Three Elderly Sisters ~ I Could Run Away

˜Three Elderly Sisters

Three sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, lived in a house together. One night the 96-year-old draws a bath. She puts one foot in and pauses. She yells down the stairs, “Was I getting in or out of the bath?

The 94-year old yells back. “I don’t know; I’ll come up and see. She starts up the stairs and pauses. Then yells out, “Was I going up the stairs or down?’

The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea and listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says, “I sure hope I never get that forgetful.” She knocks on the wood table for good measure.

She then replies, “I’ll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who’s at the door.”  Author unknown

 

Reflections: I Could Run Away!

Do you ever enjoy an incredible weekend full of carbs, sugar, and extreme fat overload? And after feel guilty, bloated and 10 pounds heavier than when you started. You know, the weekend where you ate everything you could get your hands on just because you couldn’t stand another carrot stick? I have, and I always scold myself afterward. I usually feel so guilty and miserable I promise never to do that again. Well, maybe that’s a little rash, I hear a little Chocolate is good for you now and then!

Perhaps you’ve had a dispute with your neighbor, friends or even the kids and your nerves are frayed. Possibly you’re saying, “I need to get away for a while or take a vacation. That sounds good to me.

Some day’s life does not go the way we expect it too. We can write lists, make plans and try to make some sense of order, yet life does not stop because we have bad days.  Do you feel like that too sometimes?

I am glad that with each day I have an opportunity to choose to be thankful.  I am learning to find happiness in the small moments of each day.  Not because my life is perfect, but because I know a God who loves me through the circumstances of my life. He is the shield which blocks the sting and protects me in his perfect will. Nothing touches me that does not go through the cross first.

Although I will always have my share of bad hair days, bags under my eyes, blow my diet and lose my temper. I am safe and secure in the knowledge that God’s love and forgiveness are constant, unconditional and forever. He is my Friend. Is he your friend too?©

                     How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.                       Psalm 36:7

” We can trust God to handle the things that overwhelm us.”

Thank you, dear friends for spending your time with me, Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs to all.

Lovingly, Karan

Non-Athletic Exercising

Non-Athletic Exercising

A calorie guide citing a recent medical association report: “Proper weight control and physical fitness cannot be attained by dieting alone.

Many people who engage in sedentary occupations do not realize calories can be burned by the hundreds by engaging in strenuous activities that do not require physical exercise.”

Here’s the guide to calorie-burning activities and the number of calories per hour they consume.

Beating around the bush………………… 75
Jumping to conclusions………………….100
Climbing the walls……………………..150
Swallowing your pride………………….. 50
Passing the buck………………………. 25
Throwing your weight around
(depending on your weight)……….50-300
Dragging your heels…………………….100
Pushing your luck………………………250
Making mountains out of molehills………..500
Hitting the nail on the head……………. 50
Wading through paperwork………………..300
Bending over backward…………………. 75
Jumping on the bandwagon………………..200
Running around in circles……………….350
Eating crow……………………………225
Tooting your own horn………………….. 25
Adding fuel to the fire…………………150
Opening a can of worms…………………. 50

Source Unknown. 

 

 

Reflections

Every year when spring arrives, I tell myself that this is the year I am going to take it easy and relax more. Taking time to smell the roses and enjoying a quieter pace. However, by the summer’s end, I find I need a vacation away from my vacation.

Many times over the years I have toyed with the idea of booking a room at the retirement lodge for a month. To recuperate from the wear and tear of life, sitting quietly on a porch rocking peacefully singing “Blessed Quietness.” When your life feels out of control, have you ever felt like running away? 

My life has been a roller coaster for the last few years, and when my to-do list hits overflow, I become overwhelmed. At this point, I feel guilty and decide not to look at my list anymore. (No, I ‘m not feeling better yet) Throwing the to-do list away now becomes a real option. I could start a new list, and forget how far behind I am.

The problem is, I often cannot face failure or rejection. I would rather not try than to risk failure. I want to see the big picture and know success is inevitable. However, nothing in life is guaranteed, when my financial prospects are bleak, the job market is uncertain, and I struggle with health issues, it is easy to become overwhelmed.

Sometimes, I wish God would send me an e-mail, as a quick reminder that He is still in control and cares. However, he only asks me to trust him. Can I trust him to help me with my to-do-lists, concerns, and fears? 

Psalm 46: 1-2 says, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

He is my strength, and light in a troubled world, I will not fear? ©  

 God’s love does not keep us from trials; it helps us to get through them.

Thank you, dear friends for spending your time with me,

Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs to all.  Lovingly, Karan

Are You Aging with Humor? – A New Address

Are You Aging with Humor?

I’ve sure gotten old! I’ve had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes.

I’m half blind, can’t hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts.

Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore.

Can’t remember if I’m 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends.

But, thank God, I still have my driver’s license!

 

Reflections: A New Address

I would like to share a deeply personal story that our family has journeyed through over the last eighteen months. After my Cancer surgery at the end of June 2015; in August, my dear son-in- law learned of his Cancer diagnoses.

After many highs and lows, starts and stops, joys and disappointments our family learned there was nothing else they could do for Kerry.

I can’t explain how confused my heart and mind felt for my daughter and her beloved husband. They had a beautiful family and a true love story marriage. Why?

Our family prayed and cried together, trying to understand this new territory we were traveling.

Many times, as I would sit and visit with Kerry, he was always more of an encouragement to me than He will ever know. As people came to visit or call him, he would pray with them before they said goodbye.

I remember our discussions about heaven and the amazing gift of God’s love and grace. Kerry’s peace was God given. And when we cried together, he would remind me the God he loved knew the number of his days before he was born. God’s promises gave him great comfort. The verse is;

Psalm 139: 16 NLT

16 You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

Our beloved son-in-law Kerry Kurtzweg passed away this last week, he changed his address from Foremost, Alberta to Heaven on February 20, 2017. Just two days before their 25th wedding anniversary.

He will be greatly missed and he was dearly loved.©

How sweet is rest after fatigue!
How sweet will heaven be when our journey is ended
.

– George Whitefield –
*******************

Thank you, dear friends, for spending your time with me and all your prayers for our family.
Have a wonderful weekend. Have a great week, HUGS
Lovingly, Karan

Will You Be My Valentine Forever?

Will You Be My Valentine Forever?

You can see them alongside the shuffleboard courts in Florida or on the porches of the old folks’ homes up north: an old man with snow-white hair, a little hard of hearing, reading the newspaper through a magnifying glass; an old woman in a shapeless dress, her knuckles gnarled by arthritis, wearing sandals to ease her aching arches.

couple10000They are holding hands, and in a little while they will totter off to take a nap, and then she will cook supper, not a very good supper and they will watch television, each knowing exactly what the other is thinking until it is time for bed.

They may even have a good, soul-stirring argument, just to prove that they still really care. And through the night they will snore unabashedly, each resting content because the other is there.

They are in love, they have always been in love, although sometimes they would have denied it. And because they have been in love they have survived everything that life could throw at them, even their failures.                                              Ernest Havemann, Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, pp. 7-9.

Grow old with me! The best is yet to come.

~Robert Browning

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Reflections:

I have been thinking about my own thankfulness which has been lacking for a while. Being thankful not happyall the time is hard, I would like to think I am thankful most of the time.

 Often, when things happen in our lives, we feel like God is punishing us for some reason. I’m sure Satan wants us to feel that way, keeping us defeated and depressed.

When we’re down, it’s hard to be thankful and trust God’s who sees the grand picture of our lives. He knows the beginning and the end. If I am feeling sorry for myself, I won’t be able to keep my eyes focus on Him. Forgetting to trust Him for His plans, even when I don’t understand, can I still trust Him? Have you had the same feelings?

The Bible says God knew all about us even before we were born:

Psalm 139:16 NLT

You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

As I look around the world today, wouldn’t it be great if we could just walk away from the struggles and hurts and just be friends?  It seems God’s love through us is needed more than ever today. To be able to see people and the world through God’s eyes instead of our eyes, and living more like Jesus with open hands and open hearts.  What would our world look like then?©

Thank you for sharing your time with me.  I am Thankful for each one of you. 

Lovingly, Karan

Service With A Smile!

Service With A Smile!

A couple in their nineties were having trouble remembering things so they went to their doctor for checkups. The doctor told them that they were both physically fine and advised them to write things down to help them remember.

couple-sitting-together-on-couch-smiling-340Later that evening while watching television, the husband got up from his chair to go to the kitchen for a snack. He asked his wife if she wanted anything.

“Could you bring me a bowl of ice cream?” she asked.

“Sure,” he replied.

“Do you think you should write that down to remember it?” she asked.

“No, I can remember that,” he said.

“I’d like some strawberries on it, too. Do you need to write that down?” she said.

No, I can remember that, too. Ice cream with strawberries,” he said, becoming a little irritated.

“I’d like some whipped cream on it, too. Can you remember all that? The doctor said you should write things down,” she said.

“For goodness sake, I can remember that. I don’t need to write it down. A bowl of ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream,” he said, now more than a little irritated.

Off he went to the kitchen. About 20 minutes later he returned with a plate of bacon and eggs. The wife stared at it for a moment and said, “Where’s my toast?”

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Reflections:

The world we live in is demanding and changing. With extra demands on our homes, families, work and social commitments we are faced with daily uncertainties. We look for ways to slow down and try to find hope, peace, and strength among all the chaos.

stressI always thought as I aged that somehow I would know all the answers to life. However, the more I mature I realized I have more questions than answers. Surely I have learned something along the way, or have I forgotten?

The awareness of having a personal relationship with God has given me a great peace in my life. Through the highs and lows, of life, I have found God a trustworthy and loyal friend. Holding me up, calming my heart, and giving me the confidence to keep moving forward, even when I felt numb.

Some days I must confess that I would rather stay in bed with a blanket on my head. But in those times He gently reminds me that He is the same today as He was yesterday. The same God, who calmed the storms on the Sea of Galilee and healed the sick so many years ago, lives today. He would die on a cross and then rise again to life a living God. He is the same God I rely on today who calms the storms of my life and gives me peace. He is everything I need.

Because I know the creator of life personally and believe in Him, I can choose to trust Him even when I falter, he understands. I have a God who holds my life and my loved ones in His hands. I think He is better at handling the details of my life, don’t you agree?

When I look back on the life that I have been given, my family, friends, and ministry, how can I not trust Him? I am blessed with God’s incredible protection, love, and forgiveness. Today, I choose to trust you, Lord, because of who you are and your promises to me. ©

I love that verse,

“For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.”

Philippians 4:13 NLB

What could God do for you today?

       Thank you, dear friends for spending your time with me, Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs to all.

Have a great week, HUGS

Lovingly, Karan