December 10, 2023
I woke up at 5:30 a.m. I slept really good. I started to write my blog. Angel woke up and wanted to listen to an audiobook. I put on The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis read by Internet Grandpa who reads all kinds of children’s books out loud and is one of my favorite channels to listen to. While Angel listened to the audiobook, I continued writing my blog. When I finished writing, I turned off the audiobook and sent Angel into the house to eat breakfast. I cleaned up the banana hut and jumped 100 jumps on the rebounder. I remembered to pray my thanksgivings and gratitudes. Yay!
- Thank you for days off. I am grateful for time to spend at home and with friends and family.
- Thank you for parades. I am grateful to share in people’s creativity and joy.
- Thank you for cool weather. I am grateful for the opportunity to bundle up and breathe the fresh crisp air.
- Thank you for YouTube. I am grateful for all the knowledge and books I find on there.
- Thank you for cars. I am grateful for an easy way to get from place to place.
- Thank you for electricity. I am grateful for the convenience of using electric lights, heaters, tools and appliances.
- Thank you for family. I am grateful for a tribe.
When I finished posting my blog I went in the house, greeted Christopher and got ready for church. I made a smoothie to take with me. Angel was excited because she was going to be in the Christmas program at the Cowboy Church. We took the back roads to town. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the sky was clear. I enjoyed the cold wintery feel in the air. It reminded me of Idaho, where I’m from. We arrived at church early. Angel ran in ahead of me to get ready for her program. I went inside and was greeted by a long row of donuts. I immediately started to have judgmental thoughts, such as “diabetes for breakfast anyone?”. I knew I had stepped into stinking thinking and it kept spiraling. I got myself into quite the miserable state by the time the service started. I was glad to sit down and quit focusing on those donuts. Sheesh.
The children’s program was great fun. Angel was a sheep and when she got up on stage I could see her searching the audience looking for me. I waited for her to see me and I smiled giving her a little wave. She grinned big and waved back but then realized she was on stage and composed herself. I remembered as a child being in Christmas programs and searching the audience for my parents. They were the ones I wanted to see me more than anyone else. I was glad to be there to see Angel and give her that comfort.
After the children’s program was over, a guest pastor gave a sermon. At the end of the sermon he quoted, “Speak the Gospel at all times and if necessary use a few words”. I had heard that before but I was grateful for the reminder that actions speak louder than words. There was a potluck after the service and my stinking thinking started up again. There were no fresh fruit and vegetable options and nothing to eat that I wanted to put in my body. I was hungry and wanted away from there to clear my head. I gathered up Angel and got in the car. I drank my smoothie as we drove into town to meet up with my friend Rachele. She was watching Angel today while Christopher and I went to see a play.
I met Rachele outside of her church and Angel was excited to spend the day with her friends, Rachele’s two boys. When I arrived home, Christopher was getting ready to go. We headed out and on the drive I told Christopher about my stinking thinking at the Cowboy Church and we laughed about my silly judgments. It felt good to laugh at myself, sometimes I take life way too seriously.
I had planned on having enough time to stop at a UPS store and drop off an Amazon package I was returning before the play started. The UPS store was farther away from where the play was than I expected. Plus I had forgotten that my gps set on “avoid highways” so it took us the long way around. We finally arrived at the UPS store and I ran in to drop off my package real quick, we still had time to make it to the play if I hurried. Inside the store the line went almost completely out the door and the lady at the front on the line had a whole lot of packages she was sending out individually. I would not be quickly dropping off my package after all. I would be doing it another day. I got back in the pickup, changed my gps settings and drove to the play. We arrived 2 minutes late and thankfully they let us quickly slip in.
The play was wonderful. It was On Golden Pond and my friend Mona played the female lead. She did a fantastic job as well as all the other actors. When the play was over, Christopher and I walked to a local pizza place to get something to eat. I was craving a salad but ended up sharing a vegetable pizza with Christopher. I felt ok after eating but still would have preferred a salad, I could feel the heaviness of the crust in my stomach. Regardless, I loved spending time out and about with Christopher.
The drive to pick up Angel was wonderful. The sun was setting and the sky was brilliant colors of orange and yellow. Angel was playing a game with her friends when I went in to get her. I talked briefly to my friend Rachele and we headed home. When we arrived, Angel and I took a quick shower, told Christopher good night and went straight to bed in the banana hut. We each did 100 rebounder jumps and crawled into bed. I did a full body relaxation session and prayed for healing and clarity about my judgments at church earlier. We both fell asleep at around 8 p.m. listening to The Horse and His Boy on audio.
Thank you for reading my blog and being a part of my life. I dearly appreciate you.
Love,
Victoria