One of God's Greatest Blessings #Coping #Bend in the Road #Timing

😊

 

 "One Day at a Time"

 

My grandmother taught me an important life lesson: One of God's greatest blessings is that we are only given one day at a time. "By focusing on future blessings, we miss out on everything in between," she warned. "Knowing trouble lurks just around the bend in the road can lead to misery and fear."

 Jesus told His disciples the same thing. Never has this advice been more applicable than during the past week. 

  

Triple digit temperatures and more swooped into western Washington with a vengeance. Some are calling it a once-in-a-millennium happening. (Whether true or not, I don't plan to be around!) 

 

When the heat wave began, I rose at daylight, opened doors and windows, and ran fans. The house stayed in the mid-70s. Sandy, a concerned writer friend, invited me to stay in her air-conditioned home. I am 85, but I figured I'd be okay here. I began to reconsider when LR temp. reached 81 on Friday, June 25th.

  

That afternoon, my across-the-street neighbors brought and installed a window air conditioner in my kitchen! Their last name? Angel. By morning, my small, ranch-style-house was at 68. 😊

 Coping adjustments.

Temperatures continued to soar. On Sunday, I lost power in half of the house. Thank God, the kitchen side remained intact, so the A/C continued to run.

Puget Sound Energy came that evening and restored power, a temporary fix. The glitch appears to be in the underground wiring. Neighbors in back of me had the same problem. I am glad not to lose the food in the freezer and fridge.

PSE asked me to limit the use of fans. Now I shut doors to bedrooms, office, bathroom, sleep on the LR couch . . . and stick with  sandwiches, salad, fruit, and brief microwave use. No stove top cooking.

While using my computer, I open only that room.

Friends are also taking it one day at a time, especially those without A/C. Marge, another writer friend, says, "We are surviving, but not thriving."

This too shall pass. I look forward to the return of rain that many Washingtonians complain about. Last night I told my neighbors, "When it comes, don't be surprised if you see me out here dancing in it."

The Bend in the Road

In 2012-2013, while going through highly successful cancer treatment, God taught me a valuable lesson. As long as I focused on the present, l was okay. When I started considering what might wait around the bend in the road, fear and depression sneaked in. I read the Biblical promises over and over, especially Hebrews 13:5, ". . . he [Jesus] hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

May you have strength to take one day at a time. It doesn't solve all our problems, but it can help us refuse to cross bridges before we come to them. Many "rivers" we dread facing may not exist. Even better, we may discover that:

I have.

Love and prayers,

Colleen