“Can you hear me now?”

There used to be a time when I would wake up at 5:14 am and desperately try to find a means to get back to sleep. Now when I find myself suddenly awake at such an early hour, with no immediate plans, I first thank God, then proceed to listen. In my experience, I have figured out that He usually wakes me this way because He wants my attention. Either He is trying to tell me something in that moment, or He wants me to be aware that the day is bringing something my way. This can be something good or usually something that seems worse than it actually is. Either way, I have learned to appreciate His wake up calls. This morning was no different, I actually smiled as I fumbled for my phone in the dark, to check the time. I have not actually used an alarm clock for quite a while. I could probably get away with just allowing my Father to wake me as needed, but those rare times when I have an early appointment the next day, I usually just set an alarm for fear I may of all days, just happen to oversleep. Nevertheless, I made sure to be prepared for whatever this day may bring. “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 NIV

I often wonder, how can I have the best marriage? Is there such a thing and how does one go about achieving this? The number of years a couple has been married has no effect on the quality of said marriage. So for me, just knowing that we are approaching our 21st year, doesn’t necessarily give me warm fuzzies. I want to know that I know that I know, that this union is built on a firm foundation. I want to make sure that I am putting forth every effort to keep my husband engaged in me. Too many couples, even now in the church , are losing the war on Holy Matrimony. I don’t want to languish in a boring, loveless marriage and I pray you feel the same. This is why we must seek to know first, what God’s intended purpose of marriage is and second, what our husband (or wife) needs. When we put our spouse before ourselves, everything else will fall into place.

The adult son or daughter you have later in life is the same, young adult, teenager, adolescent, toddler and newborn you gave birth to all those years ago and had so many hopes and dreams for. Keep praying and letting them know you love them no matter what. One of the hardest obstacles to overcome as an adult, is seeking the approval of a parent. When you are free to make bad choices, and to have to live with those choices, what “mama used to say” somehow manages to rush back into the forefront of your mind. They are listening. Keep telling them the right thing.

I had been up almost 4 hours this morning before I moved toward breakfast. Partly due to busyness, but also due to the fact that I wasn’t hungry. Gone are the days of eating just because. I was curious about how the Chia gel would work in my smoothie. It actually turned out to be quite palatable. Both to my palate and most importantly to my mind. I often get inside my own head and talk myself out of some really great things because of the way it looks. Chia is a very strange thing to me. Just the way it works. But, I can say that it actually made me feel fuller both times I had it, for breakfast and then again for lunch. The health benefits of Chia are so amazing and worth every cent so far. If you would like to learn more, check out this site http://www.seekinghealth.com/chia-seeds.html . You can also order some if you are so inclined. I ordered mine from Amazon.com, but it’s the same brand.

The first pic is the Chia before it morphed into a gel. It can absorb 30 times it’s weight in water. The second pic shows what it looked like after about 15 minutes.

Strawberry Coconut Chia smoothie

7 Frozen Strawberries

5 oz Coconut Water (I used Naked brand)

1.5 TBSP Chia Gel

Blend. Enjoy

Had to pull out the big guns for my lunch and used my emulsifier. Only because I was using Kale for the first time and I wanted to make sure it was blended ENOUGH. I am very fond of Seaweed so any chance I get, I have some.

Strawberry Coconut Kale Smoothie

7 Frozen Strawberries

5 oz Coconut Water

2 Handfuls Chopped Kale (however large your hands are I guess?)

1 TBSP Chia Gel

Optional: 1/2 c Nori Maki Arare (rice crackers w/seaweed)

Blend. Enjoy