Verse 19

It is most definitely Monday.

I pretty much didn't sleep last night.

I knew that I might be in trouble when, an hour after taking the supplement that lets me sleep, I was still wide awake.  It usually knocks me out within 20-30 minutes.

I got up this morning and realized my face had decided to explode overnight.  A zit.  Which is no big deal since I usually get them around the edges of my face, where my hair hides them, and since they're usually pretty little.  Nope.  Right between my cheek and my chin.  And volcanic.  Lovely.

I'm also having crazy symptoms again as I work out the finer points of figuring out how to balance my totally out of whack body chemistry. 

So.  It's Monday.

It's taken an hour and a half, but I feel like I've mostly organized myself, and have a sense of what needs to be accomplished at work, and what needs to be accomplished at home this week.  That's a good thing.

I'm still working on memorizing Philippians.  (That, you'll recall, was one of my goals for 2010 - finish the project I began late in 2009 of memorizing the entire book by the of 2010.)

There are 104 verses in Philippians.  I have now memorized about 19.  That works out to about 18 percent for those of you who are counting.  (I'm counting!)

This morning I worked on verse 19 as I drove to work.  (My strategy for memorizing involves an audio bible and my morning commute.  I find this works for me, repeating it alone, and with the audio bible, and that it helps my mindset for the day to spend that 20 minutes or so focusing on scripture intensely.)

Meditating on the verse I'm working on for the day, or the entire portion of the book I'm running through is unavoidable due to constant repitition, and this morning I find myself caught by verse 19:  "For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance."

Such confidence.  You pray, Jesus will help, and I'll be okay.  Paul was in prison when he wrote that.  Knowing that he likely wasn't getting out, and his life would likely end.

Somehow, that's sticking with me this morning, as I consider some challenges that exist in my life.  Others pray (and I know of many who lift me in prayer, thank you!), the Spirit of Jesus will help me, and I'll be delivered.  That is a very comforting way to start an off-kilter Monday.

Tragic Numbers

At least 70,000 have already been buried as death toll climbs...

The numbers hurt my heart.

Daily 5 - Day 158

Today's Daily 5:

1. A slow Sunday
2. Grocery shopping is done for the week - I asked my roommate if we could please do this today, so that I can free up an evening this week, recognizing that I need to have a bit of down time this week.
3. Used a kit and made tandoori beef and basmati rice tonight.  It was actually pretty tasty.  Indian food can be totally hit and miss for me.  I tend to really like the idea of it, and then sit down to eat it and realize that while I love the idea, and even some of the smells, I don't always love the taste.  It was nice to have the idea and the taste mesh tonight.  Plus, the kit was a bonus points item at Sobeys yesterday.  About $4 for the kit, and I got 40 bonus points, which translates to 20 aeroplan miles.  (Have I mentioned I'm eager to travel again???)
4. Yoga.  I was in the midst of a downward funk this morning and needed to do something to distract myself.  I chose to do a yoga workout and then take a long shower.  It helped.
5. Finishing a book.  I mentioned that in my previous post, but I've been reading this particular book off and on for a number of months and it was sort of a goal for the weekend to finish it up.  I was really pleased to accomplish that goal, and also that the book really did remind me to continue thinking joyfully and choosing differently.
6. Playing the worship service from a church I follow online while I worked in the kitchen tonight.  Love that the internet lets me have church come to my kitchen.
7. Did a crossword puzzle online.  Love the challenge of sorting out words.  I feel like it's good for reawakening my mental capacities.
8. I actually had a very productive day, and still managed to rest.
9. Painting my fingernails and toenails.
10. A clean bedroom for the coming week.
11. (bonus!) The scent of lavender from my oil burner.  I've been burning it in large doses lately, and loving how beautiful my bedroom has been smelling because of it.
    

2009 Reading List

As I've done in previous years, I'm moving the reading list from the recently ended year out of my sidebar and into a blog post where I can refer to it in the future. 


I finished my first book of 2010 tonight (even if I did read a fairly large portion of it in 2009 - I count it for the year it's finished in), and that means it is time for the annual migration of old list to a post, and new list into place in the sidebar.


I use this list as a way of tracking my goal of reading/finishing (or listening to the unabridged version) of at least 1 non-fiction book a month.  I made the goal last year, and feel like I'm off to a decent start for this year.

2009 Reading Completed (Most Recent First)

• Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Bruggemann
• Bent Hope: A Street Journal (Tim Huff)
• Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace (Cathleen Falsani)
• A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life (Donald Miller)
• Julie & Julia (Julie Powell)
• Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith (Anne Lamott)
• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott)
• Angry Conversations with God (Audio Version - Susan E. Isaacs)
• Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir (Susan E. Isaacs)
• Laughing Without An Accent (Audio Version - Firoozeh Dumas)
• Funny in Farsi (Audio Version - Firoozeh Dumas)
• Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion (Sara Miles)
• Places Along the Way (Martin E. Marty)
• Journeying Through Lent with Luke (Nancy Koester)
• The Year of Living Biblically (Audio Version - A.J. Jacobs)
• Between the Dreaming & The Coming True (Robert Benson)

Tired

I had really good intentions of making today productive.

But, it seems upon waking and doing a couple quick and necessary errands, that it's likely going to be a day to just recover.

This last week took a toll on me.

I wasn't necessarily wise in managing my time commitments, and was out nearly every night of the week.

My body can't do that yet.

I'm so grateful for the chances I had to be with friends.  They were life-giving, each in their own ways.

But I said yes to too many things.  I knew it was a risk, and I decided to take it.

It angers me in moments like these that my health is still not where I want it to be.  That I function like a funny old lady, needing to stay at home more often than not.

I try to remind myself that six months ago even being committed one night a week was too much.  Now I can manage house church and one other social thing on a weeknight.  It's progress.  It just doesn't always feel like enough progress.

So, today will likely be for reflecting, praying, and hopefully resting.

A little bit of yoga if my shoulder is up to it (still pretty sore from falling down that flight of stairs).

And grocery shopping later, simply so that I can have a free evening in this coming week.

And maybe some cleaning and reordering of things.  Because sometimes that is the best way I know how to pray.