In August, I got to see my sister.  She lives on the west coast, I live on the east coast.  She works into the evening, I work days.  She doesn't have kids.  I have 4, 1 grandchild (and one on the way).  She doesn't dye her hair anymore, I do still.  

I rarely get to see her because it costs a lot of money to travel 3000 miles.  It is also hard to get enough time off work to make the trip worth it.  It's even harder sometimes to find time to chat on the phone since I either have to stay up way late to catch her at home, or she has to get up way early to catch me at home.  Her one evening off is often one that I'm very busy due to the aforementioned 4 children.  It would seem that we are very different from each other...but not really. 

I always try to take something away from special events, a kind of heart snapshot of each event that I want to remember.  Yes, I do have this photo above, but being with her is about more than what you can capture with a camera.  I have lots of friends but only one sister.  Friends are wonderful, but there is just some territory that only a sister can invade.  

Sometimes I just feel abnormal, out of joint, out of place and I start to second guess myself.  Then I spend a few hours with my sister and all the sudden I realize that I'm not all that weird.  She's more like me than anyone I know.  I found out this visit that we both like mint ice cream, we both shave our faces every morning ( yes we belong to a family who has been blessed with lots and lots of hair which is great for our aging heads but bad for other places!), and midlife spread has affected us both the same way.  When we went shopping we were drawn to the same things like scarves, balloons, and choo-choo train cars that play music.  We think and react much the same way to things in life, even though neither of us have friends that might agree or understand.  

And so I came away from our visit knowing that there is at least one other person in this world that is pretty much just like me and it just helps to level me out.  I take comfort in that.  Perhaps that is what God had in mind when he designed sisters.  Perhaps he meant for sisters to be someone in your life that can draw the line between sanity and insanity and then let you know on which side of the line you fall.  Carol Saline put it this way, “Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other.”  

I love you Mindy!  You mean so much to me!

Things slowed down at work today so I thought that I would mosey out to the pasture and have a look.  I was shocked to see that I have not posted much this month.  I was also shocked to see that people are still reading my old blog and that more than read the old blog are reading this one!  I hope you like the new format.  There are oh so many things I like about Weebly, but I miss some of the perks that I had with BlogSpot.

Anyway, just in way of explanation, life has been CRAZY ever since I started working full time.  It sounds glamorous, I know, but to be honest this is my life 40 hours a week.

Typing on this keyboard.  Seems simple right?  But after about 100 of these orders where one letter or number out of place or out of order can mean an order going somewhere it shouldn't, not reaching it's destination, or an invoice that doesn't get paid because the numbers don't match up, or explosives get put on a plane that shouldn't be there...and well...there can be some fireworks in this office!  My company doesn't like losing money!  I never knew monotony could be so nerve wracking at the same time!  LOL!

This is my office mate.  You see I am technically in the janitor's closet instead of out in the nice, roomy, wonderfully lit cubicles.  This shredder is my only contact with the outside world.  Most people who come in here to use it forget I'm in here so they spend their whole shredding time apologizing for barging into my cloffice (part closet, part office).  If I am exceptionally lonely I can turn on the Christmas lights that are also stored in my work space......

...along with little decorative gem!  No, I'm not returning to my Irish roots and find this thing a source of irritation and something I have to dust more than anything.  When I start singing Oh Danny Boy, that's the day I walk out of here to never return!  I did add a few little decorations...

There is a photo of my four children and a little reminder so that I stay focused on why I am doing what I'm doing!!!!  We'll be raising out disabled daughter for a while longer and those two boys need an education!  








With all the changes in my schedule, you can imagine that I am still trying to figure out how to get everything done that I did with those 40 hours previously.  It can be frustrating at times, but I am learning to just rely on God's grace and cope with the rest.  I've been criticized for going back to work, I'm sure but I don't need to explain myself to anyone but God who directed me this direction and provided me a very nice working situation.

Then, of course there is this:

This is my physical therapy office where my physical terrorist puts me through much pain and torture-another 4-5 hours out of my week.  

There's also writing.  What, you ask?  I haven't seen much writing on this blog!  Well, that's because I've been  busy writing for other people's blogs!  With all the encouragement that I have received from those of you who actually read what I write, I decided to see if maybe someone would actually pay to read what I write.  So I took a test on a blog service site and got hired.  In the last couple of months I've sold over 50 blog entries.  I've learned so much along the way.  It still totally amazes me that I can write about something I've researched for 20 whole minutes and someone will actually pay me for it!  

Unless you missed it, I spent several weeks caring for a burned child, and a husband who had surgery.  In between those two things I went through a rather severe personal crisis, one that I'm just not ready to write about yet mostly due to wanting to preserve the innocent.  All I will say is that when a situation presents itself that looks grave, make sure to examine all the facts and circumstances very carefully before making any rash decisions because I can verify that "things are NOT always as they appear!"  Even when conventional and even sage wisdom will tell you one thing.  "Things are NOT always as they appear!"  Even when the internet and your own brain will say one thing.."things are NOT always as they appear!"  Sometimes you just have to walk by faith, by what you have always known and believed, and by what you know should be-mixed generously with faith in the Word of God and lots of time on your knees.  I just describe it as the time when the rubber had to hit the road, as far as faith was concerned, and as a couple of weeks where my main objective every day was just to breathe...in and out...in and out...in and out...until God worked it all out.  Letting Him do the driving was worth it though because, in typical God-style, things are much better now than they ever were before it all started and was....yes truly....worth what I went through in the process even though it was excruciatingly painful-even more painful than what the physical terrorist inflicts on me twice a week. 

So, things are moving and shaking around here.  I have much to look forward to.  In late October, early November I will become a grandma for the second time.  It's another boy.  I expect that I will be spending much more time outdoors because when that little innocent face with those big blue eyes looks up at me and says "Mimi, go park?  OKAY!", well honestly, could you resist?  

I'm also taking some writing courses on line, one which starts this week so there will assignments to complete.  And I'm looking to expand my writing into the devotional market, something I'm more well suited to write about than force gauges, lift chairs, dog spas, dieting, heart health, elder care, t-shirt embroidery, red light therapy, outsourced training, inbound marketing, and ballet barre exercise.  LOL!  But hey, it will provide gifts beneath the tree this year and if I keep busy, a very special gift for my husband.  (I can just picture his face if I can pull it off and it inspires me to keep writing!)  It's as big as the camera he bought for me one year.  I spent the whole day saying "I can't believe you bought me this camera" over and over again.  Now I'd like to return the blessing and hear my husband do the same thing! LOL!

And last, but not least, I've been spending a lot of time with this guy doing what he loves to do best, besides preaching.  That's a Glock 34 and 2 magazines loaded and ready to go!  Doesn't he look handsome in his shooting shirt and tactical pants?    There's just nothing more fun than watching his face crinkle up in a smile after he's done a good job shooting a stage.   Next to the Lord, he's the best protection a woman could ask for.  He's prayed up and loaded for bear-both spiritually and in the natural! LOL!  

So that's where I've been and will be in the near future.  I plan on finishing the Psalm 119 series.  It's all written, it just needs to be posted.  There's others in the works too and just as soon as shooting season is over, I'll be writing more than I am now.  

Til next time...BE BLESSED!