Do not be anxious.....

Well the weather has turned cold here in Tally. I think it got down to 33 one morning this week. I am not a fan of cold weather, but John loves it.

This past weekend John got almost all of the quarter round cut so we can finish and cover the edges of the wood floor we had put in. Next I guess I will get the pleasure of painting it so we can finally nail it down... boy am I ready to get that project finished!! 1 more down 50 more to go! Ha!

Last week John had to travel to Ocala, Florida for a business trip for several days. To his surprise the day he got there he found out that they were shutting down that plant. Boy, was this a full circle moment for him. In case you didn't know, they shut the plant down John was working at in Valdosta last December, which caused John to look for a new job. Fortunately, God took care of us and John got a new job really quickly. Even though this shut down does not affect John's job as of right now, going through this last Christmas brought back not so great memories. My heart goes out to all the employees who lost their job, and I pray that they will rely on God to get them through this difficult time. This economy has gotten so bad and is really making me nervous. Plants like the one John works at are getting shut down every week due to the economy and housing market. I struggle trying not to worry about this, but I know that ultimately God is in control and he will take care of us not matter what happens in our future. The verse that helps remind me to not worry is Philippians 4:6-7. It says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." After studying this verse, I noticed that we are commanded to not be anxious and no matter how hard this may be God commands us to not be worried. I pray that we all realize that no matter what we are going through we are told to not be anxious about anything and to present our worries to God. I can honestly say that once you practice this a burden will be lifted off of your back and God will give you a peace about your situation, however this doesn't mean the worry will go away, it just means you gave it to God to handle. Enough of rambling about this, I just pray for all the Americans this economy is affecting.

A while back I mentioned we had planted a lemon tree. Well I finally took a picture of it to post on here so you could all see our cute little tree! It's the picture above that has a tree in the planted container.I am still hoping it will produce lemons one day!!! One of our neighbors, who happens to be a widowed man in his late 80's or early 90's has a orange tree that is next to our fence in his back yard. I never knew it was an orange tree until this past week when I noticed oranges hanging all over it! It's so neat to see the oranges! I was really tempted to climb on our fence and sneak one to try, but I didn't. I am sure if I asked him he would give us some, as I know he will never be able to eat all of them, but I hate to bother him. Anyway, I took some pictures of it; so hope you enjoy them! In case you can't tell by my excitement, I have never been around fruit trees much in my life so to me this is pretty neat!!

Well I better go before this gets to long and boring. Hope you enjoy the pictures of our lemon tree and the neighbors orange tree!!

God is always there!!

It's been a while since I have written anything, so I thought I would take the time to update my blog. Last week, I got the pleasure of spending the week in Hattiesburg, MS with my mom and dad, while John was on a business trip in Virginia. I had the best time! I got to see several family friends, my aunt Kathleen and my grandparents. I also got to eat at one of my favorite restaurants back home called Peppers. They have the best potato salad you can get anywhere! I really wish we could get this restaurant in Tallahassee!!

One afternoon I got to visit with my grandparents and I helped my grandmother learn how to cut and paste on their computer. In case you are wondering if I just said grandparents and computer in the same sentence I did! Believe it or not my grandparents are computer-savvy! When I met John he did not believe me when I told him they used the Internet and actually emailed me! I personally think it's awesome that they wanted to take the time to learn this new technology to communicate with their friends and family.

While I was in Mississippi, my mom through an election party on Tuesday night with their supper club friends. It was great to get to see all of these family friends that I have known just about my entire life! It also happened that everyone there was rooting and voted for the same candidate, but sadly he didn't win. I have since realized that even though I think the wrong candidate won the election, I also know that God is in control and this was no surprise to Him. No matter how hard these next 4 years may be, I know that Deuteronomy 31:6 says: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." I am so very thankful that God will always be there, even if the new president might make some bad decisions for our country.

I came across this poem the other day that I want to share with you. I do not know who the author is.

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways, all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way.
Grace for the trails, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, Undying love.
God, your love is so precious!
You protect your people in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm36:7

When I read this the first time, it really reminded me that no matter how hard things may get for us, that with God's strength and love we can get through anything. God never promised us a life of no suffering, but he did promise us grace, strength, and love to get us through tough times. More importantly than all of those promises, we have been given the gift of eternal life and that is the most precious gift we could ever be given.

Well I guess I have rambled enough. John will leave again tomorrow to head to Ocala, Fl for a few days for work. I decided to stay here, so we would save the money from having to board the dog. Well I need to get some stuff down around the house and this is about all that has been going on with us.