Life has been very interesting to me. Some things in my life have turned out way better than I could have ever imagined and some things have not turned out how I thought they would at all. I turned 34 years old last Monday, so I'll try not to make this a memoir since I hope I won't be dying anytime soon. But I do want to recognize how far I've come in my life and how grateful I am for progression and learning and improvement, and especially for the love and mercy of God in being patient with me and blessing me tremendously and many times through other people.
Marriage
My most treasured blessing is my darling family, my husband and children. I had some attitudes as a teenager that could have easily interfered this blessing that I now treasure and enjoy so much. There was a lot I had to overcome personally in order to be ready to receive this blessing. Getting married was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I had zero desire to marry after watching the sad problems of my parents who divorced a year after I married. But I will be eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for guiding me and placing me with people and in situations that would help me change my attitude and perspective on marriage. The bottom line when I met my husband though, was that there was no other way to be with him than to marry him, so although I didn't like the idea of being married, I really liked the idea of being with him now and forever. This blessing is the one that has turned out to be way better than anything I could have imagined on my own. I thank the Lord everyday, because I know how close I was to missing it. And I know how sad and lonely it is to not have confidence in your family. I will post more on this subject in the future for the few out there who may be a little like I was. Getting married to the right person at the right time in the right place is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it!!
Homemaking
The reason I originally started writing this post was for the cleaning part, but I had to put that plug in for marriage first -- so anyway--- .. My life has been a huge progression. I have learned a ton every year. Most recently, I have rediscovered FLYLADY. She has taught me how to get control of my house and my life and be able to accomplish all my lofty goals.
I started in January after my homeschooling sister-in-law raved over what a difference it was making for them. I had read the FLYLADY stuff before, but didn't follow it to the letter, just took the things I thought applied to me and left the rest like dress to your shoes every morning. Now though, I was desperate and in serious need of some help if I was going to be able to eat healthy, grow a garden, homeschool 5 kids and clean the house. I had pretty much given up the idea of ever having a clean house, but I decided to follow everything she said to the letter, and she was right--- I CAN do it!!! She is so encouraging too which was so helpful to me so that I wouldn't give up when I couldn't do everything. It took me a while to get the daily routines down, but over time I got them and was then able to add more. One little Babystep at a time as she calls it. My house looks and feels so much better. It's amazing what getting ready in the morning will do for a person. It's amazing how much better the kitchen looks when I close all the cupboards and take 2 minutes to clear out the hotspots around the house. I feel so much better. I can do a lot of things, but I was definitely failing in this area. I grew up with a maid and I get sidetracked very easily and I was not born organized. It has never seemed appealing to me. But I am overcoming, thanks to Fly Lady and her clear explanations and lists of what to do. To a person who this does not come naturally to, lists are very important even including things like fix your hair, put on your make-up, figure out what you are going to make for dinner, etc. I have a ways to go, but I think I am on the right track. I just love it. Thank you Fly Lady.
Progression
Speaking of tracks, I think that is the important part of life. It's not where you are that is important so much as which direction you are headed. For example, someone could know and be doing a lot more than I am at this time, but if they are letting things slip or not improving and moving forward, then they are not headed in the right direction and eventually things will start to fall apart. My house may not look ordered and cared for, but if I am on the right track and improving each day, then eventually things will all come together and stay that way as I continue to improve and move forward. Maybe that's a little of what we're witnessing in our country today. We have been the greatest country, but we have not been on the right track that made us great, and now we are finally reaping the consequence of not being on the right track. I hope that makes sense, just let me know if you are totally confused.
Health
Lastly I wanted to talk about cleansing the body. For me, changing my diet has been life-saving. Basically what I do is focus on eating lots of dark green leafy salads, at least 2 a day and a green smoothie in the morning especially for the kids, and cutting out most dairy, meat and chemical laden products. I pretty much have to make everything, but it is easy now and we enjoy our meals. I could tell that my body was run down and not functioning properly. So this has been the other blessing I am truly thankful for. My body is not perfect still, but I am so much better off than I was. And I am on the right track. It was an extremely difficult transition and especially hard on extended family who show their love by sharing their food. Unfortunately it was that kind of food that was preventing me from accomplishing my goals and desires because of the undercover damage it caused. I've gone pretty slow, and I had to remember that although I wasn't perfect, I was a lot better than I had been the month before, and I was on the right track. So although it was a tough transition, now that I am benefiting so much from the results, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I'll post more on that also sometime. I have a couple recipes on www.greattimetolive.com which I'll try to update and organize a little better. this also deserves a much longer explanation and post, but that will be for another day.
Thank you to all the all the people who have helped me so much in so many areas. I hope I can reciprocate by sharing and helping others.
DAG!!! (That means hello, good-bye, greetings, in Dutch)
No comments:
Post a Comment