No Pain, No Gain?

I'm working out in my "Spinning" class, you know the class where you ride a stationary bike like H. to nowhere, and the instructor's driving us with a fast paced clap to keep up our "cadence."
"Come on, you can do it, push hard for 1 more minute," and other such motivational phrases are being shouted out over the beat of the music. I look up on occasion, to see if the mirror reflects proper posture, to see the gaudy purple walls, to see something besides the pedals below me spinning. I finally figure out why they call it a spinning class. Duh. I'm panting like a dog, and checking out the clock to see how many minutes before I can say I did it and stop.
And then she says something that captures me. It goes something like this:
"If when you get tired, you slow down, you get more tired.
If you push through it, you get stronger."
How many areas of life is that applicable to?
I've always had issues with the "no pain, no gain" slogan. I question it's truth, and the implication that all pain is so helpful. In my mind,there's bad pain and there's good pain, productive and non-productive. And the way we handle it also determines the gain in it. Pain can make us bitter or better , to quote professor I had once.
But there is an embracing of the pain in a healthy way, and a strength that comes in the pressures of life's trials when they are embraced and taken to the cross of Christ.
This feels unfinished, but right now I'm done.

22 days of success!

That's right. Day 22 of new year. Have only touched fat free water. My resolve holds strong!
On a heavier note, I am doing well on my exercise resolve, as I am trying to get into shape for mountain biking. Been really pushing it at the gym. But when I went for a bike ride in Oxnard, the (paved) incline over the bridge nearly did me in. Maybe street biking will do...
On a spiritual note, the message I keep getting is about dusting off your old dreams, finding your visions, the words in scripture that've inspired your heart.
This morning I read in Genesis where Isaac went back to the land his father had lived. He kept having to re-dig the wells, as the enemy had stopped them up. Sometimes he'd uncover one, but the residents would quarrel over it, so he had to move on. Finally, he uncovered one and named it 'Spaciousness", for now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be faithful in the land." And then another, on the day he made peace with a covenant between the king of the land and himself. That one he named Shebah. Well of the Seven.
And I realized that it was the same message again. Some old dreams that things seemed to have caved in on. And a very dry place where I am thirsty for more.
And I felt it was time to re-dig old wellsprings of life. Maybe in the natural, that's what the getting into shape is about, the wellspring of joy for me in physical activity.
And some old wells just aren't gonna work. I don't know if I can ski again. But I can dance. And some will bring me into spaciousness. Worship is one. It opens up the heavens and brings with it an abundance of joy. That's good water!
Another is prayer. The knowledge that I have a responsibility to intercede for our nation in this difficult time, but also the abundance of promises regarding His answering of our prayers.
That's all I have to say about that!

New Year's Resolutions

Having recently found out that I retain some viewers even after my neglect, I'm gonna try to post more.
I had some family over for beef stew last night. I a great time with cousins Odee and John, my Mom and Dad, Marlene and Tony, and Davey Perito. It is a sort of resolve that I have, to entertain more this year. (I love how G.G. calls my nephew David- I'm always asking, who? She also insists on calling her own son, Lem by his name, David.
By the way, Happy Birthday, Jimmy!(We recently found out that Lem would've been named James David instead of David James if he hadn't have been born on Christmas. Hence, Jimmy!!!
I really wanted to be more inspirational, but I've been running in many different directions, and am in a different mood.
Anyway, our pastor challenged us to find out what our vision, what God's vision for our lives are, instead of these resolutions we can't fulfill. While I'm definitely in agreement with that, I did find a great resolution, that I KNOW I can keep.

It was on a water bottle I bought at the movies. On the label it said, " Fat Free Water." So. This year I am going to drink only fat free water!
I like success!
Any good resolutions out there?

Happy New Year!

It's a great year!I am so thankful for all of my many blessings.
I'm off and home this week. A rare feat for me. So I feel the immensity of all I have, having enough rest and less stress so as to appreciate it all.
I don't know why I'm posting this, think it's avoidance because of the many loose-end chores I have to do around the house. I stained the molding for the new kitchen cabinet I bought in the summer, but it's not an exact match. Got a couple phone calls made, somethings mailed,blah, blah...
But I still have this overall good feeling that things are good. That the winter season is past. And that the time for rejoicing is here.
It does help that the passage out of the Bible that resonated in my spirit when I was reading and asking God about His direction for the new year was from Psalms, the 37th one. Verses: 3-4
"Trust in the Lord and do good:
Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness,
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart."

And again, verse 7
" Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way....
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret, it only causes harm."

I love that last part- Don't fret, it only causes harm. High blood pressure, anxiety, bad attitudes, fear,etc. Isn't God wise???
And isn't He Good? And faithful? The one who will stay the same when everything else falls apart. The one who can get us through everything else. And the One from whom comes every good and perfect gift?

Our Christmas Eve at Umpa's

Merry Christmas all. Here are a few shots of our Christmas eve-eve-eve (on the 22nd) at Umpa and G.G.'s. I snuck in the only picture of my tree, but don't have the posting skills of my kids, so I gave up on trying to write under them. Aunt Angie, now in her 90's, had a great time. She even seemed to forget the late hour- way past 7!! And we even sang carols, or tried, which is when you see my son-in-law, Josh, laughing.
I'll be putting the kid's pictures on my other site- Nanny's Little Blessings.