Wednesday, 10 January 2018

I made it!
Some days seem to be harder than others, but here I am...

My New Year 2018 theme of EXERCISE (Making a Plan I can live with!) has begun with a strange flow.  I am getting to a reasonable option for my situation, but it is a process.  I think I will need to recover tomorrow as well.  I did walk to the local market, but that was still more than I needed for this week.

Getting old is a challenge.
More of a challenge than I expected.

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Other than that, I am catching up and moving forward with my many lists of things to get done.

I still have four letters to write for December  :-)  -- slow to get done.  I sent my cards out as a December communication, but then started writing letters, so I have to finish the list.  January letters are also begun... so we will keep them going.  I found a great insert for January from one of the mission mailings I got.  February's "insert" will have to be on love, I suppose.  Who knows what I will find and share!

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I am so happy to finally have gone to a store I wanted to get to since moving here almost (about 4 years ago!)... and I finally was able to buy the heat gun I want for some of my crafting projects.  Getting my room fixed is helping.  Finding the right storage options is really helping.  I hope I live long enough to make it productive!!!  I'm starting this week, I think.

Money is always the main issue.  So getting things is slow, but I do what I can along the way.  It's all beginning to work out.  God willing, it will continue to work out.

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My Christmas lights are still in my window and they make me happy every time I look at them. 

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I hope to find the small fridge I want by next month.  It is really needed.

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How to reach our goals... I am thinking about that a lot these days... I have so many goals "in process" - with pieces done and more to get done.  I continue to pray for what I need, and look for GOD's answers.

I decided on two of my three main goals for 2018.  I may have my third one figured out, too.  I am working on the plans of how to do them first. 

1 ::  My exercise plan.
2 ::  Increase my income.   (This is a LOT harder than it seems!)
3 ::  is probably going to be catch up with my taxes and make sure it is all OK.  Money is such an issue in my life this is more of a difficult goal than it seems.  I don't owe much, but I need to get it taken care of.

After that... I have all my other goals to work on.   :-)  hahahaha

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We change in small pieces.

I have been trying to reduce "animal protein" in my diet... which is so hard, cheese has always been such a large part of what I eat, and milk, and eggs, and chicken, and fish, and meats of various kinds... going away from "processed foods" is another part of that process of change for me...and it is also hard.  I'm focusing on REDUCING how much of these things I eat, not totally eliminating them... but that is still a need to NOT eat them. 

I'm trying to use honey more than sugar, especially in my coffee.

I stopped making milk and then I bought dry cereal, which requires milk.  I still have some dry milk to use, so I am making it ONE cup at a time, when I really need to have milk for something.  I am trying to decide what I want to do about this issue.  I bought raisin bran cereals to eat because of my senior status and wanting to eat more bran for fiber.  I wanted a change from oatmeal.  I also bought some Cream of Wheat for the same reason :: variety.

I even bought more peanut butter !!!   I just gave my last container of peanut butter to a mission because I hardly eat it.  Now I am trying to eat it as a protein source.  I do eat enough (too much, really) of various kinds of nuts already, but I wanted some peanut butter one night and didn't have it for toast or something.  How we change.  (Note:  One time when I was homeless, living in my van, and without a lot of things, I would eat the 2T of peanut butter that makes a protein serving as part of my diet.  I think that is what makes it hard to eat regularly these days.  I guess I like to get that protein in other forms now.)

I am trying to make other changes as I can. 

I have read that it is good to focus on one change at a time.  I see the wisdom in that.  It makes it easier.  I don't know if I can do that, but being kind to myself helps me when I don't want to do the thing I am trying to change... like not eat dairy.  Getting my consumption down to a low level appeals to me, but how much is "low" in real food terms.

This is my ongoing process right now... CHANGING some of the things in my life that are not where I want them to be... one day at a time, one meal at a time, one walk at a time... slowly... but keeping on.

This is my best right now.
It's good enough for me.

I hope to hear from you about how you are doing with your goals.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May GOD help all of us to grow into the best person we can be.
May our hearts trust in His goodness, His Plan, His love for us.
May we be wise about the tricks of our Enemy, and keep our focus on GOD.
May life bring us happiness.
May time keep us holy, devoted, and strong.
May our goals be GOD's goals.
Amen.