What If?

What if? is one of those questions everyone asks themselves. What if I had married that guy/girl? What if I had gone to college? What if I had followed my dream instead of settling down? Everyone goes through periods in their life where the "what ifs" get you thinking about the life you 'could have' had, but it can become your life if you let it.

When the 'what ifs' are about lost love relationships you can try to contact the person and see where that takes you. Just don't expect the ending that was in "Letters to Juliet". If it's about attending college, it's never too late to go back. I just read about some 94 year old who graduated, and there was a 96 year old who holds the record for oldest college graduate (and now she's going for her Masters!) It's about going after your dream and no one should give up on that!

God will give you a dream but if you don't go after it, following the path He lays out for you to follow, it won't become reality. Oh sure, you can follow YOUR dream, and maybe you will attain it through YOUR efforts, but it will never be the full realization of what you could have achieved with the Lord's help!

Stop for a bit and talk to the Lord about what dreams you have; then sit still and listen to the Holy Spirit's promptings on the direction you need to go. You may need to change direction if you're not heading the way God has planned. You may be asked to do something that makes no sense to you, but the Lord knows. Or maybe you are doing just what you need to be doing at this time in your life.

What if you never take that step to change your life? What if you just continue going on the path you're on when God has this fabulous plan for your life - but you don't know what it is because you don't know Jesus and therefore don't know His voice? I play the what if? game still - What if I had been 'born again' when I was younger instead of waiting until I was 47? It's not too late to let Jesus into your life if you're still breathing! It will be too late if you die without the Lord.

Been some time since I've bothered to come on here, with a lot having happened. Daughter, Maddy now home - along with her large, unpredictable dog. Elfie (great dane-boxer) can be fine, playing nice with Jasmine and then BOOM! She's on her in a flash. I now have stitches in my finger due to pulling this dog off my dog. Prong collars are not my friend! Jasmine now stays well away from Elfie, even when Elfie is in her kennel. The poor dog is terrified since this was the 3rd attack since Christmas - the worst one requiring Jasmine to have stitches in her ear. Maddy seems to think she can train this dog to behave, but I tend to lean toward the "once aggressive, always aggressive" school of thought. She even has Elfie on puppy prozac! Looks like it's gonna be a long summer . . .Am I a bad mother for not being too happy my daughter is home with her dog?

On a lighter note, I had loads of fun at a women's retreat with the church ladies. Dr. Roseanne Coleman used humor and song to get her point across and was one of those speakers you didn't fall asleep on - her talk was way too entertaining! When not in the sessions they offered, I was off zip-lining, horseback riding or walking the grounds. They also had a high-ropes course, rifle range (with kid size rifles) and an archery area, along with a climbing wall (inside and out). Alas, not enough time to do everything! It felt good to get away and recharge my batteries. And it's something I need to do now and then so I don't get burnout caring for Amanda. I never could figure out these moms that have never left their child (handicapped or not) with a sitter for more than a few hours. Sometimes you have to have "me time" and as a single parent I've learned the importance of that. I'm looking forward to possibly going on the fall retreat in October - finances and sitter availability cooperating, of course.