God grants me serenity

Life is flying by quickly these days. Those who know me well know that I must guard myself carefully or I will over-schedule, over-book, and over-commit. But, in the last few years, I have learned to slow down, to take time for myself and to actually spend time a.l.o.n.e. which is something that I rarely did in the past. Many times I have found myself noticing that I actually enjoy my own company and look forward to times where it is only me hanging out with me. I find myself talking to God a lot more and that's always a good thing. Burning the candle at both ends is a thing of the past and now you will rarely find me awake after 9:30 p.m. and if I do happen to still be awake, I am usually tucked quietly in my bed reading.

This week, these disciplines will be a challenge to keep. I shopped all day for things needed (wanted) for an upcoming anniversary trip to Hawaii. My future daughter-in-law's wedding shower is tomorrow, so I finished up the shopping for that as well. While I was out, I did the grocery shopping for the week to avoid having to go tomorrow. This was all after an hour of cycling this morning. Whew. Tomorrow includes worship services and preparing the meal for our bi-monthly family day (with all kids and significant others) and then we will pick up my bestest and oldest friend and travel to spend the evening showering my son's lovely fiance' with gifts.

Then the week begins again. I love my job, but the work of hospital administration of a brand new rehabilitation hospital keeps me one step behind where I want to be daily. Ah, job security. And Tuesday night will be the only night I will be at home. This is not my favorite type of schedule anymore. My hubbie will be out of town for part of this and I am undecided if this is good or bad. Good because he won't be around to realize how much I am not around and bad because I will miss him and the help he contributes when my schedule flies out of control like this.

So....I will do the one thing that I know will help keep me remain grounded and balanced this week. (since the one thing I know is I cannot control anything about this week except my reaction to it)

I have so much to be grateful for. Here is my gratitude list.

1. Healthy food in my house. This is necessary for energy and avoiding nasty fast food meals.

2. My work out schedule will still work in the midst of this chaos; also necessary for energy and serenity.

3. I will be having lunch with my alanon sponsor in the middle of this week.

4. My bed is fantastically comfortable!

5. My car already has a full gas tank.

6. I do not have an assignment due for the Association of Biblical Counselors.

7. In two weeks, I will be in Hawaii. That is almost surreal.

8. I have lost a few pounds this past week and expect to loose more this coming week. Another good reason to have the house stocked with healthy food.

9. I have a few new clothing items that I look forward to wearing this week. This always makes going to work just a little more fun!

10. God loves me more than I can imagine.

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

It's 9:15...time for bed.

Blessings~