Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

Another early morning for me, and this time I didn't go back to sleep.  I think I was too cold to go back to sleep.  It's 18 degrees outside.  Brrrr.  I cranked the heat up to 72 in the house until I got toasty.  Unfortunately, our bedroom is the warmest room in the house, and it gets very dry when the heat rises, so Al woke up complaining about the dryness in his nose and mouth.  At least he got up early today.  No complaints from me about that because I wanted him up.

I didn't wait up for him last night, so we didn't get our usual talk time and I wanted to spend some time with him this morning before he went to work.  I also wanted him to take me to the library because it snowed and I really hate driving when the roads are slick.  Fortunately they weren't too bad when we got out there.

The library isn't too far away from the house, but it's too far for me to walk, especially in this weather.  Al dropped me at the door and told me, "on't dawdle.  Hurry it up."  I ran in to the building, dropped off the book I finished yesterday, and ran to the stacks to give them the once over for a book I was going to order if they didn't have it.  Happy, happy, joy, joy!  They had the book I was going to order, so I grabbed it, picked up the reserved book they finally got in for me, checked out and ran back to the car.  In and out in five minutes or less.  He couldn't complain that I "dawdled."

We came back home and I put my books in my library bag with the others, sat down and got back into my current read, which I seem to be zipping through at the moment.  I just started it yesterday and I'm a little more than a quarter of the way through.  I just love these Sisterchick books - probably because I have Sisterchicks in my life - but also because they are God-centered reads and I have found that I really enjoy Christian fiction.  There are some phenomenal books out there in that genre.

Al did the dishes for me, and then went through our spice cabinet, looking for rosemary because I was going to make rosemary chicken for dinner.  Turns out we don't have any, so salsa chicken it will be.  That's fine.  Whatever works.  I just have to decide if I'm going to make it in the crock pot or the oven.  I might go with the oven, just because it'll heat up the house a little bit more.

One of Al's friends at work, a supervisor, told him that he did really well in his interview - better than he thought.  That's not a guarantee he's going to get one of these two positions, but I think it made him feel a little better.  I'm glad.  I know it's not about what I want, it's about what's best for us in God's plan, but I really, REALLY want him to get this promotion.  I know he wants it too.  It'll give us some financial breathing room, and that's what we need.

We've decided we're going to try and trade in the one car we have and try to get another vehicle.  The struts need to be replaced all the way around, there's some electrical issues that need fixing, like the fact that the turn signal on the driver's side is stuck in the ON position and not working, the first three levels of the heater don't work, and a few other minor things.  If we can trade in this car and get another decent one that will last us for a while, we can look at getting a second car if Al is able to get promoted.  But right now, we need a car that we're not going to have to put a lot of money in right off the bat.

I called my brother to see what he can do, which upset Al greatly because of my brother's pompous and holier-than-thou attitude about money and our lack of it, but I told Al that while it may be true about Bob, he has never screwed me when it comes to getting a car.  If we went on our own, we're liable to get screwed over by a dealer.  At least with my brother running interference, that's less likely to happen.  That's the ONLY reason I've called my brother about this.  I'm not going to deal with his snarky attitude, however.  If he shows any signs of being a jerk, we'll take our chances with the dealers ourselves.

Al has pretty much had it with most of my family.  Mom gets on her high horse about things sometimes and it drives Al nuts.  Then of course there's my brother.  My step-dad you never know HOW he's going to react to stuff and it puts everyone on edge.  The only one in my family Al CAN deal with is Corri.  He can tell her things and she keeps stuff to herself.  He is so proud of her and all she's accomplished since going into rehab, we're starting with a clean slate with her when she comes home on Sunday.

I talked to her last night for a few minutes and she gave me her list of appointments right after she gets out of rehab.  On Tuesday I'll have to drive her and drop her off at one of the places by 10am.  She's going to check the bus schedules so she can get home since I won't be able to pick her up.  I told her that if her appointments are in the morning, I have no problem taking her to them, but like this one on Tuesday, she'll be attending more than one class, so she'll have to find her own way back home, either via the bus or through her recovery phone tree.  I've also got to get her back to the place that does food stamps because her food stamps stopped while she's been in rehab and she needs to get them reinstated.

Other than that, not much else on the agenda for today.  Perhaps a shower, since all I did this morning was toss clothes on to get to the library, but the shower will probably be the most thrilling part of my day.  I'm just going to read and watch tv, for the most part.  A typical day, really.

I told Al I wished he didn't have to go to work today because frankly, I'm tired of being lonely.  I really am.  I am looking forward to Corri coming home for many reasons, but also, quite selfishly, because I want and need the company during the day.  I'm so tired of being alone all the time.  I like my own company, but too much of it is... well... just too much.  It's not healthy to be alone all the time.  And people wonder why I'm becoming quiet and introverted.  It's by design.  I can't help it.

I miss the old me, sometimes, the one who is larger than life and forges new paths for others to follow.  She's still in there, somewhere, just waiting for a time when she'll be able to come out and play again.

Today is day 40 and the end of my journey in The Purpose Driven Life.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself, now that it's come to an end, but I do know, after reading this book, that I need to make some serious changes and get busy working on my spiritual life.  I need to make sure I'm livng out the five purposes God made me for:

1. Love God with all your heart - worship


2. Love your neighbor as yourself - ministry


3. Go and make disciples - evangelism


4. Baptize them into... - fellowship


5. Teach them to do all things - discipleship

As the book says, a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will make you a great Christian. I don't want to be great as in well known, but I want to be a great Christian as in, I want to be the best Christian I can be.  It's going to take some work, but it can be achieved.  With God's help, I know, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Point to Ponder:  Living with purpose is the only way to really live.

Verse to Remember:  Acts 13:36 - For David...served the purpose of God in his own generation.

Question to Consider:  When will I take the time to write down my answers to life's five great questions?  When will I put my purpose on paper?

I think, perhaps, to keep the flow of the purpose driven life going, I will start answering those five great questions tomorrow, and every day after that.  Same with writing down my purpose or mission statement for my life.  It's going to be a work in progress... just like my life.

It is good for us to remember, as we sit feeling sorry for ourselves because we may not indulge in tasty pleasures, that our sacrifice is no really so great when we compare it to the many sacrifices Christ made.  What we are doing is indeed a sacrifice but for self rather than for others.  Christ sacrficed for us in order that we might enjoy life to the fullest.  Let us learn from the sacrifice of Christ and remember that He has given us the power to overcome any temptation that might present itself.

Today's thought:  Christ has conquered temptation and will be with me!