Top 10 Things I Learned During My 53rd Year of Life

Every year, near my birthday, during the month of October, I reflect on my life for the past year. I make a list of the 10 things that I learned that year that have directed my life.

So, here goes:

10. Faith is more than saying "I believe". Faith requires letting go in order to let God. Faith requires getting out of your comfort zone, closing your eyes and saying, "What will be will be" after praying for what you want. Then, watching God give you what you need JUST IN TIME.

9. The "Abundant Life" isn't having and enjoying all you want out of life. The "Abundant Life" is enjoying and being grateful for all you have in this moment. It is a feeling of fulfillment, with the contentment that if you never go anywhere else with your life than where you are right now, it is enough, and anything more is worth sharing, while looking forward to the journey ahead at the same time.

8. Once you have your own business and are your own boss, you will never be happy being an employee for someone else again. You even run from the thought of it.

7. Just because things get hard does not mean God is telling you to do something else. It could mean that He is asking you to trust Him more. It could mean that Satan doesn't like what you are doing and keeps trying to trip you up. It's your job to keep moving forward until all the doors are closed.

6. Never give up unti there are NO MORE OPTIONS. If it is God's Will, then He'll open a window when a door closes. There is ALWAYS a way to get where you need to go.

5. When someone is in need of help and it doesn't cost you anything to do it, then you should do it. Especially when they have proven that they can succeed with the little bit of help they've asked for, and have a history of being responsible and it is within your power to keep them from losing everything they have worked hard and given so much to build.

4. When God gives you more than you need, it is because He wants you to give what you don't to those who do. There is nothing more joyful than giving, especially when it doesn't cost you anything but effort.

3. When Jesus said, "Go and tell the world the good news", He didn't mean you had to go to Africa. There are people in your own neighborhood who don't know Jesus. God expects you to be His hands and feet RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.

2. A "personal relationship" with Jesus Christ does not mean praying twice a day and trying not to sin. It means being in constant communication with Him, asking His opinion of every move you make, and thanking Him for everything, every minute. It means being available at any time for Him to use, and expecting that He will be there when you need Him.

1. And, finally: Never lose sight of what you are working toward. Paul said it best, "Keep your eye on the prize". Run the race of life with endurance, patience and determination, and be happy with what God blesses you with, even if it isn't what you expected. Sometimes what you don't expect is better than what you could have hoped for yourself.

Being the Hands and Feet of Jesus

Good morning, World!

I threw the roast my friend bought me into the crock pot last night so I could have it ready before I go to work today.

Breakfast of Roast and potatoes and carrots. WooHOO!

I am up and ready to go to work. I don't have to do anything but work today, so I should make more money than yesterday.

My first delivery was to a friend of mine yesterday that I used to work with. She's been having a hard time and she has kids. So, when I brought her her groceries from the Spark/Walmart delivery, she thanked me a LOT.

Come to find out, she had thought that I bought her the groceries and brought it to her. Now, we are trying to figure out who actually bought the groceries I delivered. It was hilarious when I finally told her I didn't buy the groceries. I just did my job and delivered them.

All I can say is, Maybe Jesus WAS working through me? LOL (Literally).

We are both curious.

I had just prayed that Jesus would use me to bless others. I had been eating at Golden Corral and I said:

Thank you, Jesus, for this meal. I know that not everybody gets to eat as well as you feed me. I don't know why that is. But I do know that I am blessed, and I am grateful. I pray that you continue to bless me, and that you bless everyone around me, and that you let me be a blessing to others, also! In Jesus name I pray, amen.

I didn't know He would actually give me the groceries to do it with! LOL

I should have. I am constantly telling people, "Don't thank me, thank Jesus! He provided it for me to give to you!" Guess I didn't think He'd be so dramatic about it. LOL

Well, time to get this day started!

Have a blessed day!

Chicken, Chicken and More Chicken

Good morning, World!

It is the start of a new work week, and I am starting later than yesterday, which means I'll work later. I woke up at 11:30, So I'll stay out working until 11:30 PM.

Today, I have to make $147 in order to have all the money I need to pay all the bills until next payday. And, today is the last day I have to make that, or I may have to take money out of my E-trade to cover what I don't make.

I won't do that unless I have to.

I am eating chicken that I just cooked in the air fryer while I was getting ready for work. The Air Fryer makes it so easy now! No more standing over the stove watching and waiting.

I am not going to Golden Corral today because it is Sunday, and it costs more on the weekends. I have about $20 left on my cards. If I do it right, that is two more days of eating for free.

One thing is for sure: I won't be visiting KFC or Churches, Popeyes, Chicken Express, Golden Chick or Slim Chickens to eat anytime soon. Why pay for what you already have at home?

Well, gotta get on the road...literally.

Have a blessed day!

Investments, Golden Corral, Abundant Living

Good morning, World!

I have to go to the bank and deposit some money from E-trade to pay bills until payday next week.

I will then have $926 invested.

Of that $926, I have made $17 today that will be invested as soon as it settles in my account tomorrow. That is one bill I don't have to worry about this month, if I chose to keep the money.

I'll re-invest it so it can grow until that bill is due.

That is also $17 I don't have to make today. LOL And, the day isn't over. The market is still open. There is a possibility I might make more.

I am fixing to leave and go eat before I go to work at Golden Corral. Why not? It's free! LOL I won a $50 gift card to Golden Corral yesterday for paying rent on time all year. Each month, my name is entered into a drawing, as long as it is paid on time. My name was drawn yesterday.

A friend reminded me, yesterday, that just a few days ago, I was worried about being able to pay rent at all. Now they are paying ME! LOL

I am blessed.

I will also be sending a friend who loaned me some money a few bucks toward re-paying that loan sometime today. Maybe tonight when I get home. She told me not to worry about it right now, but I promised her SOMETHING every week until it is paid off.

I am so blessed. Every day I am blessed. And, I am getting back to waking up each day wondering how God is going to bless me more today.

THAT is living Abundantly. It isn't that you have. It is how you get. It is how grateful you are to have it. It is wondering how much you can give back, and trying to.

I am still prepping the Chicken. It is hard to pull it apart in the box, because it is so frozen solid. And, it isn't thawing quickly at all. LOL I don't want it to thaw completely, I just want to be able to pull it apart and bag it for storage in my freezer. So, I am checking on it constantly. I have about 3 bags in the freezer now.

Tomorrow, I will be delivering to a few friends in need. I won't work because it is the Sabbath, except to do what I need to to get this food where it needs to go.

Jesus said, "What man, if he have an ox that falls into the ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't work to pull him out?"

Some kinds of work are acceptable.

I am excited about waking up in the mornings again. I am still on the stressed and worried side, though, until I get my tags.

Have a blessed day!

(Im)Patiently Waiting

Good morning, World!

I'm going to Domino today to get some produce before I go to work from the food distribution place. I need it.

I am waiting for my money to settle in my brokerage account still. I was told it would be there on the 7th. When it does, I will have net assets of $1193 to play with. Sort of. I have to pull some of that money out (about $300) to pay my next few bills before payday.

I am still (im)patiently waiting for my permanent tags to come in. Then, I'll be (im)patiently waiting for Uber to approve it.

I'll still be able to drive while they do their thing with the Ford Focus, because I still have the PT Cruiser listed as well on the app..until it is approved. It usually takes a few days. Unless they renew my background again.

Well, guess I better get this show on the road.

Have a blessed day! (I know mine is going to be!)

I Feel Like Traveling On

Good Wednesday Morning, World!

Life is almost back to normal.

Today, before I go to work, I have to call my dealership and set up an appointment for an oil change and some detail cleaning on my car.

Yeah, I've drove that many miles in it. And, I've had NO problems that I can foresee with the car, except for the normal occasional airing up of the tires.

I went to Longview, yesterday, and picked up my last loan check for awhile (hopefully). I didn't need all of the money, so I put it all in the stock market, except what I need for the next 7 days. I'm waiting for that to settle in my account.

In the meanwhile, I have bought over $600 in stock with what has already settled. Still waiting on the rest.

The stock market is coming back up pretty quick, so I am trying to get into it before it rises too much, so I can see profit. That will help me pay some bills next month, or at the very least, help me if I need more money in the future.

The lady at the loan place was impressed at my organizational skills, and how I manage my money. They were asking me all kinds of questions for advice. I thought that was hilarious. I go in for a loan and teach THEM how to manage their money. LOL

There is purpose in everything. Maybe that was the purpose of me needing the loan. Regardless, I was blessed in the process.

I will stay home and work in my portfolio until 10 AM, then I have to go to work and get a full day's work done. I gotta keep building that portfolio.

I am watching the news for information about Loretta Lynn's funeral arrangements. I know the family is settling during the tragedy of their loss, and need some time to process, so it may be a few days. But, I really would like to go and pay my respects.

I am just happy, and so Grateful to my Lord and Savior, that life is as close to normal as it can be for me now.

Have a blessed day!

Re-start

Good morning, World!

I went to bed around 10 PM last night, determined that if I couldn't sleep, I'd just lay there.

I slept some.

I hope I slept enough.

I finally got up around 5 AM. I am getting ready to go to Longview to get my life back in order. LOL. I have a lot to do today. I might work some when I get back, but I'm going to try to go to bed again around 10 PM tonight.

If I can do this today, I can do it every day.

Yesterday, I contacted one of my loan agents that I've been paying for over a year. They keep calling me, and I keep telling them, "No, I'm trying to get out of debt, not add to it. I don't need more money." But, when you have to, you have to.

I am thankful they were there, and that my history of paying on time has paid off. I have never failed a payment, even if I had to borrow to pay it.

Long story short, I was eligible to get enough to replace most of what I have lost in my E-trade account, as well as pay my bills for a couple of weeks until I get my tags in for the car and am able to go full force again.

I spent last night Praising my Jesus. I woke up this morning doing the same.

Have a blessed day!

Bad Credit Day, Great Practical Gifts

Hello, World!

I am fixing me some roasted tators and carrots for breakfast in my new air fryer.

When it comes to gifts, I LOVE practical gifts. My friend ACED it. I don't even have knick knacks in my house. I have books, clothes and necessities and food. That is IT. If I can't use it, I don't have it.

Last year, she bought me a yeti cup when I went to visit her in Indianapolis. I am still drinking out of it. LOL I carry it with me when I work each day, full of tea. I carry it everywhere. Although, I lost the lid to it. I don't use it...go figure.

I hope by next month I still have a place to keep it, though. My lease is up. I have to sign a new one, and I can't even pay my rent this month.

Sigh...I am so worried. I dread looking into my bank account.

There is no way I'm going to have the money by tomorrow for what is going to be auto-drafted from it.

My credit is now blown.

5 years of never being late on a payment, now this. Thanks, mom for not helping me when you could have.

Just a couple of more weeks and I can start building it back up again. I hope. If I survive that long.

It's going to be a LONG couple of weeks, though.

Have a blessed day.

Falling Dominos

Hello, world! 

It is 10 after midnight here at home. All the stores are closed, so nothing is pinging on the apps. I only made $70 today. Not enough. I can't squeeze blood from a turnip.

It is now Sunday morning. And I find that I have really missed Facebook this past week.

All I can do is let the Domino's fall. I owe $580 on my loan installment right now only have $400 to put toward it. And that's not counting the $655 that I owe for rent, and the $125 that I owe for my car payment. I am so far behind I can't see straight. I have until the 4th to pay the rent but on the 7th my car payment is due and that's another $420.

If I could Uber and Lyft like I used to, I could stay up all night and make the money I need. But after midnight, all of the apps shut down for delivery. There are no stores to deliver from that are open.

Not having my permanent tags is putting me further and further behind. And all it would have taken was a yes answer when I asked for the kind of help that I needed. I wouldn't be in this fix. I could really use the money that I used toward repairs for the PT Cruiser, and the down payment for this car that I'm driving now. I wouldn't have had to use any of that if I had gotten the help that I needed when I needed it. And it wouldn't have costed anybody any money.

Yes, I am still angry. And until I'm Not Angry Anymore, I am keeping my distance. I want back every penny that I've lost due to all of this before I decide not to be angry anymore. I just seem to be falling further and further behind right now. And I'm about to just let go and let the Domino's fall where they will, and not even worry about my credit rating anymore. I don't know what else to do.

On the upside, I used my air fryer tonight. It's the first time I used my brand new air fryer that I got from my friend. I am very happy with it. I will be using it a lot. I promise. LOL it made the best chicken and roasted potatoes ever!

I thank my friend for getting this for me. I never would have gotten myself an air fryer. I didn't know what I was missing. But now I do. If this one breaks down on me I am definitely going to need to get another one. I love it!

Have a blessed night.