I start off my mornings with chocolate coffee. One tablespoon Swiss Miss hot chocolate with marshmallows, one teaspoon sugar free creamer, and one teaspoon freeze dried coffee. It is always the same. Sitting down with my 16 oz transparent cobalt blue coffee mug, our cat Baylie comes in from whereever she has been, and sits on my lap. It is around 5:30 a.m. My morning quiet time. I pick up my phone and check my messages, and then take a photo of the day's devotional from a book called "Springs in the Valley", by Mrs. Charles Cowman. I post the devotional photos plus a really cool picture which I have taken off the internet. I put these photos into a special page contained in my Facebook page domain called "Springs in the Valley". Once a week I also post Joes Roseau Times Region Column from the week before. Facebook has been a really good platform for us. It has been a place where we have been able to share our life. There are a few people who I text on a daily basis, with photos, and encouragement. My mornings are usually straight forward...always the same. I usually go with a plan which is tried and true through experience. I learned years ago it is good to have a plan.

It's like this. When you go backpacking or on a hike, your backpack will hold hopefully everything you need for your trip. You need to pack as light as possible. I have hiked carrying a 30 lb pack. After a few days it gets really really heavy. Now you can go to an extreme on this. I once met a bicyclist who actually clipped the strings off his tea bags. Can you believe that? Now that was extreme! Some of the things you will need to pack could be water, sugar snacks, protein snacks, containing peanuts, raisins, and dried fruit. Another good idea is soup mix (not in a can, cans are heavy), putting the mix in a zip lock bag solves your weight problem. You will also need a roll of biodegradable toilet paper, and a scarf to wear around your neck, if you are going overnight you will need a lightweight sleeping bag and a light weight very small pillow. One of the most important things you bring on a hike is a good walking stick. I have found good walking sticks on the side of my path, they need to be the length of a ski pole or longer. Strong, and lightweight.

What are you packing for your day? Are your mornings peaceful? Do you complicate your life feeding negative emotions? Anger, fear, hate and vindictiveness will definitely slow you down. Actually put you in a never ending rut. You will have a very difficult time reaching successful goals with these negative emotions. It's kind of turning away from a road map and taking a detour into a muddy bog. There are monsters in that bog and they have big sharp teeth.

I am not telling you not to be angry or to put your head in the sand. But it is what you do with the knowledge you get, and how you choose to react. Line yourself with a positive workable goal. Get advice from people who have had positive outcomes walking the same path.

The following scripture has really been a help to me both looking for a path, and walking it.

Prov. 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. Prov. 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. 2 Chronicles 20:17 reads: You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you. Isaiah 40:31  But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Don't give up, don't go it alone, don't imagine the worst, don't keep a record of wrongs. Be thankful for the grace God has extended to you through his Son.

Blessings, Julie