At 70, I wonder what my future will be like.

It is really a challenge to make plans as a Senior Citizen, especially a low-income one.

I just finished my post for this week at my Working Together blog, on the pending economic issues we face as a nation and as a world  (Working Together Inc: Can America really survive a big disaster? (working-together-inc.blogspot.com) so my thoughts are not very hopeful for my own life.  I depend on the government for my survival.  I have been homeless too many times already.  I am wondering if I will have to face homelessness again, and what kind of health I will be in if that happens.

I have been working on my goal statements this month.  It is a strange process for me.  I am not to the point of repeating them over and over again throughout the day.  I am currently working on writing them once a day, trying for the first thing in the morning, and noticing what the process does to my actions.

It is interesting.

It is a battle every day.

I am wondering why that is so.

Because of Working Together's mission in this life, I have discovered spiritual warfare.  I don't know how to do battle like great saints, but I have felt and seen the effects of spiritual warfare in my life.  The battles I went through moved me into a space of leaving it all to GOD.  I can't fight, and we are told that GOD does battle for us.

And there is the idea of His Will.

If we push our way through, is it GOD's Will or ours?  

That is quite a technical issue.  Once we know we are in GOD's Will, pushing through may be the only way.  It took me awhile to get to that realization... was it my idea or GOD's... and then do my best to make it through all the struggles.

I'm not young anymore.  I don't have the energy and stamina I had when I was young.  But, I am still willing to do whatever I can.  If GOD provides, I will keep doing whatever I can.

So, in the aging process, my goals have had to change.

I am beginning to wonder what other seniors do.  How do they see their future when death could happen at any moment?  How do they prepare to travel?  How much money do we really need when we are older?

I never planned to be so poor in my life.  My efforts just didn't work out the way I planned.  

I think the pandemic seriously damaged a lot of lives.  I don't know if we will really recover from it.  I hope we do.

In the Christian perspective, the details are very different.  We are watching for the Antichrist, and what the Bible tells us will happen when he gets here.

All these global problems, economic problems, government actions, and more, show us the Antichrist is very near.  

I was listening again to the video speech I love, by Paul Harvey, called FREEDOM TO CHAINS, at the Natalie Sims channel,  https://youtu.be/VPlQ-ANUCuc , and one statement stood out to me again as a description of the Antichrist we expect ::

"Some believe that the need is for a vigorous strong man to arise on the scene to regulate and regiment the affairs of men."

Paul Harvey made this speech in 1965, according to the video.  It's almost 60 years ago and we are on the brink of seeing that kind of person being asked to save the world.

GOD moves slowly because He wants to save as many souls as He can, but the day of His Prophecy will arrive.

I have heard some sources claim that digital currency and other technological "resources" will be in our lives by 2025.  I am wondering if that means the Antichrist.

I guess the only thing I can do is just meet every day with the best I have.  To keep trying.  To reach for the goals I have.  To be content with what the day brings.  (That reminds me of a verse in the Bible... haha)

I still hope to have some fun before I die, but I am not sure that will happen.  I remain one foot from life on the streets again... or death.  

I suppose GOD knows why my life has gone the way it has, and what my future will allow me to do.

As long as I remain faithful to the end, and make it to heaven, I will be happy.

How do you plan your future life?

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

https://work2gather.us

Thursday, 20 September 2018

Been working on my budget today... and then I found some new videos with different ideas about how to do it.  I discovered Bullet Journals... an interesting way to keep track of things.  :-)  Lots of artistic people out there.  I tend to favor Excel sheets because they can be modified more easily... and I am ALWAYS changing my strategies.

I've been trying to work on saving monthly for the things that only come due once or twice a year... but haven't quite gotten it to work yet.  Today, or recently, I discovered they have a name in budget circles... SINKING FUNDS!  So, I have been trying to work on getting those bills into a monthly flow so it isn't so difficult the month they have to be paid.

I discovered a lot of people on You Tube are using a fill-in-the-square method to keep track of some of their savings and spending efforts.  The chart I shared yesterday is a fill-in-the-line kind of graph.  I saw one video with a great adaptation that was like a game board with the small bills at the start and the bigger bills at the squares near the end... with each square equaling a certain amount of money.  I am going to try to tackle my Emergency Fund with the squares.  I am making a page with several of my goals on it in squares.  I won't have to have a bunch of pages for them... or repeat them every month in my budget tracking.

I was glad to see other people use binders... and journals... I think it also makes a back-up option when you find a way to do both... somehow.  That is my recordkeeping goal.

I also am seeing that there might be income to be made in my efforts... eventually.  I love to make forms, and now I need to see if I can make the designs work for others.

It has been a strange day, but that's OK.

I did a  l-i-t-t-l-e  more of my yardwork. I mailed three of my monthly letters.  I had to rest today.  Am fighting a second headache.  Made a great soup.  And some other things that just have to get done.  After this post, I'm not sure what will happen.

My elephant calendar arrived today... faster than it was scheduled to come.  I am trying to find out if this is the first year they are offering calendars.  I think it could have been much better, so maybe by next year it will be.  I may make some notes for myself and try to share the ideas with them.  I have seen some amazing photos of elephants, so I guess I thought that is what I would see in the calendar.  I think some text with the photos, some of them, would have been even better... especially when they know who the elephant is that is pictured... some background info, stories that make them come alive... inset photos of their rescue... where they are now... details that would make it more than just an elephant photo.  Sharing more about the helpers would be great, too.  I think they used a fundraising fill-in-the-space format, but an original design would be fantastic.  I am still thinking about it... I spent $25 on this calendar... a lot of money for me.  It is something I will look at all year long.  I think it could have been so much more.  I want the future editions to be much better, so I will be glad to spend that much on my elephant calendar.

I have their address, and their email... I will try to send them a good letter after I have some time to mull over the details.

I got a beautiful oversized postcard kind of insert with it... I put that right up on the wall over my desk space, and I love it immensely.  I share stickers for my favorite charity on my letters, I would love to share more of these cards somehow.  I am also trying to figure out how I can do that.  :-)

Maybe I will share this post with them on social media.  I will think about it.

With all these fundraising ideas, and businesses online that I am discovering lately (at YouTube), I am beginning to think of things that might help me raise the funds I need... something that can be mass-produced or sold easily.

Budgets make you want more money... I keep trying to find the options that will work for me... in my current situation/s.  I have been very inspired by the people I have seen on YouTube.

It looks like the weather will be decent in the week ahead.  I may get most (or ALL) of my ivy patch done soon.  It is mostly cleaning up the debris.  Only a little more clearing it out... for this year.  :-)

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May we all find the best future for us and for our world.
Amen.