Howdy to all from Julie. It is a beautiful day here in Dallas. The temperature today got up to 83. But we are supposed to be getting a cold front during the night and maybe have sleet by Tuesday morning.
I got an email from Judy A. asking me to post and say "hi" and let y'all know how I am. I'm more curious as to how all of you are doing! So I'll be reading the board to catch up on y'all's latest. So here is the latest on me.
I've been active in O.A. for 9 months now. My weight has dropped 27 pounds and my Alc blood sugar has been in the 6.2 range for about 6 months now. I still follow Dr. Phil's Weight Loss Challenge steps but I need to have the face to face contact with my O.A. friends at least twice a week. The most important thing I learned from Dr. Phil and have kept at the FRONT of my mottos is "Dont buy it. Dont bring it into your house. and You can't eat it.!!" WOW! Has that ever been true for me.
Meanwhile, My husband and I are both singing in our church choir and enjoying the fellowship of people there. We are hosting the Choir Christmas Party on Sunday afternoon Dec. 16th in our home. Yes.... we have finally finished all the remodelling and redecorating of the inside of our house. And had all the landscaping done in our atrium, courtyard and patio. We now have an all new kitchen. New appliances, granite countertop, antiqued cabinets with glass doors, removed florescent lighting and put in pot lights...and it is all in the colors of Italian Tuscan theme. We love it!
Our oldest son, his wife and their four children have made a major change in their lives and we couldn't be more happy about it! For some 15 years they have lived near Naperville, Illinois (west of Chicago) and our son has been working for Lucent Technology. Feeling led by the Lord, he resigned his job, and went to work for a non-profit agency as the executive director of DEAF PRISON MINISTRIES NETWORK. He took an enormous cut in pay but God is providing for the family. One of the ministries of the DPMN is an aftercare facility called Helping Hands Ranch. The ranch is located in Willis, Texas (just south of Huntsville Texas). Currently the offices of DPMN are located at the ranch so that is where Scott goes to work each day. The family has a house 16 miles away in Conroe Texas (a larger town with a better school district). We are so thrilled to have them all back in Texas!
Here is a miracle story.... After having their house for sale for 4 months with no offers; they lowered the price but that didn't help; they repainted many of the rooms and that didn't help either. So on the weekend of July 4th they loaded up all of their earthly possessions in two large PENSKY trucks and my daughter in law had the family van filled with all 4 kids, two birds, and a dog.... and they locked up the house and headed to Texas. Their realtor had told them that there were 80 other houses within just a few miles of their house that were virtually the same size and the same price and he did not give them much hope.
It was a total step of faith!
It took them two days to get here to us in Dallas. Then after one night here Off the went again during a horrible rain storm and all the Monday Morning Traffic. When they arrived just outside the Dallas City limits to the south of the city they stopped to get gasoline. They were still 4 more hours of driving to get to their new house. My daughter-in-law's cell phone rang. It was their Chicago Realtor with news that their house had sold ..... and for the full price..... and no complications. It would be closed in a week!
WOW! Isn't God wonderful? He was just waiting for them to be able to totally give up their life in Naperville and actually walk away from their unsold house. And when they took that step of faith the HE instantly covered their needs and blessed their faithfulness! What a miracle story!
How did that affect me? Never give up. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep headed down Life's path and following God's Will for your life. And what is God's will for us? for all of us? To be the very best me that I can be. And I am sure that it is His will for me to be healthy, and strong in body.
I cannot do this with my own will power! Time and again I have proved that I have very very weak will power and cannot do much at all when I am on my own. Other people have pressed their will power upon me.... like my mother begging, nagging etc. for years for me to lose weight. There is God and only God who has the Will and the Power to help me succeed. Unless I am in His Will and using His Power
can I begin going down that healthy road of life.
And I must keep my eye on God's Will and His Power to accomplish in me what I cannot do for myself. Because have you ever noticed that no matter how long you go down the road you are always equadistant from the deep ditches on either side of the road. All I have to do is swerve a little bit and SPLASH there I am back down in the ditch because I took my eye off the Goal of God's Will for my life!
So this is what I have been learning! I have spent hours and hours of meditation, prayer, reading good literature, and going to O.A. Meetings. And So far, this much I know! And I just had to share it with all you Wonderful Women on the WLC over 60 board. We are never too old to learn! So join me! I will welcome you! I've found what works for me! Maybe it would work for you too!
Post your messages here to me. Or check my profile for my email and send me a private email!
Love to all you W.O.W. from your Dallas friend, Julie
