Thoughts on Christmas Day. . .

My little guys at the daycare are sometimes great faith illustrations in action. Tuesday was one of those days. For Christmas, my co-teacher got them all little toy airplanes. They were wooden ones, like the ones you'd get forty years ago. There were no nails keeping them together, just glue. The kids loved them. They flew them around the room with big smiles on their faces. Those little airplanes were great gifts. But, it didn't last. It wasn't long before those little airplanes were used as drums on the table. The airplane crashed to pieces. There were tears and some confusion as to why the toy was broken. There was no way for these little guys to fix them, either. I mean, sure, they could hold them together, but even that didn't work so well, and it didn't fix the problem. It merely covered it up. This great and wonderful gift given to them was gone and there was no way for them to get it back. My co-teacher, picked up the pieces and the two of us worked on putting it back together during their nap time. By the end of nap, the toys were as good as new. The gift was whole again.

This is much like Christmas. God gave Adam and Eve in the garden a wonderful gift. They loved it. They enjoyed it. But it didn't take long for them to break it. They tried to cover it up but that didn't work. The damage was done and there was nothing they could do to fix it. They could try to hold it together and act like they were being good, but that merely covered up the problem. This great and wonderful gift that God had given them was gone and there was nothing they could do to get it back. However, God in His mercy sent His Son to be born in a stable and laid in a feed trough on Christmas day. His Son was sent to die on the cross for the forgiveness of sins- our sins- so that what we broke would be made new again. Our gift, life eternal with God, is whole again in Christ Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Getting Healthy and Detoxing

I decided about two months ago that I was going to lose weight and get healthy again. I let very few people know what I was doing at first. If I fell off the wagon, I didn't need everyone knowing about my failure. I have kept it up now for almost two months. It's something worth bragging about. It is steady but slow progress. I have been doing step aerobics daily to help burn calories and some of that excess energy that I naturally have from having an anxiety disorder. So far, it has been working great! I feel like I have more energy, but the good kind. The kind that isn't so nervous that I can't stop shaking. It's the kind that helps me get the things done that I need to get done and then it shuts off, allowing me to rest, relax, and eventually sleep.

Ah, that's heavenly, too! I am beginning to fall asleep without the aid of medication. This was a scary road at first. It was full of good intentions and failed attempts. I tried many times to go without the meds and found myself tossing and turning and keeping my dh awake. For a while, I was resigned to the fact that I was going to be stuck on that stuff forever. However, with this new positive energy my workouts seem to be giving me, I am able to relax and I even start to get tired in the evening now. I also seem to be craving healthier foods. I find myself thinking of food choices in terms of protien, vitamins, fiber, and the like. I am not just eating to fill up anymore either. My choices are based on what I am doing in the day and what I could benefit from the most. For example, I tend to enjoy a heavy protein, light carbohydrate breakfast in the morning because I work out before I go to work because I know that I am going to need to support my muscles after my workout. I have also increased my water intake, which seems to have helped keep me healthy (until tonight- I lost my voice!) and allowed me to lessen up on the headache medicines I seem to need about once a week (motrin, tylenol, etc).

I have also killed the caffiene pretty much out of my diet. This has also gone a long way in helping me get rid of the sleep medication. The energy in me is the right kind. I know my dh has noticed. He comments that he gets a little worried that I am not more worried! Odd as that sounds, I think it's a good thing!