I love this picture so much!

It is fall of the year here in Tennessee and the foliage is beginning to turn to the pretty shades of red, orange, and yellow. The sunflowers are full of the seeds that the birds all love and the temps are beginning to cool down.

It has been another busy summer, one of my busiest as now I am retired. My children made such fun of me as I took an early retirement and honestly I think they were more worried about my financial well being than I was.

It has been 2 years into retirement now and I absolutely love it! I still get up early most every day and I busy myself with doing something, whether it is for someone else, for fun, or just for me. I love being able to make those choices!

I appreciate the life that I have and I thank God every day for letting me live it.

If you are in a rut or down trodden in any way I would suggest that you take a long hard look at your life and start listing all the good things that you have in it. If you need a good pick me up then go out and do something nice for someone. It will work every time to make you perk up and feel better.

You don’t have to do really big things in life but take care of the little details. Ask God daily to show you how to love others as He loves us. He will do it I promise!

Things will begin happening in your life and you will be so amazed.

Years ago we were really struggling financially. One of our daughters had just been diagnosed with a drop dead heart condition or so at that time we were told so. We went through agonizing months and months of trying different doctors and seeking a cure. Even though we had insurance our bills were astronomical!

During this trying time we got almost 3 house payments behind and to say we were struggling was an understatement!

On one particular day that I will speak of, our daughter had a doctor’s appointment in Nashville and I loaded up all four kids and off we went for the appointment.

On this day our daughter received a very good report on her doctor visit and I decided we should celebrate by going over to a sister hospital in Nashville and visiting with a family back home who was there with their daughter who had been in a very serious motorcycle accident and basically was having to learn to talk, walk, and move all over again.

We arrived on the floor where the sick girl was and both of her parents were there that day. The dad and I had been in the same high school class and as I saw him standing in the corner of her hospital room I had so much compassion for their family in my heart.

As I said before we were almost 3 house payments behind and we had our tractor and bush hog up for sale but no one had looked at it. Anyway, all the money I had to my name was in my purse and it was a twenty dollar bill. Without even giving it a second thought I handed that twenty over to the Dad and said something like, ” I have been where you guys are and it is so expensive and I would rather give you this than bring flowers or something.”

After we left the hospital that day I was flying high and had joy in my heart for what I had just been able to do for this family…..joy that is until we all got in the van and started back home. Our youngest child sat right behind the driver’s seat on the way home and he kept saying right in my ear……..”why did you do that Mom, that was all the money we have?:….”what are we going to buy groceries with and eat?”. The more he said that behind me right in my ear, the more I began to have doubts rise up in my soul. I began to get scared but I never let on to my kids. I kept telling them that it would be fine and everything would work out. I was trying to will it to happen I guess.

We arrived back home and I was feeling pretty low by then and I saw a white piece of paper sticking out from our front storm door. I went over and pulled it out and it was a note from a man that we had never met but a mutual friend had told him about our tractor and bush hog for sale and he had come by that very day and said in the note that he was very interested and for us to call him.

We called and the man came back out and bought that tractor and bush hog and we got caught up on our house payments. I let our doubting child in on all of this development and just smiled like I knew it all along and pretended that I was never in doubt about it.

So, when you are feeling low, doubting the power of the good Lord, and have a doubting Thomas in your life, just put your face full force into your blessings and take in a deep breath as the little girl in the picture is doing. You will be amazed at the power of believing and trusting in God to work all things out in His way and His timing.

We make a choice each day and I say, CHOOSE JOY!