Important Week
It has been a little over a week since my last entry. I had just come off of a hurricane and Disney trip and ran into a visit with my parents for the week. My parents safely arrived at home today, and new hurricane is on its way...LOL My parents enjoyed their time here. And I enjoyed my time with them. I had concerns a few weeks ago that I would be entertaining them and was worried they wouldn't have a great time...hehehe It was a little stressful thinking about that...LOL Yeah, I was wrong. They had a great time. I balanced time with them and time at work. It was a great week. I hope to journal about some of it in the coming days. But we'll see...hehehe I wish I had been able to journal as it happened. And now, I'm facing another hurricane. So, I'm not sure how much I can journal this week...LOL
I miss writing. I wrote so much here last month and I really enjoyed it. I also miss writing poetry and the work I was doing on my books. It has been a while since I've worked on much more than this journal...hehehe I started a creative writing project with Cherie last month. That has been fun to think about and work on. It is actually inspiring me to do more creative writing. It is basically a fictional short story we are writing in tandem. I've not worked on anything quite like it before. I'd like to explore more projects like that one...hehehe
I'm someone who remembers dates and find certain anniversaries to be very important. Anniversaries can be things like birthdays, weddings, or special events. One important anniversary is occurring this weekend...hehehe It has been a year since I made intentionally putting God first each day an important part of my routine. What that means has evolved over the course of the year. But without fail, I have made my first conscience task each day to go to God in prayer. This is before I even get out of bed. I sit up, put my legs off the edge of the bed, and I pray. When I'm at home or in a hotel alone, I voice the prayer audibly. When I'm with someone else, like I was a few days in a hotel room with my parents last week, I'll pray silently to myself. I actually had that about a year ago when I stayed in a hotel with my brother's family as well.
Most days, I also did some sort of devotional in the morning before my day took off. This has been a life changing experience. The idea comes from Matthew 6:33 where Jesus says seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The pastor at the church I was attending a year ago did a sermon on how we start our day sets the day. He later published a devotional on that theme. Side note: that was the same devotional that Cherie and I started our fellowship journey with back in March. That has evolved into a Bible study we are beginning this week...hehehe
Another significant anniversary happening this week is the 19th anniversary of my suicide attempt. I'm grateful I failed...LOL It was a rough time in my life. Now I can look back and see where Jesus was through all of that. I celebrate silently most years. I did have a party 9 years ago on the 10th anniversary. I performed a fireworks show at my house...hehehe I'm considering doing something special next year for the 20th anniversary. I sometimes refer to these years as borrowed. That isn't the best word for it, of course. No matter how I label it, one thing is absolute true. God isn't finished with me yet...LOL
This week of October seems to be an anchor point of my life for significant events. Another anniversary coming up on Friday is the date 15 years ago when my first marriage ended unofficially. Unofficially because we went to counseling for a few months to try to work things out. But that day was a wake up call for sure...hehehe
And Thursday is the 14th anniversary of an accident my dad had that changed him forever. He was mountain biking and we believe he crashed. He came out of the woods with no memory of anything that had already happened that day. A friend of his took him to the ER. Mom and I went to the hospital to find that dad's memory was restarting every 30 seconds or so. It was clear he had some head trauma. He has mostly recovered from that over the years. And it was the event that made helmets we as a family preach about...LOL He was wearing a helmet. Had he not been, we might have had a different result from that day.
I really wanted to write today because of these anniversaries. They are all important to me. They are wonderful reminders of God's goodness. Maybe a new one will be added to the list of events this week? Will this hurricane change my life too? The last one brought me to a place where God taught me some more things about listening to His Voice. That was less than two weeks ago...LOL Perhaps that will happen again this week. Deep down, though, I hope all it will be is a lesson on listening to Him...LOL I was joking with some folks who know I'm considering moving that the decision to move might be made for me this week...LOL If I lose my home, I'll have no choice but to move...LOL I've been known for dad jokes...well, that one is considered a Florida joke...LOL
I have no idea how work is going to be this week. I have some tasks to get done as deadlines are approaching. But I'm also facing the possibility of power being out half the week...hehehe I can't work without power...LOL If I have to leave, travel time will keep me offline too. Disney isn't an option this time. They are also in the path of this one. The storm is most likely going to remain a hurricane as it crosses the state. Even though Disney is a safe place to be during such a storm, they will likely still lose power or communications for a day or two. I have peace about this storm, though. God is so good. As of now, my area appears to be safe and I have no plans to bug out. I'll continue to monitor through Monday to see if evacuation is necessary.
I hope I can write more this week. I was hoping to get back to my routine after my parents' visit. Oh well...One thing I'm learning is that each day is a new opportunity to ask God, what are we going to do today? My routine comes second to the answer to that question...hehehe If His Will allows me to do a routine I love, great. If it does not, great. Either way, God will be with me. What He has been teaching me since last October has changed my life. I'm so grateful for all that I've learned. I'm looking forward to continued growth in my relationship with God ❤️
Last night, the Dodgers did a great job against the cacadres (SD Padres). Tonight, they didn't do so great...LOL