Ali’s Thoughts and Times with the Lord

December 6, 2025

I’m sitting here at Latte Vino enjoying watching Santa interacting with all the customers coming into the store. One gal came in and asked if she could bring her dog in for a picture with Santa and would have guessed, his name is Sir Charlie too!

As I read through the book of Proverbs I am reminded of so many things I have learned over the years. In Proverbs 2

Apply what I read into my heart – how do I do that? Memorizing His Word
Seek Godly wisdom from those who surround me. This got me thinking about those who have walked with me for many years as I struggled, grew, laughed and cried. I would start to name them, but I wouldn’t want to forget anyone. I hope those who have shared their lives with me along this journey called life know who they are.
Poppa God is my Shield.
Poppa God is my Abba, my wise counselor.
To honor Poppa God, I need to live with integrity, discretion, moral courage and understanding.

And most importantly, I need to remain in His Word, and He will remain in me.

December 2, 2025

Wow…I have been thinking of doing my devotional on line and realize I had that almost 7 1/2 years ago ! A lot has happened since then…but today is a new day and Poppa God says he give us new mercies every day, so here I am.

As I mentioned yesterday, I found this book during our move. I have no clue when I bought it but something (Poppa God) drew me to it this past weekend so here I am.

In the Introduction, one of the lines that made me chuckle and say that is so true: “…for everyday women who love Jesus (I do!) and carbs equally.” Give me pasta with butter or mashed potatoes or fresh baked bread anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Thus I think this book will be good for me.

Also during the Introduction we are told to think on and answer these three questions ~ so I think that’s a good place to start.

How is your Relationship with God?
How is your Relationship with your spouse?
How is your Relationship with myself?

How is my relationship with God? To be honest I would say hit and miss…I have the desire to spend time in His word every morning but I tend to let schedules and STUFF get in my way. I also struggle with my prayer time – so often it feels so hollow. I know Poppa God doesn’t care so much what I pray about but He does care and want me in Relationship with Him. He’s one of my best friends and yet I tend to ignore Him way too often.

How is my relationship with Ron? On one hand I would say it is great…we have been married almost 50 years!!! I remember on our 45th wedding anniversary as we were laying in bed I told him “I knew we would always be married. I just didn’t think it would be this long.” Seriously I think we have a great relationship. Do we have issues? You bet! But who doesn’t. I know I could be a better wife. I often tell myself “I need to treat Ron like I would a good friend ~ speaking lovingly, not arguing, not being judgmental and more concerned about him than me.” I know I am better than I used to be, expecting Ron to be perfect – ah that never happened. Expecting him to read my mind and know exactly what I want, what I mean and even the reason why ~ that doesn’t happen either. I have had two Pastors that have reminded me many times…Ron can’t read my mind so don’t expect him too! I think he would say I am better now, knowing he will never read my mind. And maybe that’s a good thing, because sometimes I don’t think very nice thoughts (about him and situations). Our relationship is strong and I know without a doubt that we are a good TEAM, a three person TEAM, Poppa God, Ron and me! And I’m thankful and blessed beyond measure being a member of that team!

How is my relationship with myself? Some days its good, other days I’m pretty down on myself, doubting often, expecting lots and frustrated when I am not as perfect as I think I should be. I tend to see the negative about myself, about whatever situation I am in and I say some not so nice things to myself, like I’m fat! I’m not gorgeous like XYZ. I need to be a better wife, mom, friend…BUT all is not bad. Yesterday morning at work, someone asked me how I was doing and I said “okay” like I usually do but I found myself adding a few seconds later…no in reality I am doing great! I had a great break, lots of great times with Ron, our son & his wife, B & D + spending time with each of our grandson’s one-on-one. Spending a very enjoyable Thanksgiving with family and just enjoying being together ~ sharing a meal, watching a great movie “Everything is Fine” which is on Netflix. I highly recommend it. I know for me, it made me think about the different relationships I have. And thinking about it now, I realize Poppa God was preparing my heart for this devotional/book I have decided to do at this time during this season of my life.

One statement in the introduction “experiencing what you don’t want brings clarity about what you do want.” I think of the story/saying You can’t have Joy without Sorrow, You can’t have Love without knowing Hate. Without Light you wouldn’t know really how dark things are.” The list goes on….I know I have often told people I knew I didn’t want to be the mom to our children as I had. I had to work hard to learn how to parent without yelling, without hitting and how to love and enjoy them for who they were and are. Along the same lines, I learned how not to be a bad mother-in-law ~ don’t get me wrong, I loved Anne and I know she loved me, at least by the time she died, not too sure when I was walking down the aisle to commit to a marriage and lifetime with her son. From her I learned I didn’t have to say every thought that came to mind about things my kids did or didn’t do. I also learned if someone was at our home and complaining about something, they were looking to buy and I wasn’t looking to sell ~ in other words be the wife and mom Jesus has made me to be and don’t worry about what others think.

I am thankful for this time of reflection because it shows me once again how blessed I am and how grateful I am for the life I have, the people in my life who have walked this journey with me, whether it has been for 60+ years or just a few months.

Thank you, Poppa God, for this time with you this morning to reflect on the things that I am grateful for, for the love of a very special man who I know without a doubt was put into my life at just the right time to love me just as I am with all my quirks and crazy ideas.

If you were reading this book, how do you think you would answer those three questions. You don’t have to reply but you just might benefit from asking yourself those questions. And with that, have a great day and I will see you next time!

Thursday, February 1, 2018

One of my desires this year is to spend quality time each day with the Lord. I am getting better, not quite every day but at least a few times a week. The two tools I am using this year are:

Each of them have a paragraph to think and pray about plus room to color a scripture. Coloring helps me to relax.

Yesterday was focused on True Joy. One of the scriptures was John 15 with the focus on John 15:11 “These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

By keeping my focus on the Lord I will have JOY in me to be shared with others. My conundrum ~ so many things bring me joy yet at the same time causes concern or worry. I am trying to refocus myself when I start to worry to focus on the joy of the situation. My husband, my sons and their wives and my precious five grandchildren bring me tons of JOY as do my friends and most of my family 😼yet circumstances and situations bring thoughts of concern and worry. By keeping my focus and redirecting my thoughts and turning things over to God helps me to focus on the JOY and also give me opportunities to share God’s wonder and blessings in my life.

Money is tight right now, seems like it always is 😋 but I decided to find a little coffee shop this morning. I found Origins Coffee Shop which reminds me of Woods in Birch Bay Square. As I pulled up I found my thoughts going ~ hey go back to the house, the kids are all at school and you can have quiet there ~ BUT I opted to go in! And boy was I blessed, I ordered my Peppermint Mocha and pulled out some cash when the barista said “it’s already paid for so enjoy!” What a blessing…got a good cup of coffee, sitting by the fire, writing emails to my bestie and others and listening to adults chatting away.

I love to people watch and part of that is eavesdropping on conversations. I remember my friend, Barbara Fairchild said once “it’s not really eavesdropping if you don’t have to strain to hear what is being said 😎” So far I have heard two people discussing how do you help someone who doesn’t want help and currently to a daughter and father chattering. These two remind me of some of the good times with my own Dad. She is just rambling on and on, laughs when her Dad tries to interject something into the conversation and keeps right on talking. I wish I could have one more conversation with my Dad ~ just to hear his voice, saying “everyone should pitch in a $ and we could build ???” My relationship with my Dad wasn’t always the best but I am thankful for the good memories I have of him and his quirkyness.

A little story about my Dad; I have a friend named Lynda and for some reason my Dad always called her Virginia. Just thinking about the many times I would try to convince him what her name really was and then we would just laugh.

My other devotion was on “Real Love” and the verse

It is easy to read this verse but not always easy to follow through on. It is much easier to tear someone down who attacks you then it is to love on them or even pray for them. I know I have failed at loving my enemies and I want to continue to grow and learn to love those who have hurt me in the past and even recently.

Lord help me to remember

and again to remember

Image result for pray for my enemies scriptures

My question to you is what do you do to keep hurting words coming from your mouth?

Friday, January 19, 2018

The past few days we have been reflecting on our lives, where we’ve been, all the things we have had the opportunity to do and new opportunities on the horizon. One of the daily devotions I get is by Rachel Wojo. Today she posted about JOY ~ where it comes from and where we think it comes from ~ two totally different places. This is what she had to say:

Poverty is no stranger to me. Growing up, my father made sure that I knew what it was like for poor country folk. He drove the church bus on Sunday and for years, we visited folks on Saturday to encourage them to ride the bus to church on Sunday.

Illness is no stranger to me. My daughter, Taylor, is 21 and she was diagnosed at age 4 with a terminal disease, MPS. For 17 years, I’ve pondered and wrestled with the concepts of contentment and joy, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances.

And I’ve discovered that finding joy in strange places is not a NEW concept. In fact, since the fall of man, humanity has worked at seeking happiness. Only we haven’t gotten very good at it.

We have a tendency to look in the wrong places for joy. We think that somewhere, some way, somehow if we get enough money, or more time, or another relationship, we’ll be truly happy. And that’s not how God says it works at all.

Joy has nothing to do with the position of your body and everything to do with the posture of your heart. – One More Step

Today as I pondered this while we are thinking about job possibilities I was reminded it’s not necessarily the tangible things in life that bring us joy, yes money helps at times yet at other times it is a hindrance.

We have two completely different job opportunities. On paper one looks wonderful: good money, stability and definitely all four seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter would be at our doorstep.

On the other hand, the other job offers a chance to travel, spend more time with our family and friends, eight months long so we would again be looking for work YET, we have gotten so many positive comments on our resumes and lots of places wanting us but financially those jobs would put us in the hole ~ a place we promised ourselves we would not allow to happen to us if at all possible.

Last night when I went to bed, I prayed for discernment, peace, clarity and unity with Ron when we woke up this morning…I had the craziest, chaotic dream and woke up feeling very confused ~ definitely not peace or clarity. Ron and I talked a bit, had breakfast with some friends who shared their thoughts on the two jobs, we discussed an email of encouragement from my bestie ~ she is the smart thinker and asks great questions when I am too close to the situation and we talked some more. What can I say, I’m involved in this and as y’all who know me, know I talk a lot and I have to talk everything out and talk it out some more.

And then I opened Rachel’s devotion…and the line “We have a tendency to look in the wrong places for joy. We think that somewhere, some way, somehow if we get enough money, or more time, or another relationship, we’ll be truly happy. And that’s not how God says it works at all.

Joy has nothing to do with the position of your body and everything to do with the posture of your heart. – One More Step“

jumped out at me ~ where is my happiness/joy found ~ in serving our community, wherever they happen to be, in fellowshipping with our family and friends and being in harmony with my hubby!!!

Thank you Lord for answering my prayers, maybe not the way I thought they would be answered but in YOUR timing and clarity!!!

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Today is the first day in quite a few where I am feeling human again. I still have the cough but no wheezing today and for that I am very thankful.

A friend of mine shared this story on Facebook,

5 Things About Faith No One Wants to Talk About.

1. Doubting

2. Prayers ~ not always answered in the way we want them answered

3. Not all “Christians” can be trusted.

4. Most struggles are not shared with those in church

5. Sin and the consequences of Sin is Real

I hope you take the time to read the article. One thing I love about my Bestie is that she calls me out on things I say or do, questions me about why I say or do some things,

we encourage one another when we are down

and celebrate when we are up.

We remind each other of God’s promises of never leaving us,

he always provides for us ~ maybe not how we think we should be provided for but he provides for all our needs.

I am so thankful for my bestie. I know she is one of my best friends who loves me even in my biggest struggles. We may not see each other every day, don’t even talk or email every day ~ but we do know that each of us are there for each other whenever we need each other.

I doubt a lot, probably as much as I question things. But in the end I turn back to knowing God is with me and for me in all things.

I pray often, probably not as often as I should and sometimes my prayers sound pretty selfish. I don’t think I am a selfish person but sometimes when I’m praying I find myself asking and telling God what I want & need ~ but realize that is the me in those prayers and not necessarily what and where God wants me to be.

Lord I want learn to focus my prayer time

A ~ adoration; giving Praise to my Jesus;

one of the ways I am keeping my praises prominent in my life is doing 365 days of Thankfulness/Gratitude on my Facebook page.

C ~ confession; all my sins; it’s not always easy to see my sin, sometimes my sin is very subtle but isn’t that just how Satan is ~ subtle coming in through the cracks

T ~ thanksgiving; for the many blessings in my life; being thankful not only for the big things that others may see but the little things I only know about and not just for things but for people, actions and surprises in my life

S ~ supplication; and lastly asking for the needs in my life and others; remembering the needs of others, putting others first, seeking out ways I can bless others

Trusting others, I used to trust everyone had the best for me but in reality most people don’t really care what happens to me or with me. I used to blindly trust every person I would come to meet ~ that is until I was hurt over and over by those who said they “loved” me and cared about me. I had to suck everything in and bring my circle tight next to me. I have come to realize I have lots of acquaintances but not many true friends and especially not many who I can trust in all areas of my life. I have learned I can truly trust God, he is truly the only one who has my back besides me. I am so thankful for those who have demonstrated that unconditional love to me, who have shown me that not everyone is out to get what they want, but to truly be there for a friend.

I still sometimes trust too easily, then I have stop, suck it in again, and start all over. And through it all I need to remind myself the only ONE I can truly trust in every situation is my Jesus. Because everyone else is human and humans are not perfect. And because I am human I will continue to trust those who are and will come into my life and look for the positive in those same people.

Sharing one’s struggles with anyone is always a risk and I believe even more in the church. I remember one lady in our church in Federal Way, many years ago was going through a horrific divorce but her answer anytime anyone asked her how she was doing was fine. Everyone knew things weren’t okay but as long as she wouldn’t share her needs/struggles with others no one was able to reach out to her. I have learned there is a fine line between sharing of my struggles to let others know where I am or sharing what’s going on as a way to just put it out there.

I believe it’s important for each of us to share with those we are in fellowship with but I also don’t think we need to share our whole life story in 15 seconds or less.

I think it’s important to share who we are and what’s happening our lives to be an encourager to each other. We all have struggles and through our struggles we can become an encourager for one another. I think God allows us to have struggles so we can be of support to one another.

Sin

Image result for all have sinned and fallen short esv

Sin is not a good thing. I think we often try to justify different sins in our lives by saying “well it’s only a little white lie” or “it didn’t really affect anyone but me.”

My prayer for me is to be open with God about all my sins and for Him to forgive me each and every time. Which I know He does. But that also does not give me permission to sin the same over and over again.

Lord help me to quickly see the sin in my life, and to take the log out of my eye before I begin judging others.

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What are your thoughts about this article?

I would love to discuss these points and where we as Christians can stop hiding behind those topics we don’t like to talk about.

December 29, 2017

Have done a lot of thinking and contemplating about myself, my journey with the Lord and my relationship with my sweet hubby, with Jesus and family & friends. Stay tuned for thoughts/prayers/reflections in the days to come.

June 15, 2015

I am always amazed how God meets me right where I am and this morning was no different. I have been struggling with my lack of time in the Word, lack of prayer time and most of all feeling like I have dropped the ball in many of my relationships.

Oh, I know I have had a lot on my plate with the Grand Opening of GUMI Camp USA and all that was involved there: the Silent Auction, the food, parking, music and organizing it. I totally spaced out my daughter-in-law’s birthday and our grandson, Treysons…talk about feeling guilty…how does a Grammy forget her grandbaby’s birthday??? And then yesterday finding out I totally spaced a good friend’s birthday…ugh…ugh…ugh.

But I still sit back and think I am failing and falling apart. What happened to Ali – the organized, card sending, nurturing friend…why am I feeling so scattered brained? This morning I told myself “Today is a new day. God tells us in his word that His mercies are new every morning.” And so I picked up my Bible and my notebook and sat down on the couch and listened for a few minutes to the birds singing and just felt the peace of the Lord falling all over me.

My scripture reading was in Matthew 5:43 – 48.

“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” Matthew 5:43 – 48 The Message

As I read I thought of the verse,

and I realized I have been loving on, spending time with others and going and going and doing and doing and somewhere along the line I got lost and that I knew how to find my way back…spending time with the Lord in conversation (prayer), reading His Word and letting His love surround me so I have the energy, love and attention to give to others.

This past week was super crazy with trying to get all my classwork finished and I had holed up in the motor home to do just that. I am happy to say all the classwork is finished and all that is left to be done is to give our presentation to our instructor. That will happen in the next day or two.

I also have been battling migraines over the past three weeks, twice so intense I hid in the bed without any lights on. Resorting to take my Maxalt is a sign that it is a very bad migraine. I have upped my water intake, very important for lots of reasons and I have quit drinking soda pop – I know can you believe it?? I am drinking lots of water like I mentioned, lots of ice tea w/Splenda ~ trying to cut aspartame out of my diet and this week my goal is to get back to walking at least 4 mornings a week for 30 minutes a day.

Other rambling thoughts…I had a friend tell me today she did not want to come to our picnic if her presence would keep other friends away. I told her, if someone chooses not to come because she and her family would be here that that is their issue not hers.

Many thoughts are running through my mind: people upset because someone is not happy with their choice of learning material, couples who live together who are not married, someone having a beer or a mixed drink once in awhile, choosing to go or not go to a certain church…the list goes on. I may not agree with living together but they are adults and what they do is their business and between them and God; some people believe drinking alcohol is a sin and others don’t ~ again its between them and God; deciding what church is the best fit for you ~ I think people need to remember PEOPLE are the church, not the building you meet in once or twice a week…I am sure I do things that others think are wrong yet I know they still love me and count me as a friend. Again, I was brought back to my scripture reading this morning…to love our neighbors and our enemies…God does not tell us to only like/love those who think exactly as I do BUT to love everyone.

And I believe true friends must have the understanding that they can agree to disagree on some things but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t or can’t be friends. How boring life would be if everyone thought the same, did the same and acted the same.

Would love to hear your thoughts about this and anything else you want to talk about.

Talk to y’all again soon!

March 20, 2015

Raw from the heart ~

Woke up this morning with a Charlie Horse cramp in my leg…that definitely will make you get out of bed before you want to but up I was. So I made a pot of coffee and fixed myself a cup and ate a yogurt. It has been awhile since I had one and while eating it I was wondering why do I not do things or eat things I enjoy more often. It’s like I get in to these big ruts and just don’t move. Sort of like the mud ruts we have all over the place right now here in Cedar Creek…and with the rain of last night those ruts are once again soft and deep and ready to stop anything from moving out of them.

I think that’s where I am in life…stuck in a rut…it was quiet and so I decided to pick up my Bible and do a little reading. So I turned to the devotion for today, Romans 5:1-5

and what caught my mind was where Jesus tells us we will have tribulations but that’s okay, we know that we should look at each situation with JOY, knowing and expecting God’s blessings. It continues that with tribulations we produce perseverance and perseverance helps to build our character and with that we have hope.

And then I felt stuck…like okay, I understand that but so what.

And then I poured out to God, writing in my journal … I just don’t know. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins, all my sins and with that, like it says in 1 Cor. 5:17

“All things are made new” and I am that thing and that I am one of His precious daughters, daughter of the mighty King yet I feel stuck in a rut, with no emotion. Reading His Word lately has been just blah to me, just like reading a magazine article on how to make a great meatloaf…just following the directions and that continues in my prayer life. I feel my prayer life is nothing, just saying stuff to say I have prayed, no emotion, no feelings of anything as if I am speaking in a monotone just to hear the sound of my voice which is blah at its best.

I know I have had that close connection to AND with God in the past. Kneeling and praying in the pastor’s office when He took those horrible suicidal thoughts away, out of my vocabulary, out of my mind and heart ~ healed from that horrible state of self-destruction that I was in; when I was lying flat on the living room floor when we lived in the Grandview house. I was so scared that if I gave everything to the Lord that I would die in a heap of tears, not being able to let loose and just get it all out and yet, God was with me, I felt his presence right next to me, holding me as I laid there on the floor turning every thought and concern over to Him. And many times during counseling sessions I would see Him holding me on his lap, I would feel His presence and my fears would disappear. In particular the day I spilled everything out about my feelings towards Ed. My anger for how he hurt me, he took my innocence away, he crushed my spirit and through it all kept threatening to hurt my mom and my sister if I were to say anything at all…I was so angry with Ed that I had even thought of many different ways I could physically hurt him and yet through different counseling sessions God held me tight while I cried out in pain and anger…He was so close to me

And yet, probably over the past few months I just feel so stagnant, like a blob of goop, not moving, not feeling and wondering why don’t I feel God near me. Oh yes, there have been times over the past few months when I knew God was leading me to do something or say something and I have felt that peace that passes all understanding in regards to different situations but overall, no emotional connection to God and I wonder where it is, how do I get that back. Is it my fear of failing, fear of doing something wrong, fear of ???? that keeps me stuck in this rut?

I just don’t know.

I JUST DON’T KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

March 5, 2015

Today has been a day no one could have planned for. I know I didn’t but it is what it is. Many of you know we got hit by a huge snow/freezing rain storm the past 48 hours. And it included getting the pickup and the post hole digger stuck, not once, not twice but now three times. Tuesday morning our pastor called to let us know Bible study was cancelled due to the impending storm and during that conversation with Ron he found out about the truck and post hole digger fiasco. Pastor Isaac was johnny on the spot and came over and helped Ron get the truck unstuck. Then the freezing rain and snow ~ about 5″ hit Tuesday night and all day Wednesday. This morning Ron decided to go get the post hole digger unstuck. The ground was frozen and so we were planning on the best. Ron got the rope down to the post hole digger and picked me up at the motor home to drive the truck to pull the post hole digger out…well that was the plan. I don’t know how far we had to go but it was quite the distance. Well we made it half way when the truck got stuck AGAIN. That was about 9:30 this morning. You see the sun was shining, the ground was getting muddier and muddier and at 1:30 this afternoon we called it quits for the day. We will go back out early tomorrow morning as it is supposed to get down to 4′ tonight and not start warming up till about 10 AM…gives us 4 hours to get the truck unstuck and then continue working on getting the post hole digger unstuck.

Now how does all this fit into Ali’s Thoughts & Ramblings ~ you see, you can do a lot of thinking while sitting in the truck while Ron hooks up rope and come along over and over again. So that is what I did a lot of…thinking…about me and how I just feel like I am spinning my wheels (yes the trucks wheels were spinning lots too!) and just plodding along. I always have great plans, set goals, and try to get myself organized with calendars, lists, notes…you get the picture.

One of the things I have committed to doing is sharing daily with a couple of groups that I belong to on Facebook, from the book Living Simply and the first couple of days I did real well THEN life got in the way…helping a friend, helping Ron, working on stuff for GUMI Camp USA and freezing during these exasperating cold days…our little furnace and electric heater have a hard time keeping up when the temps outside are in the single and tween digits.

And so today, when I found myself sitting in the truck between texting to a few friends of my dilemma and playing a few games of solitaire on my phone and posting on Facebook I found myself praying…maybe that should have been the first thing I did…pray. I realized that no one can change me but me. No one can make my priorities mine but me, no one can write my blog but me, no one can do the follow up on a class or sending out cards but me, no one can eat healthy for me but me.

Yesterday I realized I was not drinking water like I should have been. I did real good drinking only water the four days I was with Norma and that was because I didn’t take any soda pop with me. I come home and I have two six packs and it is so easy to grab a pop out of the fridge but then again, it is pretty easy to grab a bottle of water from the fridge especially if there is no pop in the fridge and yes, I am the guilty one who bought it, my rationale was it was on sale. I would have been better off just not buying it so that is also on my list of don’t buy…soda pop…have one when we go out which is not very often and have it as a treat and not an every day thing. One more thing I really need to pay attention to. And I found out from multiple sources I should be striving to drink 168 oz of water/fluid a day. My problem though if I call it fluid I then drink soda pop, that counts right, well not really. So yesterday I drank two 23.5 oz bottles of water. Not quite enough but hey better than none right?

Today so far, 23.5 oz bottle of water and 16.9 oz diet Pepsi. back to the water bottle now.

After all the thinking I did while waiting to help Ron get the truck unstuck and I had a little pep talk with myself, thinking I should have them a bit more often…we came back to the motor home, had lunch and watched a TV show with Ron and then decided it was quiet (Ron is taking a much needed nap after all the work he did this morning) I pulled out my book “Living Simply” and this is the one for today:

nk emo

1.The simple life is an unencumbered life, emotionally as well as physically.

Here is my take on this simple phrase. I have noticed quite often lately that I am feeling closed in. While staying at Norma’s I have been reminded again and again about having “stuff” that clutters. When I came back to the motor home on Monday I looked around and decided I need to “clean house” again and not just mopping the floors but purging/getting rid of stuff. And thinking about our storage unit back in Blaine and feeling the need to get rid of everything in it when we go back home in October. And that’s where the emotional stuff comes into play…I have some items that were my grandparents, I have all the baby things from our son, Royce, who passed away as an infant, I have mementos from things happening throughout our lives…the day Mount St. Helen blew ~ our youngest son, Brandon was dedicated that day…and the list goes on and on.

So one of my goals over the next few months is to clean/purge things from our motor home that are just taking up space, scan all the pictures we have in a huge tote that we have been carrying with us for over a year now and divvy those pictures up between my two boys and their families and my niece.

What do you need to clean/purge to open up some of the emotional or physical things that are encumbering your lives?

February 23, 2015

During the past month I have really struggled with my diabetes, numbers too high, eating late at night, not eating breakfast, not drinking water, drinking pop way too often…the battle is an ongoing one for me.

I feel like I am always starting or falling off a diet…and what I know is that my eating needs to be a lifestyle…no fads, there are no quick fixes, I need to eat healthy…no I need to eat healthier, I need to make good choices and not binge.

One reason I think this has been on my mind once again is that I had a doctor’s appointment this morning with Dr. Steve to talk about my diabetes and get my life ~~back~~ on track…making healthy choices for all of me not just focus on one aspect of my life ~ what goes in my mouth ~ but ALL of me.

And then this morning God spoke directly to me through my morning devotion.

1 Corinthians 8:9-13The Message (MSG)

^8-9But fortunately God doesn’t grade us on our diet. We’re neither commended when we clean our plate nor reprimanded when we just can’t stomach it. But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track.

¹⁰For instance, say you flaunt your freedom by going to a banquet thrown in honor of idols, where the main course is meat sacrificed to idols. Isn’t there great danger if someone still struggling over this issue, someone who looks up to you as knowledgeable and mature, sees you go into that banquet? The danger is that he will become terribly confused—maybe even to the point of getting mixed up himself in what his conscience tells him is wrong.

^11-13Christ gave up his life for that person. Wouldn’t you at least be willing to give up going to dinner for him—because, as you say, it doesn’t really make any difference? But it does make a difference if you hurt your friend terribly, risking his eternal ruin! When you hurt your friend, you hurt Christ. A free meal here and there isn’t worth it at the cost of even one of these “weak ones.” So, never go to these idol-tainted meals if there’s any chance it will trip up one of your brothers or sisters.

Wow!!! Once again God met me right where I am at and as I talk about my food addiction, yes it is food addiction and it is a double edge sword…I need to eat and that is just a fact, my issue is eating too much, eating unhealthy food not once or twice but on a very regular basis and I know it is going to kill me if I don’t get this eating under control.

And so I re-read the above scriptures and off to see Dr. Steve…I was a puddle by the time I got into see him. Feeling stressed about my appointment and then hearing from Ron that the Jeep had died on his way into town and if the issue is what the mechanic thinks it is it is going to cost between $300 & $500, which of course we don’t have. Ugh…my thought at the time was now what??

Because when I think of eating healthy I think lots of fresh fruit, fresh veggies and no prepared foods but cooking from scratch…I have to be honest…a Wendy’s burger was sounding really good but I first needed to see Dr. Steve.

My appointment went better than I had anticipated…my weight had stayed the same since last November so that is good…no loss but also no gain. My A1C was 7.3 and it had been 7.7 so that is an improvement. He would like it to be between 6.5 and 6.8. We talked about my battle of depression and how the last 2 ½ months have been pretty stressful and yes I eat when I get stressed and with cold, bitterly cold and rainy/snowy weather I have avoided going outside for any reason. And we talked about food…Dr. Steve said this is not something I can change overnight no matter how much I want to change…what I need to do is look at each day as its own day, don’t worry about tomorrow and don’t think about the past, it is over and I move forward…and then he looked at me and said “just like you worked through the abuse of your parents/step-parent and it took years of counseling, prayer, mental health work…this is the same…it will take time and only one day at a time. I felt so encouraged. He also suggested to find a scripture verse for me to claim each morning and meditate on each day, writing it out and most importantly to think and believe in God’s grace…and to extend that grace to myself when I do make a not so good choice.

And to remember each day is a new day given to me by the Lord. And to focus on the new day!!!

February 7, 2015 ~ Being Open with Myself

A week or so ago I started a book called Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun. One of the first steps in the book is to take the word WORSHIP and choose the letter where you think One of the desires I have is to have a great prayer life…time with the Lord where not only do I cry out to him but also being aware and hearing him. you need to work on.

W ~ Worship God

O ~ Open myself to God

R ~ Relinquish the false self & idols of my heart

S ~ Share my life with Others

H ~ Hear the Word of God

I ~ Incarnate Christ’s love for the world

P ~ Pray to God

And after reading through each topic I chose R ~ Relinquish the false self & idols of my heart. And then I read the introduction chapter. One of the first things they say to do is to pray about what you read, ask the Lord to help you remember what He would have you retain and then ask God to be specific and show you what to study. It took me almost a week to get through the Introduction. Another thing I read was don’t race through the book, take my time and be OPEN to the Lord’s leading.

The first step/tool to use was the Spiritual Growth Planner and that was my task for today. Under each letter you are asked a series of questions and rate some statements. Now remember I initially chose the letter R ~ Relinquish but my desire for a long time is to have a prayer life/time with the Lord that is not lip service or speaking a list of ~~needs~~ wants (that what they usually turned out to be). I hear and see people speaking to the Lord and I feel so inadequate, that I am speaking in rote but with beginning this book I made a commitment to myself to be open and not race just to say I did it.

And so before I completed the Spiritual Growth Planner this morning I asked the Lord to help me to be honest with myself, think about the questions before answering them and to be open to where the Lord leads…I want to follow Him not do my own thing.

The scriptures quoted during the Spiritual Growth Planner exercise were

Psalm 95:1-7…giving & living in God’s love and glory all the time.

And John 16:5-15.

Verse 8: the Holy Spirit was sent to convict us of our sins, show me where I need to work on my relationship with God and others and Verse 12: I, the Lord, have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now.

This verse reminded me of many conversations with Tom, my therapist, Charles, my pastor and Marla, my therapist…where I was reminded often that sometimes we are only allowed to see certain things at certain times because maybe, just maybe I was in a place I could not handle that information or deal with those circumstances or situations…and that has been true so many times in my life. I was just not in the right space or time to deal with certain things. And today I believe the Lord knows I am ready to do some more work on myself and how to learn new things to live my life the way He would have me to.

And the Spiritual Growth Planner results at first surprised me, but really in thinking about the results I see that God really is focusing on my greatest desire because I have been saying for quite a while…I want to have a prayer life where I just don’t give lip service but have a true and authentic prayer time with the Lord. My results, in the order of where I need to begin this spiritual discipline journey is:

P ~ Pray to God

S ~ Share my life with Others

R ~ Relinquish the false self & idols of my heart

H ~ Hear the Word of God

W ~ Worship God

O ~ Open myself to God

I ~ Incarnate Christ’s love for the world

I was kind of amazed as I really thought I needed to work on R ~ Relinquish but in being open to God, he is having me start this journey right at where my strongest desire is…a better prayer life. And you know what…I am excited to begin there and see how the Lord works in my life and leads me down this path.

Stay tuned to see how God leads!

February 5, 2012

I love to write and have had a blog of some sort for over 10 years, maybe even longer. I used to have a blog called Alice’s Restaurant ~ Dishin’ Up Food for Thought and in August of 2013 I decided to merge all my blogs together.

At that time I would just make a regular post and post it on my blog. After some thought and talking with a few other bloggers I have decided to separate out my blog into different categories for ease of writing and reading.

This page will be a lot like Alice’s Restaurant...A place to share what I am thinking, reading, feeling & contemplating as I travel on this journey called life.

I hope you enjoy this new format and will check back often to see what’s rambling through my thoughts. Ali

Ali’s Thoughts and Times with the Lord

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