Encouraging signs & wonders

I was grateful & amazed several times this weekend when situations that typically baffle & overwhelm me — often causing me to be late & extremely stressed out — went smoothly. 

The first biggie was getting the house in order & vacuumed before I left for Texas, & also manage to pack & leave on time with minimal stress. 

Another was when I set my alarm for 6:15 this morning & got up & dressed & made it to Cornerstone for breakfast 10 minutes early. And I didn’t freak out when I realized I forgot to carry to breakfast my morning meds that I take with food. 

This gives me hope that small steps of faith & progress could bring about tangible changes in some troublesome areas of my life.

The end again …

The end of another month with no blog activity from the spirit of Patricia!!

2026 & time still marches on …

I’d like to think I’m prioritizing living over writing.

I miss the results of writing. 

I don’t miss the process. 

That’s not totally accurate. 

I miss parts of the process. I just never could justify how much time it took. 

Tonight I attended the launch party for my niece’s book. I’m proud of her. She has a two-book deal with a major publisher. Wow!!

I’m grateful to be proud of her & not jealous. 

I’m grateful I could be part of her encouragement & her celebration. 

As with many of my co-workers over the years whom I mentored then they rose in the ranks above me, I’m proud to be a witness. 

I’m grateful to know & accept that is enough. 

It’s Feb. 28 & I’ve posted nothing this month

And that includes today! Sigh. 

Big Cedar reflections to come …

 …I hope 

Belated New Year post

OUR first fish of 2026 was caught by me! I couldn’t (wouldn’t) do it without Gene. Even on a slow day with not enough sunshine, no complaints from me catching a couple of 4-pounders on Jan. 1. We drove back to the farm to see a great sunset. 

Note to self: Don’t wait until dinner time to eat black-eyed peas at Cracker Barrel. They aren’t on the menu — & that was just the start of our bad luck, as they were out of much of what we wanted to order from the menu (salad, carrots, cornbread)!! We were grateful they could feed us anyway. Fortunately, we had bought a can of peas, just in case, & were able to eat them later. 

We finished the day with a visit to Mom to drop off some fillets from yesterday’s catch, plus a phone call with Gene’s sister & her son.

Grateful & blessed.

#ichoosejoy

#anothergoodday

#anothergoodyear

#onedayatatime

Just another day (blessed)

I pray to be willing to accept that it’s ok for the start of a new year to be just another day — one day at a time. I don’t know where I got the idea that the transition from one year to the next is such a big deal. I think my newspaper background is a factor; making a big deal out of & finding a story/meaning in things, especially transitions, while many people around me are just living life as it comes, taking it as it is. 

I’m the one who wanted to end this year fishing w/Gene & starting 2026 that way, even tho it means I won’t do other things (& sleep will suffer). 

That said, I am feeling more peace & acceptance & less anxious about how things are & how they might go. I’m seeing that no matter how hard I try or how little I do, things work out. They work out best when I pray, act in faith & trust God. I don’t understand it & I don’t have to, altho it would be nice if I could explain it, to share experience, strength & hope. It’s not magic; it’s acting in faith on promises of God & recovery. How did I get here? I gave up on trying to figure things out (after seeing again & again that my figuring was faulty & never worked) & shifted my focus to letting go & trusting God. Along the way, I embraced Scriptures that made it OK to not understand (Proverbs 3:5-6) & to have peace amid storms & confusion & concerns (Philippians 4:4-6). My life is far from perfect. And that’s amazingly OK. I am blessed, grateful, loved.