited my family to come out and they texted me saying the would not be making it out but they surprised me in the middle of the service.  I had invited them because we were having our Thanksgiving celebration today and my son baked a whole lot of cookies for the feast.  They came and stayed for the service but didn't pick up any food items. My son spent 3-4 hours yesterday baking batches of his butter cookies which people who previously visited my house raved about.  It was good to see him helping with setting up the dining area and participating in this way.  The police department and fire department came out to the celebration and I saw faces I haven't seen in a while which was great.  My mom and sister came and were able to get spiritually fed and that is what is most important.  I didn't mess up too much on the piano and overall, it was a great time.  God was with me for my meetings this week.  I am looking forward to the short work week next week and charging through all the meetings I scheduled for December to get to those 2-3 weeks of off time through the new year.  I've started a fasting regimen that is helping to control my blood sugar and correct some other issues I have.  I am focusing on fixing my iron levels, vitamin D, improving thyroid function and other things.  I'm fitting in my clothes better and improving my range of motion.  My son wants to go to the gym tomorrow so I can take him...but I could also take him at sunset.  Yes, I may just do that.  If we go this evening, I can relax tomorrow which I would prefer to do.  I have no complaints.  My family came to church.  My son did an awesome job baking those delicious cookies and I am feeling and looking better as a result of changing my diet and lifestyle.  God is good. 

Wuzzles and Dog Doo

 Good afternoon and Happy Sabbath,

I'm about to get something to eat and I had a great day and great week this week.

God answered a prayer I had prayed some weeks ago but first I need to share something that happened Tuesday.

Tuesday, I went over to my parent's home and my mother showed something she uses to do a pedicure.  I had time so I took time to use the device and got my feet feeling extra soft and smooth.  I was feeling myself ok.  I left out joyful and when I got in the car, I smelled a foul odor.  I realized that I stepped in some fecal matter that was hidden under leaves by my car.  I had to take extra time to clean my shoes off so I could get back in the car and head to my work appointment.  I had newspaper on the floor and needed to eventually clean the car out really good.  That evening, I went to a car wash but they didn't have anything really appropriate for cleaning floor mats so I used spray, tissue and gloves to get what I could.  I was not satisfied and planned later in the week to do a more thorough clean. 

Back in October,  a church sis asked me about leading for the music ministry and I had a huge no in my heart because I had fallen short terribly during the years I did it before.  I let God down. I let myself down. I also didn't feel I had the support I needed so I stepped down in the middle of my mess.  I have a few years out from that mess and a still working on staying committed to the Lord.  I have avoided responsibility and people know I don't want to have a leadership role (I've been clear about that for sometime now).  So sis asked me about being music director for a two year term and I told her that I would pray about it.  

I prayed about it the same day she asked me and I prayed the way I always pray when it comes to making big decisions.  I pray to the Lord in the quiet of my heart. I don't write anything I am thinking about down. I don't tell anyone I'm praying about this thing. I also ask for a sign and I never tell anyone what that sign is.  I pray for a sign of something that would be extremely rare and nearly impossible for me to come across even if I tried going out of my way to find it.  

In this case, I prayed for one of my earliest childhood memories to be something visible or audible. I prayed to see the word Wuzzles, see an image of a Wuzzle, or hear someone say the word Wuzzle. The Wuzzles was a cartoon that Disney made up which I watched when I was likely 2 or 3 years old. I wasn't even talking when I was watching that show and it was one of my favorite shows along with Mya the Bee.  I prayed this and looked for the sign that week but saw nothing so I left off thinking about it.  She asked me on October 24th.  

Thursday comes this week and I go over to my parent's home.  My mom tells me that she was cleaning out the garage and there were some books and items that my little sister didn't want. She said there were journals and things that were important but my sister refused to even look through it. I thought that was ridiculous so I grabbed the box and sat at the kitchen table with mom and my son and went through the items. We looked through books and drawings she made and laughed about how she complained about me as a kid. My son would say what the book was and hand it over to me after he finished looking.  Then, suddenly, he pushed a book in my face without telling me what it was like he did the others.  I was face to face with a story book with the words The Wuzzles on the cover and pictures of the Wuzzles.  

I took the book and my heart dropped and my mom looked over wondering what happened.  I prayed about this but I was not enthusiastic.  This was the first time that's ever happened to me.  I told her what I prayed about and realized that sometimes we have to be careful about what we pray for because God might tell us to do something we don't feel ready for.  I don't feel ready for it but I prayed for the Lord to let me know if He wanted me to be the music director again and for him to help me with the ministry if I am to take it over again.  Moses was not enthusiastic when God told him to go. He was nervous about what he would say. He was a man slow of speech.  Others lacked confidence too.  I lack confidence but I am going to do what I can to put my trust in the Lord for this.  I let my church sis know when I got out in the car that God answered my prayer about the role. 

Friday came and I woke up early (around 2am) and couldn't go back to sleep. So I decided to start my work earlier than usual and got finished ahead of my scheduled bloodwork which was to be done at 8am.  I went out to get my bloodwork and came back and got my son up to start his homeschool assignments.  I then went outside to clean the car mats that I was unhappy about since Tuesday.  I scrubbed and doused each rug in disinfectant cleaner and piping hot water.  After I cleaned the mats and the inside of the car, I decided to run the smaller car because the weather is colder and I need to turn it on periodically so the battery doesn't die.  I need to get that car repaired but I don't have the money right now (car doesn't have heat among other things).  When I went to turn that car off, two gentleman stopped from the township and greeted me carrying their rakes.  

In my township, they send people out to collect fallen leaves and although I raked on Sunday, half the leaves it seemed on my street were back in my front yard.  The wind and set up of the streets makes it so everything flies right into my yard.  This was another blessing because if I was not outside that morning, I would not have known the township would be coming to collect the leaves with the truck.  The guys told me I had about an hour before the truck would come through.  If I was not outside scrubbing dog doo doo off the car mats, I would have missed this perfect opportunity.  I would have been inside oblivious to what was going on.  My house would have been missed and my house would be the only one on the street completely covered in leaves.  I thank the Lord for having me in the right place at the right time.  I was able to retake and remove all those leaves from my yard in time for them to collect them.  

So I thank Him for the answered prayer of the Wuzzles.  I thank Him for an opportunity to be a blessing to at least four people I know today.  Today is their birthday.  I argued with myself about not doing something for two people and decided I needed to allow the Lord to use me to bless others.  I went and found fitting gifts for them.  God even had me go to two stores instead of three and put the perfect cards in front of me so I didn't have to spend a long time trying to find the right one.  The first card I picked up was right.  I thank God for having me step in that foul mess.  If it didn't happen, I would be buried under leaves for the entire winter and He knows I'm not trying to do that.  I thank Him for today.  I thank Him for bringing my dad back safely after an 12 hour drive.  He's 84 and it is unsafe for him to be doing all that.  I thank the Lord for our electrician friend and all the work he was willing to do for a fraction of the price.  I thank Him for the good and the challenges.  My friend shared she is still dealing with cancer and that is definitely at the top of my prayer list.  God is good.  Talk to Him and wait for Him to work out a miracle because He certainly can and will do it.  Praise be the Lord. 

Warm Sabbath

 Happy Sabbath,

Today was a nice warm day and likely one of the last ones I will have in a while. I'm thankful for being able to experience such a beautiful day, for being able to go to church today, and for of course, a good week.  I have no complaints.  There are things I do need to pray about and I will continue to do so but God is good and there is nothing that I want to or need to complain about.  My parents are doing ok. My son participated in a week of prayer with the children.  I have been able to come and go without too much trouble.  I am in a comfortable house. I'm in my bed this minute and about to rest a while before joining for Bible study.  I hope that you have had a great week and that you are happy and blessed.  There is so much turmoil going on around us. We need to keep our minds on what is positive and even if it is only one thing, it is there so thank the Lord for His goodness and keep pressing on.  Have a happy and wonderful sabbath :)

Yay to November

 Happy Sabbath and Happy November!

I'm so glad that October is over and we are in a better month.  I thank the Lord for today, for allowing me to help with the children's rehearsal, cover sabbath school, and other things.  I went to a corn maze for a second year in a row on Sunday and it was ok.  I was able to find my way out without the map. My son and I worked together to find the pieces of the puzzle but once we found the pieces and put the map together, he gave up on trying to figure out how to get out and got mad at me.  I couldn't figure out where we were on the map either so I went by intuition and we got out pretty quickly.  Even though his attitude soured as it usually does, I still had a good time. Next year we will race each other to find out way out so if he wants to get angry at someone, it will be harder for him to blame me like he usually does.  

I decided to work on my birthday and expected this year to be like previous years but I was wrong.  I received a few calls, text messages, and my mother came over.  My son surprised me by making me a song and printed out the sheet music of his creation.  I didn't take any pictures and do anything special but I will say it wasn't the worst I've had.  I went to my doctor's appointment the same day for a check up.  I'm used to people letting me down and not celebrating me and this week, they barely did so they kinda tried right? I have to set my expectations in the gutter or else I will be disappointed so I will continue to leave them there.  

I'm going to get off of here but do have something I need prayer about.  My car's heat stopped working.  I don't have enough money right now to get a new car and will have to fix this car to keep it going but I need a part time job or a serious increase in income with my current job.  The things that need fixing are the bumper, sun visor (fell off and I need to glue it back), the radio and display don't work when it gets too cold and as of today, the heat does not work so I cannot defrost the windows or anything when I drive. There is also no AC.  The car is my backup and I need it to be a functioning backup so please pray for me and the things that are breaking down in my life. 

Have a great Sabbath and let's go November! :)