Divine Lunacy Writes Again...

Happy Sabbath! How is everyone on this chill and frosty morning? It's only 38 degrees here, but that is cold enough for me! I don't know how people manage in places that are buried in snow and/or ice. I love the snow, but I don't want to live in it. I have been quite lax in writing since I returned from my vacation this last summer. Things have been hairy at work and I get home and just want to veg out. Poor excuse, but there it is. As I sit here, sipping on some good ol' Southern comfort (Community Coffee Evangeline Blend, to the great unwashed), I keep thinking of how blessed I am. Even with all the stress and bad news in my life. I have a job. I have a roof over my head and a heater that works. And a coffee maker. There is food in the fridge and running water. There is a car in the garage...it's a beater, but it gets me from point A to point B. I still have both my parents and my siblings are healthy and happy. I have a beautiful niece and a handsome nephew. All in all, things are good. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. I just want to acknowledge that all that I have comes from His grace and mercy. He is, indeed, faithful. I mentioned stress and bad news. There is so much of it lately. Not that anyone else I know is stress free. It is epidemic these days. Let's start with work, shall we? We are facing lay-offs again. This time, County wide. Our division has been cut to the bone. I'm not sure how they can trim us again. There is going to be a change of house as well. My division will be going back to Public Works after the first of the year. This should be interesting. Also, at work, is a co-worker that runs hot and cold. There are two of us that work hard and there is one that...well, let me put it this way: She went on an extended vacation and the only thing that changed was the stress level dropped significantly. The work got done and the working atmosphere was pleasant. She came back and within a day, the atmosphere had turned hostile. With all this going on, I have been piling on the weight almost non-stop. I know I need to do something about it and I have been trying off and on for over a year, without any lasting (or even noticable) results. And herein lies the rub: I am an emotional eater. I eat when I'm upset, stressed, celebrating, angry, depressed, scared...And what I eat is comfort food. I don't over eat. I hate feeling overly full. But I get stressed out at work, I head to a co-workers desk for a bite sized Butterfinger. I have a bad day at work, I head to the grocery store for ice cream (Dove's Toffee Carmel Moments, being a favorite). Mind you, I know exactly what I need to do to loose weight. I did it before with amazing results. I just need to eat whole food. Eliminate wheat products, dairy products, condiments, and sodas. I did this a few years back and lost 100 pounds in three months. And I never felt better. I was sleeping great, didn't need as much sleep, and I had energy to spare. I really need to get back to this. The problem is that I look at what I need to accomplish and I get overwhelmed. It feels like it will take forever to accomplish the task, so why bother. Intellectually I know that "soonest begun is soonest done." However, it is my emotions that seem to rule the roost. One of my favorite authors is Stormy Omartian. In one of her books (I think it's called "Lord, I want to be Whole"), she speaks of possession and oppression. To be possessed by an evil spirit is like the Exorcist. To be oppressed by an evil spirit is like being around someone that is continually negative. The evil spirit has not taken over your body, mind, and soul, but is continually attacking your mind. I believe that I am oppressed by several evil spirits. I won't go into all that here, suffice it to say, I believe that one of them is the spirit of procrastination. I don't write this to be funny or humorous. I write this in the utmost sincerity. I am gearing up to fight for my freedom from this oppression. I would ask you, constant reader, if you are a prayer warrior, to remember me to our Loving Father. I'm going to need all the prayers I can get. As you can see, work has oozed into the realms of the personal, and here is the biggest stress factor: My dad. He hasn't been feeling right, off and on, for about two years now. He and my mom went to this clinic in Santa Barbara, where he was examined, poked, prodded, CAT scanned, tested, and then some. They found a mass in his colon that is cancer. He will be starting Chemo/Radiation therapy on Monday. He goes through that for about 6-8 weeks. Then there is a recovery period of about 6-8 weeks. And then there is surgury. My dad is 72. He has always been a very healthy person. I can count on one hand the number of times he was sick when I was growing up and have fingers left over. I'm scared. My dad and I have never had a good father/daughter relationship. He always saw in me the things he didn't like about himself. I know he loves me and I love him, but it has been hard for both of us to express that love. I'm scared for my mom, too. She and my dad have been married for 52 years (it will be 53 in May). They truly are a living example of "Two shall become one." I'm scared for my brother and sister and for my niece and nephew. They all love him as much as I do. Still, my dad has decided to have a positive attitude. He has decided he will be much to onery to get sick from the Chemo/Radiation treatments. And he isn't going to loose his hair, either. Please prayer warriors, lift him up to the Gentle Healer. I know that I must let go of all this stress if I am to accomplish anything. So I am making a declaration right now: I will leave all burdens at the cross. I can't accomplish anything on my own. But the Bible tells me that I can accomplish anything when I have Jesus with me. I will not let the spirits of oppression defeat me. I have Jesus with me to cast them out. I will not let the troubles of work, family, and weight drown me. I have Jesus holding me up. As long as I keep my eyes on Him, I will walk on water and not sink in the stormy sea. Jesus is my Defender, my Life Jacket, my Therapist, and my Friend. I will be brave and bold, in His name. I must get ready for church. Have a wonderful day and I will see you here again, soon. As ever, Viscountess Babbles On.