Psalm 23

Lately, this has been all I have been focusing on. May God grant me restoration and help in my time of need.

1The LORD is my ^(A)shepherd,
I shall ^(B)not want.
2He makes me lie down in ^(C)green pastures;
He ^(D)leads me beside ^(E)quiet waters.
3He ^(F)restores my soul;
He ^(G)guides me in the ^(H)paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
4Even though I ^(I)walk through the ^[a]valley of the shadow of death,
I ^(J)fear no ^[b]evil, for ^(K)You are with me;
Your ^(L)rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5You ^(M)prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have ^(N)anointed my head with oil;
My ^(O)cup overflows.
6Surely ^(P)goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will ^[c](Q)dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Amen.

The World is on Fire

Today while heading to the doctor I was cut off by 3 fire trucks and a police cruiser. Then my doctor’s street was completely blocked off. There was black smoke and flying insulation as firefighters worked to control the house fire down the street. I still made it to my appointment, and I hope no one was inside the house; it was a pretty bad fire.

Be My Escape

Ever have those days where you just want to disappear for awhile, or hide under the covers for a bit?

I definitely had one of those days.

Nothing crazy happened, just feeling rather overwhelmed.

Thankful that tomorrow is a new day.

"I'm Not the Bride!"

According to Allison that was the quote of the day given by yours truly to yet another person handing me random booklets on wedding paraphernalia. Mind you, this was after about 6 hours of a wedding show, and a very tired and somewhat hungry Jenn did not want more to carry. Another guy asked me if I was dreaming of the perfect smile for my wedding and I told him, “no, because I’m not getting married.” I think it seemed funnier at the time because I was in a rather delirious state of mind.

Despite the exhaustion, I had a fabulous time, and truly enjoyed helping Al figure things out for her wedding. She looks absolutely stunning in her wedding gown, and I was once again struck by the reality of my best friend of 18 years getting married in less than a year. The best part was seeing her in her wedding gown, but an extremely close second would have to be getting my maid of honour and the bridesmaids’ dresses! They are beautiful and cost less than a shirt that I could buy from the mall. I am still in incredible shock over how cheap these dresses are, and so very thankful!

Time for bed.

When September Ends

I would quote the song lyrics, but there would really be no point. September does not mean for me what it used to mean. I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic, slightly sad, excited, and confused. As I’m hearing and watching everyone prep for the upcoming school year, and watching the little sister waltz off to highschool in her brand spanking new school uniform, I feel as though I’m being left behind.

I’m supposed to go to school in September- that is what I have done for most of my life. This year there were no new clothes, or new packages of paper. This year I continue on in a new phase of my life, while waiting anxiously for that phase to actually begin by getting to move to Guelph.

All of a sudden things feel weird again, like I’m stuck in limbo, like I’ve lost the familiar.

Maybe things are better this way.

Sinfully Delicious

Have you ever heard about chocolate being extremely bad for dogs?

Well that’s fairly accurate, though they have to consume very large amounts- which of course, my adorable dog Charlie managed to do. Luckily according to standard lethal dose procedure that I found on the internet, he’s probably in the clear. He’s managed to destroy a carpet by throwing up massive amounts of chocolate, but he hasn’t gone into seizures yet and seems to be sleeping it off.

It got me thinking about the stupid things I’ve done. Clearly Charlie is not high on my “smart dogs I know list,” but I doubt I’d fare much better. Charlie saw something he wanted, my brothers even left it out and open for him, and we all know how amazing chocolate tastes (this was Hershey’s Largest Chocolate bar, I think it’s around 5lbs, though he didn’t eat it all). Little did he know that within a short amount of time, the choice he made to gnaw off the forbidden chocolate would cause him extreme abdominal pain, and potentially death.

I reflected on all the times I’ve taken a bite out of sin because I wanted something, had easy access to it, and it “tasted” fantastic. I’ve never consumed the type of sin that would cause me to throw up my intestines, but I’ve often reaped lasting consequences for stupid decisions made and completed in a split second. Like Paul I’ve often asked myself why on earth I keep doing things I know I shouldn’t…

I’m so thankful that my price has been paid.