Day 100

Yeah , I made it !!!! 100 days felt like a long time. I am still very thankful I decided to try this.I could not have made it without God's help and the encouragement and support from my family and friends.ThankYou!!!!!!!! I thought this would be just a little experiment to see if I could get things in order doing a little at a time , instead of my all or nothing approach to everything. It ended up being so much more than that.

After spending so many years feeling overwhelmed and having so many regrets about not finishing things. I can now say with great joy IT IS GONE !!! and I no longer think I can do all things through Christ. I know I can do all things through Christ.Those negative thoughts I had telling me I can't do something are no longer there. I will not do ten things for ten minutes everyday now. But I will do extra things every day and I will finish what I started. I don't want to quit just because my experiment is done.

Through this I have also learned what things are important to me and what things really don't matter. I have also learned the importance of perseverance and how to no longer let a bad day or a small challenge stop me from pushing forward and achieving my goals. I have also learned the importance of accountability and what a big difference it really can make and how necessary it is.I feel extremely blessed by all the wonderful people God has placed in my life. I can't say thank you enough :) God Bless You All !!!

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. ECCLESIASTES 4: 9-12

Day 99

Only 1 day left !!! I finished my ten things. I thought I would have got done even earlier today since I stayed home sick, but by noon I had a fever and was dizzy so I did not feel like doing anything . I gradually got my ten things done and almost all of them were things I could do sitting down. I spent most of my day laying down and watching TV. Battles of the Bible on the History channel and many episodes of twilight zone on the sci-fi channel.There is always such a bizarre twist at the end.

Television programs have changed so much over the years and not for the better. I have plugged my ears and closed my eyes when commercials have come on before. I can't stand watching anything demonic.It creeps me out and everything is so graphic now. I still like suspense and solving crimes.I loved watching Nancy drew when I was younger and reading her books.Ken has bought me several of her computer games. It is fun to play once in a while.I miss some of the old shows. Now it seems like a majority of what's on is reality TV.

I think people have just gotten lazy. It does not take much of an imagination to make a reality show. A lot of people treat each other like garbage on those shows,and they don't seem to filter very much. It is a poor example for our kids to see.When they are at home you can try and monitor what they watch but not when they are at their friends house. Many of the kids have parents that both need to work or they are from single parent homes and no one is there at all hours to monitor what they are watching on TV or the internet.

We really have to talk with our kids about so many things now.If we don't they will get all their information some where else and most likely it will not be what we want them to hear or believe. Every day is filled with challenges for the young and the old .I am so thankful we only have to deal with one day at a time.

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.  LUKE 1:50

Day 98

I am finished with my ten things for the day. I only have two days to go!! It has been a busy day today. I did most of the same things today. I went through my jewelry box today. I keep jewelry in it but I have a few other prized possessions in it too.My daughters 7th grade ASB card . It is one of my favorite pictures of her. I ran across my sister in laws cowboy caviar recipe in there. I did not want to lose that for anything. if you tasted it you would know why. There really isn't caviar in there though. But it is really good!!

I found a tooth. I am not sure which child it belonged to and I found lots of bracelets my children made me. I even ran across one from Josephina. She was one of the girls at an orphanage I use to go down to in Mexico.I still wonder what ever happened to her and how her life turned out. She really wanted to come home with me and I wanted to adopt her. We had developed a bond over a couple of years of going down there but another couple had papers drawn up by their lawyers and she had to go with them.The following year when I went down I asked how everything went and the director said not well and that she had ran away from the couple.

Ever since then when I see a really young Mexican lady I find myself looking at her closely to see if it might be  her. She would be in her early twenties now. I think working in an orphanage would be an emotionally hard job.Seeing kids get dropped off by their parents because they can no longer support them or because they have passed away or they have been abused would be tough and then after they have been there for a while you would be really attached to them like your own flesh and blood and love them like your own and then when they had to eventually leave you would feel like a little piece of your heart got torn away.Wow! I never really thought about it like that until now. I think that is something to definitely add on my list of things to really pray about,orphanage workers!!

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. MATTHEW 19:13-15

Day 97

I have just three days left until I reach one hundred !!! I can't wait for summer. It was nice and sunny today and the mountains looked so pretty with all the snow on them. I think I must have taken about ten pictures this morning. Yes, I am definitely ready for it to be warmer. I did not go on Ken's walk with him this evening. For one it is very cold and I am feeling wimpy and two my knee is worse than yesterday.

I went with Ken on his walk last night and by the time we were done and reached the house he turned around and looked at me and smiled and said he felt like he walked a child. I am not sure if it was because I was walking slow and he was pulling me by my hand or if it was because I kept talking like Elmer Fudd . Maybe that is why my throat is so sore today ?? He said he got done in half the time tonight. He walks twice as fast as I do anyway. I will go tomorrow night.

I did manage to get my ten things done tonight. It is easy for me to get side tracked sometimes especially if I am on the computer. I use to play games all the time on the computer or I would get sucked in to taking those personality tests or quizzes. Some of them I have taken several times over the last few years.My personality still seems to remain the same. It was kind of funny when Ken and I took a DISC test a couple of years ago. He is a DIS and I am an ISC. He is the beginning I am the end. I think I definitely need  to go to bed . I am really tired and the more I write the weirder it gets.

There is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.  PSALM 139:4

Day 96

I only have four days left!! Four all of a sudden seems so much smaller than five. I have completed my ten things for the day. It has been a great day!! I went on my walk with Ken tonight. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr it is cold out. I think the coldest walk I have ever been on was with with Ken in Leavenworth about six or seven years ago. We took the bus down and stayed at Icicle Inn.The bus dropped us off quite a ways away from it.Ken pulled something in his back on the ferry ride over to the bus and my bad knee was not cooperating. It was so cold when we got there it felt like your nose hairs froze every time you took in a breathe.

We only stayed for the night. The next morning we woke up and went down to the dining room for their continental breakfast. Just as I poured batter in the waffle iron and closed it the power went out. They went and got battery operated candlesticks and handed one to each one of the guests. I found something else to eat and we sat at the table holding our canlde sticks.The power went out because of a cold snap they were having. It was minus eleven degrees outside.

We could not get back in our room because the electric key cards that you slide in the door would not work until they booted up a generator. By that time they got the generator going it started getting cold in there.We went to our room finally and put our coats on and wrapped up in blankets until it was time to head to the bus.When it was time to walk all the way down to bus stop the wind started picking up. We felt completely froze when we reached it. The bus stop was outdoors and the bus was running about a half hour late.

Our faces were so numb we could hardly move our lips to talk , which made us laugh uncontrollably for about ten minutes, then I ended up in tears. Ken went across the road and walked over to a drive thru espresso stand and bought me some hot tea so I could try to thaw my face and hands with the hot cup. He was my hero! We were so glad when the bus got there. I think our bodies stung while they thawed all the way back to Seattle.I thought for sure I had frost bite .That is the only time I remember it being that cold when I have been to Leavenworth. The other times were all very enjoyable :)

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.   PSALM 46:1

Day 95

Only five days left !!! It has been a wonderful day today and I have just completed my ten things.One of the things this personal journey has taught me is how to make the most of my days I have been blessed with and not to waste anymore precious time and to rely on God to give me the strength I need in EVERY area of my life. It says in 2 Chronicles that the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

I have let the fear of not having enough strength at times keep me from doing the things I desire to do instead of trusting God to give me the strength to accomplish it. He will not lay things on are our hearts to do and then not equip us with what we need to get the task done. I found that when I am not doing what he has asked of me I will feel discontent and the more discontent I feel the more things I try to find to do to take away that feeling of being discontent and then pretty soon I am so busy doing all these other things and then I don't feel like I have time to do what he wants.It is like a crazy merry go round that you can't jump off of.

I don't know how many people I have talked to over the years that don't feel like they are doing what God layed on their hearts. They have a longing that burns inside that never goes away and I hear them talk about it and you can see the sparkle in their eyes and hear the excitement in their voice when they talk about it, but fear and doubts keep them from stepping out of the boat. I am one that always wants to be 100% sure about everything. I don't know how many fleeces I have thrown out and then If I have not liked the answer necessarily I have thrown out a second fleece and then I get the same answer. I wonder if God has looked down at me and wondered why do I always have to tell you twice??

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.You discern my going out and my laying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
PSALM 139:9-10

Day 94

I have been blessed with another day! Only six more days to go. It has been a productive week but challenging at the same time. Do you ever deal with things that just come on out of the blue and it does not make any sense to you? Well, I do once in a while. It is panic attacks. I have had then since I was a teenager. I just did not know what they were back then.I can go several years without having a single one and then all of a sudden they will come back on for a brief period and then leave again.I don't know why.

The last week and a half have been full of them. I think today was the worst .I have learned to function with them, but I absolutely hate having them. It is really hard if you are with people and you have to act like you feel fine but inside you feel like you can't catch your breath.Today I had some running around to do but when I got home the only thing I could do was grab my bible and run to my bedroom and sit on my bed and pray. I still managed to get my ten things done this evening.I think my favorite part of the day was going on a walk with Ken after dinner. He walks around the neighborhood and prays in the evening while I do my things.

Tonight I decided to join him. It was very peaceful and really quiet. Almost the same kind of quiet when a whole bunch of snow dumps on us.It was like he took me on a nature tour. He had me stop in front of one of the yards and had me smell the air. It smelled like fresh lilacs even though it is not time for them yet and then we went a little further and the way the moon shines through the trees you can see your shadow on the pavement . I have never seen my shadow by moonlight before, after we got down a little further we could see the light from the houses across the water flickering yellow lights on the bay. I decided I am going to join him every night on his walk. I can finish what I am doing later.

He said to me, " My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Day 93

I have completed my ten things for the day and I only have one week left :) It has been a very pleasant day today.I thought it felt like spring. Ken and I went down to the board walk downtown Bremerton by the ferry.I had not been there in quite a while and I wanted to go. There is a little barbeque place down on the boardwalk and it makes the whole area smell like Famous Dave's when you are walking around.

We sat outside Starbucks in the sun drinking coffee, listening to music and watching people.There are a lot of very interesting people down there. I really enjoyed it. An older lady was walking by pushing a stroller, we smiled at each other and said hello. I thought what a beautiful day to be out pushing your grandchild in the stroller but as she got really close to me I noticed it was not a baby in the stroller . It was a brown stuffed bear in baby clothes.She looked very happy, I guess that is all that matters.

It is sad to see so many businesses closing.There was a great little Asian place on the corner that had fantastic curry beef and now it is empty.I liked shopping with my Mom ,Grandma and sister downtown when we were younger. It was sad to see all those stores close.I think they started shutting down when the mall went in Silverdale and JCPenny's moved to the mall. I loved the old JCPenny's downtown. Santa Clause was always next to the escalators downstairs. 

I remember when my daughter was an infant and I went shopping there. I thought it would be easy to take the stroller down the escalator.I tilted the stroller back and put the back wheels on the step in front of me and it started going before I got on the step. I almost lost the stroller down the escalator. I panicked and stood at the top holding onto the stroller while it flung around trying to pull it off the escalator with all my might. I think my Mom helped me pull it up. I was so shook up. It took me a while before I could go on an escalator again and I never took a stroller down another one again with any of my children. I used the elevator after that.

With God we will gain the victory. PSALM 60:12

Day 92

I am finished with my ten things for the day. I only have one week and one day left. I feel like I am counting down until I go on a vacation.I am still working on most of the same things.Organizing will be a job that will never end. Our house can be like our purse the bigger it is the more we stuff in it. I open the drawers and cupboards and see gadgets I never use.They have a tool and a gadget for everything now days. I often will use one particular item for multiple uses. A couple of my kids have said I am ghetto on many occasions. I decided to take that as a compliment and consider myself resourceful.

For instance a plastic spatula is not only good for flipping food, it is also an ice scraper for your car windows. Cans of vegetables are also good for hammering small nails in the wall. A magazine is not only great for reading, it is a fly swatter, fire starter, and a dust pan if yours is missing. Old towels work great for cleaning rags. Why buy rags?? When I was growing up I remember most of my family members using empty butter tubs and cool whip containers for leftovers. they didn't buy containers for leftovers. You have to admit it is a little crazy that we throw away the plastic containers our food comes in just to turn around and buy more containers to store our leftovers.Times have changed in many ways.

I look at how things have changed since I was in school. I wonder what things will be like in another twenty five years.We faced challenges when we were teens and young adults but not quite like today. Things that were not acceptable when we were kids seem to be considered the normal thing to do now. When we were younger there seemed to be a standard that was set that was taught by a majority of the adults. There were boundaries and expectations even if we did not always follow them. Now it seems like there is so much freedom and they have all these rights and anything goes. I think it causes harm and confusion and it makes it more difficult for them to know what to do and if they choose to go to college they are not always guaranteed the job they want especially in this economy . They need a lot of unconditional love and prayer.

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. EPHESIANS 4:29

Day 91

I only have nine days left. I have made it to the single digits.It is still a little hard to imagine I have completed 91 days so far. This has really worked well for me but I am glad I did not choose a number higher than one hundred. It really was not that hard at all. There were several days where I thought what was I thinking, but a majority of them I was very glad I chose to do this.Accountability and determination kept me from quitting . Sometimes I can be a little too determined to do something to the point of running late, wearing myself out or not getting enough sleep.I am doing a lot better now and have balanced things out.

I have been that way since I was a kid. I remember jumping up and down on my Pogo stick in the driveway when I was in grade school. I would try to see how many times I could jump in a row without falling off. Once I would fall off I would get back on and try to beat my last count I had before. I still do that if I am playing a game by myself  . If I have a knot in one of my necklaces I can sit there for a half hour trying to get it out before I will do anything else. I refuse to let the knot in the necklace get the best of me. I will win! I have also enjoyed this because it is like a project. A personal one I guess you could say. I will have to come up with something else to do when I am done.

He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress. PROVERBS 14:26