5 Most Annoying Things

I've been tagged by Amel to do this meme. I had to think about it a little while but I think I've come up with five things.

1. It really annoys me when people stay on personal phone calls while they're at work and being paid to do a job. We all have to deal with personal things at work once in a while, but I'm talking about people who do this on a regular basis and it causes their co-workers to have to pick up their slack.

2. It annoys me when my favorite football team, Alabama Crimson Tide, lets another team like, Miss. State, beat them. Yes, I was very annoyed Saturday, but congrats to your school Matt!

3. I do not like for anyone to wake me up after I've fallen asleep at night, even if I fell asleep on the couch or in the recliner. Just leave me alone and I'll wake up eventually.

4. I find a lot of things at work that annoy me, but I can't mention some of them because I really need my job. But one thing that bothers me is people who have reserved parking spots not using them but using the metered parking spaces because they are near the building. By doing this, they are taking up places that visitors need, or places that newer employees need while no one is using their reserved spot. It is so selfish.

5. A "sue-happy" society. Some people want to sue for every little thing that goes wrong in their life. They found a fly in their hamburger at a restaurant so they want to sue the restaurant. Why don't they just go out and get a job if they need money?

Friends

I just realized something. I miss my blogger friends posts when they take a day or two off from blogging! I enjoy reading about your lives, your families, your adventures, your struggles, and I love reading your thoughts and meditations on our Savior. This blogging journey has been such an unexpected blessing to my life! I've always been a little bit wary of meeting people online, but I feel like I know some of you so well that I would love to get to meet you in person one day. When I started this blog, I thought no one would ever read it and I thought that after a couple of weeks I would be out of things to say. I've surprised myself by being able to write over 100 posts already!

So, to all my blogger friends, please keep writing. You encourage and entertain me. You teach me and touch my heart. You help me and humble me. You inform and intrigue me. I look forward to reading your blogs for many months to come.

Now, just so I can learn what things are like in different parts of the country, and even different countries, please tell me if you have ever eaten grits. Grits are a typical part of a southern breakfast, but it seems like some people from the north haven't eaten grits. A good hearty breakfast in Alabama would be eggs, grits, bacon or sausage and toast or biscuits. I don't eat that much because I prefer a light breakfast and something that's easy and quick like a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese spread. What is a typical breakfast in your area?

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3

Favorite Things and Contentment

I think I have writers block, or is it called bloggers block for people like me who aren't really writers. So, I'll just write whatever pops into my head and see how it turns out.

These are a few of my favorite things: sunsets, ocean breezes, mountains, mountain streams, the beach, fires in my fireplace on a cold night, rainy days, my family singing around the piano, old farmhouses, hugs from my hubby, seeing my children smile, 4:30 on weekday afternoons, Thanksgiving, Christmas.

It doesn't take a lot to make me happy. I'm pretty much content with the things I have. Yes, I would love having a bigger, newer house out in the country, but I'm fine if I don't get one. I'm just thankful to have a place to live that keeps me warm in the winter, cool in the summer and dry when it rains -- it's big enough for our family plus the visitors who don't mind sleeping on a couch or the carpet. I would love having all the latest fashions in clothes and shoes and purses, but I don't mind wearing last year's clothes or even the clothes from five years ago. I'm just thankful to have decent things to wear. Of course I would love to have a beautifully decorated house, but when I really stop to think about it, I probably couldn't relax when 15 young men are staying at our house if I had a lot of really nice things in it. The way it is now, I don't worry about them messing up anything, because there's really nothing they can mess up.

I don't really know what the secret of being content is, but I think it has something to do with having a relationship with Christ and being secure in Him. The more I get to know the Lord by reading His Word, the more content I become. The more I am grateful for the things I do have, and the less I think about what I don't have, the more content I seem to be. I will leave you with a couple of quotes that I like and a Bible verse.

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”
Frederick Keonig

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."
Epicurus quotes

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:12

In My Arms

I heard this song on the Christian radio station and I'd like to share it with you. It is especially meaningful to mothers and fathers, but I think anyone would enjoy it. It wasn't around when my kids were little, but it expresses so many feelings that I have experienced as a mother. It's by a singer called Plumb and the song is "In My Arms". Please take a minute to click on this link and enjoy this beautiful, contemporary song.
In My Arms -- This brings back so many beautiful memories of my precious children as they were born and growing up.

I have another post today, just below this one, so keep reading.

Time Change

This morning my phone rang around 8:15 and it was my daughter calling. In her "just woke up" voice she said, "Pumpkin (she calls me Pumpkin -- don't know why), I'm so confused....what time is it really?" I told her it was 8:15 and asked if her cell phone didn't automatically change times, and she said no, it didn't. But the other clocks in her house were right because she set them last night. So I told her to try turning it off and back on to see if it would change then. Next, in her "just woke up / whiney" voice she said, "I don't know what to wear to church....my legs aren't shaved and they are so hairy." I wish all the problems my kids brought to my attention were as easy to solve as that one!

I think what she was really doing was calling to let me know that she was up and planning to go to church and she just wanted to make sure I knew it.

Since technology has made its way into the church, my pastor has started loving to use short video clips at the end of his sermons sometimes. This morning he did one about what if our Bible was as important to us as our cell phone. It really brought out some good points and I wish I had the video he used but I don't. I found one on You Tube with the same message though. Think about it...

Stressed

I wish I knew how to spell that big **sigh** of relief you let out when things finally get resolved after a long day of stress, stress, and more stress. Since I don't know how to write it in a blog, just believe me that right now I am deeply breathing a great big sigh of relief. I'm not even going into the details, but I guess yesterday when I didn't feel the peace I was hoping for, it must have been because I had a feeling things weren't going to go as smoothly today as we hoped. But to make a long story very short, the business matters Aaron had to handle here in town today took up most of the day, so they got a late start heading to Little Rock. Oh well, I've decided that it's not the end of the world if they miss their show tonight -- the business matters were much more important and are now resolved.

I would like to say a little bit about stress. First of all, I don't like it! I am not stressed very often, so it is not a familiar feeling to me. I'm normally very laid back, calm, and unstressed. But now I can understand how people who work stressful jobs or live stressful lives on a regular basis could be at a greater risk for heart attacks. I could physically feel the stress today. I felt like it was squeezing my heart, and it even affected my appetite. I had some wonderful food for lunch but I couldn't even eat it or enjoy the little bit I did eat. If I was under stress very often, I'm sure I would weigh a lot less! But not even for weight loss would I be willing to live that way all the time. I am ready to go back to my calm, peaceful, stress-free existence.

To all my blogger friends, thank you for your sweet and encouraging comments. I hope you each have a wonderful, peaceful, stress-free weekend!

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Pray Without Ceasing

I like to pray. The Bible says to "pray without ceasing" or in another translation it says "pray continually." My interpretation of this verse is to just talk to God throughout the day. Of course we need that quiet, uninterrupted time that is dedicated to praise, thanksgiving, confession, and requests to God. That is very important to Christian spiritual growth. But I have realized that all through the day, I am constantly finding myself asking God to take care of my kids, or to help me with a certain situation, or just thanking Him for little things. I believe that's what it means to "pray continually."

When I have something that is weighing heavily on my mind, communicating with God about it usually gives me peace and helps me to be able to handle the situation better. The last couple of days, I keep praying to God to please take care of Aaron and the other guys while they are traveling. But I wasn't getting the peace that I usually feel after praying. I don't know why sometimes I feel God's peace and others times I don't. It's probably just my own fears getting in the way. Here is what my concern is about....tonight, the band is playing in Arlington, Texas. They are leaving as soon as they finish playing to drive all night to Alabama because they have to take care of some business matters here first thing tomorrow morning. After taking care of the business, they are leaving here to drive to Little Rock, Arkansas to try and make it to the show there tomorrow night. That's a lot of traveling in a very short amount of time!

So, I'm sure that all through today, I'll be asking God to keep them safe and protect them. He is God; He knows where they are; God is in control; He will work things out for His purpose to prevail. What do you think -- why do we feel God's peace sometimes but not at others times?

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18