The Incredible Shrinking Woman

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• She is like the merchants' ships, she bringeth her food from afar.
• She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
• She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

For those of you who don't know me IRL--In Real Life--you may not even be aware of the fact that I'm overweight. Overweight by anyone's standard, very much so. It's something I've struggled with for my whole life, literally. I was born weighing 9 lbs 1/2 oz, and from there was a chubby baby, a chubby child, and a chubby teenager. I started dieting on and off in my teens and continued into my young adult years--but at some point I just quit trying. I had a busy, fulfilling life, and besides, I was always one who "carried it well". I was out of shape, but it didn't effect my health--my blood sugar was okay and I had better cholesterol numbers than people half my size.

Fast forward a few years, though, and it really began to catch up with me. Even after my doctor started to talk to me about considering various options, I put off dealing with it, over and over and over.

Not long ago, though, I reached an impasse. I wasn't "carrying it well" anymore. I've known for years now that my health was deteriorating and I was holding myself back from accomplishing things I knew I wanted to do, telling myself that I would do them "after I lose weight." Time was running out, and I knew it--it was now or never.

So, what is a virtuous woman to do?

First of all, I started praying about it. There are so many different diets out there, and even the so-called "experts" disagree about the best way to lose weight and keep it off.

I also started fasting. Oh, my.

But guess what I discovered? Being hungry isn't going to kill me. (And you know I'm not talking about Hunger-with-a-capital-H-starving-people kind of hungry.) But it does make me ashamed at how quickly I reached imaginary I'm-so-hungry-I'm-weak-I'm-going-to-starve-hunger.

But with the grace of God, and much seeking and praying and fasting and cutting out sugar and refined carbs, among other things, the tide is starting to turn.

I've lost 21 pounds so far. My 'fat clothes" are getting looser. I feel better, and I smile more.

I have a long way to go. I still need to incorporate more exercise in my daily and weekly routine. But I am so thankful to the Lord for the strength and the help He's given me, and the support that is continuing to come my way from my family.

This post is linked to:

Thankful Thursday at Women Taking a Stand

Just for the Joy of It at Good, True, and Beautiful

Be sure to visit these sites and see what makes other bloggers thankful and joyful!

Until next time...

It's T.I.M.E.

• Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies
• She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness

A number of years ago (more years ago than I care to remember!) I was a brand new President of the Women's Ministry at the church we attended. It was during one of the few times in my adult life (until recently) that I wasn't working full-time in addition to caring for home and family, and there were several of us ladies who were blessed enough to be stay-at-home wives and mothers. We decided to hold a prayer meeting one morning a week, and after much discussion decided Tuesday would be the perfect day.

It seemed like providential confirmation when we discovered that the national Women's Ministry Department of our fellowship had established Tuesday as a weekly day of prayer, and had some prayer guides printed in the form of bookmarks with the title "T.I.M.E"--

• Tuesday
• Intercession
• Meditation
• Expectation

With this confirmation, we were ready to begin!

Several of us gathered that first Tuesday morning, a little unsure about how we wanted to proceed. Rather than do a "circle of prayer" type meeting, with one or more taking turns leading in prayer while everyone else prayed silently, we decided to make more of a "prayer closet" atmosphere, with dimmed lights, and freedom to pray as each felt lead to do or were comfortable doing.

So we shared a few prayer requests, and then each of us went to our separate corners, so to speak. Some of us knelt at the alter, some at a pew; some sat, some paced; some prayed quietly, some loudly, some silently. We agreed from the start that we would each pray as long as we felt led to pray, and then we would be free to stay and wait for the others or to slip out and be about the business of our day.

To be honest, when we started I was lucky to be able to last for twenty minutes. In twenty minutes I had "prayed around the world", a phrase I picked up from the first book I remember reading devoted to the subject of prayer, Evelyn Christenson's What Happens When Women Pray. Too ashamed that as a leader and the "instigator" of this plan, all I could manage was twenty minutes of solid prayer, I lingered for another 10 minutes in quiet. Afterwards as we all stirred and shared our thoughts I discovered I wasn't alone!

It didn't many weeks to learn that if we came and prayed and left quickly, we didn't get nearly as much out of it as the times that we came and poured out our hearts to the Lord, and then lingered; learning to listen as He spoke into our hearts and minds and ministered to our spirits. Prayer journals or notepads and Bibles became standard gear for each of us, and we started not only to stay longer, but to learn to pray longer, as well.

I look back on those years as some of the most spiritually productive of my life. I was young and made lots of mistakes sometimes, but I grew in the Lord in leaps and bounds. Much of who I am today I owe to that time--that T.IM.E.!

Early in the year I shared a bit about the fresh start I was making, and the new focus I wanted for this blog, as well as number of posts on prayer. And then, as I mentioned on another post, Life Happened, and I developed a bit of "blogger's block" I think, thus the lack of consistent posts of late. To illustrate that, I first started this post in April. Not the end of April, the beginning of April. As in April 6th. All I had for 6 weeks was the title, and a few thoughts as to the content, but nothing concrete, nothing written.

But as I was writing in my prayer journal this morning, I had another epiphany--do you remember what an epiphany is? It's a light bulb moment-a "sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something". Not one I can share today, it still needs some mulling over--some Intercession.

And Meditation.

But the Expectation is already there.

I've always wanted A Virtuous Woman to be a lot of things to a lot of people, because that's what we, as virtuous women, are--many things to many people--wives, mothers, daughters, friends--and from now on, Tuesday T.I.M.E. will be a part of it, as well.

Until next time...

(disclosure--if you click on the link for the book I mentioned above and buy it through that link, I will receive a few cents commission on that sale.)

Outdoor Wednesday--Mother and "Child" Edition

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• Her "children" arise up and call her blessed...
  

My mother called me this morning to tell me that their dog, Lady, had found a "baby" during the night and had been watching over it all morning.

She loves to chase squirrels and rabbits, but she didn't try to hurt this wee one at all. She did scare it a bit when she tried to lick it once or twice! She just watched over it...

Look how tiny!

It finally hopped into the edge of the woods


With "Big Mama" watching over it all the while!

This post is linked to:

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

Just for the Joy of it at Good, True, and Beautiful

Until next time...

Her Children Rise Up and Call Her Blessed

• Who can find a virtuous woman? Her price is far above rubies
• Her children arise up and call her blessed...

Raising kids is not easy, nor is it for the faint-of-heart. We put our parents through so much, and then wonder why our kids do the same for us!

I can remember my morning routine many years ago...getting up in the morning, getting myself showered, dressed, made-up and ready to head out the door. All while getting our son up and dressed and ready to head out the door. Many days I put on make-up in the bathroom while he sat on the vanity with his feet in the sink. "Do me, too, mama." So I'd pretend to dab a little poswer on his nose or cheeks. Then packing my lunch, and packing his bag for day-care. Carrying everything out to the car. Carrying him down the steps, opening the car door, lifting him up and putting him in the carseat. Driving the daycare, getting out and going around to get him out of the car-seat, making sure we had his bag and toy of the day, carrying him inside and signing him in, greeting the day-care workers, letting them know about what time I expected to get off of work that day or if it was my late day, reminding them that my mother or husband would be picking him up that day. Driving to work, clocking in, and getting ready to start my day, all before 8:00 a.m.

I can remember thinking that he ever got big enough to just carry his own bag, go down the steps and out the car, open the car door, and get in and buckle himself in all by himself, things would be so much easier.

Ha. Boy did I have a lot to learn.

He's in college now, and not long ago he was discussing the different views of a couple of professors, from two different colleges he's attended. He was thinking about that exercise that most of us have done at sometime in our lives--"If you could have a dinner party with any 6 0r 8 people in the world, living or dead, who would it be?" He named two professors from one college, two from another; then an extremely intelligent and well-versed Messianic Rabbi that we're acquainted with; his pastor at the time; Jesus; and me.

I guess I did something right.

Until next time...

Book Review--Chicken Soup for the Soul, Thanks Mom!

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• Her children arise up, and call her blessed...

I recently had an opportunity to review another from the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Love and Good Times, edited by Jack Canfield.

It's comprised of 101 brief stories about Moms of all ages and backgrounds by their children and grandchildren. This was a really fun book to read. Whether you have a mom (or are a mom) who is...

• the crazy one that all of your friends like but who embarrasses you to death
• the strict, straight-laced one that you wish would lighten up just a little
• the stay-at-home mom who bakes homemade cookies and takes the kids to soccer practice
• the career mom, trying to balance home and work and keep a semblance of order both places
• the working-two-jobs-just-to-make-ends-meet and worrying how to make the money go further than the month
• or any other kind of any size, shape, age, or personality

...you'll find a story in the this book to make you laugh, or cry, or just smile a little secret smile of understanding.

This is a light, easy read, one that can be picked up and put down as you have time or inclination; read straight through or hit-or-miss as a source of encouragement. Either way, it would be a welcome addition to any mom's bookshelf.

Until next time...

(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review purposes only. The opinion stated is that of my own. If you click any of the links provided and purchase this book from Amazon.com, I will make a few pennies of commission, one day in the far-distant future when I reach the pay-out threshold.)