School's Out! Part 1

Day 289  Have you ever tried fresh cherries?  Not the sweet ones in the jar, but the real ones?  At my brother's grillout today, my sister convinced me to try them (as she recently discovered them).  Delicious!  I couldn't stop popping them into my mouth!  All these years I've been settling for second best.

Day 290  Why does Super Walmart have over 20 registers and only keep four or five lines open at a time??  Does anyone else get totally frustrated about this?  Today my patience was being tested, and my perspective was challenged when the young guy infront of me was very patient and friendly with the cashier.  It inspired me to change my mood;I chose to pray for him and for the cashier.  It helped.  A little.
Day 291  Choir practice, still trying to reach out to this particular girl.  I must admit I gave up for a while and just gave her space, but tonight I decided to find a way to honestly compliment her. I noticed her toenails were painted a super cute peach color with little white flowers so I threw out the compliment and we talked a little.  One step at a time, right?

Day 292  When I read in our church brochure about an upcoming missions trip to Georgia, I thought, "Why not??"  I've never gone on one before.  Have you?  Today I called the church and left a message requesting more info about the trip.  We'll see if it works out!!

Day 293  Tonight I was visiting some friends in Milwaukee and when I got back to their house from having dinner with a girl friend, several of their friends (who I've never met) were hanging out in the livingroom, relaxing and chatting.  Somehow my passion for worship ministry came up and next thing I knew they were beggin me to sing one of the songs I've written.  Usually I don't like performing "on the spot" but with this new journey of claiming, I found myself saying "sure" and I sang a song I'm working on about Psalm 40.  I shared a little about the psalm and then sang it, and it really seemed to change the direction of the conversation--soon we were all talking about the Lord and how amazing He is.  I guess you never know when God will use you! 

Day 294  Today, as the Maid of Honor for an upcoming wedding, I threw a "Pretty in Pink" bridal shower for the bride.  None of the bridesmaids could come, so I did almost everything by myself, which you know is quite stressful if you've ever helped with a shower before!  I finally had to let go of my stress and frustrated mood--I didn't want it to ruin my day.  So, I chose to do something about it instead of giving in to it.  I grabbed some worship cd's from my car and blasted the music while I decorated.  It took a lot of work to try to pray and thank the Lord, but I tried.  Even just singing along helped.  Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness!

Day 295  A new friend from choir was having a grill-out/party today for passing her citizenship interview. I was feeling lazy and selfishly didn't want to go... Lounging around my house sounded more enjoyable for my Sunday afternoon, but I claimed it and had to reclaim it instead of backing out when it started pouring down rain. Praise the Lord that I went! He sent an angel to speak into me the words that I needed, the prayers that I needed, the GRACE that I needed. I left with the reminder that I am so loved by Jesus!

Lesson: when you choose to do actions that go against your mood, your mood will often follow it!