LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING

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  Do something that makes your heart beat faster every day. Give the dog a bite of your sandwich. Play air guitar-rock 'n roll air guitar. Don't underestimate the power of a crayon. Wear pajamas out for the evening. Forgive yourself. Drive with the top down. Radio up. Laughing with friends.

I received this book as a gift from my girlfriend, Linda, right before I graduated. It was meant to encourage me to start living AGAIN. I am sure that many of you have been there...gone through a separation, gone through a reconciliation, gone through a divorce and the drama continued. In fact, I can relate to the metaphor in the book about too many stop signs. It appeared like every road that I traveled, I saw a STOP sign.

For three years, life slipped passed me. I worked two jobs to support myself and went to school full-time to create financial stability for myself. There were times that months went by before I saw my parents. It was not a good situation. I do not wish this on anyone but I know that many of YOU understand me because of your personal experiences.

Readers, I am happy to report that today, I take time to enjoy life. I am not a thrill seeker but I enjoy life. I even appreciate the struggles that I have gone through because they built character within me. Also, I was given an opportunity to see if I trusted in GOD and believed his Word.

TODAY, I LIVE LIKE I AM DYING because I understand

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.he leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I fear no evil;for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.- Psalm 23: 1-4

Try the book, it includes a CD single and is foreword by Tim McGraw!!!!! Tim McGraw is a country singer that I enjoy listening to. He and his wife, Faith Hill are also admired by many because of their commitment to each other. Even in marriage, live like you are dying because TOMORROW isn't PROMISED.

BEAUTY IS WITHIN!!!!

I LOVE this movie. I saw it last week with my friend. How sad that outer beauty is such an issue with MOST men and SOME women. Yep, that right....men are visible beings and women are relational beings. What happen to looking for character and a person who loves Christ?

This is a great movie to watch because you get to see of your own prejudices about dating. We all have preferences. However, do we look in the mirror at ourselves and do we measure up to what we are looking for? As Dr.Henry Cloud, a christian author states in his book, " HOW TO GET A DATE WORTH KEEPING, " while you might be attracted to someone's "outsides," what you will experience over the long haul is their "insides." I could not have said this any better.

SYNOPSIS: This movie, Shallow Hal, is about a shallow man who falls in love with a 300 pound woman because of her "inner beauty". Following the advice of his dying father, Hal dates only women who are physically beautiful. One day, however, he runs into self-help guru Tony Robbins, who hypnotizes him into recognizing only the inner beauty of women. Hal thereafter meets Rosemary, a grossly obese woman whom only he can see as a vision of loveliness. But will their relationship survive when Hal's equally shallow friend undoes the hypnosis? ( IMDB.com)

INTERVAL WALKING

If you have a problem with losing weight, give this suggestion a try. It is mainly for those who want to lose 20 pounds or less. It's simple to do. Just start off walking at a slow pace for about three minutes then walk briskly for one minute. Do this repeatedly for about 20 to 30 minutes while increasing your pace. Walking at a moderate to high intensity pace is INTERVAL WALKING.

I saw this program this summer on CNN and shared it with a friend. Now, he is doing interval walking and he has lost about 10 pounds in a month. Not to mention, that he is eating healthier and his energy level is much higher.

TIP from PREVENTION magazine :

Walking, running, bicycling are all great aerobic exercises that burn fat. But if you want to boost your calorie burn all day long, experts agree that training with weights two to three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes .

A YOUNG READER WITH HIGH POTENTIAL

So vividly, I can remember Gabe from the public library. He was that little boy that checked out tons of books every week. A day rarely went by and he was not seen at the library. He was an avid reader which is something that I enjoyed seeing from a young student. If there were any new books at the library, he was sure to find them. In fact, take them all if his mother allowed it. I am sure that he read all of our paperback juvenile books on Captain Underpants and then some from other First Regional Branches.

Any programs that we had at the library...it was not a question of whether Gabe was attending. He was faithful. He particpated as much as possible...winning barnes and nobles certificates and much more.

This week, his mom, Eva informed me that she is taking him to Washington, DC next month to the National Book Festival.

GABE'S POEM

Here's a little poem he wrote the other day about his cat, Felix...


Felix's Thoughts

Have you ever sat and wondered
While looking in Felix's eyes
What could he be thinking?

It wouldn't be a surprise.
He's probably thinking about birds and butterflies!
I know he's thinking about lizards
I see it in his eyes
No scientist could see
even with all his science stuff
how Felix knows so much more than we think he knows.
So as I sit here looking in his eyes
What he's probably thinking is no surprise!

TALKING INTIMATELY TO GOD

At one point in my life, I found myself praying to God when ONLY things were not going well. It seemed like I constantly was in the peaks and valleys. There was no letup. I needed to talk to God about what was going on. I needed him to release me of my struggles. Sad to say, it was all about ME. I failed to pray in the spirit and according to HIS WILL . This book, "How to Pray," by R.A. Torrey was on the shelf at LifeWay Christian Store waiting for me. It revealed a lot to me about praying.

My realization mostly came after I started to feed myself the word more and allowed God's spirit to re-direct my thinking. Prayer was not about my NEEDS and WANTS. Prayer is about the grace and mercy that God has shown to us. It is a time to talk intimately to your Father about how thankful you are for him. Give him GLORY. Give him PRAISE.

Just like our earthly father want to hear from us that we love him so does God. Take some time out of your busy schedule and talk intimately to God.

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE

GOOD NEWS!!!!!



This week, I received a letter stating that I was accepted into the library science graduate program at the University of Wisconsin. I will start the Spring of 2009. I will be done completely online. I am so excited because it has been a long journey to this point. I finally got my bachelors which took forever. But, thank God for holding on to me and for giving me the strength to push through.

http://www4.uwm.edu/

HEALTHY EATING!

Over the last 5 years, I have gained 30 lbs because I eat what I want. I joined the gym in Senatobia but I am not consistent with going. Last semester, I was going every night after work and I could see the change in my body and I had more energy. I was using the treadmill for 45 minutes and doing about 20 minutes of toning and strengthening. But, something happened and I got off that routine. I have to do something because I cannot wear over half of my wardrobe in my closet. You would think that this would motivate me but I am still slowly gaining weight. Last week, I started again trying to eat better. I read somewhere that 90% of weight loss is changing your eating habit and only 10% is exercising. However, I will continue exercising because I enjoy riding my bike. Hopefully, I will continue to shed off these hips and thighs.

Two weeks again, I was invited to a Saladmasters party. I was suprised with how good the food tasted. The cookware is unbelieveably. We had fried chicken which was not cooked in oil. We had a delicious cake which was cooked on the stovetop . We had cabbage, corn and carrots which were all cooked together and the flavor was excellent. The cookware kept all the nurtrients of the food. I wished that I had those thousands of dollars to purchase a set for my mom. She would enjoy it very much.

DECEPTIVELY DELICIOUS EATING FOR KIDS!!

CHOCOLATE CAKE with Beets
CHICKEN NUGGETS with Broccoli
MASHED POTATOES with Cauliflower
BROWNIES with Spinach & Carrot

This summer, I saw a young lady on the Oprah show discussing how to get kids to eat VEGGIES without a fuss. This caught my eye and I listened. On the show, she visited a group of students at a school and feed them mac and cheese with butternut squash and they LOVED it. They could not taste the veggies at all. IT WORKED!!!!

Jessica Seinfeld, wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld and mother of three young children, does this for her family. She puree vegetables and fruits into her meals. The kids are enjoying it without any whining. The pureeing process is simple, she says. First, you peel and chop your vegetable. Then, you toss it into the steamer. Once it's steamed and softened, you throw it in the food processor to puree. Then, when she's ready to cook, she snips off a corner of the plastic bag and adds some into everything she makes.

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/slideshow1_ss_food_20071008_350