Did you know that January 24th is known as the most depressing day of the year? I did. However, I was too depressed on that day to write about it…okay…not really…and not really funny. However, it got me to thinking how January and February and perhaps into March and April (for those of you who live in colder climates) may find us feeling a continuing sense of sadness, anxiety, irritability, or even experiencing a deep depression.

Personally I could sense one of these “bouts” circling around in my mind finding a place to land this past week. It was due to everything being brown and dead from our most recent “Arctic Blast”. That is why I headed out into the still cold temperatures this weekend with garden shears in hand, a trowel, and a fresh bag of soil. I had to put some “life” into that which was beginning to make me feel “lifeless” inside. And it worked. However, many times crawling out of the pit we sometimes find ourselves in (whether it be seasonal/family related/relationship related or “I’m not sure why I feel this way”), something so simple may not provide the relief we need.

This is why I feel compelled to share with you a devotion I read this morning  from God’s Purpose for Every Woman edited by Lysa TerKeurst and Rachel Olsen. It wasn’t so much the devotion itself, “Meter Reader” (devotion No. 53) by Wendy Pope but the Application Steps Wendy suggested at the end of the devotion. A moment in time when God spoke and I hesitated listening.

You see, when I read the Application Steps:

Using a Bible concordance, look up the word “power.” Read several of the verses in context. Learn what it looks like to experience the presence and power of Christ in your daily life.

I said to myself ~ gee I hate to get up and get the concordance. After all, I am all cozied up in my blanket, the dogs are sleeping on my lap and I hate to disturb them..etc…but my coffee was getting cold (God nudging me)….I needed to refill it with the rest of the pot (God pushing me)…the dogs jumped down without me moving one inch (God is now pushing the dogs)…and so it went until I walked into my bedroom and got out my concordance and went back to the couch to look up “power”. (BUT not before refreshing my cup of coffee and warming it up in the microwave.)

Here is what I found:

He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. The will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40 29-31)

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within. (John 7:37-38)

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. (1 Corinthians 4:20)

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy:7)

“I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. “(Acts 1:8)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

To quote from Wendy’s devotion:

“As believers, we put ourselves through needless worry and anxiety when we don’t use what God has given us, His power. Imagine how effortlessly we could sail through our troubles if only we would use what has been given freely to us.” Wendy Pope

Amen.

And I sure am thankful and joyful that God slapped me upside the head this morning and got my lazy butt off the couch and into the bedroom to fetch that concordance!!!

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Rainy….but it doesn’t look as dismal as the week before because I spent a good part of the weekend “sprucing” up around the outside of the house…hacking away at everything that bit the dust during out “Arctic Blast”…which was just about EVERYTHING!!! I don’t know how people up north stand the winters…so grey….everything dead as a doornail….and brown…brown…brown. That’s the way it has been here since the “Big Freeze”. Even our orange tree endured a stage four case of frost bite!!!

A simple pleasure:

Sitting out on the lanai with a friend on a Sunday afternoon just “chit chatting”…even though we had to have blankets on!!!

I am thankful:

For everyone that commented on my most recent In Other Word’s post. I will be participating in this week’s quote but on another day (nothing new there for those of you that know me well!!):

• Miriam Pauline from Miriam Pauline’s Monologue (a dear and longtime blogging friend)
• Nicole from As My World Turns (I am 99.9 % positive I used to read her a few years back when she was single)
• Claudia from Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness
• Esthermay from The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife
• Tami from The Next Step
• Kathryn from Expectant Hearts
• Holly from Holly’s Corner Blog (another dear and longtime blogging friend that “knew me when” and continues to want to “know” me now)
• Betty from New Views of New Zealand

From the kitchen:

Tried Linda’s Rich and Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. It was incredibly awesome. On the menu for this week is a recipe from my new Taste of Home cookbook….Cheese Sausage Strata. I was going to try it this weekend but did not read about how it has to refrigerate over night until it was too late.

Creative Corner:

Still working on:

• our Christmas scrapbook – I am currently on Christmas 2007
• an inspirational “book” for a friend

From the learning rooms:

Had to put a new rule in place much to her chagrin…..ALL weekly work MUST be completed by Friday late afternoon or NO COMPUTER TIME ALL WEEKEND!!! Got that???

I am almost finished reading:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It’s a little slow after reading the fast paced Stephen King book. However, it is very well written and definitely keeps my interest. A truer book I haven’t read in regards to the “true” south. It is wonderful!!!

I am getting ready to read:

Sometimes Mine by Martha Moody. A new author for me but a trip to the library yesterday looking for a book for Mr. John…I noticed this in the “New Arrival” section and thought I would give it a whirl.

Trying to use the library instead of the bookstore this year as my source for reading materials!!!

On My Mind:

Still….so many things. It’s like a serving of scrambled eggs in there with a heap of salsa on the side.

However, I am diligently working on a way to help Samantha navigate the uncertainties of adolescence. I want her to be an emotionally healthy and independent young woman and there are days that I feel as though I may be sabotaging that….it’s just on my mind…that’s all.

Hearth and Home:

Taxes are e-filed and the list is getting checked off!!!! Our bedroom is getting a makeover as soon as the direct deposit goes through (I called “the guy” today to schedule a start date). I guess the hard wood floors will have to wait until next January…well worth the wait however as long as we can turn our bedroom into our “private retreat”…FINALLY.

I laugh:

Every class period this semester….my students really are GREAT!!! A good combination/mix of personalities and hardly a trace of shyness in any of them!!

Picture Thought I’m  Sharing:

I took this photo a week ago on one of our photo field trips. Although I do not know the snorkeler (??) I thought it was an awesome capture of life here in the Sunshine State (even though there was no sun that day and it was cold as …well you know)….but the springs stay a warm 77 degrees so both the snorkler and the manatee were quite comfortable..perhaps I should have joined them for a swim.

My goodness it has been awhile. It’s not that I don’t have anything to say. Every day a gazillion blog posts whiz their way through my mind. Some make it to my “list of things I want to write about”, but many just disperse into thin air..none make their way to my blog. Sad but true.

Although I have not been expressing through my blog all the epiphanies I have experienced as the new year rolls in, I have been cataloging them for future exploration.

Just the other afternoon, I made a list titled  ”Great Ideas To Get Out of My Head Before It Explodes”. Twenty items made it to the list in less than ten minutes. The list went from the more mundane tasks such as “air out the sun room carpets” to more intensely creative notes as “graph out spring gardens” and “begin outlining the articles of possibilities (essays on scriptures that impact my daily life)”.

So if I haven’t been writing, what I have I been doing???? I have been enjoying quite a bit of “mindful meandering”.

Matthew Tull, Phd. defines the idea of “mindfulness” as:

Mindfulness refers to being completely in touch with and aware of the present moment, as well as taking a non-evaluative and non-judgmental approach to your inner experience. For example, a mindful approach to one’s inner experience is simply viewing “thoughts as thoughts” as opposed to evaluating certain thoughts as positive or negative.

I have been practicing “mindfulness” for a year or two now and it has FINALLY become so much a part of my life that I don’t even have to “think” about it anymore (except perhaps as I am writing about it). This epiphany came at the oddest of moments.

Earlier this week Sam and I attended Lu’s 50th birthday party. It was during the festivities that I experienced a light bulb moment that flashed…”I can’t believe I am here wishing a hippo happy birthday and I am enjoying the heck out of it with nothing else on my mind but the thought:

‘ How can a hippo poop like that in it’s own home

and then eat cake?

Photos by Sam ~ Photographer Extraordinaire

Enjoy your day!!!

Today’s In Other Words is hosted this week by Kathryn at Expectant Hearts. The quote that Kathryn has chosen is one that speaks of what I have always known:

Every happening, great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message. ~ Malcolm Muggeridge ~

I have written many times where God’s Thumbprints have appeared all over my day. You can read about one of the most recent events in my post Pulling Back the Throttle. Other posts can be found here.

In my blogging career (copyrighted since 2006) I have had several weekly “themed” posts relating to listening to God through the events in our lives:

• God’s Thumbprints
• Tuned in Thursdays: Listening to God
• Thoughtful Reminders from God

Although two of the blogs where these posts first made their way into cyberspace have since been deleted I am beginning to believe that today’s quote is yet another of God’s Thumbprints.

As I browsed back through my old posts (yeppers, I have always printed off every post I have ever written…you never know when my fingers will get a little too “happy” or “sad” and hit the delete button) I began to realize the significant impact that “listening to God” and somehow miraculously “getting the message” has made in my life and those around me.

Such as:

• when things don’t go as I have choreographed them but turn out to be oh so much more lovely
• when I step out of my comfort zone without so much as a backward glance and I grow and learn more about God’s purpose for me
• finding myself at a destination that wasn’t part of the planned itinerary and experiencing the inspiration that a road less traveled can provide
• letting someone else make the “important” decisions
• knowing that there is a purpose behind another’s anger/hurt/disappointment whether it be directed at me or towards another

There are many more moments that can be added to this list. Here is one I wrote about August 24, 2006 – My very first post for my “A Thoughtful Reminder from God” column (it totally changed my perspective on teaching and my teaching style) :

My life is over run with post-it notes…they are on my bathroom mirror, my computer monitor, even my car visor…quick, easy reminders…reminders to pick up something from the market…reminders that I changed my password and where to find it…reminders to not forget to pick up Miss Sam from yet another after-school event. So I thought it would be rather fitting that I replace my “Tuned in Thursday: Listening to God” angels with “A Thoughtful Reminder From God” post-it note. What do you think??? Hope you enjoy walking with me as we get covered in the dust of Jesus…here goes…

One of my favorite expressions has always been “God works in mysterious ways”. Some days I feel this is true…other days I feel as though God has stepped right up and told me flat out what he is doing. Today was one of those days. But let me take you back a few days…

Women’s Bible Study…Monday Night (August 14)..we began the study Enjoy: A Thirst-Quenching Look at Philippians by Tianne Moon (an awesome study if anyone is searching). Many points were highlighted by me that evening…however one of the most compelling was this:

That our purpose (to glorify God in all things) impacts our perspective on the circumstances of our lives. That in any circumstance we are to live out our faith by the way we relate to one another…by standing firm, remembering our one purpose (to glorify God in all things), to stay united so that our unity catches the attention of others.

For those of you that participate in the Christian Women Online “In Other Words”, you know that the quotes of the past two weeks have been about these exact same topics…there He is…working in that mysterious way that only He has. I participated on both Tuesdays. However, this past Tuesday I hwas having a great deal of difficulty with the quote presented. I visited every participants blog on Tuesday…searching for what I may have missed…and found much more than I anticipated…there He is…working in that mysterious way that only He has.

I have been struggling with “letting my light shine”…I am a perfectionist. For someone like myself, I can’t let my light shine out into the rest of the world unless I have it polished to perfection…now, now, I know…I am not perfect…therefore my light is not perfect…therefore, I will remain under the “bushel” so to speak..until I get it right. The encouragement that I have been receiving from my blog neighbors and the women at CWO has been God’s way of saying…see, you don’t have to be perfect…we are standing firmly with you…we are united with you…we are just like you. I thank all of you, you cannot begin  to imagine the difference you are making in my life..and so…

These were the events that just “mysteriously” happened this week. The following is the “main” event where God just got in my face and said “this is that I want…what you say here, will let me know whether you have been listening or not”…

Every semester, on the second day of class, I have the class participate in what I call an “ice Breaker” activity. It allows members of the class to circulate and get to know their fellow classmates. Before we end class, I have several students pick from a small deck of index cards. These cards were filled out by them at the beginning of class. On the card is a question that they would like to have answered, by me, about me. Every semester the questions remain pretty much the same…”Are you married?”…”Do you have any children?”…”Why do you teach Psychology?”…etc….etc…except for today when God put His question on one of the cards.

Imagine my surprise when one of the students read this question from a card “What religion are you?”!!! Talk about up in your face, this is what God wants to know, and He wants to know it now…kind of event!!! Let my light shine!!!!

Oh, I know y’all are wondering about my answer…after all…this is a college classroom…what better place to let my light shine…to impact where God has placed me…to use these  circumstances to glorify Him…I answered as any Christian would..I am a Christian, and I would love to tell you about my faith…

God, he does work in mysterious..and not so mysterious ways.

Thanks Kathryn for today’s choice. It certainly has God’s Thumbprint on it. I believe it is time to bring back my weekly column: A Thoughtful Reminder From God.

The weather in my neck of the woods:

FREEEEZZZZING!!!! Had a small problem with water this morning because SOMEONE forgot to let the faucets drip last night. Problem solved as the sun came up.

A simple pleasure:

Doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING the entire weekend but savoring the comfort and joy my family and home bring.

I am thankful:

That I discovered a fabulous author. I found one of her books in a thrift shop, A Shelter for the Spirit by Victoria Moran. It is an awesome book and now has about a gazillion red pen and yellow highlight marks throughout. This book was one of the reasons I had a MARVELOUS weekend at home. Can’t wait to read more of her works.

Also thankful that Mr. John grabbed a vision insurance flyer from work a few weeks ago and we subscribed during ‘open season’. Sam’s $436 eye appointment only cost us $22. Praise the Lord.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my last post!! I so enjoy learning more about y’all…and I soak up like a sponge all the ways in which you take care of yourselves… body and soul.

From the kitchen:

Made chili this weekend with cornbread. A perfect weekend for such comfort food.

Cannot wait to try Linda’s Rich and Cheesy Macaroni:

2 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons butter – divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups milk

8 ounces processed American cheese – cubed

1 1/3 cups small curd cottage chees

2/3 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Place in a greased 2 1/2 qt baking dish. In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour, salt and sugar until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in American cheese until melted. Stir in cottage cheese and sour cram. Pour over macaroni. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Melt remaining butter and toss with bread crumbs; sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. YUM!

Creative Corner:

Working on:

• our Christmas scrapbook – I am currently on Christmas 2007

From the learning rooms:

Sam started back last week. Still doing great. Algebra continues to be a struggle but she is able to call her teacher and go over any and all questions/problems that she has. The one on one relationship with the teachers on Virtual School is A++++.

I am almost finished reading:

Under the Dome by Stephen King. I don’t know if this link has any spoilers so read with caution. Or read the book first and then the link. Thanks to Barb for the recommendation.  It is a real “can’t put down” book with something happening fast and furious every paragraph!! Unbelievable. It’s the first Stephen King book I have read since The Stand (another awesome read) and it is a WINNER!!!. Word of caution to some ~ language and graphic violent/situations.

I am getting ready to read:

Not sure at this point. I do know it will be something SMALL. King’s book is 1,074 pages long so reading War and Peace is not in the immediate future.

On My Mind:

So many things. It’s like a serving of scrambled eggs in there with a heap of salsa on the side.

Hearth and Home:

Dropped off three bags of  ”clutter” at Goodwill last week with a fourth starting to be filled.

“Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them”. V. Moran

I laugh:

Because so far, the students in my classes seem to be quite rambunctious and vocal…a volatile combination at worst but at best…a great dynamic for intense class discussions.

This week is a full week of classes.

Picture Thought I’m  Sharing:

Yes, Virginia, it DOES snow in Florida. For those of you that missed it over on my Facebook page….here is the snowball I threw at Sam while she was sleeping Saturday morning.

No snow in the forecast this week but still freezing temperatures!

I recently read in one of my favorite books, Shelter for the Spirit by Victoria Moran:

“Preparing food and eating at home can be the most immediate way to touch home’s spiritual essence. Food nourishes the body, home nourishes the soul, and when we avail ourselves of the two in tandem, we feel content and cared for on both levels.”

With this in mind I  purchased a new cookbook by Taste of Home (all the recipes that I try from them have NEVER failed and given to the dogs as a “treat”). It is my intent with this purchase to give what Victoria writes about a try.

I am going to attempt to “avail” myself of nourishing our bodies while our home (thoroughly simplified as the new year rolled in) nourishes our souls.

Well what does this have to do with the Works for Me Wednesday Backward Edition you may very rightly ask???? Well, it means that I get to ask you a question about what works for you in the nourishment of your body and soul!

So here are my questions for Works for Me Wednesday ~ Backward Edition:

What favorite recipe nourishes your body? (Thanks to The Diaper Diaries for this idea)

What favorite activity nourishes your soul?

Inquiring minds want to know so I can head into the new year well nourished!!

Bet you didn’t even know I had a band now did you???? Okay….I don’t. But if I did this is what my Album cover would look like according to the Band Meme created by The Queen’s Meme.

Go on over and participate and post your new album cover!!

Here we are, the first full week of the New Year. How’s it going for you so far?? Broken any resolutions yet? Day planner full already?? Home still cluttered?? Nothing healthy on tonight’s menu?? Too cold to walk???

These are all things that have made it to my “2010…This is the Year”. Yet I knew that if I committed it all to paper/cyberspace, I would be doubly disappointed in myself by the time even just a few days of the new year sped by. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And then I went to church.

It was there that I heard what I has been popping around in my head since I began thinking about the blank slate of the new year. I heard a sermon that just “said it all” to and for me.

I must admit that I have not been a regular “attendee” at church since we stopped going to Church at The Springs in the big city. However, God worked an incredible miracle in recent days and I experienced an overwhelming need to go directly to His house and thank him for a certain blessing in my life.

When I arrived I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that the lead Pastor was not going to speak. Instead, I believe it was the youth pastor that delivered the words I needed to hear. A “God’s Thumbprint” moment that screamed – it’s not about what you want but what you NEED.

In a proverbial nutshell…here is what God led him to speak about (you can find it here as soon as they put up the link – it is the sermon for January 3, 2010):

Idolatry. That is what our New Year Resolutions abound with. We want to lose weight to feel good about ourselves. We want to spend more time with family to validate ourselves as good husbands/wives/mothers. We want to…we want to…we want to…and the list goes on.

However, if we look at our list and aspirations for the New Year, and are honest, much of what we have written (or like me, merely thought about) all has to do with searching for validation, fulfillment, approval, love, etc. in one form or another.

Our idols have become food/money/work/…fill in your own blank.

Yet God states clearly that “You shall have no other gods before me”.

He stated this for a reason. Because you DON’T need those other “gods”. They are not real. They do not last (check out how long this year’s resolutions lasted). But God is real. And guess what….God doesn’t fail. Therefore, you won’t fail….for you were made in His image. You were blessed with all His love, mercy, and forgiveness.

By placing God first (at the top of that crazy resolution list) all of what you need will follow.

Daily committing yourself to Jesus will satisfy all those longings of  ”2010…This is Year that….”.

Miss Sam says many times that I can get really preachy. But as I look back while looking forward I have seen and experienced the grace of God in my life….and it is on my heart to “pay it forward”.