Solid Food

I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.—Psalm 119:131

One of the delights of being a grandmother is seeing all the changes in my precious granddaughter Addie.  Recently Addie began eating solid foods—well, pureed foods.  Her mother Tara prepares good, wholesome meals for her six month-old, starting with fresh, nutritious foods, like squash, carrots, and apples.  She cooks them till they are palatable and then purees them till they are of a safe consistency for Addie.  The other day I was honored with the pleasure of feeding Addie.  But first I had to situate her in her seat, snap a bib around her neck, and stir the heated food. All the while, Addie eyed the food and wriggled in her seat.  As I spooned the mixture, she opened her mouth and uttered a sound. And so the feeding frenzy ensued.  As soon as she swallowed one spoonful, her mouth was open and panting for the next, longing for more of her delicious meal.

Battle Scars

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”—Luke 10:27

It’s been 10 days and they’re still there.  Battle scars, I call them.  One on each wrist.  I had received a call for help from a friend, but before I set out to assist, I checked the oil in my Jeep. The “Add” warning was clearly visible on the dipstick, so I went to the shed to retrieve a quart (or two!) of oil. I reached into the box and searing pain shot into my right wrist.  I cried aloud, as several angry wasps swarmed around me, one becoming entangled in my hair.  I swatted it away, and a second dose of pain shot through my left wrist.  Again I cried aloud and left the shed as quickly as I could before the fury escalated.

I made my way to the house without sustaining another blow and whipped up a remedy of baking soda and water.  I applied the paste to both wrists, and then poured both quarts of oil in the Jeep—enough to register in the “Safe” zone on the dipstick—and was on my way.

Keep a Look Out!

I just stumbled upon a new hobby, inspired by a product I saw in an eclectic shop.  Framed photos of objects that resemble letters of the alphabet are strung together at the customer’s choice to spell a word or sentence.  Way cool!  I figured I could take my own pictures and come up with some creations.  Now I’m obsessed--to the point of embarrassing my daughter.  “Oh, no, Mom, not here!  There are too many people around!” 

Did that stop me?  Not at all.  It’s too much fun!

Has one of your friends ever purchased a new car—a model that you weren’t familiar with—and right thereafter you see oodles of them on the highway?  Why is that?  Because now you’ve been “introduced” to the car, so you recognize it.  You may even look for it.  That’s the way it is with this hobby I’ve been introduced to.  I can’t stop looking at objects and recognizing letters!  A ladder resembles the letter “A,” a stick pin looks like an “i,” and a street sign makes a great “T.”

It works that way with God.  If you’ve been “introduced” to Him, you will recognize Him in your everyday life—at home, at work, at play.  You may even look for Him.  That’s the premise of my upcoming devotion series iSights.  Look for it to hit the shelves—or your iPad—in the near future.  Meanwhile, keep a look out for Him.

Fit 4 Service

Have you heard of Fit-to-Fat-to-Fit (aka Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit), an experiment by fitness instructor Drew Manning who wanted to relate to his clients' struggles to lose weight?  According to The Blaze, Manning gave up exercise and ate unhealthy food from May to November 2011 to gain 70 pounds on purpose.  Now back at his original weight, Manning describes how difficult it was to get back into a fitness routine to take off the excess pounds.

I could’ve saved Manning a lot of trouble, if he’d have just asked me about it.  I know how difficult it is! Two years ago I began a healthy-living group at my church.  Over this two-year period I shed 20 pounds through eating healthy and incorporating daily physical activity.  Straying from my healthy lifestyle for the past few months due to emotional issues put me right back where I started two years ago.  Getting back into the fitness routine seems even harder this time around.