26 Weeks Letter Challenge: G

Week seven of the 26 Weeks Letter Challenge, where I'll post photographs of things that begin with that week's letter. Feel free to play along in the comments or on your own blog. It's a great way to use some of those pictures taking up space in your computer.

G is for:

Grandparenting

Games (this is only part of our game closet!)

Giggles

Garbage day

Have a great week!

Linda

Share Your World - 2016 Week 10

What would you ask for if a genie granted you three wishes?
1. For every person on the planet to accept Jesus as their Savior and to lovingly live their lives as an expression of gratitude for the abundant life He gives.
2. No more death or sorrow.
3. Perfect health for everyone.

Of course, all these things will be reality in God's kingdom on earth when Christ returns. I don't need a genie when I have a God who is faithful to His promises.

What experiences are most meaningful for you?
Those shared with someone I love. Doesn't have to be a big event or a planned out activity as long as I can do it with a loved one. I enjoy experiences that stretch me. Not daredevil kinds of things, but stretch my spirit or make me look at things in a way I hadn't considered. Soul stretching experiences are my favorites.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a teacher. I think it's because of my love of school supplies and children. But I never finished my education to accomplish this and that's probably a good thing. I've found I'm not as patient as I'd need to be in a classroom. My love of office/school supplies has translated into my love of writing, which is much more suited to my personality. And my love for children has been fulfilled in my own children and grandchildren.

Complete this sentence: The best day of my life was…

The day I gave my heart to Jesus. I was eleven years old and didn't know much. But I knew I loved Jesus and that He could make a difference in my life. That was enough. I've never once regretted it.

Bonus questions: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to next week?
I'm super grateful that our renters found a new place to live so the house will be free for my daughter and her family to move into in a couple weeks. I'm looking forward to getting a haircut next Wednesday at a new salon. Should be fun!

Do any of these questions resonate with you? Share your own answer in the comments!

Linda

Me Monday - Prayerfully Paying Bills

It's Me Monday, and I wanted to tell you about how I pay bills. I mean, it's not earth-shaking or anything, but it may include one element some folks leave out.

Whenever I sit down at my computer to do my online bill paying, I pull up my bank account and check the balance. Either it looks good or it doesn't. It might cover all that we owe or not. Regardless, I pray.

My husband is self employed in the computer consultant business. He works super hard and is better than anyone I know at drumming up business without ever spending a cent on advertising. But sometimes customers don't pay for his services in a timely fashion. We have to wait for payments. Sometimes they come in before bills come due and sometimes they don't When the account is low, barely meeting our financial responsibilities, I pray for God's provision. I speak to God about our trust in Him and that I know He cares for us. I ask for increased faith that will allow my husband and I not to worry about money, because that's not where our true treasure is. I tell God that I know he sees our needs and we trust Him to provide at the perfect time.

You know what? He has never once failed us. Just about the time we think we're going to have to pay a bill late or borrow some money, God comes through in spades. We receive an unexpected check. We get that late payment from a customer. Or we get a notice in the mail that our account was incorrectly billed and we don't owe as much as we were originally billed. God really does care about the details of our (and your!) finances.

When our account has more than enough to pay the bills, I thank Him. I reflect on the times we didn't have enough and God's faithfulness to us even then. I thank Him for always providing and loving us, showing us what a good, loving Father He is. I ask Him what He would like us to do with the extra money He lavished on us. It's a great time of thanksgiving and worship.

You can truly worship even when you pay bills. That includes paying your taxes or any other task you might find less than appealing. Any time you focus on God and communicate with Him through prayer, you're worshipping.

I just finished a bill-paying worship service this morning. This month it was a time of thankfulness for all He's given us. I don't know what next month holds, but I know God's provision will be enough.

Linda

My Volunteer Work

Happy Me Monday! I thought I'd share with you what I do every Monday morning from 8:30 to 1:00. I volunteer at the Choices Pregnancy Center in answer to the call God placed in my heart last August. You can read about that here.

I finished my training and have been a peer counselor to women for almost three months now. When I'm there, I feel like I'm right where God wants me to be. I'm doing something that makes a difference and helps women who are at a pivotal point in their lives.

Many of the gals who come in just want verification of their home pregnancy test. They're happy to be pregnant and look forward to parenting. For others, news of a pregnancy isn't good. They may be in school, unmarried, financially strapped, or in a bad relationship. We offer them support and educate them in their three choices: parenting, abortion, or adoption.

Parenting
Some women want to parent their child, if only their circumstances were different. They don't like the idea of losing their baby to adoption or abortion. CPC connects them to resources that can help them financially and support them emotionally. Our center also provides Earn While You Learn classes that allow women and one other person who attends with them to earn baby bucks to spend in our baby boutique. They can each earn up to four baby bucks every time they come to class, while learning about pregnancy and parenting skills. The baby boutique contains brand new baby clothes, diapers, blankets, and lots of other things moms will need for their babies. This is one of many ways CPC supports women who want to parent their babies.

Abortion
CPC cares about the health, safety, and well-being of women. Because of this, we educate women about abortion procedures and risks, both short and long-term. Pregnancy is a big deal to women. If it weren't, the decisions associated with it wouldn't be so hard. That's why it's important women receive all the information about all their choices. They deserve to know the truth. Abortion isn't a quick and easy procedure with no emotional effects. The trauma that accompanies it is real, as most post-abortive women will attest to. We support whatever decision women make, including abortion. But at least they know that we told them the truth. We also offer post-abortive classes for women who choose abortion, to help them in their recovery process.

Adoption
There are lots of outdated ideas about adoption still floating around out there. The truth is, it's just another positive way to provide for your baby. The birth mother can call the shots in how open or closed they want the adoption to be and how much contact they want to have with their baby in the future. CPC provides women with referrals to adoption agencies and supports them emotionally through this difficult decision.

Most of all, CPC offers a non-judgmental listening ear to women and helps them work through the pros and cons of their pregnancy choices. There are even male mentors available to chat with the fathers of the babies. It's a caring, supportive environment where parents can come regardless of their plans for their pregnancy. We pray they'll feel safe, loved, and more informed because they came.

I'll be walking in the CPC Walk for Life in April. If you'd like to sponsor me with a one-time tax deductible donation, please click here. Thanks!

So that's my Monday work. I absolutely love it and the women I talk to. I love supporting them and sharing Christ with them when opportunities arise. Because that's where true hope and healing begins.

Linda

Share Your World - 2016 Week 1

In response to Cee's Photography Share Your World Challenge, which I should have begun in January, but am starting five weeks into the new year. Oh, well.

Me and Marsha, 1962

As a child, who was your favorite relative?

My favorite relative was, and still is, my older sister, Marsha. She was my best friend, playmate, confidante, and fellow dreamer. Nothing has changed except that we live in different houses now almost a half hour apart.

Me and Marsha, 2007

If you could be a tree or plant, what would you be?

I would be a rose bush. They come in so many different colors and the petals are so velvety soft. Their fragrance is sweet and lush and their thorns keep most people at arms length, except those who really love them. Roses, by their colors, represent different relationships, which is what I love most in life. yellow=friendship; red=love; white=marriage. I have a rose garden in my back yard.

What would be your preference, awake before dawn or awake before noon?

I'd much rather be awake before dawn when the house is quiet and no one else is up. I'm not a late night person, so the day seems too short if I get up late. Actually, I like to think of myself as a middle of the day person, since I'm not terribly friendly first thing in the morning or late at night. Leave me alone until after I've had my coffee, please.

Would you like to sleep in a human size nest in a tree or be snuggled in a burrowed spot underground?

I'd definitely rather sleep in a human size nest in a tree because I'm terribly claustrophobic. That's something new I learned about myself in the last year or two. Thank you, MRI. And doesn't sleeping in a nest just sound dreamy and cozy? Hold the worms for breakfast.

Bonus question (which is always the same): What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? Because we all need to be reminded that there are many things in our lives to be grateful about.

I'm grateful for a life I love to come back to after a vacation. It's nice to get away, but it's equally nice to get back to my routine and regular life. I'm looking forward to my volunteer work at Choices Pregnancy Center where I am a peer counselor. I talk one-on-one with women who come in for a free pregnancy test or to get information about their options if they are pregnant. It's an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them by just listening without judging, educating them about pregnancy, abortion, adoption, and parenting, and supporting them through a potentially difficult time in their lives regardless of what choice they make.

Linda

I Love Rocking Babies to Sleep

Having recently returning from a trip to visit my seven grandchildren aged fifteen months to fourteen years, I'm having a bit of withdrawal from holding little ones. One of my favorite things on earth is to hold a baby, swaying, rocking, singing, until he falls asleep.

The softness of his tiny body curved against mine, his milky breath on my neck as he nestles on my shoulder is intoxicating. I stroke his downy hair, listen for his rhythmic breathing, feel his muscles relax. Ahhh. There's nothing like it.

My grandson, Henry, 15 mo.

The next best thing is reading a child to sleep. There's something so soothing about falling asleep with a good story in your head sitting on the lap of someone who adores you. I remember it well from my childhood. I got the chance to enjoy that with my littlest grandchildren, too.

Me reading grandson, Solomon, 2 1/2, to sleep.
 

Apparently, I have "the touch." Or maybe I'm just that boring. But either way, I'll take it, because I'll gladly hold a little one as their eyes grow heavy and they drift off into slumberland. It's definitely high on my list of favorites.

Happy Me Monday!

Linda

My Book Lists

I thought I'd tell you about my favorite book I read last year, but when I went back to my book list (yes, I really keep a list of all the books I read), I found I'd only read ten books last year. Ten. Looking back, I see I usually average about twice that. Sigh.

But it got me thinking maybe you'd like to know about my book lists and why I keep them.

I started keeping a list of the books I read back in 1999. I keep my lists in a spiral journal and at the start of each new year, I put the year at the top of the next clean page and write "1." on the left side of the first line in anticipation of completing my first book of the year. Usually, I'm part-way through a book when one year ends and another begins, so I likely already know what the first entry will be.

Each entry contains the title of the book and its author. That's it. Nothing fancy.

Why do I keep such a list? That's a good question. I somehow find comfort in it. I like seeing what I've read. And when I go back and look at what I read in a particular year, it spurs memories of what I was doing while I read that book. I suppose it's a journal of sorts. Some books I read while on vacation and I remember where I was and how relaxed I felt. Others I read during difficult times in my life and I'm able to see that period of life in a different light now than perhaps I could then. If someone asks me if I've read a particular book and I'm not sure, and I can go back and check. Or, if I want to recommend a book to someone and I can't remember the exact title or author, I have record of it and can give accurate information.

I know, I'm weird. But that's okay. I bet you are, too, in your own special way.

So, tell me, do you keep a book list? Or do you have another quirky thing about you that you'd like to share in the comments?

Happy Monday!

Linda

I Collect Nativities

Happy Me Monday! Something you probably don't know is that I collect nativities. I don't have a bunch of them, but I do love the ones I have. Several of them were given to me. Here are pictures of some of my favorites.

Southwestern Nativity - This was giving to by my friend, Donna. I love how different it is from any others I have. I also love the detail and that the drummer boy is playing a tom-tom. Living in Arizona, it's perfect for my southwestern culture.

Traditional Ceramic - This was my first nativity and I've put it out for over thirty years. I love the soft colors and the sweet faces of the holy family.

Olive Wood - This nativity is special to me because my parents brought it back to me from the Holy Land. Sadly, some of the pieces have been lost through the years. But I still put it out because it comes from the actual birthplace of our Savior.

Cloth nativity - This one doesn't live at my house any more, but it did for many years while my children were growing up. My mom made it for them and now my grandchildren enjoy it at my daughter's house. They can play with the figures without fear of breaking them.

Newest addition - I was given this simple nativity this year, again by my friend, Donna. Isn't it beautiful?

While I was writing this blog, my daughter texted me a picture of my only granddaughter, Lillian, in her new Christmas dress. I just had to include it in this post because I've never seen a Christmas dress quite like it. So this isn't really part of my nativity collection, but it's a great excuse to show off my darling five-year-old granddaughter. :) Don't you think?

I'd love to see pictures of any nativity sets you put up at Christmas. Won't you share them in the comments?

Linda

I Love Dishes

This is a quirky little thing that I share with you this Me Monday, but I love dishes. Not just any dishes, but the glass kind, especially vintage stuff. I love teacups and saucers, old china, crystal, and any other pretty glassware. I love the idea of setting a beautiful table, even though I seldom do. 

I have a large Amish hutch full of my favorite china that I bought with money my grandma gave me years ago before she died with instructions to buy something for myself. I couldn't imagine what I'd buy. But then my husband, who often knows me better than I know myself, said, "What about that china you've been eyeing?" Is it any wonder I love that man? So I went out and bought twelve place settings of Royal Albert Old Country Roses china and I've loved seeing them in my hutch every day since. No regrets here, except maybe that I didn't buy a few more of the serving pieces to go with it.

So today I'm taking you on a tour of my china hutch and some of my favorite pieces it holds. I hope you love them as much as I do.

My Royal Albert Old Country Roses

My grandma's dessert dishes.

My mother-in-law's glasses.

My grandma's party platter set.

Cup and saucer my sister brought me from England.

My happy holiday salt and pepper shakers.

So there you have it. A mini tour of a few of my favorite things. I like to think all my dishes are as happy living in my china hutch as those salt and pepper shakers. And those of us living outside the hutch? We're pretty happy too. And keeping in mind that these beautiful things that I love so much are exactly that. Things. They do not hold my heart and every single one is replaceable. I like to hold things loosely, so if they get lost, broken, burned or stolen, I won't be heartbroken. My heart belongs to God, who can't ever be lost, broken, burned or stolen. And He certainly can't be replaced. A heart properly placed is priceless.

What are some things you love? How tightly or loosely do you hold them? Share a picture in the comments.

Linda

I Love Roses

It's Me Monday (again?) and I must tell you that I love roses. How much do I love roses? Well, my youngest daughter's middle name is Rose if that gives you a clue. Now, most girls love to get roses from their sweethearts. I do, too. But what I love even more is my own rose garden. Growing my own roses is something I've come to love as much as receiving a whole bouquet of them. As a matter of fact, when we buy a house, one of the first things I like to do is plant roses because it really doesn't feel like home without them. And if the house already has a rose garden? Well, that's just a sign that it's probably the right house for us. :)

Back yard rose garden

Roses from my garden

We've lived in our current house for fifteen years now. But when we first moved in there was no landscaping whatsoever because it was a brand new house. Over time we added trees, grass, and all those things that make a house look nice. But the rose garden was still missing. So for Mother's Day, my husband got me a rose garden. (I know. He's the best, right?) I picked out a rose bush for each child and grandchild, seven bushes in all. I cared for them with all the love I had for the people they represented.

Over the years, I've had to replace a few bushes that didn't do well, but I love that garden. I delight in going out on a beautiful Arizona morning and cutting flowers from my bushes to bring inside. The picture on the left is one of the many bouquets I've made from my rose bushes.

I also love cutting my roses and taking them to cheer people up. They love the flowers, but even more than that, they love that they came from my own garden.

Front yard climbing rose

Do you have a certain flower you love? Do you grow them? Tell me about it in the comments. And have a great Monday!

Linda

We're Do-It-Yourselfers

Honestly, I'm not that much of a do-it-yourselfer. But my husband, Rollin, is a huge DIYer. And so I am too, by default. And I've actually learned to enjoy it. Sort of.

We have two rental houses and much of our DIY efforts have gone into them. But recently I started whining about when are we going to do some projects at our own house? My joy wore thin at working on remodels and reflooring and painting our rental houses and then someone else enjoying the fruit of our labor. The only good thing about it was that I didn't have to live in the mess while we worked.

Carpet torn out awaiting new flooring.

So in the last few months, we started doing some of our own projects on our almost fifteen-year-old home. The main project, the one we're still working on, is pulling out all the carpet and replacing it with vinyl planking. If you're not familiar with what that is, it looks like a wood floor, but is really a vinyl product, making it a snap to take care of. We had put it in one of our rentals and loved it. It's also very pet friendly, which is nice.

Kobi and I "helping" Rollin lay
the flooring on our stairs.
Doesn't it look nice?

So far, we've finished the living room, our 19-year-old daughter's two-room living suite (otherwise known as an in-law suite but since our in-laws don't live there...), the stairs, and the upstairs hallway. We still need to install the trim around the edges on the stairs. Besides that, all that's left is the loft and four upstairs bedrooms.

Rollin and I have laid enough of this stuff that we've gotten it down to a science. We can lay a room fairly quickly. It's the prep work like removing the carpet, scraping off the glue that held the carpet padding down, taking off baseboards, repainting baseboards, and sweeping the concrete floor that take a lot of time. But when we get that done and start laying the flooring, it flies. Unless we decide to paint the walls while we're at it, which is what happened in the living room and our daughter's room. But I digress...

For not being much of a DIYer, I think I've done pretty good at adjusting to all these projects. And I've learned a lot of things from my dear husband. But more than that, we've enjoyed working together and seeing the beautiful changes our work produces, not only in our houses, but in our character. There's a certain bonding that happens as we work side-by-side, sharing frustrations, successes, and milk shake rewards for a good day's work. As a certain credit card commercial would say, "Priceless."

Finished floor in our living room.

Are you a DIY type or would you rather pay to have work done? Let me hear from you in the comments. 

Linda

My Sister, My Friend

Happy Me Monday! Last week I wrote about my older brother and told you I am the youngest of three children. So this week I thought I'd give equal time to my sister, Marsha.

Marsha is two-and-a-half years older than me and has been my best friend, playmate, and fellow dreamer since my birth. When we were young, my mom made all our clothes and we often had matching dresses, which we loved. Some people thought we were twins, and some still do to this day. We look a lot alike. So alike, in fact, that sometimes when I look through family pictures I have to look closely to see if the person pictured is me or her. Weird.

Linda and Marsha

Anyway, the thing Marsha and I have always been best at is laughing. Sure, we have other talents like writing and falling down, but the thing we've consistently been good at throughout our lives is laughing, usually at nothing. As children, my dad would get exasperated with us at supper as we giggled non-stop. He used his fork to tap our plates to try to get us to straighten up. Nothing doing. We simply couldn't stop. Or we'd stop long enough to put a bite of food in our mouths and explode into laughter again, spitting food across the table. I can't even imagine how the rest of the family stood us.

To this day, our mother gets nervous when we sit together in church. Who knows what could happen? We're especially dangerous during quiet moments of meditation or communion services. Why is everything so blasted funny in serious moments? But I don't think God minds. I thing he has a great sense of humor and loves to see His kids laughing, even at the communion table.

Marsha and I have a special propensity for falling down. I remember one of the times I fell as an older child, maybe twelve or thirteen. I had just put on my PJs and ran down the hallway of our home. Somehow, my feet got entangled in my nightgown and down I went. I laughed so hard I couldn't get up for a few minutes. Thus began our career of falling, which we've excelled at more and more as we've hit middle age. I'd post pictures, but they're a bit too graphic.

The other thing Marsha and I have in common (besides our entire introverted personalities), is that we're both published writers. Just search Amazon under Marsha Crockett and you'll see her awesome books. She writes grown-up, thought-provoking, Christian nonfiction books. I write frivolous, funny, light-hearted kids books. But we both do it for the glory of God, which is one of the things I love most about God. He lets us be ourselves as we serve Him.

So that's a glimpse of my sister and me. She is one of my life's greatest, sweetest, funnest (is that a word?) blessings and I'm forever thankful to God that He put us together.

Do you have a sister? Tell me about her in the comments. 

Linda

I Have an Older Brother

It's Me Monday, where I share a little about myself and I hope you do, too. I like to think of it as a "getting acquainted" day. I'll go first. Then you share about yourself in the comments.

I'm the youngest, the baby, of three children in my family of origin. These days, that makes me a fifty-six-year-old baby. And those cute rolls on my arms and legs are starting to come back.

Steve and me

My oldest sibling is my brother, Steve, who lives in Florida with his wife. He also has a step-daughter there in Florida and a daughter who lives not too far from me in Arizona. Emotionally, Steve and I are close now that we're adults. But growing up, that was not the case. With him being five years older, I always thought he was way cooler than I was. I'm pretty sure he thought the same. We didn't have much in common other than our family and church. Our interests may as well have been from different planets. I liked dolls, stuffed animals, roller skates, and books. He liked sports and building model cars and airplanes. Beyond that I have no idea what else he liked because, like I said, we weren't terribly close.

I remember once when I was probably in first grade I cried to my mom about, "Why doesn't Steve like me?" I have no idea what prompted the emotional scene. My mom hugged me and assured me Steve loved me. She went on to say that if someone ever picked on me, Steve would be right there to stick up for me. I have no idea if that was true since the situation never presented itself, but it changed my perspective. Steve wasn't my playmate. He was my protector.

That made all the difference for me. From that day on, in the back of my mind was always the thought that Steve cared for me. He'd be there for me. He even loved me in his own stoic way, or at least that's what I liked to think. And it seems I was right.

Now, living in different states, we call each other every year on our birthdays. Our interests are more alike. We love our families and want to hear updates about each member. We both like to travel a bit and talk about our vacations. We both own homes and enjoy discussing our latest home improvement or maintenance projects. I fill him in on our mom, who lives near me, and how she's doing. And at the close of every phone call, we end with an exchange of heartfelt "I love yous." The same is true when one of us visits. We greet each other with hugs and kisses and then say good-bye the same way, only with tears in our eyes. Isn't it funny how life changes things?

I'm thankful for my big brother. He's still my protector in many ways. When our dad died ten years ago, Steve was in town and delivered the sad news to me. I went immediately to meet them at the hospice where Dad still laid. Steve urged me not to go in to see him because he didn't look good. I didn't listen, saying I didn't care. I just needed to see him once more. Steve silently nodded, understanding my heart. As I stood by Dad's bed, it was Steve who came to me a few minutes later to put his arm around me and gently lead me back out of the room, my final good-bye complete.

He was there for me, caring for and protecting me, just like our mom said he would be.

Do you have a brother? What role does he play in your life? Are you closer now or when you were kids?

Linda

I Am Late With This Post

Happy Me Monday, where I share a little bit about myself. What you need to know about me this week is that I'm late with posting this because I didn't have time to write anything prior to right now. Mind you, it's three o'clock in the afternoon here in sunny Arizona and I usually schedule my posts to come out at five in the morning. But I just didn't have time.

Well, that's not entirely true. I just didn't have the functioning brain cells needed to write when I actually had the time. I only had enough to troll Facebook and watch mindless TV. So that's what I did.

Over the weekend my husband turned 61 and my former youth leaders turned 80. We celebrated both as much as we could. We also saw a couple movies, laid some new flooring in my daughter's room, went to church, taught a Sunday school class, and sang on the worship team. Then we went to a meeting after church about how our church can reach out to our community better and be more visitor friendly. We had lunch with church friends after the meeting and went home to take a nap. Got up in time to watch the lunar supermoon eclipse with friends, then played cards afterwards.

It was a busy weekend and I loved every minute of it. But there was no writing time. And the previous week was about as hectic.

So there's my story and I'm sticking to it. No apology though, because I never want this writing gig to get in the way of actually living. I spent time with those I love and celebrated their lives. I took care of myself by getting some much needed rest. Isn't that what the Sabbath is all about?

So that's a little bit about me today. I'm late. Who cares? I'm choosing not to go crazy over it.

I hope you'll grant yourself a little grace, too, when things get hectic and you don't accomplish all you set out to do. It's OK. Breathe. Let it go. The world is still turning and God is in control. Isn't that a relief?

Linda

I Struggle With My Weight

It's time for another Me Monday and I'm about to share something with you that you may or may not know about me.

I struggle with my weight.

The hubs and me at our favorite Mexican food
 restaurant earlier this month.

I didn't have this problem the first 45 years of my life. Even after birthing three children I was relatively slim and trim and never really understood what the big deal was. But then came menopause. Hot flashes, sleepless nights, night sweats, and lo and behold, slower metabolism. I've read that most women put on weight at this age because suddenly they need to eat less. Who knew?

I'll make no excuses for the weight gain. I like food. It tastes good. And it doesn't seem fair that my husband, though he's five years older than me, is still able to eat the same and stay trim. What a raw deal.

Anyway, I'm betting there are more than a few other gals out there who relate. What to do? I've made some healthy changes in my eating. I really have. But the weight stays. Honestly, I don't even care. I feel healthy. I can't even say I feel fat. As my sister once said, "I think I have the opposite of anorexia. I look in the mirror and always think, 'I look great!'" Somehow, I don't think that's a bad thing.

I'm adjusting to this new normal of being a middle-aged woman with a few excess pounds. I don't mind looking like a grandma because I am one, and am proud of it. And my gray hair? Don't even think about covering that. It's my crowning glory. When I look into the mirror and see a few new lines, I smile and make them show up even more, because they're proof that I've lived. I'm wiser, happier, more comfortable in my own skin than ever before.

So maybe I don't struggle with my weight so much as I do with a society that tells me I should be slim and trim even at age 55. Some can do that with ease. Others can't. But either way, let's be thankful for these bodies God blessed us with. Whatever they look like through life's stages.

Linda