THAT'S OK RONNIE ~ just a nice, slow relaxing day is just what you need. Gee, you should get at eating those squashes real soon; I'd take a few off your hands if I lived closer ... :lol: I went to my teeth appt and all went well there; no cavities or work to worry about right now ... yeah!

So we went up town to get the stuff for the camper we had forgotten. The propane tank wasn't empty after all, but the guy filled it up to the top anyways for only $9.00. SO, it was the starter, but DH only flicked it once; sometimes, men can be so stubborn. If we get up there and it doesn't work, we can buy a portable starter (I saw them today for only 3 & 4 dollars; maybe I'll go back and get one tomorrow AM).

We bought a new grill for our BBQ and a nice pizza cooking pan set; will be nice to cook veggies, breads, pitas, and anything else we like on the grill too. I think this will be a versatile pan set for us. We also tried out our single burner last time we were there and were pleasantly surprised how well it worked; and it used only a tiny amount of fuel to make coffee.

It is very :hot: :hot: :hot: here too today so we just came home. We had NIKO with us and it was just getting too hot for him even with the windows all the way down, but he so loves going for the rides and just sits there looking out the back window like he's having a ball ... and he probably is! :D

Whenever he sees me getting dressed up, he goes bonkers cuz he knows that means we're going somewhere. He decides based on what I am wearing, esp if I put my dress shoes on and grab my purse: smart boy that Fido!

It's supposed to be a scorcher tomorrow too; so we may only go out in the AM, I think. I picked up some little white picket fencing to put in front of my flowers today to protect them from being cut down by the lawnmower. I have been taking pictures which I will share eventually.

DH somehow got into some poison oak or something like that recently; had to get some meds today. Time to go make something for dinner (we had fish last night; and the leftovers for lunch today). We are having something with lean hamburger for dinner tonight -- not sure what yet though.

Hope you all have a great day tomorrow ... Rosebud :flow1:

Hi All!

Life in our home has been quite hectic. The boys mom continues to hold on. She did not have a good night last night and she still is not breathing on her own. She was to have surgery today to start skin grafts but they weren't able to do it because her blood pressure kept fluctuating. They are hoping to operate on her tomorrow morning.

I would appreciate your prayer. I have a job interview tomorrow at 4:30. I need to make a change and I'm praying the Lord will provide. As I was praying last night He gave me this verse. Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt show me the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures forever more." I'm standing on this promise.

Must run the boys want to rent movies.

Have a good night.
Kathy

KATHY ~ prayers continue for KELLIE , and You ... for your job interview tomorrow. Bon Chance ... :hug:

Hi sorry thought I'd pop in here today. I hop in so seldom that I always wonder if you even remember me. ;) Not much going on today...I watered everything this am except 1/2 the back yard (always have to move the sprinkler) and the front yard. Doing the front yard now as it is cooler there but still very warm in back so will do it in a little bit or else wait til tomorrow to catch the other side of the back yard. But the gardens and flowers all got watered this am. God is giving us beautiful days and I enjoy being outside more.

Kathy - Kathy I have prayed for the boys mother and about your job interview. Hope you can relax and enjoy the movie.

Ronni - I don't play the Facebook games but a lot of my friends do. They seem to be a lot of fun for them. You have it really warm..think we only got into the lower 80s today but not sure. It was pleasantly warm. LOL Guess we know you will be eating a lot of squash! We have learned that even one zucchini plant is more than we need/want. I used to shred it up and freeze to make bread but now we can't have it around tempting us (diabetics). Someone told me on another forum about zucchini soup...but I'm not sure whether we'd like it. We had leftover night last night but there were no leftovers so it turned out to be pantry night and we chose frozen entrees. Tonight was officially pantry night and I was going to fix tuna casserole (from a tuna helper) but then my afternoon snack turned out to be more like a meal, so I'm having a light dinner and my dh is choosing another frozen entree for his dinner. I need to plan meals and get to the grocery store again!

Well my dd is calling so have to run.

Went to work at the store today and did but while there was no customers went out side and cut my husbands tomatoes back and hoe-ed the whole garden. They look a-lot better now. Then i went over where there is shade in the after noon and sun in the morning planted some cherry tomatoes for our Fall garden then planted some squash in the bottom of an old garage vacuum cleaner , so now I have squash on wheels. Then waited on customers got to see a-lot of people have not seen in a while, love that part.
Man came by and he said he would fix my chicken house so I got to get that barn cleaned up! Hubbie, wants me to work again tomorrow.

Kathy still praying here in Texas and reading psalms for y'all.

Quick check in tonight.

Prayers for all!!!

Angie and I went and saw Despicable Me this afternoon then went and split a salad and a pizza.

Blessings ~ Gary

:wave: HI ALL ~ just came by to see if there were any prayer requests and there were ... We had a busy day today trying to find a few things that we forgot earlier in the week. We had some :rain: which was nice for the greenery; but it was very humid here so we had to put on the dehumidifier and the tank was full by mid-afternoon. My flowers are blooming more and more each day, so I took some more pictures tonight; will edit and post them as soon as I have them ready.

We hope to get up to the lot soon to get the grass cut; it has been growing very fast this year. We found some more stuff for our trailer, so we want to take that up there too. Trying to set the trailer up for longer use than just a day; we're getting there. :lol:

Got a lot of walking in today. We had fish et al for dinner tonight. Hope you all had a good day where you are ... :hug:

Hello everyone!!!!

Again, my name is Matilda and im not new but I havent posted in a while. My journey is far from over but Im happy Ive made it this far and I KNOW without my higher power I would never have. Looking forward to sharing my victories as well as my struggles with you guys. As always keep me in prayer and Ill do the same!!!!!

Quick check in ~

welcome back MATILDA

YES, WELCOME BACK, MATILDA ~ glad you found us over here ... :D


:wave: HI GARY ...


We went up to our lot and as I had mentioned, we hired the young fella next door and let him go at the roof of our porch and ta-da ... it's all done! And, he did a great job too and it only took him 3.5 hours. So we really want to get him to help with the main cottage roof as well. My Dad will be sooo surprised when he calls us back to see how DH is doing -- now he can say, "It's all done!" :lol:

I got lots of exercise this morning, as I had to go around the entire lot and mark every tree and bush and plant and garden with lots of bright red string so we can see where they are when they cut and trim the grass next. We were pleasantly surprised to see that two trees we thought we lost last year, have sprung up brand new shoots. We are hoping the others will do the same ... :^:

We had some nice :cloud9: today; and this evening, we had some nice :rain: to :cool: things off for us. We have a few more odd jobs that need doing before my Dad returns in late August; and we hope to go back down with them to stay at my sister's B & B for a week -- that should be so nice. Dad bought a nice boat with motor and trailer for a great price, but NUMPSTER's DH has to get his boating license and stuff before it leaves the garage. ;)

I just remembered that their B & B is called "CLOUD 9" or :cloud9: ... Every time I type that in now, it reminds me about their place ... :D

I had a lean Blue Menu hamburger with a salad for dinner tonight. They are kinda like Angus burgers -- very nice. DH had his regular burgers. Well, I hope everyone out there is having a fabulous Friday night; just a quiet one at home for us ... Rosebud :flow1:

WOW, everyone must have had a very busy weekend; we stayed home as it :rain: quite a bit, but I'm not complaining at all ... we need and love the :rain: as it really helps my flowers and trees and bushes to grow well. They are doing much better this year thanks to the gift of :rain: too.

We had a busy day out at our lot and got lots done once DH got organized ... boy, he sure has trouble with concentrating on one task (which is one of the issues he has). He flits from thing to thing like a bird ... :lol: However, once he got going, we did get a lot done. We had hired someone that was supposed to come and help us, but they never showed up ... :?:

So we rolled up our sleeves and did it ourselves. It took us all day, and I am exhausted and very sore and very tired; but just think of all the calories I burned up today. We just had leftovers for dinner tonight; yeah for leftovers! I had no energy to do anything else.

Overall it was a great day; but I did get stung by a wasp today; actually, I got one really nasty sting and two smaller ones as I shot one wasp out of my dress and out of the trailer. Boy, what a mark it left on my leg (about the size of an egg). I may have accidentally stepped on a nest when we were looking for a place to plant a berry tree. We finally decided to put them both on the south side of the trailer as that would make good shade for it down the road.

Hope you all have a wonderful week out there -- tomorrow is a rest day for me and I have to go to the doctors as well. Take care ... Rosebud :flow1:

I worked all day today again, the hay is over for a while made a good crop but just not enough. The man is coming in the morning to see about my chicken house and I am going to see if he will fix my birthing room also for the goats and I have about 6 doors to put up! I think I need to rake it out before he starts building did that some but need to do the rest. Then I have to get my house cleaned up for they need to hook up my stove my friend gave me and we have to put in a new furnace also. One thing after another!

Good News So Far ...
 

I felt really peaceful today when I went to the doctors today, so that must be from all your prayers, I'm sure ... I posted the details in the PRAYER WARRIOR's thread. This AM, DH and I transplanted my BEE BALM plant to a corner all by itself; then I planted my last few "Brown-eyed Susans" or Goldstrum Rudbeckias.

Also pulled up the last of the spinach as their season is ended; and then I planted the last of the beans -- hopefully these will grow into September for a late crop. They should come up fast; the last ones came up in only a few days. We also prepared a nice spot for next year where I want to put a BLEEDING HEART BUSH.

We had wild pacific salmon with rice and veggies for dinner tonight; nice light dinner. It was a lot hotter outside than the forecasters had predicted -- it was smolderingly :hot: :hot: :hot: Thankfully some clouds have now rolled in and it is cooling off for us ... yeah! :D

Hope you all have a great evening; take good care now ... Rosebud :flow1:

I am one tired puppy, worked all day then shoveled the barn out for about 3 hours. I need to go peel peaches now and freeze them

Hello just checking in to say hello!!! I hope all is well. Please pray for me Im asking god to continue to show me the way on the journey!!!

Hi Everyone,

I haven't been here in a while either and I'm coming back. I have missed y'all and being part of other believers. Busy day today DH has to get PT checked for coumadin level and I have to get a pnuemonia shot I paid for but forgot to get last week when I had my physical. I have a prayer request on Prayer Warriors thread so won't repeat it here.

I'll go back and read to catch up on all that has been going on in your lives and write to bring you up to date on things in mine later.

Praying God's blessings for all of you today.

MATILDA ~ glad you dropped by; sent up some prayers for you for your new good health journey ... :hug:


TRISH ~ prayers are on their way for you; put a message in the Prayer Warrior's thread for you too. Glad you decided to come back and join us here; I find the Christian support here is so great. We all have things going on in our lives; that is normal, so it is nice to have a soft place to fall, where we know that others care so much ... :hug:


BOOTSIE ~ yum, peaches; I picked up some strawberries today; last night I made up some rhubarb with apples & strawberries -- what a nice combination, and great for a light snack.


Went to the hospital to get my blood tests done today; so had a late breaky of a bran muffin and coffee at Timmy's (Tim Hortons). Because they were testing my blood sugar levels, I had to wait to eat; and they are also testing me for anemia as well (iron levels).

WE had turkey drums with roasted veggies for dinner; yum. Have enuff left over for my lunch tomorrow too. Then I went out and watered my flower gardens and my green beans too. We had another :hot: one today, but it is now cooling off for us ... :D

Take good care everyone; and know that you are in my thoughts and prayers always ... Rosebud :flow1:

Hi Everyone!

It has been awhile since I've posted. Life has been crazy this past week. My nephew got married last Saturday. They had a beautiful wedding.

I mentioned that I had a job interview, but after the interview I knew the job wasn't for me. Still at the job I've had for the past 11 years. I like what I do, but have been so overwhelmed with carrying the entire load. The boss has finally hired someone to work 3 days a week to help with the work. This week I've been training her. She is very intelligent and fun to work with. Since she had come I feel like the anxiety that I have been experiencing has subsided because I know have someone to life the load. I can go on vacation next week knowing I won't have to go back to a pile of work. YEAH!!!!!

I have decided to do a Medical Transcription course and then work from home once I have it done. I'm excited about this and trusting the Lord to give me the help I needed to get this tasked accomplished.

Our boys mom has had two surgeries to start the skin grafting. She came through the surgeries well, but she now has pneumonia and is still not breathing on her own. August 4 will be one month since she got burned. I'm really concerned that she is still not breathing on her own. I guess it is just a waiting game.

It looks like a lot of you have been getting lots of things from your gardens. I love fresh veggies. I go to the farmer's market to buy mine because I don't have the time to keep up with the garden.

I need to run. Have a great weekend!

Kathy

KATHY ~ ^PRAYERS^ continue for KELLY during this time; and for her boys as well. We have a farmer's market here too; plus the local stores carry the fresh regional veggies at this time and at good prices too. Now, I only have green beans, onions, leaf lettuce & parsley in my salad garden; the rest is gone now. All the rest of my gardens are full of flowers and flower bushes. So glad that you have some help at work now; and have a great holiday vacation with the family too! :hug:


We had clouds and light :rain: all day today, so we took advantage and did some stuff around here that needed done. I did laundry, sewing & mending DH's clothes, and cleaning (the bathroom, etc). WE had leftover roast beef and veggies from the other night for dinner; just had to warm it up in the oven.

DH came home with a new(er) rocking chair for me today; we had bid on it at a charity auction and no-one wanted to go over our bid, so we got it. It is a nice solid oak rocker and I took a pic; will show it as soon as I have it downsized ...:D

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend; do take good care ... Rosebud :flow1:

I promise to catch up tomorrow but today I posted good news here...

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/gene...ml#post3401336

CONGRATS EZ!! YAY GOD!

Hi everyone! I posted this same post in the "Obstacles" forum, then found some brothers and sisters in Christ here in this forum and am soooo so excited to have found 2 wonderful, comfortable places for support! I hope that I can give as much as I'm sure I'll receive:)

Here's a bit about me.. I was diagnosed years ago with spino-cerebellar ataxia, which is very similar to MS (my mom has MS). I walk with a walker, and I can't write anymore, so I type everything, and I wear coke-bottle glasses because I have double-vision that's gotten progressively worse. I have managed to get back into my previous prescription of glasses though, after doing some eye excercises that have helped I tire very easily, and when I'm tired, my balance is almost non-existant. Eating low-carb, taking my vitamins and staying away from sugar help my mental clarity as well as my balance *helps a LOT*, and I've found that my emotional state has *everything* to do with my physical state, so I try to keep grounded in His Word and in prayer. God could heal me in a second if he wanted to, so there's a real reason and a purpose for me! He is using me always. I have been doing South Beach since the end of March and have lost 27 pounds. I exercise by walking on my treadmill every morning for 15 minutes...every little bit helps huh? Hubby and I just bought a popup trailer, so we will be 'camping fools' very soon! I'm just a little excited! I hope not to the point of being annoying:)

I can't wait to get to know you, ladies (& gentlemen)! It's really comforting to have found a group with a common faith and motivation for our weight loss!

Deb

Hi everyone!
I'm really glad to find this thread and hope to get to know all of you.:hug::hug:

:welcome: ONAMI ~ glad you joined us in our daily chat thread; lots of great people here so I know you'll like it here. :D


:welcome3: DEB ~ glad that you found us over here too; yes, I answered your post over in the obstacles forum as well. :)


GARY ~ Congrats to you and your family; I won't give it away ... ;)

YEAH-HA! GARY!:cheer3::congrat:



:welcome2:OnaMi & Bows! Love this group!

Originally Posted by Bows:
..... I'm just a little excited! I hope not to the point of being annoying:)

:carrot:THAT'S WHAT WE LOOK FOR HERE!!

I can't wait to get to know you, ladies (& gentlemen)! It's really comforting to have found a group with a common faith and motivation for our weight loss!

Deb

We are glad you found us :)

Originally Posted by OnaMi:
Hi everyone!
I'm really glad to find this thread and hope to get to know all of you.:hug::hug:

WELCOME! :carrot:


OK LADIES ~ I am short on time tonight. My daughter stopped by to say hello and left 2 hours later :carrot: yay for the time with her! I promise to catch up tomorrow after church...Angie plays bells at both services so I will go to the first one...then we will go to a cafe during Sunday school and I will come home while she goes back for second service.

Thanks so much for the GRANDBABY congratulations! Everyone knows now!! :) keep those prayers coming that all goes well...

In Christ ~ Gary

I am still here, but mostly as a lurker.

Gary Congratulations! I loved being a Mom, but I have to tell you that there is nothing like being a Grandparent. Will keep all of you in my prayers for a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Blessings to all of y'all.

Thanks so much for the warm welcome!

It amazes me how God works:) Please keep my son in prayer for his job interview today. It's at the prison, so my mama-heart is having a lil bit of a rough time with that, but he needs to move on from the job he has now.

Eating obediently sure puts a new and different spin on dieting and getting healthy, and I pray for all of you that you'd find strength and perserverence from the Lord as you continue on this journey.

Deb

Thanks for the welcome Rosebud,Bootsie,and EZM:hug::hug::hug:

Today is a beautiful day that the Lord has made and I'm gonna been happy and I'm thankful for the 1 lb i lost last week. I'm trying not to let bad thoughts creepy in my mind.I'm focused and know that I've been on plan and exercising and In time everything will work out.

Debs :hug:May God protect your Son :) glad food is not controlling you anymore :hug:

:cheer2: ONAMI ~ Congrats on that one pound; every bit counts. I'm waiting til the beginning of August to weigh myself; have been keeping on plan, so I hope to see some downward movement again this month (2 lbs last month). :cheer3:

I know how you feel; I think that's YKW trying to discourage us; but WE ARE VICTORS and OVERCOMERS, aren't we??? :yes: When the neggies plague me (have been lots lately; and I don't know why, except that I must be doing something RIGHT ... :lol:) -- I start singing praise songs out loud, and reciting praise Psalms like #145; and that takes it away every time. Try it, you'll be amazed ... :hug:

This is the strategy that I believe the LORD gave me to deal with emotional issues in my life, so that I can be truly free to soar like an eagle ... I know emotions were leading to eating things that weren't good for me. Now I have learned this was the strategy of YKW to keep me from succeeding and thinking badly of myself, I have found new tools and strategies of my own -- like singing, praise, reciting scriptures, reading Psalms & other positive verses, memorizing positive verse, writing songs & poems, and journalling.

I think this was a huge breakthrough for me. I did a study on "the value of PRAISE" and found that this was a gift to us from GOD, to be used as a tool to comfort us, to teach us, to heal us, and to help us in our daily walk with Him. GOD didn't ask us to praise Him becuz He's conceited, or just becuz we know that He deserves it; but becuz we need it to bless our lives.

As I was sharing in another thread -- I had lots of emotional issues to deal with while trying to heal my eating issues; actually, it was my emotional issues that led me to eat incorrectly in the first place (plus social conditioning and a lack of knowledge too). Now I know how unhealthy some foods are for MY body (ie sugar, salt, simple starches), I can mindfully, make better choices. The only clincher for me was the emotional factor, which is what I am working on right now.

Here are my personal issues -- 1) emotional upset from the past & present 2) hurt feelings 3) being embarrassed or made fun of 4) being criticized by others 5) feeling unloved & unappreciated & perceptions of same 6) feeling judged 7) boredom.

Sooo ... these are my list of new strategies to deal with the list above -- PRAISE, FORGIVENESS, HEALING, LOVE, PRAYER, GRACE, and CHARITY (serving others).

We are having a :hot: one here today; so we are staying indoors and catching up on stuff like laundry and such (I'm doing bedding today and hanging them up all over the place). ;) Thought I'd come in here and take a peak in between loads; ya, I'm a multi-tasking kind of gal ... ;)

Have a great day everyone ... :D

HI LADIES ~

Well I was off work today...still slow...but should be going strong for several months by the end of the week. I really was enjoying the slow time...still working but having short days and days off while Angie was home for the summer from teaching. Although she still finds ways to get off and teach yoga at church and the studio...is it my breath? :D

She had bells for both services yesterday so we went to breakfast at the French bakery between services. I just love their ratatouille :)

My son and dil joined us at service as well as my sister. My daughter came up Saturday afternoon for a couple of hours...great to see her.

Thanks for all the wishes on becoming a grandpa around the end of next March, Lord willing. I am so excited...keep those prayers coming :carrot:

Angie is repainting some of the walls in the bedroom and re-doing the curtains and bedspread/pillows and stuff. I just say "I love it" and keep on smiling :) Doesn't matter to me anyway. I can't recall a summer since we have been married, almost 16 years, that she hasn't painted something or refinished a cabinet or dresser. The great thing about it is that she is good at it! She takes her time and knows her stuff!

We have been getting a lot of walks in at the beach and to Starbucks with me being off/slow a lot the last 6 weeks. I am going to miss that once I start the BMW dealership this week....it will be one of those 200 mile round trip commutes on the busy freeway.....aaarrrggghhh.....really takes a lot out of me these days! These 56 year old bones don't like that drive after a hard day....seems like as soon as I get home it's time to eat, go to bed and get up again!

Thank you Lord Jesus that I have work and can pay my bills! :hug:

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am :o

ROSEBUD great new strategies! I forgot to mention I will be getting a colonoscopy too :mad: But doc says it will be the last one for 10 years...so at my age...my past...I'm thinking it will be for sure the LAST ONE :D

OnaMi :carrot: on that one pound....

DEB prayers for your son in his interview and prayers for your comfort :)

TRISH glad you are at least still lurking :D

MATILDA ~ BOOTSIE ~ KATHY ~ BARGOO ~ KAREN and EVERYONE :hug:

Trying to kick start my new attitude here....:)

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...ml#post3405089

THANKS, GARY ~ those are my new spiritual strategies; I also have some good practical ones like making better choices (eating lots of veggies, salads, and soups; and doing my exercises, activities, and walking too).

BTW ~ I answered your other thread; go see ... ;)


DEB ~ yes, sent up prayers for your son and you; we must trust the LORD that he will look after him at work too. :hug:

JustWant2BHealthy - I really enjoyed your post and how you use praise to ward off the emotional eating. If you don't mind I would like to borrow your strategies. I too am an emotional eater and it is hard to get past that, but what better way to do in then praising the Lord.

Gary - Congratulations on soon being a Grandpa. I pray all goes well with Mommy and baby.

Last week was such a crazy week. I'm so glad that I am now on vacation as of today. I am so ready for this time off with my husband and kids. Tomorrow we are headed to NY for a couple days to Darien Lake Resort. They have a amusement and water park for the kids and a huge lake and paths that you can walk around the lake and the campground. We are renting an RV there so I'll be taking our breakfast and lunches with us and then eating out for dinner.

I will be taking my camp chair and books down to the lake to relax and read. Oh, man I can hardly wait. Can you tell I'm anxious?!!!:dizzy:

I trust you all have a good week. I won't be back on here until Saturday.

Take care,

Kathy

Thanks Rosebud :hug:I liked your post.:) I'm gonna Bookmark it :) I have a lot of quotes people have said that i refer back to when i need to be renew my mind for motivation,Yours a keeper too:)

EZ Thanks :hug: Keep thinking positive thoughts,pray about it and your attitude will get stronger :hug:Your a good husband to just agree with your wife.:lol:Man..a walk on the beach sounds nice,I love the Beach,early in the morning. It's a good place to pray and mediate,When it's not so hot out.:dizzy:Yes,praise God any how about your job ;)Soon to be a GP ay...:carrot::) that's nice:love:

Have a wonderful time Kathy :) The amusement park sounds nice.Have a safe trip :hug:

I've been on line on and off all day and just now seen this thread:?: I guess i need to look more closely or something.

Have a good evening everyone :grouphug:

THANKS LADIES (Onami & Kathy) ~ glad you like them; I really find they are helping me a lot. I don't mind at all if you use them; by all means, please do ... That is really why I shared them, in hopes that they may help others as much as they are helping me.

Whenever I was upset about something or with someone, I would invariably find myself wandering to the kitchen or to the fridge to eat something. So, I prayed about this a lot -- what could I do to heal those hurts instead of eating to console myself? (BTW, I really believe that we may have been conditioned to use food for consolation when we were young.)

Over time, I really believe the LORD showed me these strategies, and I started practicing them. It does take some practice, but after a short while, it starts to become second-nature; and the Holy Spirit will automatically bring them to your mind and thoughts. It's like the memory verses -- whenever you need them, the Holy Spirit brings them to mind.

I was reading how JESUS answered every temptation with scripture. That gave me another idea. If JESUS used scripture verse to combat temptation, then so should we. I memorize short positive verses which makes it easier, saying the book, chapter & verse numbers before & after the scripture.

FORGIVENESS ~ is an amazing healing tool. This one is a choice; and it will help you heal your hurts (esp from others). You kinda "fake it until you feel it" -- the important thing is to make the choice to forgive; you don't have to feel it. I just say out loud -- I choose to forgive so and so; and then ask GOD to forgive them too.

PRAYER ~ BUT, I don't stop there ... I also ask Him to "BLESS THEM" (JESUS said this remember?) I PRAY that the LORD will bless that person who hurt me in whatever way they need, so that they won't feel the need to do that anymore -- ie if they are tired, to give them rest; if they are worried, give them peace; if they are envious, fill their needs abundantly; and so forth.

LOVE ~ then after forgiving that person, I am nice to them anyways; that's the LOVE that JESUS commanded us to have for others. We need to realize that HURT PEOPLE -- HURT PEOPLE ... meaning people often hurt people becuz they are hurting in some way themselves. This doesn't excuse them by any means, it just helps us understand why they are doing it.

GRACE ~ This is also helping me with anxiety and trust issues as well; the praise helps me to keep my focus on GOD, and on JESUS when I need peace and calm (like when we are sick, for instance). I also practice forgiving myself and remind myself that I am now under GRACE and this gives me peace and hope. When I have hope and peace, my joy abounds so that healing can take place too.

PRAISE ~ incorporates thankfulness and gratefulness, all in one. It shows GOD that you appreciate all that He has done for you in your life. When we thank Him and praise Him, it lifts OUR spirits and fills US with JOY! WOW, we praise GOD and WE get JOY! :D

HEALING ~ I also pray for healing from any hurts from my past and/or present, so that I may be free from that bondage (no sadness, bitterness, resentment, or residue anger). This frees us and others to be at peace.

CHARITY ~ there is nothing better than serving others to heal us and get our minds on something outside ourselves so that we can heal. It is a kind of distraction that has many benefits for us and others. We not only help others, but we will earn rewards for ourselves (like rebuilding our confidence and satisfaction in accomplishing things).

Sooo ... in a nutshell, that is the explanation behind these Spiritual Strategies; and I am thrilled if they can help anyone as much as they are helping me. :hug:

**WOW** Awesome teaching Rosebud! I too am going to start Praising the Lord when I feel negative (leads to muching)! Great reminder and idea!

Kathy--Sounds great! Have a wonderful time and stay safe:)

EZ--YAY for your new job! That's terrific:)

Onami--Thank you for the prayers and I am so thankful you found this thread too..we found it on the same day!

Well, I put in for a whole 4 days vacation for the week after Labor Day. Hubby will be off too and we'd like to go camping in our *new* trailer toy ..soooo pray that God's Will be done there, so maybe we can spend the week together;)

THANKS DEB ~ I'm glad you like them; let me know how it goes. If you have any difficulty memorizing short joyful scriptures, just read them right from the Word. The last several chapters of Psalms have great PRAISE verses that you can recite; sometimes I even sing them to myself and GOD, of course.

That is just a brief synopsis about those SPIRITUAL STRATEGIES to heal our emotions. In the LOVE category, we also have to re-learn how to LOVE OURSELVES too. You know, GOD loves us; and JESUS loves us, so why don't we love ourselves? We learn to forgive ourselves (Roman 8:1) by claiming the GRACE that the LORD earned for us and gave us as a gift; then we can start loving ourselves again. When we kick-start the healing process -- by loving ourselves, we will just naturally start taking better care of ourselves too.

Our emotions do lead us to eat when we are not hungry; we try to soothe our sadness and sometimes anger, with food. Of course, this just makes things worse, not better; but what did the LORD say? Pray for those that hurt us and also pray for ourselves. Pray that GOD will deal with that person and/or situation; so that you can be free of it and heal right in the moment. Right after that, I start PRAISING again, which brings my Joy back; then I turn around, and go do something else! :D


KATHY & DEB ~ we hope that both of you and your families have a great time on your vacations and camping. I have heard of that park in NY and even seen some pictures of it; I'm sure the boys will have a ball there, and I think you all could use a fun-filled time right now. :hug:


Spent the morning doing housechores; got all my vacuuming done this AM; boy, now that is sure a good workout. We had rainstorms all night long, but today it is turning out to be kinda nice, but the winds are blowing things around on us. We may go out to our camper tomorrow too, if it is nice enuff; we'll see if the grass has grown any since we were last there. :lol:

Take care, and have a great day ... Rosebud :flow1:

Hello everyone!!! Just checking in. I hope and pray all is well with you guys. Im doing on just need a little more will power....I know I can do it!!!!


Enjoy your day and please keep me in your prayers

A quick flyby. Rosebud I really enjoyed reading your strategies etc. Good reminder. I used to do some of that and need to get back to it. When I went through the time not knowing what was going to happen with the tests the doctor ordered, I knew what he was checking for. My Mother died as a result of cancer when she was 65... I'm 67. I thought of her and what she must have gone through. I always spend special time with the Lord, but I spent those days thinking of all He had done for me and really thanking and praising Him for all the goodness, love and grace He had shown me through the years. He has really been great to always be there even through the years when I didn't realize He was. I realized that regardless of how things turned out that He would still here for me. I've been through a lot in my life and each time I've come closer to Him. It just makes life have more meaning as we experience the things we go through. This situation turned out good because everything was okay, but what I gained with the Lord through it was awesome. Instead of getting upset by the situation, I found myself Praising Him a lot. As a result I have learned that Praising Him is such a Special part of my relationship with Him. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I'm going start back doing some of the things I used to do and also some you mentioned that I haven't done.

Prayers going up for ALL OF YOU!!!

TRISH ~ that's great to hear; glad if the strategies help you and others in some way. They sure have helped me a lot over the years; and still are ... during those difficult times when someone is very ill or when we lose those we love and care a lot about; or when scary times come (oh, the unknowns are sometimes the worst of all). These strategies got me through them all; plus lots of prayers from family and friends (like the ones here).

I know what you mean -- both my mother and father had colon cancer. My mother ended up getting a colostomy which she lived with for the remainder of her life (that wasn't fun but she was so brave through it all). She made it appear as if it was nothing, but I well remember that she went through a lot (a few surgeries too; and she was so sick after the 1st surgery). My Dad also survived his colon cancer, but said that he was so scared and went through a terrible depression at the time, just remembering what my mother went through years before.

As for me, the doctor is pretty sure he knows what it is; and I hope he is right, and that it heals quickly. I have to go get some more special meds for that tomorrow morning; and I hope it works becuz we got a big surprise when we found out that it wasn't covered by our insurance and it is at least $82.00. :dizzy:


The weather was perfect to go out to our lot today to do some more grass cutting and stuff like that. The coolness made is so much more comfortable for us and with a nice breeze, there were no buggies to bother us either. We had a very good day.

Came home and just heated up a leftover roast chicken dinner; and after I'm done here, I will go rest up my tired, sore legs and body for a while. Maybe do some reading too ...

Hope you all had a great day; Friday's up tomorrow, then the weekend again -- so, take good care ... Rosebud :flow1: