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When life gives you problems make lemonade. Life moves in unpredictable ways. One day you’re doing the right thing and before you know it you have a big problem to deal with. My seventy-year-old father called me and said he couldn’t stand up. To my surprise a short visit to the ER turned into a three-week event.A quick visit turned into a nightmare. But I will remain calm and pray for guidance. I will have faith in God that I will know what to say when the time is right. Matthew 8:26 “He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.”

I started working when I was eighteen years old. Working and going to school at the same time. Unfortunately, I didn’t have money for college but that didn’t stop me. I went to school in the morning and worked evenings. After a long day I studied. Eventually it all paid off! It’s important to start small and see how big the reward could be. Ben 7:15 “Do not hate hard work; work was assigned by God.”

John 6:26 “Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.”

No matter what life brings, God still loves all his children. He knows we make mistakes, nobody is perfect. To show how much he love us, God gave us his only begotten son who died on the cross. Jesus died for our sins, for redemption. To show the world how important it is to love. To show the world how to love each other. We are never alone, be in peace with God almighty. Have trust and faith that there is something bigger than we could ever imagine. God loves you ❤️

It’s cold outside, we still need our heavy-duty jackets and boots. I’m still shoveling snow, and I can’t believe how cold it’s outside. This negative degree weather has not happened in a while it’s been a few years since we’ve been in the negatives. At first it was fun and exciting building snowmen making snow angels. I could accumulate a lot of steps from shoveling snow. But the best thing about shoveling snow it's when I’m done! I go inside and drink a nice hot cup of coco. God is good, everything seems quiet and peaceful. Now it’s too cold to go outside. Eight weeks later, I’m ready to go outside and do some gardening. Unfortunately, it’s still too early for gardening. But I’m going to make the best of it and be grateful for all God has given me. I’m fortunate enough to be around those who love me, have a roof over my head, good food, and ability to read my Bible. At this moment I will continue to read my Bible and wait to see what the next season brings! Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens”

Book Review "Walk Away the Pounds" Book written by Leslie Sansone I love wearing my digital watch especially my step tracker. My goal is to walk 20,000 steps daily with the help of Leslie Sansone's "Walk Away the Pounds". I did not start out this way but slowly moved myself toward success. Some days I missed my steps, but I would just get back up and start again. I looked at my watch and could tell if I was active enough, because my watch has a nice feature called “step tracker”. At the beginning I did not have any understanding of steps or how to be active, but this book gave me the information I needed to be successful. Her enthusiasm was very motivating, and she also has a good sense of hummer, she would say "move your furniture, your health is more important!" Leslie explains how to walk away those pounds, by measuring your activity with steps, and how healthy it is to walk. She has her famous elastic bands for strength training. No more stressful diets, we are doing "Walk Away the Pounds" diet! Walking has other factors like reducing stress, change of appetite. She did not only write a book but also created an app. called "Walk at Home" it has work outs called "Miracle Mile" twenty minutes workout equals one mile. The book “Walk Away the Pounds” and app "Walk at Home" both worked for me! I lost a few inches off my waistline and kept it off! Leslie Sanson explains how walking is a safe way to exercise for most people. The book talks about basic walking techniques. It is so easy to follow, there are only four basic steps: walking, knee up, kicking, side steps making it easy to start. In her book she talks about other alternatives ways to walk like walking your dog. I personally like to hike trails and go to amusement parks. The possibilities are endless, and it is so easy just to go out there and walk. My conclusion if I use my watch correctly it will track my steps. Walking is one of the safest ways to exercise. Step tracker motivates walkers to be more active. Leslie Sanson’s book helped me walk away the pounds more effectively. So go for a walk and be healthy!

How to love someone who does you wrong. I wish I could forget about it but I also need to factor my security. It’s not easy to tell people what to do. It’s even more difficult with free will. As Americans we are raised with a fighting spirit. No wonder we don’t like to be told what to do. It gets worse when we’re old and grey. We want to live free and do whatever our heart desires. But what to do with a troubled soul, as much as I want to be free, I also have to be calm, serious, smart, cautious, and focus on work. What if someone is up to no good and wants to do harm? What then? I can’t be my spirited self. Unfortunately, we have to let go of the wicked and be like the descendants of Abraham. Noah and his family were spared and the rest died in the flood. The wicked people from the descendants of Cain died in the flood, along with all the righteous people who intertwined with the wicked. God had no choice but to make a flood for fourth days and fourth nights. God promised never to do it again. Unfortunately, the flood did not remove all the wickedness from the people. Jesus needed to die for our sins. We all needed a second chance to penance. To be close to God, Son, and the Holy Spirit. God also wanted us to be close to the Virgin Mary. I rather stay in the light, try to forgive and pray for the wicked, than to be in darkness with all the wickedness. I hope one day we all unite in church and together as Gods children live in unity. Ephesians 4:13 “until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ,”

Every day is a new day to get a fresh start. My favorite part of the day is in the morning. I sit down with my husband and drink a cup of coffee. The smell of coffee in the morning and my dogs wagging their tails is quite enjoyable. I purposely wake up extra early so I could enjoy my morning coffee before my day begins. Giving me a chance to get my bearings and figure out what I’m going to do next. I like to plan my day with a checklist every morning and if I get to everything that’s great. Realistically, it may not happen, but I could always finish tomorrow. I really don’t know what each day will bring, all of my plans could go out the window. For example, my dog could get sick and now I have to take her to the vet hospital. Or my husband decides to scare me by climbing up the roof. But that’s okay because I have the opportunity to start fresh every morning with my cup of coffee. Matthew 6:34 "Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."

Most schools have a ratio for every teacher there are twenty to thirty students. Some teachers seem to be doing more babysitting than teaching. Our teachers definitely have their hands full. I, as a parent, find it good to be in charge of my daughters’ education. I myself get involved to make sure she has a bright future and hope she will find her purpose in this world. Our wonderful teachers are there to teach the curriculum. Our children still need to go back home and do their homework. I remember in grade school I had Mrs. Doubt she was known as the meanest teacher in the school. But after I got to know her, she was the most caring teacher and always pushing us to do better. She turned out to be my favorite teacher through grade school. Now it’s my daughters turn for me to check her homework and understand what needs to be done. They are taught how to read, write, and do arithmetic. If you take away recess, lunch, extracurricular activities depending on their grade level, it will only take a few hours per day to follow the curriculum. They would finish in a few hours if they could. And when they get older, they learn social studies and science. Which they learn by reading. Why did things become so complicated? When did we lose sight of what’s important currently our teachers are expected to teach larger groups of students taking more time to finish the lessons. Get involved, every time I go to a parent meeting, it’s always the same group of women. I wondered, where are all the other parents. I believe if we all pitched in the load would be a lot easier. I help when I can because the school is a part of our community. In the long run it will be better for all of us.   Sirach 51:17 “Since in this way I have profited, I will give my teacher grateful praise.”

A good relationship between a father and son is very special, especially when there is a strong bond. Families that value their men are lucky to have them. Most men are very easy going and tend to fall into their roles in life. First, they love their wife and children then grandchildren. My husband is still close to his father. His dad still looks at him with so much love. It doesn’t matter how old grandpa gets; he will always love his son until the end. A man will always try to protect his family no matter how old he gets. I remember this argument we had in a restaurant, and it got pretty intense. Here is my seventy-year-old father pulling up his sleeves. Of course I de-escalated the situation as quickly as possible. It was pretty scary for a moment. But the sight of my seventy-year-old father still wanting to protect us was very heart worming. This is why we should take care of our men especially those who believe in God. John 15:9 “As the father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love” John 15:12 “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.”

When a brother is in need should you turn the other cheek. If Elijah asks a poor widow for bread, what should she do? She will give Elijah the bread because that’s what a good christian would do. The struggling brother and poor widow are both in need. Elijah tells her to prepare a little cake for him. She fulfills his request. Most of us donates our change for a cause we don’t partake in. But what if it’s a struggling mother. Would you help her if she asked? Would you walk away? Maybe we lack understanding the severity of the situation from lack of experience. Lack of knowledge from not understanding the bible. We all been there probably not as drastic as others. Another example, a man at a corner asking for money. You say the man is lying. What if he is lying does he get dismissed? Our country was based on Christian values like O’ BEAUTIFUL “Crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.” We help each other no matter what. Elijah said “The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth” 1King 17:14 It is important to help others with kindness and love, by expressing one act of kindness at a time. Show someone you care; remember it has a ripple effect. Before you know it, we have a community. The world seems to try to split us apart but if we don’t help each other what kind of world would we live in. Poverty countries have low agricultural productivity, poor infrastructure. The lack of combined effort does not allow a community to work together. Imagine how beautiful it would be to see a community work together to improve water sources or to start a farm. Maybe something bigger, the whole community protecting their farmers. Imagine how much better it could be. If a community shows brotherly love and together builds a strong community. The light would shine so bright with love and compassion for humanity, remember with faith all things are possible. God is love Isaiah 58:3 Isaiah 58:3 “Why do we fast, and you do not see it? Afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?” Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers." Isaiah 58:7 "Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.” Isaiah 58:8 "Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."

The definition of normal by Merriam-Webster: “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern: characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine.” There are many patterns of what is considered normal. For example, what society considers normal, patriotism normal, modern family normal, small town normal, city life normal, suburban normal, etc. There are many types of ways to consider ourselves normal. From my observation it starts with: career, compromise, food source, resources, living arrangements, amenities, technology. Everyone has their own definition of normal depending what we personally desire. Unfortunately, normal life is based on what we want and where do we fit in. But material things are not the same compared to Gods normal. There are those who desire what’s on television. What’s the newest trend. My favorite is those who desire Gods way of life. The righteous way seems better for me, like the ability to work with purpose, continue to work hard, not to worry ahead of time. I like to focus on the here and now. I continue my course the way God intended it to be. The truth of the matter is, Gods way is so much better. Trust in God completely, work hard, and all will reveal itself. Isaiah 30:21 “While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or to the left.”