My friend, Alison Chino, is so inspiring! I love her writing, her recipes and her beautiful photography. She and her family are in Scotland for the next three years. Her husband, Taido, is one of the pastors of our church and he is going to school there for the next three years....they are such an amazing family and so inspiring!
Alison has started a group called #48 Walks....she is inviting people to take 48 walks this year. They can be anywhere you choose. She has a wonderful blog....Chino House. I have been thinking about this since the first day I read her post about it. I have decided to make the committment to do it! I am still pretty shaky walking and must use my cane when out of the house.....but I am going to do it. I will have short walks, but hopefully, I will build up my stamina and be able to increase them. There are so many beautiful places here in Hot Springs to walk and such gorgeous scenery. I could probably do all my walking right down the road from me in Gulpha Gorge National Park, and see something different with each walk. Like I said, I will starrt out slow....even if I can just park a little further away from the door at the grocery store. I know that the benefit of the fresh air and the beautiful scenery will be good for me emotionally and physically. I am sure the dogs will love going with me at times and getting out of the house. Anyone want to join me?
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
JANUARY 17th!
Two years ago today, Pete and I had to stand and watch our home and 41 years of our lives go up in smoke, as we lost everything in the fire. I remember feeling so helpless and wondering what we would do to start to rebuild our lives.
Yes, we lost all our posessions and personal things like pictures, scrapbooks and special things that were Jennifer's and my parents. We lost our two precious dogs....we had thought they had gotten out of the house, but had run to hide in the bedroom closet. You can eventually replace material things and you learn to be grateful for the memories of the things you cannot replace.
I have always believed that every hard struggle makes you come out a little bit stronger....this has proven to be true with my three battles with cancer. The fire has certainly strenghtened my faith in people and the love of God. I could never express the outpouring of love and support from friends, family and many strangers after the fire. We even received our home from a wonderful family that had seen our story on the news....what an awesome family and angels from God. We had many people that came and worked for weeks, helping us clean up after the fire and get moved in to start to rebuild our lives.....it was amazing. We were given clothing, furniture and all the household items we needed. It still amazes me the outpouring of love....increases my desire to serve God and help people everyday. I am so blessed that this horrible experience left me with new friendships.... friends that were there for me when I lost Pete last year. God's love is so awesome....there really are angels among us and I will always stand by....God is good and He is good ALL the time!! I don't know why things happen in life, but I do know that God is always in control and He has the plan for each of us. He is always there with us, and for that, I could not be more grateful!
Yes, we lost all our posessions and personal things like pictures, scrapbooks and special things that were Jennifer's and my parents. We lost our two precious dogs....we had thought they had gotten out of the house, but had run to hide in the bedroom closet. You can eventually replace material things and you learn to be grateful for the memories of the things you cannot replace.
I have always believed that every hard struggle makes you come out a little bit stronger....this has proven to be true with my three battles with cancer. The fire has certainly strenghtened my faith in people and the love of God. I could never express the outpouring of love and support from friends, family and many strangers after the fire. We even received our home from a wonderful family that had seen our story on the news....what an awesome family and angels from God. We had many people that came and worked for weeks, helping us clean up after the fire and get moved in to start to rebuild our lives.....it was amazing. We were given clothing, furniture and all the household items we needed. It still amazes me the outpouring of love....increases my desire to serve God and help people everyday. I am so blessed that this horrible experience left me with new friendships.... friends that were there for me when I lost Pete last year. God's love is so awesome....there really are angels among us and I will always stand by....God is good and He is good ALL the time!! I don't know why things happen in life, but I do know that God is always in control and He has the plan for each of us. He is always there with us, and for that, I could not be more grateful!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
2014!
I can hardly believe it is already 2014! We started off the New Year with extremely cold weather....got down to 9 degrees one night. I survived the cold spell with only a brief period of no power and thankfully no busted pipes....that is always a big concern for me. Being by myself, I sure don't need to have to deal with that...very grateful.
2013 was a hard year for many friends and family members. I still can't believe that I lost Pete....it jsut doesn't seem real....after 42 years! I am praying that all loved ones will have a great year. I will make my commitment to serving others stronger and try to increase my closer walk with God. I know that He has the plan for each of us and He is always in control. I will try to be more patient and wait and listen to Him!
I am hoping to declutter my life...working on it a little at a time, until I reach that goal. I want to spend more time with friends and loved ones, and let them know how much they mean to me. I want to try to find ways to improve my health and be more active. This will take baby steps....but I will do it.....while I wait patiently to be the first candidate for a right side body transplant....LOL! I will give thanks for what I have and for the people in my life. I will try not to worry so much about the things I have no control over and cannot change. I will try to smile more and lend a helping hand to those in need.
Happy New Year to all!
2013 was a hard year for many friends and family members. I still can't believe that I lost Pete....it jsut doesn't seem real....after 42 years! I am praying that all loved ones will have a great year. I will make my commitment to serving others stronger and try to increase my closer walk with God. I know that He has the plan for each of us and He is always in control. I will try to be more patient and wait and listen to Him!
I am hoping to declutter my life...working on it a little at a time, until I reach that goal. I want to spend more time with friends and loved ones, and let them know how much they mean to me. I want to try to find ways to improve my health and be more active. This will take baby steps....but I will do it.....while I wait patiently to be the first candidate for a right side body transplant....LOL! I will give thanks for what I have and for the people in my life. I will try not to worry so much about the things I have no control over and cannot change. I will try to smile more and lend a helping hand to those in need.
Happy New Year to all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)