Just because you put one foot in front of the other, that does not mean the pattern will continue. Sometimes I find I have taken steps back to where I began and make the trek over again. All the while, thinking that I am on course...bummer when that happens.

Yesterday morning my walk led me to feel hopeless to the point of kinda sorta giving up. I grow weary of the battle to survive some days to the point where I lack words, thought and energy to keep moving on whatever path is before me.

Can you relate?

That was how the morning began.

I woke to bad news. No one died. No one was hurt. More of a financial woe. Starting over again in life kinda sorta on your own, is not an easy task...for me, at least that is what I am discovering.

None the less, I had tasks to complete, responsibilities to tend to. It was then, on the freeway in route to one of the top priority tasks, where I found myself in a conversation...more of less one sided...with my Adoni. The good in that was most of the talking was on His part rather than mine...always a plus.

I was sitting very still, viewing out the window at nothing in particular, I suppose it was the only escape I could find at the moment. My eyes were drawn upward to the view of clouds that filled the same sky that was so clear and blue the day before. I wondered why the clouds had to take over. I wondered why it could not be a starry night so I could make a wish or two.

No sooner had that thought entered my mind when I heard a powerful voice speaking to my heart.

"You don't need the stars to wish on. They are My nightly gift to you, a reminder that I am here. You aren't alone, forgotten or unloved. I am asking you to trust Me, to stand tall and press on without looking back. You aren't returning to where you were, even though it might feel that way some days. When you feel you are too weak to carry on, I will be your strength. Keep your eyes on Me."

...and so it was, on the freeway midway between Grand Mound and Olympia, where I met with the Lord. Who knew?

Not all of my courage returned and I did not feel I had answers or any great wisdom that would help me. However, I did feel a calmness that I so needed.

Sometimes when I am troubled I try to analyze, I think too much. I journal my thoughts and read them over and over again. I go around and around in circles much like my neighbors cat does when trying to find the best position to lay in. It is in those times when I strive to slow myself down. I use tricks...you too? The best one I know is to vision the conversation between Vinny and Milo in the movie Atlantis, The Lost Empire.

Vinny: You didn't just drink that did you?!

Milo: Mm-hmmm.

Vinny: That's not good! That's nitroglycerin!

Vinny: Don't move, don't breathe, don't do anything. Except pray, maybe...

It always brings an inner giggle. The conversation above between Milo and Vinny was a joke on Milo. In the movie, Vinny was great at playing jokes on Milo who was so innocent, he always believed everything Vinny told him. It reminds me to stop moving so much in my thinking and circles I make...going round and round. Praying is always a must...the breathing part....is always a must.

The day - it got better. The evening - hmmm, not so good. The good news is, evening comes and with that I know at some point, rest and then there is the morning. I love mornings. Things always seem brighter with the new sunrise. My neighbor donkey thinks so too As I bring this post to an end, I can hear the donkey singing praises to the new day.

Blessings