Today Thus Far

Well, I have posts to upload but this computer won’t let me so guess I’ll have to see if I can get a 15 minute computer and try again.

Today I took Baxter out for our 1.5 mile walk. We went a shorter distance because he went swimming in the pond AND we played about 30 minutes of fetch.

He looked so adorable out there swimming around. He found a stick and brought that in with him. I threw the ball out just a little way but he totally ignored it in favor of his stick. On our next round of the park, I noticed the ball was close enough to shore for me to get so was happy we didn’t lose it.

Baxter is so funny when it comes to fetch. He runs after the ball, pounces on it with enthusiasm, then walks away. I have to go to where the ball is and throw it again because he doesn’t understand the idea of bringing it back to me. He loves pouncing on it to make it stop moving but that is as far as his attention to it goes. It always makes me laugh.

When I get to Iowa, if not before, I am going to get Baxter a playmate. He was raised with two other dogs and gets lonely not having playmates to play with. I look forward to walking two dogs and playing catch with them both. Baxter loves tug of war too so we play that every night when I get home.

Chosen and Protected

Isaiah 41:9-13: “I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, you are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Thought you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the lord, your god, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.”

I found this gem awhile back and have been meaning to write a post on it since. How great it is to know that we are chosen – hand picked by God and with that comes His protection. Its comforting to think that God has a hold of my right hand and says He will guide us through our lives. He has chosen us. Think about that.

Of all the billions on the earth, God chose us when he could have chosen anyone else. We are not worth to be called – we did nothing to deserve being chosen. So many times in my life my faith has waned – things happened that made me doubt I was really chosen. I never felt deserving. I had loved God from the time I was very small but sometimes I fretted that God had not called me. What a cruel joke, I thought, to love and be rejected. To love but be found wanting when compared to those more holy.

My sister made a good point when I said I wasn’t sure God was helping me with this whole move. She said maybe I wasn’t hearing God say anything because I was doing His will so he had no reason to correct me. Faith has always been a difficult concept to me. I like to see, study, and touch tangible things – I like logical answers backed up by analysis and mountains of research data. So “having faith” has been a challenging proposition sometimes.

I envy people who have an abiding faith that they rarely, if ever, question. They trust that God has their good at heart and are content to wait upon Him. I also believe God is with me and won’t let anything happen in my life that He can’t see me through…but I also want something tangible to hold on to. I want to see results and be able to cross things off my many lists.

I prayed for a Christmas miracle where moving was concerned. I want to be able to move as soon as possible without worrying about the condo, money or where I will live. Christmas came and went with no miracle…I wonder if its too late?

Work and Home

Wednesday I was asked to work the 1445-2300 shift. By 9:30 pm I was anxious to go home – not because it was crazy but because I was so tired. I was up till 4am last night.

Right now it is 1:44am and I need to start considering bed. I started the above and then took a break to take Baxter for a walk. He had a nice time chasing one of the neighbor’s cat. With the leash on he never even got close but the running is good for him. Early today he treed a squirrel who then rained nuts down on his head – it was adorable and times like that I wish I had a camera with me.

Tomorrow we are going to do our long walk again before I have to head off to work. It was a long evening tonight – course, we got a plane crash and a structure fire at the same time so it was hopping but still went slow. No one died in either incident which was a big plus for us.

I took all my dvd’s and put them in a notebook thing today so now I will toss all the cases – amazing how much room it frees up. The bookcase that held them, and it’s twin in the pantry, both go out to the curb tomorrow along with the nightstands by my bed. I’m going to attempt to get the couch out there too but it is heavier then a bull. Doubt I’ll get it to the curb by myself but it will be nice to get it out of the living room. I’m going to bring down the bookcases and rocker from upstairs so I can tear the carpet out of that room to lay tile in when I do the hall.

I really do wonder if I should paint all the rooms the sterile white color before I go. I love the colors I have but realize not many others probably would. Just hard to say I guess. Well, bed time. Be safe people and remember…it’s a jungle out there.