The Story of a Father & His Daughter

A baby girl is born. Simultaneously, from amid the ranks of ordinary men, there emerges a mighty, courageous, gallant man who is quaking in his shoes. As they grow together, the girl comes to know that her father is no ordinary man.

He can hear the sound of the sun pushing the clouds out of her world, and he helps her to hear it, too. He can taste the worst cookies that she will make and then eat three or four more from the same batch. He can touch the stars and pull them closer to her. He can see the fire of youthful puppy love burning in her heart. No, this father is no ordinary man.

He has a body to shield his daughter from strangers, big dogs, and noisy things; a broad expanse of chest to nestle against; and an arm to pillow her head while watching television. He has two strong arms to hold her up to touch the sky, to see inside a bird's nest, or to fly like an airplane.

Fearlessly, this father and daughter adventure into the realms of surprise.
Together they open doors and share peeks at monsters; with him, she is never afraid. He is there for her first bike ride. He has flowers picked to tickle her nose, shaving cream dabbed on her face, and a goodnight kiss in the dark when he comes home late and thinks she is asleep.

In her teenage years, he teaches her to respect herself and others. He is always proud of her for trying new things; she doesn't always have to win. He is a wealth of truth in the midst of peer group untruths, an impatient driving instructor, and a light in the window at twelve o'clock on a Friday night.

He is the firm cornerstone of the family who gives her values to believe in, a heritage she feels worthy of, and an urgency for living her life completely.

Now, in her adulthood, he could slow down a bit, but he won't. He still utilizes his many resources to teach his daughter well, and somehow his mere presence continues to trigger the potential in her. So what does a daughter say to this man of subtle sensitivities and infinite wisdom?
She says this... "I love you, Daddy"

~ Author Unknown

Have you heard?

In this picture do you see how the clouds are covering everything and making it all appear so dark but then there is a small area that is in the sunshine?  Right now I feel like I am in that dark water.  I can see the sunshine but I'm not sure how to make it to that area.

I was reading a devotional this morning and the following verses were used: Isaiah 40:28-31

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Sometimes on this journey it seems that I am really weak.  I feel like my way is blocked by such an insurmountable wall that there is no way that I will ever make it over.  This week I've been very discouraged.  We are waiting on a call back that will put Charlie to work.  The waiting is the hardest part...  Then I read the verses above and I realized again that in the 'waiting' is where God renews our strength.  He makes us powerful.  He allows us to be able to run.  In the 'waiting' is where he finds out what we are really made of.  Are we willing to stand or will we give up?  Do we truly depend on him or do we try to take things into our own hands?  While we are waiting do we start thinking about the 'what if's'?  or Do we trust that God is going to take care of everything?  Do we believe that God and God alone will provide our way of escape.

Several different people and at different times, some not even knowing our circumstances, have prophesied to us that God was going to send us a financial blessing.  I am trusting and believing that he will...we just have to wait on it.  God doesn't always send things on our time table or according to our schedule.  He sends them on his so we learn to trust and be faithful in all things.

The devotional I was reading from Girlfriends in God said this also:

Don't wait until you believe it all. 

Don't wait until you can see it all. 

Don't wait until you understand it all. 

Trust God and step out in faith. He will meet you there. 

Most days writing on this blog allows me to push on, and not to give up.  It is my journal and whether anyone reads or comments it allows me to renew my focus by getting my feelings out in the open. As our Pastor was preaching Sunday he quoted a verse from Philippians that we all know but before it he made another statement.  My son said it sounded like a battle cry.  So today I will sound my battle cry!

I will not bend, I will not bow, I will not break. 

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phil 4:12

~Blessings

Krista

I work out....wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

Are you laughing yet?  You are if you know what I look like right now, and yes, I do 'wiggle, wiggle, wiggle' when I work out.  I have gained a ton of weight.  Well, not literally a ton, but a lot.  So much that I'm embarrassed to even tell you how much I currently weigh!  NO ONE KNOWS, not even Charlie.  I really am embarrassed by it.  I was looking at pictures from our latest vacation and I think I look like a beached walrus.  My face looks like a giant balloon.  I have squinty eyes anyway but I've gained so much weight that you can barely even see my eyeballs!  I know you are laughing now!

Healthy, that is what I need to be!  I am going to quit trying to diet and just be healthy.  I am definitely not healthy right now!  This all came to me as we were driving to Florida a couple of weeks ago.  I was walking in to this convenient store and I saw my reflection in the doors.  I thought to myself 'Wow, is that really me?'  In my mind I could hear my father-in-law talking to me.  He used to say and yes, this is when I weighed a good 50lbs less than I do today, "Sis, you need to back away from the table. You are getting to be as big as all the rest of them."  You see I was always the small one in my husband's family.  I have a sister-in-law who is well over 300lbs.  So, when I'd start packing on the weight my father-in-law would gently remind me that I needed to slow down.  Well, I don't know how gentle that statement was but it got the point across.  I guess I've not 'backed away from the table' in a while.  Probably over 3 years to be exact because that would have been the last time I could have heard my father-in-law's voice.  Man, what would he say to me today?  I'm sure he would get a kick out of it!  He'd probably laugh at me and tell me that he guessed I just decided to join the rest of them!

Fast forward 2 weeks....Charlie & I have started going back to Workout Anytime.  I am literally working my butt off or today it feels like my 'bat wings'!  You know what those are, right?  Those wings you get on the back of your arms when you gain weight!  This week I've been doing 20 minutes on the elliptical machine and then doing the weight machines.  My arms are getting the biggest workout or at least I think they are because that is where I hurt!  They burn!  I hope that is a good thing.  Doesn't it mean when it still hurts after the workout that it is actually doing some good?  I don't really know about all this but I figure that if it hurts a little then it must be good for me because I've always hated exercise!  I have felt better this week.  I have more energy even though my muscles or lack thereof do burn...I'm thinking that those muscles have been buried under fat for so long that they are very mad at me about being used again!

We've also turned a corner this week on our eating habits and we've been eating better.  I'm no longer making meals that are covered in cheese!  Our breakfasts have consisted of oatmeal, smoothies, boiled eggs, etc.  Lunches have been turkey wraps or homemade chicken salad.  Last night we had a low country shrimp boil which consisted of red potatoes, turkey polish sausage, corn on the cob, onions, and shrimp!  It was yummy!  I'm not sure what I'll be making tonight but I'm leaning towards grilled chicken or fish and a salad.

I have a lot to do to get into shape and the reality is that I need to lose more than 50lbs probably closer to 60 and so does Charlie!  I'll try to keep you in the loop along this journey.  Hopefully Charlie and I will both be a lot smaller and healthier by this time next year!

~Blessings
Krista