Ali ~ Authentic & Ameliorating

Good morning – here we are four and a half months into 2024 and this is only the second post I have written. I could give all the normal excuses: tired, busy, forgot…the list goes on and on. Just like life – life goes on even if I’m not writing…

I looked back at my most recent post ~ January 2nd!!! Not very recent and the word I had chosen for 2024 “be intentional” ~ well that hasn’t happened.

Life has gone on in-spite of my “good intentions” at the beginning of the year. I could give more excuses but why ~ that’s what they are ~ “just excuses.”

So let’s just begin with today. Right here and now. In the moment.

I’m tired ~ what’s new ~ I think I say that at least 5x a day!!! And I hear TTS saying “when you are sick and tired of being sick and tired then you will make a change.” I used to get so mad at him for always being right or at least it seems like he was LOL!

I got an email from a friend the other day where she told how she had gone down the rabbit hole and that she needed to get back to writing. I wrote her a quick email and said “So good to catch up. Now I need to get back to writing!” and her response “Yes you do!”

I’ve been having issues getting my laptop to charge, getting frustrated and taking it out on those around me so I took action and made a date to meet up with our son, Brandon, and have him give my laptop a look – he did his magic and now it is charging again!!! Thank you son for rescuing your ole’ mom! She does appreciate it and you!!!

A week ago I began (AGAIN) a new health class. It meets Tuesdays at 5:30, it’s a zoom class. Have I told you I have doing zoom meetings, they seem so impersonal!!! But alas I digress. So far I haven’t heard anything I hadn’t beard before but no excuses.

I have also been doing a Bible/Book study with three friends, one of them Ron!!! First time in many years we have done a Bible study together – it’s kind of nice, no it is nice. We meet at a local coffee shop, drink coffee, pray, read, discuss and then close in prayer. We are doing

I would highly recommend it, AGAIN, so far the things I’ve read and studied are not new but they are all great reminders and as we say every week: “repetition can be a good thing.” And it’s okay to start over again because even though it feels like it’s starting over, I’m starting with the knowledge of the many things I’ve learned over the years. One thing I shared this past Saturday was something TTS shared many years ago “Awareness + Contact = Change” so, with lots of awareness I’ve taken the step to apply (CONTACT) so let’s look forward to the Change!!!

First change was to get up when the dang alarm went off this morning and not hit the snooze button for an hour ~ let’s be real how much rest is there in 60 minutes when the alarm keeps going off every 9 minutes?? Not much!!

So I started my day: walked Charlie, fed Charlie and then he crawled up onto the bed to join Ron LOL….I got dressed, turned on some worship music, made my lunch for work, picked up my devotional and read:

And was reminded DO, use the awareness and put some action behind my words. And then I got on the scale (remember the new healthy weight loss group I started last week) and was pleasantly surprised that I am 3.9 lbs less than I was a week ago. So maybe, just maybe some of the little things I am doing again are working. I’m also reminded what a co-worker shared with me last week – it’s not a diet, it’s a way of life! It’s okay to eat that sweet, just not every day!!! Last night Ron was getting a cinnamon roll for a snack and asked if I wanted one. I said no thank you, I’m not hungry…I wasn’t hungry though the thought of eating that cinnamon roll with the cream cheese frosting sounded so good…but I really wasn’t hungry and I passed on it. Which goes along with something we read in “Battlefield of the mind:

~ the choice is yours MINE!
~ don’t give up
~ don’t be discouraged if progress is slow
and the last line of chapter 4
~ remember Poppa God is delivering you, little by little, so don’t be discouraged and don’t feel condemned if you make a mistake.
~ be patient with yourself MYSELF!

Dear Poppa God as I step out of the trailer this morning help me to give thanks for all that I have: a roof over my head even with the little bugs that just won’t go away, thank you for the food in the fridge and for our jobs that help us to be able to buy the healthy stuff like salads, fruit and flavored water. Lord help me to make the best choice I can in each moment of each day. Help me to take the negative thoughts and change them into positive. For instance: I’m tired ~ YES, BUT I GOT UP TODAY! Amen!!!