Mind of a Child

Oh, if we all thought the way that children do!

I absolutely l.o.v.e. how children think.  I love hearing them talk and explain everything, especially when they are still young, innocent, and untainted by the world and all the events occurring around them.

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So, why am I all of a sudden writing about this?  Well it is because of something that happened back on Tuesday, March 20th.  And come to think of it - being that this was the first day of Spring, I now realize an even deeper meaning to what happened.  {Spring brings new life and blessings all around us!}

So around 4 P.M. on Tuesday, March 20th, my mom and I went to Cook-Out to get some dinner to take home.  Well, if you have ever been to Cook-Out you know that you can either go through the drive-thru or walk up to the window to order.  I wanted to walk up to the window because the drive-thru was busy, and I did not know exactly what I wanted, yet.

After deciding what we were going to get and placing our order, we stood by the window waiting on our order.  Well, a car was coming from the drive-thru around the building, and in the backseat, there was a little girl about 1.5 or 2 years older {guessing here, but she was still in a booster type car seat}.  As the car passed us, the little girl waved at my mom & I, so we waved back and smiled.  Then, she blew us kisses.

My smile got even bigger, and I all I could think was that God was sending me a blessing through this little girl.  I saw His love and grace in this little girl's face, and I sent up a prayer for the little girl and her family and a thank you from me for the small blessings in life.

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You see, children {at a younger age} do not see race, gender, social or economic class, or cultural differences.  I love this!

I wish we could all have the mind of children, so that we could all learn to love and accept each other the way we are!

So working didn't work out....

Well, I started working on June 30th, and as of today, I am no longer employed.  Guess it was not God's will or mine to have a job just yet, or not that job anyway.  I knew I would not be there long, that it was only going to be temporary, but I did not believe it would only last a week and a day. Ha ha ha!  I am happy that I can laugh about this, though.  Yes, I do need the money, but I do not need the stress or the constant demand to be perfect, because I, of all people, am not perfect, nor have I ever claimed to be.

While I am not working, I will now have time to start working out again!  This excites me because I truly want to lose some more weight and become happy & healthy! 

Hopefully I can find another job, but I only want part-time work, so that I can still exercise and complete my school work!  I just want to do God's will and follow His path for my life, and hopefully, I will be able to do that.

Thankful Tuesday!

I missed out on the post last week, but that is okay.  I am always thankful and gracious for the blessings that I receive from our LORD and SAVIOR!

*I am thankful for the rain and the storms b/c they remind me how powerful our LORD is!

*I am thankful that I received confirmation that all is good with my Associate's Degree application, it has been processed, and I will have my degree in hand in a couple of weeks!

*I am thankful for the weight and inches that I have lost, and for the knowledge, strength, endurance, and health benefits that I have gained through this new journey in my life.

My struggle through relationships and love!

Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to get married, settle down in my own home, and have children.  This was my dream as a little girl, and as I got older, it did not change, like others' dreams did.  I still want to find my soulmate, buy a house, and have the perfect little family.  Although, I know perfect is not possible, I believe with all my heart that the rest is.

I thought that by the time I was in my early 20's, I would be married, and already have at least one child.  Well, that has not happened so far.  I am 24, and I am not even in a relationship right now.  Sometimes I think, where did I go wrong?  What did I do to mess up my future and dream?

I have had many relationships, some long, some short.  My most recent relationship was almost 4.5 years long, and we lived together for the first 3.5 years.  It was never perfect, but I thought that we would be together forever, at first.  Then, it got crazy between us, and we were headed in completely different directions.  I wanted to settle down, and he, well he wanted other things.  Again, I wondered why this was happening, and what I had done wrong (even though I broke off our relationship)?

But, then I think about it, and I realize that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life, right now.  I realize that my plan was not God's plan, and His plan is always the best plan for our lives.

After I broke up with my most recent boyfriend, I went back to college.  If I had not been single, I would not have been able to complete what I did through school because of the relationship.  In addition, I would not be as close to God as I am now, if I were still in a relationship.

I have learned so much through the past year of being single.  I now know that I can accomplish anything, as long as it is God's will, and I have Him on my side.  I know that I do not need a guy in my life for me to be happy and loved.  I know that I am a strong, independent woman, and I have learned to trust in God, ALWAYS, no matter what is happening in my life at the time.

I have been through struggles, I have had my ups and downs, but I now have faith in God, and I am happy where I am at the moment.  Although, I am still praying for my soulmate, but I am waiting on God's time, not mine!

Thankful Tuesday!

It's back!  I cannot believe it has been a week, it has gone by so fast.  I am super excited, though, to list more blessings that I have to be thankful for.  The Lord is always there for me, even when I am not there for myself.  So, I am still thankful for all the things that were listed in my last Thankful Tuesday post, which can be found here.  In addition to these blessings, I have many more this week, including:

* I have now lost a total of 12.4 lbs.  Thank you, Lord! (To read about my recent weight loss, click here.)

* I live in a country where I am free to be me, free to serve and worship the Lord, and free to go to church, say pretty much what I want, and free to live.

* I have recently finished (on Sunday) my last two classes for my Associate's Degree in Elementary Education.  I am just waiting on my final grades, so that I can apply for my degree.

These three items are the main blessings I am thankful for today, but there are many, many more, and I will probably update this post to include those as the day goes on!

Thank you Lord for all your blessings, even those I do not recognize at first!

Week 7 Calorie Deficit & Exercise Journals!

So, I do not think I did too bad this past week, especially since I was not tracking everything on a daily basis.  I did write it all down, though, and I entered it into my spreadsheets yesterday.  I did stay below 2,000 calories everyday, but there were a couple of days that I was over my 1,800 calorie goal that I wanted to meet.  Not too shabby!  And, to top it all off, I have lost a total of 12.4 pounds.  I thought that I was going to be stuck at 188 forever, because normally I lose 10 lbs, then I give up or quit because I usually hit a plateau.  Well, not this time!  I pushed right on through, and proved to myself and others, that this time, it is not just a diet or weight loss plan to me, it is my life, and I am determined to become happier, healthier, stronger, and more full of energy!

Thankful Tuesday!

So, I was reading my cousins' blogs, which can be found under Pink Pixie and By His Grace, and they turned me onto Thankful Tuesdays!  I just cannot resist the opportunity to praise and thank our LORD for all HE has done for me!

I am so thankful for all my blessings, and I try to thank the Lord each and every day for all I have and even for the things I do not have.

So, for this week, I am extremely thankful for:

*My family and friends - They are the greatest and the support that I receive from them is amazing.

*I have lost 10 lbs, which without God, would not have been possible, because I do not have the strength to do it on my own.

*I have food, clothes, a roof over my head, and a warm or cool (whichever I prefer) bed to sleep in.

*I am a full-time student, and I am about to finish my last two classes (on Sunday) for my Associate's Degree in Elementary Education!

*I attend an awesome church, with a terrific Pastor, who understands that we are all sinners, he does not judge, and he always tries to make you laugh.

Well, I could go on and on about how much I am blessed by the Lord, but I will leave this post as is for now!  Believe me, next week, I will have much more to post as my blessings, that I do not deserve, but the Lord loves me anyway!