Category: 31 Day Challenge (Page 1 of 7)

We have reached the end of the 31 day challenge. For those of you who have joined me on this adventure, Thank You.

Four things I have learned on this journey:

1. Faith grows stronger when you stay in the word. I have been working on my faith for the past several years. Reading daily and searching for encouraging and meaningful verses has helped me grow stronger this last month.
2. Prayer has a calming effect. I’m still not good at prayer. But I think God understands what I am thinking and these past few weeks of posts have been written prayers.
3. I have friends that will be at my side at a moments notice. I am not good at asking for help, although I have gotten better. Each time a new diagnosis comes, it gets easier. God puts people in your life to be his hands and feet. Allow them.

And last, but certainly not least, I have learned from Paul in his letter to the Romans verse 8:38-39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present not the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thank you again for participating in this challenge with me.

Today marks the first of the official celebrations of my daughter’s senior year in high school.

It is hard to believe that time has gone so fast. I heard a great quote by Gretchen Rubin this morning “The days are long but the years are short.” (I think I need to read more on her blog based on that one statement). For any of you with children you will completely understand that statement.

I love how our school celebrates Senior night for all students that participate. They recognize seniors whether it is band (my favorite), the players and athletic trainers,  or the cheerleaders. The parents walk out on the field with each senior for their moment of recognition.

My daughter is not one who loves public attention, so this is going to not be her favorite event, but I am looking forward to it because it is one of those moments that I can capture in my mind and store away for a wonderful memory.

Some days the ‘living an awesome life daily’ is small accomplishments, and some days we get to celebrate the big accomplishments.

Tonight we celebrate the seniors, those that will be embarking on a new adventure in the not-so-distant future.

For those seniors, and all other seniors out there, today’s verse is Ecclesiastes 3:1

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Tonight is:

• a time to weep and a time to laugh
• a time to dance
• a time to embrace
• a time to keep
• a time to love

I will love, keep, embrace, weep, laugh and dance (well, I may not dance, but others will) tonight and celebrate the season we are in.

I think some of my friends think that I am crazy. I should be worried about a lot of things right now. But I am not.

The well-known verse Luke 12:25 asks:

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?

While I will admit when I first got the news, I was worried or stressed. Anyone would be, right?

But as the time has passed, and we have gotten more information about where we are headed, I find that I am less worried.

I do not know what the future holds for my husband’s health. I do not know what the future holds for my health. But then again, does anyone?

This cancer diagnosis came as a huge shock. But will worrying add any more time? NO!

In fact, if there is anything that I have learned along this journey it is that a positive attitude is a much more enjoyable way to live each day than to worry about what tomorrow will bring.

I cannot change the diagnosis. I cannot change the outcome by worrying. But I personally believe, that trust and contentment have a positive effect on my health.

Every day I open my eyes I thank God. I feel like I am beating the odds, and I am thankful for the peace of mind that trust and contentment bring.

Four days (yes FOUR DAYS) before our lives took this new direction I wrote a post titled Don’t let Worry steal your future. As I reread that post tonight, I still believe those words “My brain tells me to worry, but my heart tells me to look to the future.”

God was preparing me and reminding me that every day I have a choice. I can wake up and be grateful or I can choose to worry. One leads me down a dark path and the other offers hope and a future.

Which one are you choosing?

As we get closer to the end of the 31 day challenge, I want to share a joy and get back in line with the tagline of my blog: Living an awesome life daily

My youngest daughter is in the marching band at her high school. She plays the french horn, but during marching season she is in Color Guard. Marching band is a big deal around here.

In Texas, Marching contest is an every other year event due to the shear number of bands (i.e if you are a 2A school, you only compete for the opportunity to go to state in the odd years, while the 5A schools compete during even years). This year is an advancing year for our size school.

The bands start off at Regionals. If they receive a score of 1, they advance to Area. For those of you unfamiliar, Area competition determines who will go to State. The number of bands that compete at Area then determines how many bands will go to State. This year that number was 4 for our Area competition.

I cannot remember every year’s competition, but two years ago, the finals were rained out and the band just missed the opportunity to advance to State. This year they marched well enough to march in the finals. Only the top 10 bands get to do that.

Our band director has been a huge blessing to all of the kids who participate in band during her tenure. Numerous students have gone on to college and either participated in the band at college or have majored in a music related field.

I have had the pleasure to know Beth (the Band Director) for 10 years now. She is a strong Christian who loves “her kiddos.”

As I write this, I am sitting here anxiously waiting to hear how they did tonight. You see, this will be our last year to participate since my youngest will be graduating in May.

I am so thankful for the gift of music that Beth has shared with my kids and all of the others that have come through her band hall.

Today’s verse in honor of Beth and the Thrall Tiger Marching Band is Psalm 95:2

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.