What Do We Need Today?

We need:

To relax now that the election is over. Things aren't perfect; they never were and never will be.

To have hope. Maybe things will be better than we fear, if not as good as we'd like.

To cook a good, healthy dinner for our household. Vegetables. Casseroles. Healthy soups. Something that feeds our bodies the nutrients they need without piling on a lot of excess fat.

To exercise. It's a two-prong plan, we all know that. Input and Output. (I had a typo for a second--outpoot. Maybe that is more appropriate.)

To set aside fear. This is a topic on several blogs this week. Fear is paralyzing. It clouds our judgment and keeps us from moving forward. It is also a fake -- it doesn't really exist but in our minds. We can't control corporate fear -- the fear of society that makes us give up our quality of life in search of safety -- but we CAN conquer our own fear and perserver through our daily lives.

Puppies. We all need a good puppy to play with -- one that will grow up into a loyal, faithful, lifetime friend. Puppies are gifts from God to remind us that love is a universal option, that it is given unconditionally, that it can be warm and fuzzy, even with a cold nose. Sometimes it's messy and needs to be cleaned up after. But it is also a blast. It's hard to think of having a new puppy after loving a dog through its whole life and yes, its death. It's hard to think of taking on that responsibility again in exchange for the joy of fuzzy love. Especially if you bought white carpet after losing the previous fuzzy love of your life.

To give away the leftover Halloween candy. It's making me sick. I bought three bags and only gave away part of one bag. I think I will go find small children and toss this stuff at them. TRICK OR TREAT!

JOY. I am anticipating joy this weekend as I go on a singles retreat at our church camp. This is an annual retreat for our group. We don't stay in the kids' summer camp bunk houses. Nooooo, we get to stay in the lodge, which is as nice as a hotel with meeting rooms for playing Cranium and working on our planning sessions. And we don't have to cook -- we can go to the dining hall and sit on the wood benches at the wood tables. There will be plenty of time for photo-taking and outdoor walks. These are the things that renew my spirit seasonally.

Be happy, happy. Look for the good. Stay safe, but turn your back on the annoyances of modern life. Listen to your God's voice inside you. He speaks more often than we listen, and it's His wish to give us all the good in life. Listen, and accept it. Peace.