shake things up.......

got the greatest hits of Three Dog Night playing.......got a recipe for America's Test Kitchen best oven crispy fires working in the oven......not so hard to cook when you add music. 

i've used music to help me through a lot of difficulty.......to increase my stamina doing chores like cooking and cleaning.  i don't always feel like it, but i also like an organized peaceful sanctuary so it requires effort on my part.  things are far from perfect at Sparrow Cottage, but within the imperfections lie a sweet cozy nest.......which helps my spirit not only survive but thrive.

gonna add poached eggs to my breakfast......protein is sooo good for a body.  this feels like it's gonna be a goooooood day!  celebrate the hours that offer more life........a lot of times i get up and have this pocket of energy.......empty the dishwasher, cook and end up sleeping until early afternoon........but sometimes i get a brass ring that allows me to run an errand, go for a drive......take a break from these walls, nice as they are........to enjoy a different view.

my next small out of here goal is to drive to the 6 or 7 nearby sandy beaches on the lake......all are within 30-35 minutes of my front door.  the ultimate goal?  find a sandy beach that allows level safe walking access from the car to the lake and back.  for those of us who are unsteady, have wonky balance issues.......use a cane or walker.....but LOVE the great outdoors.  the lake closest to me has a great little beach but a very STEEP path to the water.  danger for me both ways.......i managed to handle it once last  year. but only because God sent me help right on time.  God is so cool like that.

scoff it you will but i was out of the car, carrying my neon colored noodle and my pink beach bag.....gotta have sunscreen and big towels and bottled water.......so there i am in my lady swimsuit, flip flops and swim suit coverup........and i get to the part of the downward path that screams NO to someone with my balance issues.  i extended my arm.......drank in how close i was to the water and wanted to feel that lake water on my skin..........to float.  to feel free......

i prayed .....bowed my head and prayed.....it wasn't even five seconds and a young man was at my side offering me his strong steady arm to make the descent down that hill.   Thank you Lord for angels and kindness and help........

coulda been a kind momma teaching her son about life in that moment, coulda been a young man with an exceptional awareness and kind heart.......either way I don't argue with God, I took the arm offered to me and had an amazing time in the water.......

absorbing sun, sand, water........happy people relaxing...........floating, paddling, the beauty of the lake, the trees, the shoreline........all those families taking time to be with each other and playing together.  awesome day.......

but now it was time to go home.......late afternoon and there was that BIG hill going up.......like the little engine that could i told myself i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.....got as far as I dared and stopped.  bowed my head and once again God sent me a young kind angel.......not even five seconds.  he carried my bag, he was so brave to help a stranger at his age.......i thanked God for him and I thanked him for getting me safely up that hill. 

breakfast is ready........music is so good.  hugs, missing life.......how are you?  will you share a story with me that brought you hope? a good day........something wonderful that didn't quite seem possible?

take care, serce