REJOICE!

It's THAT time again!  My favorite time of the year.  It's the week before we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  I love Easter!

For you that have read regularly for a while now, you might remember last year the week before Easter I began writing daily about events leading up to this wonderful time of celebration.  I don't think I'm doing that this year but plan to go back and read my last-year thoughts....since my thoughts remain the same this year.  The subject is so dear to me.  If you are interested in revisiting that section of posts, the first is "My Favorite Time of the Year "(March 22, 2013) and the last is "Up"  (April 1, 2013).  Do not read them in order of appearance in this blog as it goes from newest to oldest but read in order of date.

The purpose of this post is to encourage you to get your own Bible and begin reading these events for yourself.  Tomorrow being the day we classify on the calendar as Palm Sunday would be a great time to start.  I am helping you out by listing some of the readings at the end of this post.  Year after year I have heard my daddy talk about doing this reading this particular week and what an humbling experience reading the scripture is.  From my own experience, I know this to be the truth.

I challenge you to take the time each day to read of what our Lord endured that final week.  I guarantee you that you will be blessed beyond measure.

Some of the Easter cards I have sent this year to shut-ins were very plain but the words on the front just gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling.  The cards simply said, "He has risen, just as He said He would."  Wow.

So....let your heart hurt for what He suffered for you and for me.  Let your heart feel the compassion for the physical pain He felt.  Let your heart cry for the emotional pain of His feeling forsaken.  Let your heart feel the awe of the love He had for you and me.  Then let your heart rejoice for He has risen, just as He said He would!

Yes, this Easter week and EVERY week to come....rejoice!


Jesus rides into Jerusalem.....Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19
The Last Supper with the twelve....Matt. 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:3-39; John 13
Sold out....Matt 26: 1-16;  Mark 14:1-2, 10-11:  Luke 22:1-6
In the Garden....Matthew 26:36-56; Mark14: 32-52; Luke 22:39-53; John 17, 18:1-11
Guilty?.....Matthew 26:57-75; Mark14:53-72;  Luke 22:54-71; John 18:12-27
A Dark Day....Matthew 27:1-66; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 23; John 18:28-42
The Tomb....Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20

And ALL God's people said, "Amen!"

WEDNESDAY THOUGHTS

Here in my world, as most likely in yours, it’s Wednesday.  Hump Day as some call it.  Choir night we call it.  For the bulk of this week I have been home alone.  You might expect that I’ve accomplished much being at home.  And alone.  Not so.  I wish I could say it was true and I have tried.  I REALLY have tried, but I get so distracted with “things”.  I will say, though, I have done a lot of thinking  and guess I have accomplished some things or parts of some things.

I have walked my now routine three miles all three mornings this week.  This week I did it in 55:18.  Pretty good for an older girl, huh?  I would say especially one that has been as slow as I have been most of my recent life.  I feel very empowered after I do that walk each day.  Sweaty and tired, but empowered. 

I rejoiced when I did my routine weigh-in this morning and the scale told me I was a pound less than before.  That makes about 33ish, I guess. 

Having received a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis three months ago, I am striving to change my way of living when it comes to food and exercise.  I have gained so much more respect for The Girl and the fact that she’s lived with Type 1 diabetes for so many years.  Even though many of those years I did a lot of the shots and such for her, I see now how hard it was when those sugars were not where they should be.  I am coming along.  Slowly but coming along.  One of the struggles I have is when I am home for three days in a row and do a lot of cooking.  The pantry in my house is so inviting.  It’s sooooo hard to eat healthy things when I want some of those snacks.  My eyes tell my stomach that it’s hungry but I know that it’s really not.  It’s a struggle that I will get a handle on.  So today when I had my lunch, I was excited that it was somewhat healthy.  And a plateful.  Okay it was a small plate but it was full.   I took a picture for you to see.

I discovered the salad with the carrots at my neighborhood grocery store where the nice lady does the portable cooking.  Yum.  It’s delicious.  And the chicken salad is my own recipe while the crackers are a new gluten free kind I found, Nabisco Gluten Free Rice Thins—Black pepper kind.  Yum.  I will put the recipes at the end of this post for you who are interested.

So, now that I have said all that unimportant stuff, I will get to my point.  I went outside to eat my lunch.  It was cool today even though the sun was shining.  As I sat there eating, I noticed an animal zipping across my yard.  It was the prettiest little rabbit.  It’s name had to be Peter.  I got a smile and warm feeling when I saw it. 

Every day twice a day at our house, five deer come into our yard to eat our weeds.  Our grass is not very good looking, but the weeds get very green in the summer and give the illusion of grass.  I had gone out right before dark last night, turned the corner and there were those deer.  They just stood and looked at me.  They didn’t run, nor did they seem afraid.  They just looked at me and then kept eating.  I also enjoyed them on Monday during the rain when they played in the ponds that had formed in my yard from the rain.  No cares.  No worries.  Just delight. 

So I guess the point of my thought process today is that I am again reminded of how much my God cares for me.  In the sermon on Sunday I got such a blessing when the preacher said that if God lined up everyone in the world, He would assure everyone that He loved them all the same.  I was so blessed because it reminded me again of that great love.  For me.  And for you.   I knew that was the truth and that He loves me in spite of my sins.  In spite of my distractions.  He loves me.  And just as that little rabbit and those deer know how to live in the world because their creator made them that way, I can overcome any problems, any worries, and any cares just because my creator knows me and loves me. 

And it makes me ever so happy to tell you about His love again.  I hope it makes you happy to hear it and know that Jesus loves you, too!

Chicken Salad

2 large chicken breasts  *see note

l small can crushed pineapple in juice, drained

1-1.5 cups chopped pecans

Mayo to your taste

*The chicken is delicious if smoked in a smoker but that is too much trouble for me.  I boil the chicken, drain and chop it then add liquid smoke to taste before adding the pineapple, nuts, and mayo.

Cucumber Carrot Salad

l/4 c. sweet chili sauce (I cut this back for the lower sugar effect.)

2 T. seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 large cucumber, peeled, thinly sliced

1 c. matchstick carrots

½ c. sliced green onions

Whisk chili sauce and vinegar in medium bowl until blended.

Peel cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and slice.  Add cucumber and remaining ingredients to sauce mixture; toss to coat.  Chill until ready to serve.