Keep Going

Easy to say...hard to do. Guess the key is, no matter what, keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Complain less. Praise more. Rush less. Slow down more. Worry less. Trust more.
I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to me!

Feisty Girl

Conversations with Abbey are always interesting. She has been in a fun, feisty mood the last few days when I have picked her up from school.
Actual conversation:
ABBEY: Grammie, were you alive in the first year?
GRAMMIE: No, Abs, I am not THAT old!
ABBEY: Have you seen God?
GRAMMIE: No, I have not.**

**This is the answer I gave her. What I thought was ~ Yes, I have seen God. I have seen Him in your face. I have heard Him in your sweet laughter. I have felt Him when you put your arms around me.
When she is older, I plan to give her the real answer.
Thank you, Lord, for this little girl and all the joy she brings to my life!

The Scene of the Crime

It has been almost three weeks since my terrible accident during a run. Before I fell asleep last night, I told myself it was time to rerun that route and make peace with it. So many people have asked me what I stumbled on that day. Was there something on the sidewalk, something that tripped me? Surely, I didn't just fall?! I think people wanted to find a concrete (no pun intended!) reason for this accident. If it just happened, then it could happen to them as well.
I had to pass the "scene of the crime" twice, once running up Newport and again, running back down. I can't lie, running there made me overly cautious and slower than usual. Fear kept me on guard the whole run. Thanks to my Garmin GPS watch, I knew about the exact spot where I fell. Thanks to a small amount of rain we had a while ago, no blood remained! Honestly, I didn't see anything unusual in the spot that would have made me fall. Accidents happen, as they say. This was just an accident.
Running that route again felt scary and, yet, wonderful. Being persistent in anything in life will have its payoff.
The lesson I got from all this is, face your fears ~ even if it's a sidewalk!

Everything

This has proven itself to be true several times this week. Doubt or faith? Only one can live in your head at a time, because they are both HUGE and won't share space with the other.
Believe in the fact that everything does work out.
You're still here, aren't you!?!?!

Free Fun

 The kids were off school today. What to do? What to do? Take one orange tree in the yard, add three kids willing to squeeze dozens of oranges, and, presto ~ you have a pitcher full of sweet, fresh orange juice!

They actually worked together with no fuss throughout the entire process. Each one had their own technique for squeezing and they were all so proud of the results. As you can see, Jack and Maddy gave it a thumbs up for good taste! Abbey said she liked to make it, not drink it!!
Love these three!

Time

I often hear people say, "I don't have time." I think I agree with this quote. It is not a matter of time, they just don't want to. Don't want to spend time with you, don't want to change, don't want to help, don't want to...whatever!
I am pretty sure we MAKE time for people we want to see, if they matter to us. We MAKE time to accomplish things, if it matters to us. We MAKE time to exercise, if it matters to us. We MAKE time to show up when it matters to us.
If we look at how we use our time, we will see where our heart lies and who and what matters to us. Every one of us gets the same 1,440 minutes each day. The difference is how we choose to use them.

Cool Dude

The Rainbow Loom has taken the Riley household by storm. Even Jack has gotten into making and trading these rubber band bracelets and necklaces. It is all the craze among the kids. Watching them make something, with total concentration, is a sight to behold. They even look up You Tube videos to learn how to do the more intricate ones!
I think he is a pretty handsome, blinged out young man!
Who couldn't love that face?!?! I know I do!!

Post Script to Tuesday

In the aftermath of my very bad accident on Tuesday, I am grateful to have been at both the starting line and the finish line of the Surf City Half Marathon today. I am grateful to my daughter, who pushes me at the right times and holds me back at the right times. There is something very special about running a long race like this with your daughter. I cherish every mile, every damn hill (at the beach?!?!), every sweaty moment. 

Don't say you can't do it. Don't say you are tired. Don't say it is too hard. Choose to do it. Sometimes that is all it takes to make a huge different in your life. Bruises and blood, be damned!

Biggsuzi