Onward and Upward!

So glad a major hurdle is crossed! Yesterday would have been our 18th wedding anniversary. I find it so interesting how the day of the 'hard' day I'm actually okay but it's the days leading up to it that aren't so okay. Yesterday I was so productive it wasn't funny. It actually felt really good because it's been a struggle the last month to be productive! More major hurdles are coming this year as our lives and circumstances change but two down and ? to go. :)

It's been very heavy on my mind how lucky we are here in the U.S.! Although sometimes I wonder if we're really lucky or not!! There's so much that we have the we take for granted, unfortunately I feel that it also distracts us from the really important things in our spiritual life. I desperately need to condense down a lot of what I have. And it's not just the physical stuff. I've been giving thought to actually discontinuing Facebook but I'm know that's part of my business advertising so to speak. So I guess it boils down to having self control and only using it for business! How is it some of this stuff just sucks you in? There's way too much that we have access to that is time eaters and soul eaters! Something to really work on and focus on changing!

Another step

So much thanks to some dear sweet ladies that helped me today! I went through some more of Dave's stuff today and got some file cabinets cleaned out. Seeing his writing on everything was tough but it sure helps having some there with you! But it's done!! As I was told, you only need to go through the file cabinets once! We then got my office area straightened out a bit and slightly rearranged! It's amazing what just a little bit of rearranging can do to a room. 

To make it an up day I got another call today that stands a good chance of turning into another client! Being on the internet finally paid off! Pretty exciting!!  I've got to say... I'm starting to enjoy my networking more and more. Only problem is I have to make time for the work I'm getting do to that networking!!

Less then two months and I'll be a grandma!! Can hardly wait!! And Erika can hardly wait! :)

Finalizing steps....

It's hard to make steps that finalize things! But for various reason I don't have much choice in the matter! Add to that the wedding anniversary coming up and it is making for a tough week. BUT I do have some friends coming over Friday to help me rearrange my office and Sunday is going to be a wonderful day between a wonderful church meeting (they always are!) and wonderful fellowship with some ladies I've really gotten to know this last year.  I need to remind myself that our Father can make good come out of a tough time if I'm willing. That ole devil thrives on chaos so I need to work on letting the tension go because tension causes chaos inside of me. Don't know if that made sense but that's where my thoughts have been going. "I've a Friend that meets my every need" popped into my thoughts. I'm so thankful for the touch of our Father on my heart!

On another note I have a new client and may be getting another one. I'll talk with them tomorrow and set up a time to get together with them! So the business continues to grow bit by bit. It is exciting to see that happening! Although every time you think you might be getting on top of things... Broke my printer last week, the good news is they were on sale last week and they were giving a $50 credit for bringing in the old one. That worked since the other one was toast anyway! Grr!  As the saying goes, roll with the punches!

Special Friends

A very special friend yesterday dropped a bag by with little goodies in it for Christina and I.  It sure helped! There's so many special ladies that I'd probably really not got to know if this hadn't happened. I treasure each new friendship that this last year has brought! Especially those that have encouraged me spiritually.

Christina and I went to Applebee's for Valentines Day. A new tradition! It'd been so long since just her and I went out together, and the bill at the end reminded me why! But still it was very nice, we just need to get there at 4 next year not 5!! And by the time we left at 6... WOW!!! Christina gave me a scarf that she'd knitted and a sweet homemade card.

There just seems to be so many people walking away from life, although part of it could be I'm just more aware of it. My heart goes out to those who have family members who are missing and I pray that they'll turn to our Father for comfort because, really, that's the only thing that has pulled me through!  The uncertainty can be very overwhelming. Life doesn't wait for us to get on our feet, it just keeps going. Although I'll say last year was the LONGEST year! Those first 9 months felt like years! But there is a reason for everything, a purpose to be fulfilled, so may it be so! Faith!!!

Year 2 Starting

I was really hoping this new year would not include that gut tension that creeps up on me on each special anniversary dates! As someone so kindly told me today when he asked how I was doing emotionally, you have a wound, a wound that happened at a really bad time of year, so it'll take a while for that wound to completely heal. Like clockwork, 2 weeks before the date it starts and by the time the actual day comes I'm fine. Seems bizarre that the actual day is fine but that's the way it went last year so I'm assuming it'll be the same. So come Valentines Day I should be just fine, I just won't enter the stores, unless I absolutely have to, for the next couple of weeks!  But it'll happen again very soon after since our wedding anniversary was the first part of March.

I'm so thankful for prayer and faith. I need to keep in mind the meaning of faith that we've heard so many times. For All I Trust Him. I love how much our Father has proven His care for us. We found a wonderful therapist/counselor for Christina through my networking connections. This lady literally dropped into our laps, she does horse therapy and Christina is loving it! She has such a happy demeanor when she's there. There's a smile and there's a HAPPY smile. And it came at just the right time. And she pulled through 1st semester with  fairly decent grades, it was a lot of work but she did it!

Lots of good news on the job front. Final amounts are in and I've have 10 more clients and comparing January 2011 to January 2012 by income tripled!!! Granted I didn't start very high last year but none the less I'm pretty excited about that! Networking truly works but, wow!, is it a lot of work!! And if I can do it ANYBODY can do it! For those of you who know me, you know I'm a pretty quiet person so getting out and starting to network was a chore but I've been doing it for 5 solid months now and am reaping the rewards of hard work, by having more hard work! :)  Still have a little ways to go to really make it but it's definitely getting better!

I still miss my husband, really hope he's okay, but again I need to put my faith in my Father. At this point it's all in His hands and what's suppose to happen will in the end. But sometimes the missing part just gets the better of me! Tonight's a mixed emotion night!

A faithful finish

I just received word that Dellas L. has finished his journey and is now home. The reward we have at the end of life is so rich. I didn't know Dellas real well but he had such a wonderful spirit. I'm thankful for the spiritual example that he set. A poem a friend gave me has this phrase: For every loss He sends to us, Is followed by rich gain. Dellas has reached that final rich gain.

My thoughts have been on what he mentioned at Boring this last year. Self Denial. I'd be so much better off without a lot of the STUFF that I have. It's all that stuff that pulls me away from my Father. Books is a really good example of that! I have a horrible time pulling myself out of a book and reading our Father's word in the evening, or during the day when I feel the pull to. As a result I rarely read the novels. Last night I got into a book, not good since it was a Saturday evening! So really, I just need to get rid of the novels. I can use my cross stitching for relaxation, or read that book about business (no problem putting THAT one aside!) As Dellas mentioned we wouldn't have the full closets and garages etc. full of stuff if we were willing to deny ourselves. One thing that I've wondered is if there's stuff in this house of mine that my Father would disapprove of. Is there something that I wouldn't want one of my friends to find when I eventually pass away and all my stuff is gone through.

I pray that each step I take draws helps me to draw closer and closer to our Father and to be an example of a Godly life as Dellas was.

Oh boy!

Feeling so overwhelmed tonight! So much to do in the next week. This month is giving me a good taste of what it is to be basically full time. On the other hand there so much thankfulness that all the hard work (networking) of the last few month is paying off. If anyone says networking doesn't work, I beg to differ! :)  I look back on what the last year has brought, the changes both naturally and spiritually, WOW!  The number of new people I've met. I think I've met years worth in the last year, at least compared to previous years! So many lives to touch. I've got to wonder if they're seeing the Spirit in my life. Am I being a proper example?

Christina is sooooo looking forward to tomorrow being done! End of 1st semester. 3 months and  she'll be an auntie! And I'll be a grandma! I STILL can't hardly comprehend that but am looking forward to seeing my first grandbaby! AND 3 more months and my auntie will be home! Can hardly wait!!!  April will be quite the month!

Thought to share in closing that we heard at special meeting... The years reveal what the days conceal.