Change of plans

I had my whole week set out. Well, I usually have a general idea of what's going to happen. But much like My mother-in-law used to say "We plan...God unplans". Yup. It's true. I went to work yesterday knowing with pretty good certainty that I really shouldn't. But to justify myself I did, after all, have my flu shot this fall. I thought that might mean I wouldn't actually GET the flu. But here I am at work and I could only see if I squeezed my eyes shut. I could only sit if I scrunched up. Banging my head on my desk brought mild relief to the headache that was raging. Yup. I shouln't have even been there. I suceeded in exposing lots of people to the FLU! At least I went home by 10 and stayed. Through the day I alternately wished for unconciousness and death. I'll spare you the gory details. Everyone can imagine them. Needless to say, it's Not a great way to spend a day at home. You can't accomplish anything. Even this morning as I write this I feel the last tendrils of it clinging to me. I want to eat. But yet not. I need to drink, but I'm afraid to. I still feel the headache clinging behind my eyes. Ugh. But I don't want to miss any work. After all..They need me. (HA!) Well, here's hoping that I endured it for everyone. No one else needs to suffer through this too.

technology

I got my " first" mp3 player. What fun. More time on the computer for a convenience! I am so busy figuring all this stuff out... podcasts, blogging, MARC, library 2.0, RSS feeds and on and on. All I want now is to figure out how to download a podcast. It can't be that complicated right? Well, my husband is wondering where I keep disappearing to, and why I'm gone all evening. Hopefully, when I get this figured out it will only take a few minutes to download and go! I want to work out with Ravi Zacharias and others. So somebody help! And watch out I'll be asking for more help when I get on to podcasting.

Sunday's Child...

I really was born on a Sunday and the little poem that describes the character of children born on a certain day of the week (Sunday’s child is full of grace), Probably only describes what I desire to live my life like. But giving grace when you’re full up to here with living (house, family, job, maintaining) is not as easy as it appears first glance! How can I make those meals for the sick down the street? Do I really have time to go help my handicapped neighbor move and clean on a Saturday no less? I have to have time to..to..BLOG! or NAP! or READ!
Then there’s the meeting that I have to run. Tonight. And everyone is dropping out. No one can be involved because life is too busy. Full time jobs. Family. Wellness. This grace thing is waaay to hard for me. Smile. Be gracious. Still treat that husband like he’s “the best”. Avoid the ‘Sorry-for-myself’ routine.
I am being taught. The school of the wilderness is still in session for me. Where do I go to get that inner strength that I need? Fill me up Holy Spirit, with what I need to be “full of grace”.

what color is winter

One only has to look around. The color of winter is as wonderful as the colors of spring.

Peering over the edge

Can't help but start the day and my "back to work" beginning with this wonderful picture of the Grand Canyon. Life so much like it. I know you've heard the words "awe-some" before, but the Grand Canyon truly defines that word. I've always said I wanted to do more than just peer over the edge of it. There's so much more to the Grand Canyon than this picture gives. What you can't see is the sun to the east pouring out its light over the canyon giving it color and dispelling the shadows. What we see from the distance is no doubt even more magnificant close up. But if you want that close up view, you have to plan ahead. Waiting lists for the mule ride (the easier way) down are booked a couple years in advance. Hiking requires physical preparation. So I keep telling myself "some day" I'm going to see it up close and personal. No matter that the last visit to the Grand Canyon was 15 or so years ago and I said the same thing then. So that leads me to this thought for today: Preparation begins today. If I'm just going to sit back and wait for that 'some day' event it probably means I'll miss it when it does arrive. I can't sit back. Plan. Prepare. Build up. Encourage. Start now. Hey. I think that's like the life in the spirit, too. I can't afford to wait passively until I'm better or know enough, or whatever my excuse for today is. Now is the time. Today is what He's given us. He keeps challenging me and charging me to bigger and higher things. Read. Pray. Memorize. Practice the Fruits of the spirit. Be. Don't just peer over the edge of a life in the spirit. Awe-some, too.

Days of Rain

In the twenty years that I have been visiting the grand state of Arizona I have never seen it rain like it is today! I have often laughed at their “rivers” which are really little more than dry gullies or washes; their ditches through the center of streets which I have never seen with water in them...except for today! It has poured down rain all day long. At noon they had a half inch and the ditches were filled with running water. Puddles in the major streets, real water in the ‘Auga Fria’ and people walking around with umbrellas. An amazing sight. Apparently it hasn’t rained here since about October so I am witnessing a nature rarity! I would rather enjoy a balmy day like we had yesterday-blue sky and 70 degrees, but this is still better than snow! And in the spring, when I am long gone and back to toiling away, all the natives will enjoy a spectacular show of desert blooms. We hiked up the waterfall trail to, of all things, the waterfall, in the White Tank Mountains early in the week and there was precious little water running up there. So I imagine this is like the cup running over up there now. I have a picture in my mind of the dry ocotillo cactus starting to suck up some life giving water for the blooms it will produce come March or April. I only wish I was going to get to see them.
Well, soon enough it’s back to the snow. So I will enjoy even this day of rain.

Sunny Arizona

Weather, I have discovered, is all relative. Cold here would be considered balmy by Iowa
standards. The 70 degrees we enjoyed today was a nice winter day here. Spring time at
home! Flagstaff temps were in the 20's and snow still was on the ground.
Up there they are all excited about skiing season. I'm just looking for more
sunshine and warm. The Grand Canyon was wonderful. Not too many people.
No lines to wait in for anything. Could drive everywhere we wanted along
the rim. I took tons of pictures. (Can't share any of my own because I don't
have any way to upload any of them yet. Just wait!) Now, if I can just figure
out how to enjoy 70 degree days Arizona experiences, while I'm wintering in
Iowa! See you all soon.