Update on Uncle Jessie

I have been asked by several through email to update on Uncle Jessie.  Some of you I have emailed individually, so you already know, but for those of you who don't and want to know, Uncle Jessie had surgery for an aortic dissection yesterday morning between 4 and 5 AM according to his oldest son.  One of my SIL's told me he also has fluid in his lungs and some kind of inflammation in his stomach.  Uncle Jessie came through the surgery well and his prognosis is good, although with this serious of a surgery, I know he is not out of the woods yet, so please keep praying.

His doctor said if they had not found that when they did, Uncle Jessie would probably at the most have made it about another month.  We praise God they found it when they did and he got help pretty quickly.

If I remember correctly, the aorta is the main artery going into the heart.  He had a tear and it was causing him to bleed internally.  He had been so weak because his heart was not pumping all of his blood through his system.  They had to start at the base of the aorta down in his stomach if I understood correctly and replace quite a bit of it.

I thank God for watching over Uncle Jessie and putting him in the hands of the right doctors.  We already lost Uncle Robert to cancer, last March, I believe it was, and then my beloved FIL in October.  This would be too much.  Uncle Robert and Uncle Jessie were/are brothers of my MILs.  She still is not over Dad's death and now she has been quite concerned about Uncle Jessie.

She, on the other hand, has been doing much better since we got past the stress of the funeral.  Please continue to pray for her as well.

My Mom is still going through therapy for her last surgery on her rotator cuff.  I would ask that you continue to remember her too.

I got most of my Christmas decorations out and hope to get some pics to post soon.  I think the tree turned out rather nicely.  Hope you do too.

Must run, it is 8:00 PM, I just finished work and still have to do supper.

Blessings!~

Susan

P.S.  Please keep our troops in your prayers and good thoughts!~

Reminiscing............

I found these old pics I had scanned into my computer back some time ago.  They bring back a lot of memories.  My grandmother owned a daycare center.  She always had Christmas Parties around Christmas.  We were always part of that.  In the pic of my Dad holding my sister and me standing beside them, I remember my Dad fussing at me and telling me to get my foot off the rocker.  I think in the pic I have my foot on it.  After it was taken, I remember him clenching his teeth at me, as he did when he was angry (he was redheaded like his Mom, lol) and telling me to get my foot off the rocker.  Isn't it funny how we can sometimes remember certain details from our childhood and forget so many others and a picture or statement someone makes jogs a memory.  Seeing my foot on the rocker and my Dad's face in the pic made me remember that memory.

My Granddaddy J. was the meekest, mildest, kindest person you could ever want to meet.  He walked with a walking cane due to having polio as a child.  It left one of his legs slightly shorter than the other one.  I now own that walking cane.  I remember seeing his footprints and the print of his cane in the sand around their house while he waited for my Nana to get done working for the day.  He worked nights as a security guard for a local mill.  We would go out and sit in the swing and my grandparents in their rocking chairs on their front porch afterwards drinking soda and eating candy watching the traffic go by, as they lived in town.  We lived with them until I was about 6 years old.  Nana's daycare was behind their house.  She and my Granddaddy took care of us until my parents got home from work.

My Hubby called a little while ago to give me some rather bad news.  His Uncle Jessie was rushed to a hospital in North Alabama in pretty critical condition.  He had been admitted to the hospital I work for yesterday (Monday).  They ran tests and found out he is bleeding around his aorta, which is the main artery going into the heart, if I am not mistaken.  It has a tear.  This is a very serious condition, life threatening even.  He is my MIL's brother.  They lost a brother last March to cancer, Uncle Robert.  She just lost her husband of 60 years on 10/25/2006.  He would have been 84 on 11/06/2006, and now Uncle Jessie is in serious condition.  Please keep him in your prayers.  I would be so grateful.

We spent Thanksgiving at my MILs in light of the fact that my FIL had just passed away almost a month before.  Hubby's next-to-the-oldest brother was the oldest son there and the family asked him to say Grace.  Mom started crying while he said Grace.  I know it was because Dad always said Grace being the head of the family.  She cried again while eating her food, but for the most part, I think she did very well.  We enjoyed the day with the family along with some very good food.  We all pitched in together so all of it would not fall on her because she is not well either, although she has been doing much better.  I thank all of you for the prayers for her and for my Hubby's family.  The first holidays after a significant loss are always the hardest.

So many of my friends both online and off have so many prayer requests.  Please know I care and all of you are in my thoughts and my prayers.  I pray for the Holy Spirit to give you comfort where comfort is needed and meet your needs as only He can.

Hugs and prayers from our house to yours!~  Have a blessed Christmas and remember that Jesus is the reason for the Season!~

For Lavern and our Troops!~

Dear Susan,

 

I don't have a journal, but when I received this today, I really thought J-Land should be able to read about this--particularly the last entry concerning the wearing of Red on Friday, to support our troops.  Knowing from reading your journal that you have such a love for our men and women serving our country, I immediately thought of forwarding it to you, and perhaps you would see fit to bring it to the people who read your journal.  Thanks so much--if you think it OK to do so. 

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Dear LaVern,

 

I do see fit, as there are many families who won't be together this Christmas because their loved ones are serving their country.  There are many others who have lost their loved ones through serving their country who also won't have their loved one to celebrate with.  This is a time for remembering the sacrifice of our military, both past and present, and the great price of our freedom.  May we continue to lift them up in our prayers as they put themselves in grave danger every day so that we might have our freedom.  May we remember their great sacrifice during this holiday season.  God Bless America and God Bless our Troops!~ 

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Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.
No, he responded.
              Heading out I asked?
No. I'm escorting a soldier home.
          Going to pick him up?
No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq. I'm taking him home to his family. 
 

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom: 

"Ladies and Gentleman,

 

We have had the honor of having Sgt. Steeley of the United States Marine Corps on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign."

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize thatI am proud to be an American. 
 

So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do in freedom.

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"No arsenal, no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."

Red Fridays.
Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority." We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous, or overbearing.  Many Americans, like you, me, and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that ... every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If everyone of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is ...."We need your support and your prayers." Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE!! 

 

Thanks so much,

 

LaVern (Purplehazebarn)

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La Vern, I am proud to do this for you since you do not have a journal and even more proud to do it for our men and women in the military, as I want them to know how much we here at home support them and thank them for their bravery and great sacrifice to keep us free, as well as their duty to our country, and their Commander-In-Chief.  They are all heroes.

 

Blessings, hugs,  and prayers going out for our troops!

 

Susan

 

P.S. Please note I have more editing to do on this entry, as well as pictures and graphics to add when I find out where I saved them on this computer!!!!! 

 

Thought for the Day!~

There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them.

Source unknown.

 

I have an update for all of you when I get the chance.  Please keep Hubby's Uncle Jessie in your prayers.  He was admitted to the hospital today.  They are running tests.  Can't seem to tell him what is wrong.  I pray they find out so they can treat him accordingly.

 

Blessings!~

 

Susan

 

IF MY BODY WERE A CAR..........

Thanks to my friend, M.W. for this cute email:

For some of us, this one may hit a bit too close to home...  Let's laugh about it anyway:

 If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull, but that's not the worst of it.

 My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see
 things up close.  
  

My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and
skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.

My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.
It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed.
My fuel rate burns inefficiently.
But here's the worst of it --

Almost every time I sneeze, cough or sputter.....either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!

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Hope I made you laugh today!  Hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!~

Blessings!~

Susan

 

I am thankful for........

I know it has been a while.  Sorry, have been very busy.

We had bad weather come through last week.  I believe it was last Wednesday.  Thunderstorms and tornado warnings plagued the southeast.  It rained so hard and for so long, our basement took on water.  I had to stop doing my medical transcription job that I do from home and start trying to keep the water from coming in.  I lost.  I used about every towel I had, including beach towels to help soak up the water.  The washer and dryer ran constantly for two days, as I kept loads of towels going.  I had to go out during the height of the storm to our detached garage to get the shop vac because it is a wet/dry vac to suck up the water.  It was coming in faster than I could suck it up.  I started doing it about 1:30 PM, just as the water had started to come in.  If I stopped for anything, whether it was to put on another load of towels, eat a sandwich, answer the phone, or whatever, the water would come in a little bit further each time.

My son's bedroom is in the basement, so it was his bathroom and bedroom, along with our laundry room that was getting flooded.  When he came in from work, he saw what I was doing.  He told me he knew the way it was raining that the basement would be flooding.  He tried to help, but he was so tired.  He had just gotten off of work (Did I say he finally found a job?  Woo Hoo!) and walked in and said, "Oh Lord!"

That was a backbreaking job, let me tell ya!  That shop vac probably doesn't hold but maybe 2-3 gallons, so I was constantly dumping it in the toilet every few minutes.  It finally stopped coming in at around 10:00 PM, so it took me approximately 8.5 hours.

My son had already gone to bed by the time I had gotten enough of the water out to start being able to use the mop instead of the shop vac, so I had to wait until the next morning to get the water out from under his bed.  After he went to work, I pulled the mattress and box springs off of his bed and got the shop vac again and got the water out from under his bed.

He also has a daybed in his room that he uses as a sofa/guest bed.  I had to pull it out and get the water out from under it too.  I finally got done washing all of the towels the day after the storm.

I had to work this weekend, so I sat all weekend.  Worked today, sat all day today.  My back is aching and I was so sore I could hardly move for a few days afterwards.  Did I say my back is still aching?  I had to stoop over for such a long time getting that water out.  I have a full body massager.  I think I will put that on my bed.  It has settings that you can change.  One sounds like water trickling, another is birds singing, one sounds like a waterfall and so on.  I think I shall turn in for the night and do that and relax for a bit.  Perhaps that will soothe my sore aching body some.

I still see the silver lining in this though.  I saw on the weather channel the areas of flooding and people losing everything they had, some even lost their lives.  I didn't lose anything, except a few hours of work.  Praise God!~

A tornado got close to my daughter's school, but turned a different direction.  I am thankful my daughter and the other students were spared.

I am thankful my whole house did not take on water and the tornado didn't come our way. 

Let us use this time to remember what we have to be thankful for and let us most of all remember our troops who will not be home with their loved ones because of their sacrifice to keep us safe and free.  I am so thankful for our military.

May the Holy Spirit comfort those who have lost loved ones this past year.  The first holidays are always the hardest.

I am thankful for a Commander-In-Chief who is not ashamed to let us know he prays.

I am thankful for my beautiful family.

I am thankful for my many friends.

I am thankful for such a beautiful Autumn this year.

I am thankful that despite those horrific storms, I still have a roof over my head, food on my table, and clothes on my back.

I am thankful to be employed.

I am thankful to have been married to the love of my life for the last 28 years.

I am thankful for my Mom.  She is my hero.

I am thankful for my sister, as she is my best friend.

I am thankful for my fur babies, all four, and the comfort they bring to me.

I am thankful my MIL is doing so much better.

I am thankful most of all, for my Heavenly Father, who loved me enough to send His only son to die for my sins that I might have eternal life.

So hard to believe the holidays are upon us.  Time flies anymore, doesn't it?  So may I say from our house to yours: 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!~

Susan and Family

 

Pimpin' sumthin' my son wrote!~

I pimped this from my son's journal.  He is very talented when it comes to words, so is my daughter.  I love this:

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

GOD Spiritual Metaphysical healer of my spirit indivisible my savior my lord for you I lift the sword which is the pen my words are from HIM my best friend I'm in to win so I wage war against my sin and the battle's never over thankful for Jehovah for watchin' over me without you I would never be able to spit so cleverly I pray you never leave thank you Lord for blessin' me I know all my struggles were test's for me and I know you just want what's best for me I was blind and couldn't see until you came and rescued me © Copyright 2006 D.B.Rudd Peace I'm Out In Space The Illicist [end transmission] ************************************************************** He writes from the pain he has been through.  I am so glad God has blessed him with this talent.  It helps him deal with his pain.  I will come back and post his links in a bit.  Gotta run an errand right quick. Blessings!~ Susan P.S.  Please remember to pray for our troops! I got an email the other day that let me know they are depending on us to keep us in their prayers, so when you read this stop and pray or hold good thoughts for them.  Postive energy cannot hurt.  Oh,and son says spit means rap.  Who woulda thunk it?????? :-P

A Marine's Reply to Senator John Kerry

 

You never know these days with emails whether to believe what you read is the truth or not.  I cannot say if this email is authentic or not, but what I can say is it captures my sentiments exactly regarding the comment that I saw Senator John Kerry make concerning our troops on the news recently.  He claims it was aimed toward our president.  It does not matter to me what he says, the remark was totally uncalled for.  President Bush is our Commander-In-Chief.  How does this make us look to the world?  To our troops?  They are putting their lives on the line for us every day.  They were not drafted, they VOLUNTEERED.  I, for one, am very grateful to every single military person, past, present, and future because I know that freedom is not free and it has taken the sacrifice of many a fine man/woman to keep all of us in this country free.  May we never forget that. 

 

 

I wholeheartedly agree with this email.  I proudly support my president, my country, and our troops and feel we are doing what must be done for the betterment of all mankind, not just the U.S.A.  So, thank you to all the veterans out there, and all of the families who live without their loved ones because they are serving our country, and to the families who have lost their loved ones because the price of freedom is so great.  May the Holy Spirit comfort each one of you and may God Bless America, even the insenitive ones like Senator John Kerry.

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And now for the email I wholeheartedly agree with:

 

This was written by my husband, Aaron, who is currently deployed to Iraq, in defense of a recent comment made by Senator John Kerry. Pass it along, it might inspire someone else to speak up! ~ Michelle

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Yesterday John Kerry said, "You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well, and if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

So I wrote him a letter:

I am a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. I am currently on my second tour in Iraq, a tour in which I volunteered for. I speak Arabic and Spanish and I plan to tackle Persian Farsi soon. I have a Bachelors and an
Associates Degree, and between deployments I am pursuing an M.B.A. In college, I was a member of several academic honor societies, including the Golden Key Honor Society. I am not unique among the enlisted troops. Many of my enlisted colleagues include lawyers, teachers, mechanics, engineers, musicians and artists, just to name a few. You say that your
comments were directed towards the President and not us. If we were stupid Senator Kerry, we might have believed you.

I am not a victim of President Bush. I proudly serve him because he is my Commander-In-Chief. If it was you who was President, I would serve you just as faithfully. I serve America, Senator Kerry, and I am also providing a service to the good people of Iraq. I have not terrorized them in the middle of the night, raped them, or murdered them.  You see Senator Kerry, like it or not, we came here and removed a tyrant (who terrorized Iraqis in the middle of the night, and raped them, and
murdered them), and we have a responsibility to see to it that another one doesn't take his place. The people of Iraq are recovering from an abusive relationship with a terrible government and it's going to take some time to help them recover from that. We can't treat this conflict like a microwave dinner and throw a temper tantrum because we feel like it's taking too long.

Senator Kerry, you don't have to agree with this war. You don't have to say nice things about those of us who choose to make sacrifices for the rights of every American rather than sit back and simply feel entitled to it. But please Senator Kerry, if you're going to call me a stupid murdering rapist, stick by what you say. Don't tell me that I misunderstood or that you would never insult a veteran because you're one too. Having been there and done that does not give you a free pass to insult me.

My suggestion for you, Senator Kerry, is to remember that your speeches are recorded, and broadcast to us simpletons over here. You may want to write down what you want to say before you say it, maybe have somebody look at it before you say it and tell you what others might hear. Remember that we can't read your mind, if there are any misinterpretations in what you say, it's because you didn't communicate clearly.

Good luck to you Senator Kerry, if nothing else, it's always entertaining to watch you try and climb out of the holes that you constantly dig for yourself.

 

Sincerely,

Somebody who is watching his daughter grow up in photographs so that you can have the right to say whatever you want about him.

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I do not think I could have said it any better myself.  Bravo!!!!!!!!!

 

Blessings!~

 

Susan

 

 

 

Thought For The Day!~

Faith is not believing that God can, it is knowing that God will.

A Tribute!~

You should have turned 84 today, Dad.  Instead, we are mourning your death.  At the same time, we rejoice with you that you are no longer suffering and in a far better place.

I feel honored to have been the one who stayed by your bedside all night the night before you left us.  I adored you and I know the feeling was mutual.  I also feel honored to have been holding your hand the next night when you took your last breath.  One of your granddaughter's was holding your other hand.  Some of your grandchildren and another daughter-in-law were also in the room.  We were singing Amazing Grace, one of your favorite hymns, when you stepped from this life into eternity. 

We are comforted to know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, as Bro. Gene so eloquently preached at your funeral.  The flag was draped over your coffin both at the chapel and the graveside to honor your military service.  Bro. Hank, whom you came to love so much from Hospice did part of the service, and as you requested, your good pastor friend, Bro. Gene did the rest of the service.  Bro. Hank gave any of the family time to say anything they wanted and your youngest son stood up and gave a beautiful tribute to you as a father.  My Hubby had done pretty well up until that point, but at that point he broke, as did many others.  You would have been so proud and humbled by the nice things they all had to say about you.

At the graveside service, two Army personnel were standing nearby and played Taps at the conclusion.  They folded the flag draped on your coffin and presented the flag to your grandson, K, who is in the Air Force.  He was also in full uniform.  He looked so handsome.  You would have been so proud of him.  He then presented the triangle-shaped flag to Mom. 

You left behind your wife of 60 years, your five sons and their wives, and your four daughters and their husbands, along with 26 grandchildren, one of which preceded you in death, and 30 great grandchildren.  Within those five sons is a set of twins, one of which is my better half.  On October 7th, we were blessed enough to celebrate 28 years together.  I have been with your son over half of my life, so his family I consider to be my family since I have lived with him even longer than I lived with my own parents.

I always said our family was like The Waltons x 3 because you came from a large family, Mom came from a large family, and then you had your own large family together.

With only a 4th grade education, you ran your own construction business as a contractor and supported your wife and nine children on this meager income.

You served your country as a Sergeant in the United States Army during the European conflict in WWII pulling telephone lines from the front lines back to your base camp.  It was a dangerous job, but somebody had to do it.

I shudder to think what my life would be like had you been killed in the war.  I would never have met your son nor had my two beautiful children, a son and a daughter.  Because of Mom and you bringing these twins into the world, I did end up meeting him when I was only 18.  I don't mind telling you, I was hooked from the start.  We were engaged only after two weeks.  I turned 19 two months before we got married. We married five months after we met, and the rest is history.  We have had a wonderful life together, for the most part.  All of it has not been a bed of roses, but I don't know anyone who can say that.  The thing is we meant our marriage vows, and though we have had some tough times, we have been committed enough to each other to work outthe problems as they have come up.  Mom and you stayed together through thick and thin.  You taught us well what for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health means.  I thank you for that and for so much more.

I knew nothing about dealing with a fireplace until I met my better half.  I can stack firewood now with the best of them, tote it in even in the frigid weather, and build a fire as good as anyone.  I know he learned that from you and I in turn learned it from him.

I can help plant a garden, tend it, and put up my veggies in the freezer for later use. 

I know my better half's love of hunting comes from the things you taught him while he was growing up.  He helped to skin the wild meat (deer and elk) and process it on the many hunts with his brothers and nephews in Colorado.  I taught myself how to cook it, but you gave me your secret tip over the phone for getting the wild taste out.  It works!  Thanks for teaching me that.  The meat from those hunts saved us a lot of money at the grocery store.  Those few things are just a drop in the bucket of the things we have learned from you.

There are 65 human beings on the planet so far because of the children you and Mom had together, which in turn have had children, and now some of them have had children.  That is quite alegacy. 

You served as a deacon in your church for many years and were even known to preach a sermon or two during your time there.

I watched you manage your money in awe.  I have a high school education, yet you were better at math and managing money than I am.

Yes, today is what should be your 84th birthday, but now you are celebrating with the angels with your perfect whole new body in Christ.  We rejoice with you that your suffering here on earth is over and we look forward to joining you when our time comes, but until then, as long as your memory lives within our hearts, you will live on, and you will be sorely missed by your loving family and many friends.

Rest in peace, my dear beloved father-in-law.  You deserve it.  I have been richly blessed to be part of your family.  I loved you with all of my heart and will miss you every single day for the rest of my life until we meet again.

One of your devoted daughter-in-laws,

Susan

THIS ENTRY IS IN MEMORY OF MY FATHER-IN-LAW, A PROUD VETERAN, AND ALL DECEASED VETERANS, AND IN HONOR OF OTHER VETERANS OUT THERE, AS WELL AS OUR CURRENT MILITARY WHO ARE PRESENTLY SERVING OUR COUNTRY WHEREVER YOU MIGHT BE, BUT MOST ESPECIALLY THOSE OF YOU IN IRAQ.

CHRISTIAN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS!~

My Mom sent this email to me.  I love it.  I am working on self-improvement, so I can be somebody God can be proud of, I can be proud of, and my family can be proud of.

An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain, even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say no to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it .
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the kid in you everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you, Jesus!"
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but notyourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most) .
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. BELIEVE ME, I KNOW THIS TO BE THE TRUTH.  THE LAST THREE YEARS OF MY LIFE (THE LAST YEAR IN PARTICULAR) HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY ROUGH.  THINGS ARE LOOKING UP.  THEY STARTED LOOKING UP WHEN I REMEMBERED TO PRAISE GOD EVEN WHEN THINGS WERE NOT GOING WELL.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)