The Testing Ground

2010-12-01T14:55:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you think the cosmos has it in for you especially after you have put a concentrated effort to do the right thing? I can usually tell when I am on the right track because everything begins to come at me from what seems to be a 1,000 directions. It use to irritate me and make me slide back into the safe protection of my shell. Then it occurred to me I could use this to my advantage in that:

1. If you want to know if you are on the right track all you have to do is observe if whether or not the enemy is getting extra busy with his little distractions and irritations so much that it seems as if he is focusing on you more than anyone else...you are on the RIGHT track!

It use to make me angry to hear the Saints say "Thank God For Your Trials!" But now as I have grown a little and matured some in the Lord, I know what they meant. The enemy only tries those who are going in the opposite direction of him and that gives me joy because you can repent and confess your sins and God is faithful and just to forgive you (1John 1:9).

You know what? No matter how far south you are going the minute you turn around you are headed north! Don't do like I did and wallow in your failures too long because everyone makes mistakes. Get up! Dust yourself off and GET BACK ON THAT MULE!

Much Love,
Muriel

Back To School!

2010-11-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

The closer it gets to the Spring Semester, the more I ask myself what am I thinking?! Do I actually think I can handle a college load in this stage of the game, especially after I have crossed over to the beginning of the "getting old" stage? In the beginning, I was confronted with a few rude awakenings. First to change was my vision. It use to be so comical watching my Grandmother and my Mother hold paper ten feet away so they could read it, now it is my turn. Not to mention the aches and pains and pains and aches which have become my all too familiar constant passenger.

I never totally understood until well into my late 30's what my Grandmother meant by saying "keep living". Not only has my vision changed, there is a marked gravitational pull on my body. Oh, and those naps I use to hate when I was a girl has become a most precious commodity in my life.

Somehow, just as many mid-lifers do, I became comfortable in my schedule which entails doing the same thing at the same time on a daily basis and anything that would dare to interfere with my schedule would come under scrutiny!

Then one day my health took a turn for the worst. Being diagnosed with a chronic disease is very disappointing in that you go through a yo-yo of emotions. Including the grieving process as if you have lost a friend. In a sense, that is what happened to me. I miss the old me. I use to go, go, go and loved every minute of it. Now, it takes time for me to just go. Because my Grandmother instilled in me a "poop-or-get-off-the-pot mentality," I began to think of how I can take these cards I've been dealt and come up with a winning hand.

Sometimes you need to recognize when you have the opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade. Now that four of our six children are adults and the two youngest are in high school, I think this is the perfect time to go back to school and get my bachelor's in Sociology and then from there, Law School. It has always been in me to fight for those who can not fight for themselves and being a lawyer was my original plan until my vocational rehab counselor discouraged me from pursing a career in law by informing me that "I am smart, but not smart enough to be a lawyer or a doctor, but I would be a good secretary." Well, you can imagine that my self-esteem hit rock bottom and I did not dare to challenge his authority because after all, he was my counselor and he was doing what he thought was best for me, right? WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!

One thing in life I have learned is; if you are going to dream, then dream BIG!
Muriel Burch

It's Not Over Until It's Over!

The Testing Ground

Back To School!