Be Grateful and Have Faith!

So tonight, as I go through some personal drama, I am reminded of the words of my mentor -- be grateful and have faith.  And so, I am trying my best to look at life in that perspective.

God never promises us a perfect life...just that he will be there through the difficult times.  I am also reminded of some verses that help me to remember He is in control.

Romans 13:1 says, "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."  In other words, God has full authority over all things.  We can be assured that nothing can happen without God being in the midst.

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  God takes even the bad and uses it for His glory.

What about people who appear to have no conscience?  For example, they lie, cheat and steal; what does the Bible say about them?   In Titus 1:15-16 it says, "To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed. "  I have a hard time believing that there are actually people who are without conscience and yet, I have met them. The answer to this lies with this verse.  You can't love God and be a believer if you are deliberately out to hurt others.  Romans 2:5 also addresses this.  It says, "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God..."  In other words, God will take care of it.

You know, I try hard to practice my faith.  To be the best person I can be;  I want to please God as He is number one in my life.  I definitely fall short.   There are days when I behave less than a Christian should; yet, I still strive to be the best I can. I have no concept of how one can take advantage of others and justify it in their mind.  And so, tonight as I lie in bed, I will think about all the things I am grateful for;  God's grace, my family, my friends, my job, a roof over my head and although not a lot of money, enough to pay my bills.  God has been good to me.  He gave me great strength and determination.  He taught me to be courageous and to stand tall, even when I've been brought to my knees.   He has taught me that regardless of what happens in life, it is about Him  -- not us.  We are saved by His mercy.  Whenever you want to be humbled, think about how you conduct yourself in the day-to-day and then picture Christ on the cross; a particularly strong dichotomy.

My faith is stronger than ever, despite being brought to my knees once again.  I know God is in the midst.  I pray for the continued strength I need to look forward and not behind.  I pray for my focus to be on Him and not the actions of others.  I pray that He will right any wrongs.  I trust in Him.

And so, tonight I go to bed and pray for sleep.  I pray for grace to forgive once again, as I've been forgiven.  I pray that God blesses those who are ill, suffering financial woes, relationship difficulties and anyone who needs Him in their life.  I pray for hope and  healing to those who are struggling; most of all, I pray that He will continue to build me up so that I am able to lift up others.

So, as you get ready to sleep tonight, pray for others; pray for your enemy, your friend, your children or even the person you don't know but who may be going through difficult times.  As you lie there, think about all your blessings; I'm sure there are many.  And then, take a moment to thank God for all He has done for you.  It is moments like these that one can do nothing else but to pray, serve others and most of all, be grateful and have faith.

My Oola Journey: From Fat to Fabulous

It is the beginning of the 4th month on my weight loss plan and I am now down 25 pounds and two clothing sizes. I stalled for about a month because I convinced myself I could go out on the week-end and enjoy Happy Hour...wrong!  Although I did not gain any weight, I plateaued for that month.  I finally decided that I could have fun AND lose weight!  Because, guess what?  FUN DOES NOT HAVE TO REVOLVE AROUND FOOD!!!  Talk about a revelation!  Folks, this has been a long time coming.  I may even shed a tear or two...nope, just kidding!

This week-end, I went to the movies.  Yes, being a senior has finally paid off -- in a big way...  discounted movie tickets!  Here's the caveat....the smell of movie popcorn can still make me salivate!  Truly!  And so as I took my seat to watch "The Martian" during opening week-end, I found myself surrounded by a sea of popcorn tubs!   The smell made me crazy but the sound of munching made me even crazier!  Having nowhere to go, I suddenly found myself having to come up with a plan on the fly.  This particular theater checks your purses, and so, there were no healthy snacks on me!  I decided to do the obvious...FOCUS!  Yes, I decided that I had to turn my attention from these obnoxiously noisy snack-lovers and just watch the big screen!  And that did take some doing as I, for one, suffer from "squirrel syndrome";  one small noise and my attention is immediately redirected!  So, I worked on it.  I drank my Diet Coke.  When my stomach began rumbling halfway through the movie, I began to wonder if I could make it.  I rifled through my purse for so much as a piece of gum -- nothing!   However, once I got past that moment (which took about 10 minutes), I was fine.  I was on the other side.  I KNEW I would make it.

A little over dramatization?  From a self-proclaimed "foodie", I think not. This truly was the scenario for my Saturday evening.  However, in retrospect, being down to the 25 pound mark was well worth the effort.  So, where do I go from here?

I still have hurdles.  For one, fall reminds me of apples, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg -- all things that go together to make yummy things like apple crisp, pumpkin lattes, hot cocoa and anything warm and delicious.  I have to find different yummy things such as peppermint tea, chai latte or running my essential oil diffuser.  I am thinking of making a big change...coloring my hair red!  A reminder of leaves on the trees.

My plans for the future include adding exercise.  It is no longer swimming weather, and so now, it is time to move into another activity.  Being too windy for tennis most days, I believe that I will be walking on the week-ends or pushing play on the VCR.  The weather right now is fall-like and ever-so-delightful.

You see, even though I am starting my fourth month on this program, it is still a give and take.  I have to make conscious decisions as to what I am willing to change in order to be healthy.  The truth is, I have had to change everything about the way I view and approach food.  I have to plan and be ever-vigilant.  Although I have proven to myself that I can indulge occasionally without fear of gaining weight, it is still trial and error.  Although the weight is coming off fairly quickly this is not an easy plan and I do not wish to slingshot back to where I was.

The bottom line is that as time goes on, I am getting used to my new lifestyle.  I am loving the way my body is looking.  I have a lot more energy and feel more committed than ever to losing the 50 pounds that I set out to lose.

What changed?  I figured out how to love myself enough to do this for ME!  That's the bottom line...you really do have to love who you are -- believe in yourself and know that no matter what size you are; you matter, you are loved and you can make a difference.  It is never easy to lose weight but I have found that it is possible.  It also helps to have a weight loss buddy or twenty!

So, as I approach this week-end, the plan is in place.  I am going to the movies (again)....I will take a walk or two...and I will live life to the fullest!  Everyday is a gift --- enjoy it!  God's given you His best...YOU!

With Age Comes Wisdom

I want you to look at that picture carefully and ask yourself, what do you see on the left versus what do you see on the right.  Do you know what I see?  On the left, I see an attractive young man.  On the right?  An even more attractive older man.  Now, why is it I find the man on the right so much more attractive?  I'll tell you what it is...it's age.  Look at his face...the wrinkles, the gray hair -- even the scruffy beard.  You can tell that he has journeyed through life and he has accumulated knowledge.  To me, that is incredibly attractive.   For this article, I refer to people in my age group and older as seniors.  What I am really talking about is the over-50 set.

You see, in today's society, we are so ready to dispose of our seniors.  Instead of seeing them for the wealth of knowledge and experience they have accumulated, we see them as "has-beens".  As an incredibly vital and vibrant senior, I resent that stereotype.   I have a Master's degree, a good job AND fantastic friends.  I work hard but I also play hard!

I cannot tell you how many stories I have heard of seniors being pushed out of their jobs.  They are put under such enormous stress that they finally cry, "Uncle" and leave.  Or they are handed a pink slip and laid off.  These are people who have 30 and 40 years or more of experience at their jobs.  Yet, they have become expendable.  Why?  Because they are compensated for their knowledge.  In essence, they are costing the company too much money to keep.  They can hire two 25-year-olds for the price of one of them.  A fair exchange?  All I know is that I remember 25 and I lacked a lot of experience and knowledge although I did have a lot of energy.

So what sparked me to talk about ageism in America today?  I saw the movie "The Intern" over the week-end.  It is a great film, and I won't spoil anything but suffice it to say, it did indeed speak to ageism.  I am hoping that it will send a message to those large corporations who think life ends at 50 or 60.  Truth is,  older people have a great work ethic, are teeming with knowledge and can problem-solve and multi-task like the next guy.  Yes, we may be a little short in the technology department but we grew up in the days of slide rules.  (hint: Think abacus for us baby-boomers!) 

So, next time you managers think, gee Mr. X is costing us way too much money, I'd first ask you to consider what Mr. X is bringing to the table?  Does he have great customer service skills?  Is his salary justified by the revenues he brings to the company?  How is his company loyalty?  Why has he worked for you the past 30 or 40 years?  There must be a reason.  If he was doing a terrible job, he wouldn't have lasted!  And don't kid yourselves, when they are let go?  They know the "why". 




And as for them finding new employment?  After 50, NOBODY wants you!  So, they have to flounder for a good 15 years and live off their pension until Social Security kicks in.  Hopefully, illness will not eat it up so that they have to declare bankruptcy because they can't pay their medical bills  But hey, that's their problem right?  Oh, and if by chance they manage to stay healthy, then they can always collect Social Security at age 67.  By that time, they should have a fixed income of maybe $1500 a month.  You try living on that!

I hope that this has made at least one manager or two rethink their position on older people.   I know that this situation has impacted many of my friends.  Great people, vibrant, smart people who have made a difference in not just the corporate world, but the world in general.  How many of you are fortunate to have those people on staff?  If you do, you better hang onto them...they are rare indeed!