Coincidences, schmoi-incidences

Have you ever had something happen to you and you trace back through the chain of events only t think "Wow, if I had never done that, then this would have never happened."

Yup, I've been there.

Baylie and the rat poisoning is my latest.

It all started with the fact that I noticed rat droppings in my shed months ago. Creeped me out, but the idea of laying traps and having to scoop up dead bodies creeped me out even more. Killing the little suckers wasn't a priority so I didn't think much of it again.

Then last Saturday was the big planting day in the backyard. We're digging away in the backyard, planting our little hearts out and all of a sudden water starts bubbling up from the ground - right where I used the pick axe to help break up the dirt. GREAT! This girl was not a happy camper. 

Fast forward to Wednesday and I am running errands at lunch. I stop by Home Depot to get the fitting to fix the sprinkler line and go to the garden section to look at temporary fencing to keep Baylie out of the flower beds and some wooden stakes to help prop up some trellis for my jasmine. 

Just as I am passing through the doors from the inside to the garden center I notice a display for rat poison. I almost kept going as I was on my lunch, but then I thought "hey, I am here," so I stopped and went back. I looked over the different things that had to kill rats and settled on a kind that they would eat and would kill them a few days later - hopefully once they had left my shed so I wouldn't have to find dead bodies. 

Later that day, I get home, grab my sprinkler fitting out of the bag and set the bag with the rest of the contents on the ground just outside the side garage door - to eventually be put in the shed. I go out back,  notice that Baylie went to town on all my vegetable plants and I put her on what ends up being a 3-hour time-out which absolutely breaks her heart, I am sure. (Yes, looking back I regret it).

I then kill my little hands getting the sprinkler line fixed and feel accomplished for the day. I had planned on testing the line the next day and then finishing putting in the rest of the drip system that went on that line.

The next day started out like any other Thursday: I put Baylie out back, give her a Greenies and she happily runs away with it.

Later at work I realize I could use a break from Thursday night bible study that night as I wanted to get the drip system in before being gone on my mini-vacation and I really didn't want to come home to dead plants and see all my hard work go down the drain. An email was sent and study was cancelled.

After work, I go out back, turn on the water to the line I had fixed to make sure my patch worked and just about had another nervous breakdown when I notice water bubbling up from under one of my hydrangeas on the other side of the yard. Seriously? What else could go wrong?!

I was over it - the drip system could wait. I was hungry and I just was NOT going to mess with the backyard until another day. Craig asked a few times about us going to Home Depot to get the parts and  fixing it that night and I said no, we could do it some other time.

After dinner I felt better so I figured I'd give it a shot. I go out back, start digging and for some reason I went to look in the shed for something.

Walking down my side yard - there it was: a chewed up container of rat poison. My eyes darted all over the place looking for the little green bricks that use to be in the package and my heart sank knowing exactly where they were - in Baylie's stomach.

My first thoughts were: Why did that first sprinkler have to break? Why did I have to go to Home Depot to get the fitting to fix it? Why did that trip turn into me needing other stuff and WHY did I walk by the rat poison!? I was so mad at the sequence of events that led to me even buying it that day.

However, I have nothing but praise to God for the other sequence of events that saved my pup's life.

• Probably right around the time Baylie was eating the poison, I got this idea to just cancel study at my house so I could get other stuff done. Had I not, there would never been any reason for me to go on my side yard and see the empty package. 
• Because I cancelled bible study, I could work in the backyard and eventually see the package. 
• HOWEVER, it's possible that if the sprinkler line hadn't been broken in a second spot, I still would not have ventured to my side yard. 

If none of the above had happened, I wouldn't have known anything had happened until Baylie started having symptoms - and by that time it could have been too late.

Praise the Lord is all I say. I think it's all too easy to ask "Why God. WHY?!" when something goes wrong, but if we open our eyes we can easily see Him at work in seemingly small ways that have HUGE impacts. 

Amen! 

Mountain Climbing

This was taken from a daily email I get from Joel Osteen Ministries. Ignore the mullet on this guy - he has good stuff to say. Today's particular email spoke volumes to me. Ignore the similarities to the Miley Cyrus song!
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TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself,so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God"
(Proverbs 4:18, NIV)

TODAY'S WORD
Sometimes it's easy to become so goal-oriented and so focused on our dreams that we overlook the simple things that we should be enjoying in our everyday life. But we have to remember that life is not really about the destination, it's about how we live all along the way. It's about the path we're on that shines brighter and brighter.

In this life, there is no such thing as a finish line. Once you accomplish one dream, God will give you another. When you overcome one challenge, there will be another. There is always another mountain to climb. If we make the mistake of just living for the destination, we'll look up one day and realize we've missed out on the biggest part of life because most of life is routine. Most of us get up every morning, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed and do it again. There are very few mountaintops where you graduate from school, or you get married, or have a child, or go on vacation. The high times are few and far between. Don't get stuck living for the mountaintops. Learn to enjoy the path you're on. Learn to enjoy the people in your life. Learn to enjoy the simple blessings of walking in the path the Lord has prepared for you.

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For someone who constantly worries about that next milestone in her life (when will it happen, with whom, how will I handle it, etc.) I often have to stop myself and remember that there are some great times to be had along the way. We also have to realize, that as Christians, we are called to live a life differently than one "of the world." This doesn't necessarily mean running around and preaching the bible on sidewalks or even constantly mentioning our faith or God to people in casual conversation. It means to be different enough, so full of joy, that people can't help but realize there IS something different about the way we approach life and in how we live and our capacity for love for even the people who seem the least worthy of anyone's love.

We aren't here to discriminate, judge or worry about where we're going. We're here to love like Christ loved, live like He did and hope that through everyday life and actions we show that it isn't about the destination, but the lives we touch along the way. And maybe, just maybe, we'll be lucky enough to have our loved ones join us in our Christian walk.

Permanence.

Main Entry: per·ma·nence

Pronunciation: \ˈpər-mə-nən(t)s, ˈpərm-nən(t)s\

Function: noun

Date: 15th century

: the quality or state of being permanent

Main Entry: ¹per·ma·nent

Pronunciation: \-nənt\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French parmanant, from Latin permanent-, permanens, present participle of permanēre to endure, from per- throughout + manēre to remain

So that's it. The quality or state of enduring or remaining. Yup, that's what I did with the name of my blog today. It will endure/remain forever with me until the day I die and that's just how it should be.

I got my first (and very likely) last tattoo.

Now before you all think I just came up with the name of my blog on a whim and then just a few short months after starting it, I go out and get a tattoo of the name of it... well, that is not the case.

This all started a few years ago when one of my sisters was up and moving to England with her husband and one of my nieces. I had always thought about getting a tattoo, but I was sure I needed one with specific meaning to me. How meaningful would it be to get a matching tattoo with my sister before her departure almost halfway across the world? I looked around and tossed around ideas in my head and then I came across the latin phrase "sola fide" and thought "THAT'S IT!" Well, my sister didn't really care for it and the next thing we knew she was off and the tattoo never happened.

In the next few years the idea was put in the back of my mind, but never forgotten.

I think the biggest issue was where would I get this tattoo? I'm not of the tramp stamp crowd and I didn't want it somewhere that was easily seen by just anyone. Really the only area I could think of was somewhere in the underwear area that might only be seen in a bathing suit. Being the future-oriented sort of thinker I am and knowing my desires for a family, I could only imagine a tattoo that would end up looking like one of those balloons with writing on it that you blow up way too much and the letters start stretching to an almost unrecognizable form. Not really what I was looking for.

Then my good friend Janice got a tattoo and well, I was in love. To most people the area might not seem very hidden, but when I hang out with Janice I rarely even notice her tattoo. It's the perfect spot.

So here it is. Inside of my left wrist. In all it's glory.

I honestly think it looks better in person, but it's like my own little baby - so of course I do.

As for what it means: "by faith alone"

By faith alone I trusted in a God I barely knew of back in 1998. By faith alone I follow His will for my life. By faith alone I trust in His wisdom for what He has given me and what He has taken from me. It's a sort of anthem for my life because without faith, I don't know what I would have.

How Great Thou Art

This morning I had a smile on my face for many reasons:

1) It was a new day in the Challenge
2) The sun was actually peeking through the clouds, kind of smiling at me
3) I was reminded in such a simple way of some of the amazing people I have in my life
4) And the always faithful - God is good

I am horrible at remembering the songs that are speaking to me during certain moments of my day and that is where Google search becomes a technological saving grace. All I had flowing through my head was "then sings my soul" and I let the Internet do the rest. Here's the hymn I was thinking of that set the tone for my entire day - you can listen to the Carrie Underwood version of it here:

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

I think what I love most about this song is the thought of my soul singing - like it has a function outside and apart of me.

My body is just for this world, my soul is for eternity. 

Amazing Grace

I hope I am not alone in this world when I say the first thing I do when I wake up is reach for my iPhone and check email, Facebook and my "Words with Friends" games. Actually, I know I am not alone because my two sisters do this... but does it go outside the family?

This morning was a little different because 1) I didn't have to jump out of bed, bundle myself up, walk the dog, shower and go to work. Nope. I called in sick. I knew the stone I was dealing with the day before was about to come out (I'll spare the details, but I just knew). I had no clue how painful it was going to be on its exit, but let's just say I didn't even notice. Yet, there it was in the toilet. Not what I pictured, but being the "medical professional" that I am, I am super curious so I fished it out (don't ask how) and took a picture for your viewing pleasure (no, not the penny.. that's for size comparison!). How the heck can something so small cause so much pain? If that pain had produced a baby then I would at least feel justified in my pain!

But I digress, being still too early in the morning on a day off to start the day, I crawled back into my bed (still a little crampy, what the!?) and turned to my iPhone for company. I remembered I had Pandora on it so I opened it up and clicked on my "Christian" station. Oh wow, did I need to hear what came out of that phone. Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) started and I just closed my eyes and sang along.

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

Even if you aren't a Christian, we can all identify with this song in some way. We all have our chains that seem to be holding us back or in the same place. We are a creature of habit. We will keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results. But for someone like me, I have someone who has broken my chains and yet I still sit here and don't follow Him as I should. I'm thinking I just am not sure exactly how to go about it.

This leads me to what I will be doing for the next three months, starting February 1st. My friend, the one who shares some of my food-related struggles, told me about this wellness challenge called "Better Me in 3." I read over it and I'm pretty darn excited. This challenge can almost be whatever you want it to be for you, and as a Christian I love how the focus isn't just on food (or telling me what to eat), but is also on bettering myself in other areas of my life. I mean, if I am going to take the focus off food in my life then I need somewhere else to focus. I think this challenge is going to do this for me...and with a money prize involved?! That's like the cream cheese frosting on the amazing carrot cake from Rick's Dessert Diner. Ok, now I just started a craving... see? That's how easy it is for me!

I know this challenge is going to be difficult. It is most likely going to be very painful at moments. Please don't roll your eyes, but a really bad analogy occured to me: this process is going to be much like the stupid kidney stone. The pain was short-lived but excruciating. My nurse in the E.R. was the best one I could have ever hoped for and was so supportive of me. She let me cry. She let me cry out "Oh my God!" She sympathized with me the whole way. I knew I would survive, but there were moments I wasn't sure I could handle what I was going through. See the connection? For a girl who knows all about short-term sacrifice for long-term goals in all other areas of my life, food has been the difficult area. Perhaps because I've made it a sacrifice in the past? Perhaps...