Beginning of the month shopping spree...

I just got back from Wal-Mart. I got paid, so I figured I needed to stock up on water and snacks for work, a bunch of quick and easy TV dinners (because it's cheaper than cooking), a big bag of Pinto beans, some black eyed peas, and canning supplies.

I also bought two folding chairs for less than $10 each. Couldn't pass that up. Needed them for my new card table I am using in my kitchen to eat off of. Now, we can all sit at the table and eat together!

They finally got the gas leak fixed, so tonight, I'm going to do some burning and get rid of some of this cardboard trash I got piled in my kitchen, as well as some sticks and leaves in my yard.

A few things I never could do when I lived in an apartment. LOL

I love owning my own home. And, I love having two guys living here with me to binge-watch television shows with, and help me carry my bags in when I go shopping, and talk to and eat with and pray with.

I love my life. But, I am getting myself prepared so that when I have to lose the life I know today, I can survive the life I have to live tomorrow.

Ya'll have a blessed day!

Getting Prepared for the Worst, Hoping for the Best

Now that I have found myself in a better financial situation, I have decided that nothing lasts forever. I could get sick tomorrow and have to quit my job. I could become disabled, or maybe my job will close down. Anything is possible.

God has given me much to be thankful for, and I shouldn't waste it. The over-abundance of today is the need for tomorrow.

So, it's time I start preparing for the worse.

Last night, I canned carrots. I got lots of lots of carrots -- more than I can eat before they go bad. So, it only made sense to can them.

This gave me an idea. All of the food I get that I know I can't eat before it goes bad, it should be canned for harder days.

Canning has become my new hobby.

Everybody likes home-made canned foods. They make great gift ideas, as well as ways to survive in hard times.

So, I've joined the preppers. The time is now, when things are going good.

Nothing lasts forever.

One Day at a Time

Matthew 6:34
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Everyone, just about, loves to bring in the New Year with a resolution or two. You know, some goal that they can't seem to accomplish the previous year that a New Year gives them the motivation to accomplish. So, I made my own New Year's resolution:

I decided that this year, in 2019, I was going to live one day at a time and praise God that I can.

That seems simple, doesn't it? But, in reality, it has turned out to be a lot harder than I expected it to be.

Oh, it started out okay. I work 12-hour shifts at a prison. When I come home, all I want to do is sleep. But, by the time my "Friday" got here, on the 4th of January, I was planning on what I was going to do on my days off. I even made a list of things to do. Bad idea.

So, on my first day off, I tried really hard to focus on accomplishing everything on that list. Impossible.

The next day, I tried to finish my list. Still not able to get it done. But, I did get some of it done. My list had dwindled to half of what I aimed for.

I realized that there is no way I can do all I want to do when I want to do it.

Rick Warren once said on his "Daily Hope" program that I love to listen to, "If you are not able to do everything on your to-do list in one day, then there is something on that list that is not in the will of God." In other words, God does not call you to do what you cannot accomplish with Him.

I have to re-evaluate what living "One Day at a Time" really means now.

Stay tuned for what I learn!

How Great is Our God!

Hello, World!

I've spent the last two days with the guys and my baby-dogs. We've laughed a lot at the puppies and their antics. Milo is so funny, and Otis is a trip!

I've rested and spent a lot of time in prayer and in the Word, too. I'm getting ready for the New Year. I wonder what God has in store for me in 2019!

2018 was a BLAST!

God showed up and showed out all year long. I saw Him work first hand in my life as I went from working at Denny's and living in my tiny one-bedroom apartment in Texarkana, to purchasing a new home, and beginning my job as a Corrections Officer.

Working where I do right now is something I never in a million years saw myself doing -- EVER.

At work, the other day, as I was minding my area, the prisoners were having a Bible Study. One of the prisoners was leading about 10 others in worship and prayer. Another prisoner, who was not participating walked by the desk where I was sitting and watching.

He said, "Isn't it something how people come to prison and suddenly start being preachers?"

I immediately responded, "God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called."

He raised his eyebrows in thought as he continued on his way from the Day room to his cubicle.

Wow. I thought. That'll preach.

It has inspired me to work with what I, myself, have been given to work with to get out the message God wants me to give out.

As I spent the year "straightening my crown", I realized that I have a story to tell that Glorifies my Lord and Savior. God gave me that story. He wants me to tell it.

I can sum it all up in a few words:

God is a GREAT and MIGHTY GOD! NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE with HIM!

Happy New Year!

I hope you all have a blessed one!

Church

You know the old joke: If a tree falls in the forest and you are not there to see it, does it make a sound?

Makes me think. If there were no churches for people to congregate at on Sunday, would there still be Christians?

If there was no church to go to, would it lessen your responsibility to do what God has commanded? What Jesus instructed? Would we still be required and able to love one another as God has first loved us? To do good to one another? To help one another? To tell everyone about Jesus?

Why then, do some Christians couple going to church with being a Christian? Why do they judge others who do not congregate on Sunday? Some even say it is a sin not to attend church.

The Bible doesn't say that.

The Bible says that we should have fellowship with other believers. It doesn't set aside a specific day and time, or say how many have to be there, or tell you that your prayers are not answered if you are not in church to pray them. I have searched and searched the Bible for such verses to support that thought, and found none.

I believe firmly, therefore, that if people would concentrate more on BEING the church instead of GOING to church, the world would be a better place.

Praising God because He is God!

Hello, World!

Today, I woke up and made spaghetti.

That is the thing about being a day-sleeper. When I wake up, it is time for dinner. So, I made spaghetti for me and the guys.

Then, I sat down and opened my Facebook. Immediately, I was looking at a memory from this day in 2014.

It was the year I made the decision that changed my life. The year I decided to follow Jesus with my whole being -- heart, soul and mind -- and to remain single and focused on God.

So much has changed since that year. God has blessed me enormously. But, I have learned that the struggle never really ends. It just becomes easier to endure with a different perspective.

For instance, I used to not have nice clothes to wear. Now, I have clothes to wash and put away, and decide what to wear, what I want to keep and what I want to give away. I am just not complaining now, because I remember four years ago -- which seems like only yesterday -- when I had no clothes. I praise God for the struggle.

I don't complain about having to clean my house because I now have a home to call my own that I need to clean. Four years ago, I was barely able to pay rent on a cheap apartment.

I don't complain about not having a defogger, heat and air in my car or a window that won't roll all the way up, causing me to have to park so far from the entrance at work, because four years ago I didn't have a car. What a blessing my car is!

My phone window is cracked, but I have a phone.

I have food in my kitchen refrigerator and freezer and in the cupboards.

I have a GREAT job. I never in a million years thought I would be where I am now just four years ago. I worked at a hotel, cleaning rooms for about 20 hours a week at just above minimum wage. Then, I went to work at a local hospital cleaning rooms for twice the pay. Then I went to work at Denny's restaurant. And now, I am a corrections officer at a local prison working for the great state of Texas!

I have my health. Praise GOD! I have my health. Three months ago, I could have died, but God saw fit to let me live!

I praise God for the insurance that God provided through my great job! It helped me pay my bills during my recuperation! Four years ago, I was told I had to live with my illness. Three months ago, I was told that if I hadn't gone to the emergency room to seek help when I did, I would not have lived another week.

I have my computer. Four years ago, I did not have one. I scrimped and saved. My laptop computer now has missing buttons so I have to hook up a keyboard. The mouse pad sucks so I got me a wireless mouse. My screen is lopsided...but I have a computer. It has been a source of entertainment and communication with all of you on a daily basis. It has been my means of reaching out, advising, asking for help, and telling you all how God has blessed me, and how He can bless YOU!

God has brought me so far, so fast, one day at a time. While I was going through it, however, it seemed like it was taking forever. Now, as I look back, it's as if it was only yesterday.

God will not snap His fingers to make things happen when you want it. He will give you opportunities, and make you wait for the results, so you can praise Him all the more when it finally happens! So you can clearly see God's hand in where you are!

God has given me so much. Now I struggle to figure out what my goals should be, if I should have the goals that I set, and when does contentment mean I stop striving to be in a better place -- mind, body and soul?

I think I have come to the conclusion that it's okay to strive, as long as I accept that if I remain where I am for the rest of my life, it will be okay, simply because God is God.

Planning the New Year Ahead

As the New Year fast approaches, I reflect on my journey so far, and wonder what the future holds in store for me. Just a short five years ago, I was barely hanging on, grasping for straws. I had no clothes, let alone jewelry and make up. I had no car. I had no computer. I had a real cheap cell phone because I had to. I lived in a bed-bug infested apartment I could barely pay rent on. I worked 20 hours a week at a local motel to pay the bills. It was me and my dog Milo, no one else. And, I had just been diagnosed with gall stones that I had no insurance to take care of and had to live with.

Today, God has brought me so far. I praise Him at every turn. I write down my experiences so others can see that God is not a God of the impossible, and that He has a plan -- if you are willing to follow Him.

One of the things I have learned on this journey is not to make plans. God has a way of interrupting them when you least expect it, and if you are bound to the plans you make, you cannot see the blessings God has to offer through His.

But, I do have goals.

My recent illness has left with a lot of bills to take care of. I plan to pay them.

In January, I want to take care of treating the guys at Daniel's Used Tires. I was not able to have my Jesus Feast this year due to my recent move to my new home and the illness that followed it, but God is setting me back up right now, and I need to follow through on my promises as He follows through on His.

I still don't know how I am going to do it yet. But, I'd like to purchase some gifts for them. I am hoping that my web site will garner the support I need to get it done.

I have created a group for the web site on Facebook to help me out as well. Or, you can use this button below:

Anything above and beyond what I need that is donated will go toward my annual Jesus Feast at the end of the year. I hope to be able to buy gifts for the homeless next Christmas Season as well.

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Honesty...

Learned this. Not going to be who I am not around anybody. Why I am not afraid to post EVERYTHING about my life. The good, the bad and the ugly. I've learned by doing this that I am NOT. And, those who complain about it have something to hide...always. I don't. I am me. Like me, love me, hate me, I don't care. The only person I care about judgment from is God, and hiding things about myself from other people is not going to change the fact that HE already knows.

Everything to me

When I was young, there were several times that I thought I had found "the one". Each time left me hurt, angry, feeling betrayed, unwanted, unneeded, or even objectified. I gave all I had in each only to be disappointed.

It wasn't until this last relationship ended that I realized that I had been giving all I was and all I had to the wrong person. I decided it was time to correct that.

Now, I am able to give all I have and all I am to the One who created me for His own glory. In return, He has sustained, strengthened, upheld, protected and provided for me in ways I never imagined were possible.

Yes, I have stumbled in my desire to please Him, but I have immediately stood up each time and dusted myself off and "straightened my crown," determined that weakness was temporary, and love was eternal.

As a single Christian, I find myself able to do things that I know that should I have a mate, would be missed. Like, acting on impulse to bless someone else, or openly showing my gratitude to others for what my husband should be providing.

Then, I felt so alone and hopeless. Now I find that I am never lonely, even when I am alone. I have discovered new ways to fill the void that being single often leaves on others -- ways that I would not be as free to practice if I had a mate.

I am FREE to be TOTALLY ME; the person God created me to be.

I find myself in total agreement with Paul as I live out these words of wisdom from the Holy Book:

1 Corinthians 7:
32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.

34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

I have also found that I have no problem being single and being able to celebrate the marriage and happiness of my friends who have reached milestones with each other in their own lives. To each his own. What is given for me to be and do is not so for others.

Having said that, I am extremely Happy for my friend Rosa Edwards today as she and her husband celebrate 24 years of marriage.

I wrote a poem when I was 12 years old one day, doodling on my book cover in class, that goes something like this:

I look my eyes up to the sky
And ask the Lord above so high
"Why me?" Then comes from the blue,
"Because, my child, you are YOU!"

I praise God for who I am today. And like Paul, I wish to remain single, and I would that others could have the experience I have had being so.

Colossians 3
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

I have endeavored to be the best single person I can be for the Lord.

The song below says everything I have said above. It fits perfect.

Milo My Love

I told my abusive, drug addicted ex that I was with for nearly 3 years at the time, that I wanted a chihuaha. So, on one of his trips out of town, he procured me a baby girl. He was unable to bring her home because she was still too young, and he would have to work for her. I knew that he often lied to me to get something he wanted, and I wondered what his angle was this time...

But, I made plans anyway. Expect the worst, hope for the best. That was my motto.

The year was 2012. The Mayans said the world would end that year. So, I decided that in order to remember when I got her, I would name her "Maya."

It was in January that he finally brought my baby-dog home. He was tiny. He could barely fill my hand. He was only nine weeks old. And, he had a broken tail that made him look special. My ex said the little girl died, so he got him instead.

It didn't take me long to figure out a name for him. Something close to "Maya". I decided to call him "Milo".

Milo. My love.

As he grew used to his new surroundings, as all puppies do, he became extremely playful. He loved to attack our feet as we walked across the floor. He loved wrestling my hands, and jumping on my face when I would play peek-a-boo.

Milo came to accept me as "momma", and he also knew I would do anything to protect him.

We never knew what mood my ex would come home in. And, my ex had bad feet. So, one day, when Milo innocently attacked his feet as he came in the door, My ex went into a rage.

Milo ran as fast as his little feet could carry him across the slick floor. I was sitting in a chair. He literally climbed up my legs as if he were a cat and immediately buried his face in my chest. I immediately covered him with my hands as he whimpered.

My ex was yelling, "I'm gonna KILL that d*** dog!" and was chasing him. As I covered Milo with my hands and held him close to me, I immediately rose up and got in my ex's face and said, "No, you will NOT. You aren't going to do ANYTHING to hurt this baby."

I guess he didn't know what to think of the look on my face, so he backed down.

I guess, from that moment on, Milo got the message that I was his guardian angel. We became closer than ever.

At night, Milo would snuggle up to me and look at me with those adoring eyes and fall asleep. In the morning, Milo would lick my face until I was awake to take him outside.

When my ex got violent with me, I know Milo felt helpless. He would sadly stare at us and whimper quietly as he sat as far away from us as possible. I was HIS guardian angel, and he was too little to protect me. I was so afraid that if he ever tried, my ex would kill him in a fit of rage.

When I finally got rid of my ex, It was the last time he got violent with me. I was working at a hotel that allowed me to have a room for a couple of nights for free. on the second night, I called my ex and told him that I wanted him to leave.

My ex balked. He said I couldn't ask him to leave. He was on the lease. I told him, "Okay, have it your way. I'll be there with the police tomorrow. I will be pressing charges on you." At that point, he agreed to leave.

"Oh, and by the way, when you leave, you will leave my dog there. And, if I find that ONE hair on his furry little body is hurt, I will put you UNDER the jail."

When I got home the next day, my ex was gone. Milo was SOOO happy to see me.

When I finally threw my ex out for the last time, Milo seemed to take on a more confident personna when he realizes that that mean guy wasn't coming back. I had packed all my ex's stuff in boxes and contacted him to come pick it up.

It was about 2 months before my ex finally came to get his stuff.

We were outside. Milo was on a leash. My ex was in a truck with another guy as they drove up, Milo started growling. Somehow, he KNEW that that mean guy was in that truck. It was as if he could smell him. Milo never did that with any other vehicles that drove up.

When my ex got out of the truck, Milo went into attack mode. He barked harder and louder than ever. He was growling and gnashing his teeth. He was ANGRY.

It was as if he was saying, "NO. YOU ARE NOT COMING BACK IN THIS HOME!"

I have never seen Milo like that. Milo had found his courage. Milo was backing up his Momma. He was a pitt bull in a chihuaha's body.

All the neighbors knew and loved Milo when he came outside. Milo would always give them a Happy Bark to say hello. I immediately took Milo into my arms as he gnashed and growled, and my ex got his stuff and left with tears running down his face. I guess he realized how much of an ass he really had been at that point.

The neighbors said, "Yeah, Milo knows one when he sees one."

Milo and I lived happily ever after. We had been through so much together. We have a special history that Otis will never know.

I don't know the exact date he was born. I know it was in November of 2012. So, I'll choose this day to say Happy Birthday, Milo, My Love.