Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

Adieu April: Another Month Has Gone By

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another month has gone bySpring has sprung and here in Texas that means it’s getting hot and muggy already.  School activities are ramping up into high gear as the days on the instructional calendar tick away. 

Another month has gone by.  It happens all the time, but these days I am very aware that the months turn into years.

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One more school year with my Allie at home and then she will step out into new adventures without us.  It’s hard to believe.

 

Physical therapy appointments and exercises filled the first part of my month.  Unfortunately it only exacerbated my sciatic pain.  I received a second sedated epidural injection on the 19th and wait impatiently to see if it offers me any additional relief.  In between I worked a little, banquet dress shopped for Allie (she has 4 to attend), and got to hear her choirs perform their UIL show twice!  We also watched a digital premiere for Baylor University with Allie (her current first choice for college) and started planning some in-person visits!

 

Easter Treats

 

Another month has gone byOur church held a special Maundy Thursday service during Holy Week and we attended Easter service Saturday night with Chuck’s parents so we could drive out to spend Easter day with my parents, my PawPaw and my sisters’ families.  There was food (of course),  confetti eggs, an egg hunt and cooking with Aunt Kristen (a holiday favorite for the kids).  And on Good Friday Shelby had an egg hunt with Best Buddies.

 

Allie Rose and a whole slew of her smart friends were inducted into the National Honor Society in a ceremony that left much to be desired.  But an honor for her none the less.  Then the next night she starred as Giselle in a one act play of Enchanted.  I am more than a little biased, but I think she’s the perfect princess!  Watch a short clip https://www.facebook.com/1363398330/videos/298641175786727/

 

Updates on the Hubs

 

Chuck still had a few doctor’s appointments sprinkled in there.  He is trying to eat a little more by mouth so he can eventually evict the feeding tube, but swallowing still hurts a lot.  He also has some lymphatic swelling getting in the way of his throat.  So we have applied for insurance coverage on a new device to help with this.  We are having fun with how good it looks.  My sisters deemed it his luchador outfit (think Nacho Libre).  The wrestler names they have suggested:  El Detallista – The Retailer (he works for WalMart) or El Sobreviviente – The Survivor.  I think I like the later!

 

April Entertainment

 

I did not mention any books in my round up last month.  That’s because I’ve been struggling to get through one for the last 6 weeks.  I’m not sure why except that I’m still taking medication for my sciatica that makes me sleepy.  And most of my reading time is in bed at night.  First Women:  The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies by Kate Andersen Brower seemed like a perfect book for Women’s History Month, but now that month has come and gone.  I loved Brower’s The Residence:  Inside the Private World of the White House (highly recommend), and this one is full of interesting stories and details.  But it jumps around so much from one administration to another and back again that I get whip lash.  I’m still going to finish it; hopefully before another month has gone by.  I have trouble quitting on books – whip lash and all.

 

We talked my sister Kristen into going to see Uncharted with us.  A surprisingly clean movie – which is hard to find these days.  And it was fun.  A very Indiana Jones-like escape.  And we tried a couple of new shows on broadcast TV.  Good Sam might be a new favorite, although not without issues.  We haven’t watched a medical drama since ER but this one has an interesting twist.  And The Thing About Pam was good if you like true crime.  We tried Only Murders in the Building after hearing good things but the language was a little much for us.

 

One particularly sedentary day hubby and I watched two movies.  I didn’t like either one, for very different reasons.  Free State of Jones, although a good historic story, was so gory.  We followed it up with The Fighting Temptations for something lighter.  It was lighter, but not compelling at all!  We then landed on a documentary on Hulu.  Captive Audience:  A Real American Horror Story shows promise.  At least the first episode grabbed us.

 

Before May Becomes Another Month that Has Gone By

 

On the day this post goes live, Allie’s show choir puts on their annual Jazz Show.  It’s always a highlight.  Her solo and her general outlook is Accentuate the Positive!  I hope you can as well today.  I’d love to hear from you in the comments.  Let me know what captured your attention.  And as always, I thank you, I love you and I hope May treats you well!

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

Grace and Truth’s own Tammy Kennington put so many of my feelings into words.  I don’t live in a state of dispair, but have definitely felt it these last few years.  She expressed it – and prayed for it – better than I could.  Read Two Prayers to Help Overcome Bitterness When You Struggle With Sorrow.

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

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One Word Update: Common Phrases with the Word Rest

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one wordI have been working through Lisa Hite’s 40 Day One Word Lenten Challenge – although I’m behind.  I didn’t find it and start in time for Lent.  But my guess is God will honor it and teach me through it regardless of which 40 days I observe.  Anyway, I am learning so much.

 

In case you aren’t familiar, my “one word” is the word I feel led by God to focus on for this year.  I chose “rest” which ties in to “trust” that was my first ever word focus last year.

 

Day 4 of the challenge asked us to make a list common phrases that include our one word.

  1.  eternal rest
  2. rest in peace
  3. rest on your laurels
  4. the rest of the story
  5. rest assured
  6. at rest
  7. God rest his soul
  8. I rest my case
  9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman (more of a title than a phrase)
  10. lay to rest
  11. no rest for the weary
  12. the rest is history
  13. R&R (rest and relaxation)
  14. RICE (an acronym for treatment of an injury – rest, ice, compression, elevation)
  15. the rest of my life

 

Some of these phrases don’t really apply since they mean “the remainder”.   A few relate to my focus for 2022 with the general idea of cessation of work, movement or striving; such as “R&R”, “RICE”, “rest assured” and even “I rest my case”.  But what stuck out to me like a neon sign?  A full 1/3 of the phrases I came up with refer to death!

 

I think many people subscribe to the “you can rest when you die” mentality.  Go big, go hard, chase the dream/ money/ adventure, etc.  Nothing wrong with hard word or even hard play.  But without rest built into our schedule, we will eventually burn out or find eternal rest entirely too early.

 

In the very first chapter of the Bible, God modeled a day of rest.

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Not because the Almighty God couldn’t keep going, but because He knew we needed the example so we would rest.  Our bodies need rest, but our mind and emotions need it too.

 

Why “Rest” Is My One Word

 

I feel called to shoot straight here.  And I can without judgement because I’m talking to myself as well.  If there is an area of your life in which you feel you cannot rest, I guarantee that you lack trust in God over that same area.  God knew we needed rest for our own physical and emotional well being, but for our spiritual health as well.

 

True rest means we are trusting God.  We don’t have to work (or worry, etc) 24/7 because God’s working on our behalf.  I realize it’s easier said than done.  Which is why I’m learning about and meditating on rest this year.  Believing I’m ultimately responsible for it all is exhausting.  Trusting that He holds it all in His control frees me to…rest.

 

“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

Here I am again unable to pick just one feature!  Good problem to have.  I want to highlight Barbara Lee Harper’s book review because it’s a book I really need to read.  And I want to feature Grace and Truth’s own Lisa Burgess because she really made me think with Just One Roll of Toilet Paper, OK?  Happy reading!

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

To find some great places where I might share this post, click here.

 

 

 

 

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