June 30 2015

June 30 2015 Greetings My Friend I am reading Proverbs and this passage was one that stuck out today. The passage reads “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle but whoever gathers little by little will increase.” When I first started reading the Bible this passage spoke to me in regards to retirement and the way to prepare for retirement was to be a process. It has helped Junior and I to be comfortable in retirement. Today I saw a different meaning to wealth. To me I heard the word “healthy.” I saw my family doctor yesterday and she was so pleased with the progress I have made. Today as I read this passage I saw how much work I have been putting into being healthy and even coming back to being the houseworker I once was. The hardest lesson in both of these instances for me has been understanding that 10 minutes of work is better than doing nothing. As I was able to do 10 I built up to a 2nd and more short bursts of work. I was also learning to use my work to exercise my body with bending and stretching, squatting and even with chair exercises as I watched TV. Little by little my stamina grew, my body got stronger. Last year my niece and her husband taught me how to use Myfitnesspal on my phone and computer. I began logging what I ate each day along with the amount of work I was doing. For the first time in years I started to lose weight, my muscles were toned more and my energy level was bouncing back. The little by little building has taught me to tackle one problem at a time to keep on keepin on and a new life for me has emerged. As I have lost my balance I again have used this process to find ways to deal with my struggle and still be able to get around fairly well. When we went to Nashville recently we found ourselves walking a lot with the group. My first walks was an attempt to keep up with the able bodied people. I found myself stumbling a bit more and thankful the walker kept me upright. On one of the walks a couple of the guys with severe back problems came along and we all walked slower for them. At this point I realized I needed to slow down some more and as I did the stumbling went away. At this point I see the “wealth” in this Proverb to take on another meaning. I hear it teaching me that wealth is money but so much more also. My health is part of my wealth today. In the past it was easy to separate the 2 but after all the health issues has arose I am now more aware that my health is a part of my wealth. With my ADHD tendencies I want to do things quickly and to move into the next project. It has been hard for me to slow down this much but as I do I find a newness to life. I find fullness and joy too. God is teaching me that in my older years I can still be productive and useful only at a different pace. God has given me a confidence in my worth, my talent and my work whether homemaking, being a mother and grandmother or a writer. I have much to look forward to. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet