Winter is staying with us in Bowling Green. Counting tomorrow, city schools will have missed 7 days, and I’ve lost count on the county. A record year. After school and Enrichment at Community Ed have really hit the skids this year.

It’s also been a record year for Nine Hearths with repairs. I may have mentioned the water heater going out, and we ended up replacing both of them. We also re-did the mud room because the roof was leaking and causing major damage. It looks really great, by the way. Then Mike’s car has had tons of repairs. Well, the saga continues: the blower motor went out on the furnace last week. Better last week than this week with zero degrees! AND, someone hit my car at Kroger and kept on going. It’s minor, but still has to be fixed. Annoying, really.

OK, why mention all of this? Well, we sat down and decided to look at it this way. These are lessons in thankfulness: we have a roof that needs fixing; we have a car that has to be repaired; we have heat in this cold weather; we have a hot water heater that needs replacing. In other words, we are blessed to have a good home, good jobs, and everything we need to be happy. I admit, it was hard to look at it that way at first. But it’s the way we should look at it. We have so much to be thankful for.

One thing that moves on, snow or no snow, is Community Ed’s fund raiser, Spell-a-Bration. Next Friday we’ll have our 6th adult spelling bee. Twenty-five teams this year. WOW! It’s been a little challenging, getting everything together with the snow, but it’s happening. Also, some of us at work have had some challenges this year, with home and family issues. But it continues to amaze me how so much can be accomplished by a small group of dedicated people. I love Community Education.

This week with all the ice and snow, Mike took a tumble while walking Lucy. His words: “I have more sympathy for you with your back.” hmmmm. one way to look at it. We’re really fortunate that he didn’t hurt himself really badly. He landed flat on his back in the street, and was extremely sore for several days. Shew! Thank you, Lord, for watching over us on that one.

As far as how I feel lately, I am doing well. There have been a couple of rough days, but overall my pain is being managed. I am learning to pace myself better. (yep, that took some adjusting) I have just learned to pull back and not try to go and do so much. Well, ok, maybe I learned that the hard way, lol. If I don’t pace myself everyone pays the price. Those are the nights of tears and frustration. Tears because I’ve just worn myself out and frustration because I don’t have control of the situation. I’m learning better how to say no, which isn’t always easy. Some people have a hard time hearing it. But it’s a matter of picking and choosing. And I really like curling up and staying home with Mikey and the pups. And I dislike having to take lots of pain medicine–it can really make me edgy. And then those closest to me pay the price. (Sorry about that, folks. Just slap me and keep going!) Cutting back on going and going all the time means fewer meds, which is a good thing.

But sometimes you do things you don’t really want to do, and the outcome surprises you. Yesterday I thought I didn’t really want to go to Kiwanis. I was tired and had a lot to do, plus not feeling the best. The laughter shared with friends made the trip worthwhile.

Another thing hard for me is asking for help, especially with my job. When I do have to ask I find myself becoming curt and defensive, making excuses. That’s something that just has to be overcome. After all these years of being an independent person it’s hard to have to ask folks to do things. Debi, my boss, has had to “smack me around” about that one. She’s taken over and said I need to just stop doing some things. I have to admit, it has made a big difference. Thank you for the wisdom there.

I don’t really have anything important to add to the journal tonight. I just want to try to do a better job of staying in touch with everyone.  As always, we value the support and prayers of our friends. We have such a great support system and network of friends. That’s one type of help it’s easy to accept. 🙂

Remember to hug your family and friends as often as you can, and do all the good you can. AND, remember to laugh a lot. Laughter and smiles are truly the best medicine.

Everyone stay warm and safe. Til later, Anne