12-3-16 Watley FAQ's

Watley 2014-2015-2016 FAQ's

OK, this is it. I'm doing a Christmas letter. And I'll try to answer all your many questions about our riveting life... :)

1. Why haven't you done a Christmas letter in two years?

Fair questions. In 2014 I was diagnosed with a recurrence of that pesky breast cancer--same type of cancer, same spot on my body. I had six rounds of chemo, different drugs and they were really, really tough. We followed that with a bilateral mastectomy. So, basically, that year I was just bone tired. (BTW--I'm doing well now and can do pretty much anything I want to do, though I do have to ration my energy levels a bit.) 

Last year, well, life just got busy and I didn't feel it. 

2. Where have you travelled for vacations?

In 2014 Loy and I fulfilled a dream of mine--to visit St. Kitt's Island in the Caribbean. Our friends, Steve and Phyl, joined us at a beachside house with a pool. It was such a nice time! Walking the beach, reading on the verandah, driving on the wrong side of the road. We actually stayed on Nevis, the sister island, where they chain up their cows and let their dogs and chickens and goats run loose. 

In 2015 we took the whole family to Estes Park, CO, where we rented a house with a pool. Everyone was able to be there for at least part of the week. We hiked, mini-golfed, rode bikes, and swam lots in the heated pool. . 

In 2016 Loy and I have been on sabbatical, but our vacation was probably the trip to Door County, WI. Another cottage on the beach with trees and calm and peace. (Getting a theme to our vacations?)

We also took AMTRAK out to Portland, OR, just because. We had always wanted to take a cross country train trip, so we just did it. Train travel is nice. The train staff actually treat you well! We got a sleeper car (which includes all meals in the dining room) and read and napped and road the 32 hours away. It was fun.

3. What exactly does one DO on sabbatical?

Wesleyan has a very generous sabbatical program. Every sixth year a professor can take a year off to do something that will benefit the university. It could be writing a book or taking classes or doing research. Loy teaches Business Communication, which is a rapidly changing area, with Facebook and Twitter and email. So he is interviewing three groups of people: recent employed alums to ask what they wished they had learned before working, people who hire these recent grads to ask what they wish the new hires knew, and professors who teach Business Communication to see how they teach the class. After all this research, he will revamp the NWU curriculum. Basically we have picked out places we've wanted to visit and gone there. There are NWU alums almost everywhere!! So far we've hit Detroit, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Huddersfield, Portland, Albuquerque, Washington, DC, Omaha, Lincoln, and Phoenix will be right after Christmas. 

4. What's all this about Kitt going back to school? 

Yep. I am currently taking social work classes at NWU. I'm not sure if I will complete a second bachelor's degree, but the classes are very interesting. I've had to write about a zillion papers on different topics, given presentations, written my obituary, and shadowed a social worker in a nursing home. My dream would be to have a part-time job in medical social work, preferably with elderly or low-income people. 

5. How are Loy's parents?

Loy's dad lives in a very nice memory care facility in Sioux Falls, SD. It is heart-breaking to go visit him as he can no longer speak or walk unassisted or feed himself. He is as ornery as ever, though! He keeps all the staff on their toes with frequent falls out of his recliner and being compelled to walk even when he needs help. Dolores visits him most every day and takes good care of him. 

6. Where are all your kids?

Alexis and Corey live in Papillion, NE. She is still an actuary with Aetna and loves her spreadsheets and analyses. Crazy girl. Corey always has a few irons in the fire. He is still working on civilizing the 40 acres of land they own in the Loews Hills. 

Grant and Angela and our three sweeties (Payton, 4, Carter, 3, and Jaxson, 1) still live in Sioux Falls. Grant resigned from his coaching position and is now working at the 605 Running Company, the shoe store the three boys own. He still gets his coaching fix by coaching people/teams for marathons. Angela stays at home and deals with the littles. She's the calmest mommy I've ever known!

Logan and Jenna are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Baby W, a new little Watley girl due to be born on January 17. Logan works at Javlin in Omaha as a CPA. Jenna still teaches 4th grade at West Dodge Station Elementary. 

Paul still lives in Dallas and is the Digital Marketing Specialist for the Salvation Army of Texas. He asked his sweetie, Beth Solomon, to marry him and a wedding is planned for June 2017. Beth teaches 5th grade and we love her. 

Luke, 11, still gets to come visit us every month or so and we love to host him. He's gotten so tall and skinny!! He loves sports, especially running. He's always got a plan to become a scientist or an inventor or a sports star. 

7. What's up with  moving to a lake?

Loy's dream is to live on the water. He would really prefer the ocean, but I have mileage limits so that I can see the kids and grands. So, we found a house on a sandpit lake just north of Ashland, NE, and moved very quickly to live the dream. Ashland is just about exactly halfway between Lincoln and Omaha--30 minutes or so each way--so we can commute to jobs or kids easily. I am not above buying a lake house to lure my kids to visit!! 

8. What is your new address?

679 Serenity Pointe, Ashland, NE 68003  

Email: kew1019@gmail.com 

Cell phone: 402-309-9479.

9. Can we come visit?

Definitely!!! We would love to have you come visit!! Just give us a call!!

We hope you have a very blessed Christmas filled with family and friends and laughter!!

Love,

Loy and Kitt.

10-14-16 Fly on the Truck Wall

Sabbatical. Yep. This blog is supposed to be all about our sabbatical travels. So I thought you might want to be a fly on our truck wall and see what it's like to travel with Loy and Kitt.

Well, to start with, we take the truck, not my post-cancer Cadillac. Loy hates my car--for whatever reason, he won't drive it. Or ride in it. So, we ride in his truck, which is OK.

I am fortunate in that Loy does the driving. Always. With the sleepiness I always feel, this is a good thing. I do my best to stay awake in the morning but, after lunch, it's nap time, no two ways around it. Loy turns on podcasts through the radio speakers and I doze off to "Mike and Mike," or "Freakonomics." These sound so dull, but actually I kind of like listening to them. (Usually he listens to them at 1-1/2 speed, but I refuse to have that going on in the background. I think it's unhealthy to listen to things so fast. So they are normal speed, just for me. Tell me that's not love!)

This summer, on our way down to Dallas, I was snoozing in the passenger seat when I opened my eyes and looked at Loy. I could've SWORN that his eyes were shut and that he was falling asleep!! I started yelling and hitting him..."LOY, LOY, LOY!!!!! Wake up!!!!!" Well, turns out he wasn't asleep. He was just driving along, minding his own business, listening to his podcasts, and I started screaming and hitting him!!! Poor guy!!!

Our first stop was to visit my parents' graves in Geneseo, Illinois. Mom died in 1986 and Daddy died in 1990. Long time ago. I still miss them.

Next, a stopover in the booming town of Howell, Michigan (just east of Detroit) to see old friends, Yvonne and Greg (and we got to see a couple of their grown kiddos.) While reminiscing with them we realized that we only knew them in Kearney for 6 months or so before we moved. This would've been back in our Kearney years, circa 1990. And we've visited them in Michigan three times now. Loy said they probably are thinking, "Why do these people keep visiting us?? We hardly knew them!!!" Once a friend of ours, you can't escape easily, I guess!

One of the funniest moments, in my mind, anyway, while there was when, at the very end of a hot dominoes game, Loy laid the 11/12 down. Yvonne said, "Ahhhhhhhh." Like she hadn't seen that very same domino in 12 other hands. Like that was the particular domino she had been waiting for forever. Like this was THE MOVE in the entire game. It's not as funny when I write it, but it was hilarious when you were there!

Next, we headed over to Thousand Islands, NY. (Yes, the dressing was invented there, although there is some dispute just who invented it and the circumstances.)

When I was a little girl I got carsick easily so I had to sit in the front seat. (That always kind of irked Mom, because she was stuck in the backseat.) And my job was to read the map. I mean, I was like 10-years-old and it was my job to navigate us through Minneapolis or Atlanta! I loved that job (and sitting in the front!) but it was such pressure. I would check and re-check the route. (I mean, what was Daddy thinking, letting a 10-year-old plan the route???) I would watch the signs and try to give enough warning for everything. It was tough. I lived in fear of making a mistake. Daddy was never mean about it (at least not to my face) but I sure didn't want to fail at this.

Now my job with Loy is the same--getting him through traffic. But we don't seem to work well as a team. He doesn't like modern technology so, usually, doesn't let me turn on Googlemaps for directions.

We were driving through Toronto on the way and the conversation went something like this:

Loy: Here's Highway 407. Do I take it?
Kitt: Let me look...I don't see 407...are you sure it's 407...THERE IS NO 407 ON THIS MAP!!
L: But should I take it?
K: How do I know? THERE IS NO 407 ON THIS MAP!!!
L: There's traffic here...I need to know. Now.
K: I CAN'T HELP YOU HERE!!!
L: But, should I take it?
K: ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

(Tempers flare. Silence prevails.)

Later, when the emergency had passed (we did NOT take 407 but, in retrospect, think we should have.) I looked at the atlas copyright date. 1995. Can you believe it??? He's expecting me to navigate with an atlas made of bear skins and drawn in elk blood. TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD ATLAS!! I can't work under these conditions. I demand a new atlas!!

My other job, as we drive through towns, is to read random signs that sound interesting.

Kitt: Hmmm. Nude Pizza.
Loy:
K: Hmmm. Wunnerful.
L:
K: Hmmm. Drive-through tattoos.
L:
K: Edna's House of Pain
L:
K: Wouldn't you think that "Flat Roofs R Us" would have a flat roof instead of all those peaks?
L:

I don't know why I read those signs out loud. I don't want to go there. They are just interesting and unusual and silly. If Loy responds at all to these sign readings it is something like, "Where?" and by then, of course, it's long gone.

We drove to Thousand Islands via Canada. My words of advice to Loy upon going through customs? "Don't talk too much." I feel he has a tendency to explain too much to people. I didn't want him explaining to the customs guy that black powder muzzleloaders are not considered firearms. I did not want him to tell the customs guy that we had 3 apples in the cooler. And he did very well. We got through--and back in to the country!

Canada has "En Route's" for their rest stops. They are gas station/restaurant all wrapped up in one (this was a toll way, so maybe that's why they had these.) What I learned? Canada likes restaurants called "Tim Horton's." They offer donuts instead of fries, your choice. There were about 8 million Tim Horton's on the ride through Ontario.

Thousand Islands was beautiful. We stayed in a cottage on the St. Lawrence River and saw beautiful sunsets. We took two boat tours, one to see the millionaires fancy homes on the aforementioned islands, the other to tour Singer Castle, which is on an island. (This picture is Boldt Castle.)

Loy said that he kept thinking of Ecclesiastes while touring the two castles we looked at..."vanity, vanity..." These people built these things that were extremely extravagant and showy. And now they are deteriorating and host tours and the people are dead.

And you also realize how heirs get so greedy and fight a lot. Over riches. Earthly riches.

(BTW--this one is not the castle. This is the servant's quarters. The real castle is about 5 times as large.)

This picture is of Loy doing his favorite thing. Sitting outside on the porch, reading in solitude and quiet.

And that concludes Day 1 of our travels (well, actually I should say Installment #1--it's taken several days).

More to come...

Love,

Kitt.

10-5-16 I've got a novel idea...

Good Evening, All!

I am not a political person. I really don't like to say things about candidates and I really don't think any Facebook posts about candidates do a bit of good...

I have noticed that this presidential election seems to be different than past elections--at least to my untrained eye. It seems that no one is happy. Lots of people are saying they are just choosing the "lesser of two evils." Others are threatening to move to Canada or other points outside the US. It's become the national joke that out of 324,729,000 (approximately) people in the US, THESE are the best two we could come up with?? Facebook memes and snarky comments abound. 

I neither like nor trust either candidate. I don't think anyone really does. 

Sad. Really sad. 

I tried to watch the first presidential debate and the vice presidential debate. Couldn't do it. After 5 minutes of each I was so bothered I actually had a blanket over my face!! No class by either candidate. Interrupting, not answering the question, talking over the other, making wild accusations about each other. Statements made without any proof or backup (thus the need for fact checkers.) Accusations of tampering with microphones and hacking by Russians...where is the courtesy and protocol and "presidential-ness?" I mean, gee, we all learned about this sort of stuff in kindergarten!

I have an idea. I researched (mildly researched) high school debate rules and I propose that the next debate be run like a high school debate. Topics to be announced, then the candidates get 30 minutes to work with their teams, then...showtime. There is the first volley (both sides get six minutes), the second volley (another six minutes), then the rebuttals (five minutes each). Talking about the actual question and what they would do or why they feel the way they do. Each candidate would get the same questions, so no accusations of bias in the questions. Forget hiring these anchors as moderators--get some 70-year-old high school debate coach, a real tough guy. 

If someone interrupted inappropriately, their turn would be immediately forfeited. OK, maybe I'm being too harsh--give them one warning, then forfeit their turn. 

What would that be like?? 

I would love it!!! 

I copied these rules from highschooldebate.org/rules. 

SPEAKER ORDER AND RESPONSIBILITIES

There are three debaters per side. Each debater gives one speech. This is the order of the speeches:

First proposition constructive – 6 minutes

This speaker makes a case for the motion for debate, providing a proof of the topic with three or four major points.

First opposition constructive – 6 minutes

This speaker makes several arguments against the proposition team’s case and refutes the proposition’s major points.

Second proposition constructive – 6 minutes

This speaker should rebuild and extend upon the proposition’s case. This means that this speaker must defend and amplify the original proposition points and refute the opposition’s major arguments.

Second opposition constructive – 6 minutes

This speaker amplifies the opposition arguments against the case, providing new information about why the opposition team should win the debate. This speaker should answer the proposition’s answers to the opposition team’s original arguments. This speaker may split summarization of the debate with the opposition rebuttalist.

Opposition rebuttal – 5 minutes

This speaker must put the debate together and explain why, given one or more arguments in the debate, the opposition team should win the debate. This speaker accounts for or refutes the proposition’s major points.

Proposition rebuttal – 5 minutes

This speaker should summarize the issues in the debate and explain why, even with the opposition’s arguments, the proposition teams should win the debate. This speaker accounts for all remaining major points of the opposition team.

POINTS OF INFORMATION

A Point of Information is a request that the speaker holding the floor yield time to an opponent for a statement (argument) or a question. A person applies for a point of information by standing or standing and saying “Information.” No other words may be used in applying for a Point of Information. A speaker may reject a point by gently waving a hand in the down position, indicating that the opponent should sit. A speaker may also reject the point verbally by saying “No, thank you.” Either method of rejecting a point attempt may be used, although the former is preferred as it is less disruptive for the speaker. If the speaker accepts a point (2 or more points ought to be accepted during any given speech), the speaker simply replies to an attempt by saying “Yes” or “I’ll take your point.” It is possible for more than one person on a team to request a point at any one time. A rejection by the speaker (by a nonverbal wave of the hand or negative verbal reply) is understood to apply to all opponents attempting a point at that time.

A Point of Information, also known as a POI, may only be attempted during the middle four minutes of each constructive speech – the 6 minutes speeches of the debate (after the first and before the last minute; the opening and closing minutes of a speech are identified as ‘protected time’ for the speaker and may not be interrupted by POIs). An accepted POI may not be more than 15 seconds.

HECKLING

Strategically directed heckling (supportive and argumentative) is permitted. Heckling is a single word or brief phrase (almost always no more than 2 words) and directed to the judge of the debate. A heckle is a reminder to the judge to pay close attention to the information immediately expressed by the speaker. Some heckles are non-verbal and supportive of teammates (e.g., applause during a speech by teammates rapping their knuckles or the palm of their hands on a desktop to encourage the judge to heed a particularly strong point being made by the speaker.) Other heckles are verbal and alert the judge to a problem in the opposing side’s argument. For example, if a member of an opposing team offers a major point without including evidence to verify her or his reasoning (i.e., the speakers does not make a complete argument, which must include ‘A-R-E,’ Assertion-Reasoning-Evidence) a person on the listening team may heckle by calling out, “Evidence.” This lets the judge know that the point is not yet an argument and should not receive the same standing as well-supported issues that are presented in the debate.

Only argumentative heckling is permitted. Barracking, attempts to disrupt a speech through constant and boorish commentary (often referred to as ‘the heckler’s veto’) is not permitted.

NO NEW ARGUMENTS IN REBUTTAL SPEECHES

Students may present new arguments in any speech in the debate except the final speech for each side, the third speech or rebuttal speech. No new arguments may be offered in these speeches. What is a new argument? It is an issue that does not have a foundation in the debate up to the point of its introduction. it is an entirely new issue, unrelated to earlier arguments. In other words, the rebuttal speakers are able to present new information in their speeches, just so the material is a continuation of a line of argument from the earlier constructive speeches in the debate. Rebuttal speakers are not expected to to simply copy and repeat the arguments raised by their partners. New assessment of previously established positions, new argument analysis and examples for continued arguments are acceptable in the rebuttal speeches.

So, I'm frustrated and scared and embarrassed by our president possibilities right now. But, I need to remember that God gives the authority to people for reasons I just don't know. After all, He is God. I am not. 

"Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God." --Romans 13:1

"Jesus said, 'You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.'" --John 19:11

AND...I can pray that God will turn the victor's heart just as easily as you can divert a stream of water. It's not too hard. Because, after all, He is God. I am not. 

"The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord, he guides it wherever he pleases." --Proverbs 21:1

There you have it. My political diatribe. 

Let's just all be nice, OK?

Love, Kitt.

9-30-16 Oh What a Beautiful Morning...

Good Beautiful Morning, Friends!!! Hasn't this been the absolute best fall ever??? The sun is shining, it's warm enough for no coat, but cool enough for long sleeves. I am LOVING this fall!!

You may be wondering what this picture is...

Well, the other day I was turning my fan on and I noticed the strange settings it had for my comfort.

Power Cool: This makes me think that if I press on this button my hair will all be blowing back and my lips will be flapping in the breeze--like a dog with it's head out the car window!

Cool: Yes, I am. I should press this one.

Refresh: OK, when I'm feeling a little exhausted or sweaty, all I need to do is Refresh, right? Like a computer page.

Relax: When Loy gets upset at me, I think I'll point this at him! Maybe it should say, "Chill."

White Noise: I never push this one, since I've taken my Diversity Class. I don't want to be racist.

Calm: This sounds so nice. It might be my favorite setting. Getting worried and bothered? Calm. Stressing about doctor appointments or aches and pains? Calm. It could be called "Breathe."

Whisper: This one eludes me. Whisper to whom? What am I supposed to whisper? Or is the fan whispering to me? Maybe it means God will whisper to me like he did to Samuel. When I put this one on I should just say, "Yes, Lord, Your servant is listening." Whether or not this means that, I should say this anyway.

Sleep: Oh, if only it was that easy to sleep. Just push a button and zzzzzzzzzzz. I have a strange sleep problems. First off, there's the snoring. The incredibly LOUD snoring. The incredibly wakeful snoring. I now have joined the ranks of the CPAP-ers and that does help. But, now I look (and sometimes sound) like something out of Star Trek (think Borg) or Star Wars (think Darth Vader breathing).

We started off with this little nose piece that had what they called "pillows." Makes you think it'll be so darned comfy for your nose, right? Nope. Those "pillows" stick kind of up your nose holes and, every time you move your head on the pillow, readjust and start shooting air outside of your nose holes--like into your eyes or just off into space. And they kind of crunch your nostril up (if you tighten it up so that they don't spew forth air quite so readily). So, I had a permanently tender right nostril.

After giving it the ol' college try (3 months) I went to the next level of nose piece. This one is like a little oxygen mask that covers all of my nose. Much easier and not quite so noisy. But, it kind of digs in to a spot up by the bridge of my nose. I'm still working on that. I've only had it a week, so we'll keep trying, especially since the next level of mask looks like one of those WW1 gas masks!! I do NOT want to go there. I put it on after it's dark so Loy doesn't get the full effect. Sexy. Real sexy.

My next sleep problem: I am so darned tired. All. Day. Long. I get up (not early at all--I'm embarrassed to tell you how late!) and, if I don't keep moving, I could be back asleep by 11:00 a.m.! I try to make it past lunch for a nap, and I crave it. I love that time. It's like a drug high to be able to lie down on the couch and just be--until I'm asleep. Not long.

But, whether or not I've had a nap, I am WIDE AWAKE by 10:00 p.m. or so, when Loy wants to go to bed. If I go at 10 I'm liable to be up for 2 hours or more. If I go to bed at midnight, I might just be awake for 45 minutes or so. The trouble is not sleeping. It's getting to sleep.

And then, of course, waking up.

Is there anything deep in this blog? Probably not. But it does make me think about something I'm learning at our new church, Riverview Community Church. (Yes, this is an announcement that, after moving to Ashland, we have decided it is important (for us, anyway) to worship in our community, so  after 14 happy years at Faith Bible Church in Lincoln, we're moving on. Sad, but happy. Sad because we loved that church and the people. We had our niche. We learned so much. Happy because we think God has moved us and we're excited to see just why. And, so many new friends that we haven't met yet...)

Anyhow, back to my point...

I had been praying this summer that I really didn't feel like I praised God enough and I wasn't just sure what to do about that. I mean, praise is prayer that is really not at all about me--what's up with that?? Well, this church has a list that I've gone through and it helps me so much!!! We just read them out loud (or at home I may do it silently). So, even though this will make this blog WAY too long, I'm going to print them off below. I hope they inspire you like they have me!

The Glory of God

·       God, You are huge; You hold the whole world in Your hands.

·       And You are right here filling up every inch of this room with Your glory.

·       God, You know what everyone is doing, thinking, feeling, and saying right now.

·       You can see every person who has ever sat in this room right now!

·       God, You are The One who drew each of us to this place today.

·       You planned for us to be here before any of us were even born.

·       It’s amazing that You have no needs that anyone can meet.

·       God, You are mysterious; no one can understand you.

·       God, You are always paying attention to every detail of our lives.

·       God, You can hear every sound being made all over the earth at the same time.

·       It’s amazing that You can see the past, present, and future in one glance.

·       God, You know every word in the dictionary in every language!

·       God, You made every star, know their names, and hold them in place!

·       You tell every lightning bolt where to strike.

·       You know what the weather will be like in every place for the rest of time.

·       God You are more beautiful than anything You have created.

·       You see the words on every page, of every book, everywhere!

·       You have already heard every song that will ever be written.

·       You don’t feel worked, surprised, threatened, or overwhelmed by anything.

·       God, You can see inside every car, home, building, closet, bedroom, and life.

·       No one can do anything unless You let them.

·       You are writing the story of time and of each person’s life.

·       You know exactly how everything fits together to accomplish Your purposes.

·       You know exactly when and how every person is born and dies.

·       It’s amazing that the powerful heat of the sun came from You!

·       God, You are enough for us, whether it feels like it or not.

·       You are the only one who can satisfy our hearts.

·       God, You are in control of everything, people are in control of nothing.

·       You can be everywhere at once. People can only be in one place at a time.

·       You are unchanging. Everything else is always changing.

·       God, You are in charge of everything. No one can control or manipulate you.

·       We see only what’s in front of us, You see EVERYTHING>

·       You see inside of cupboards without even looking!

·       You have always been here. No one made you.

·       You made everything out of nothing.

The Honoring Response

·       God, I choose You over everything I have and want. __________

·       God, I surrender everything I think I have to have to You. __________

·       I believe in You, need You, want You, choose You, and surrender to You!

·       No matter what happens, I’ll be okay because I have You and You are enough.

·       God, I choose to believe You are better than everything else I want.

·       God, I choose to believe that I need You more than everything else I need.

·       My life belongs to You and You can do whatever You want to with it.

·       No one but You can satisfy a heart or change a life from the inside out.

The Grace that Connects Me to His Glory

·       Thank You, Jesus, for dying in my place!

·       You traded my sin for Your righteousness and now I am perfect in God’s eyes.

·       Why do You love me SO much?

·       Thank You that You don’t need anything from me. I can’t disappoint You and there is no pressure to perform for You!

·       Thank You for making me into a brand new person and living inside of me.

·       Thanks that my guilt and shame are gone and I am sure I get to go to heaven.

·       Thanks that what You did for me on the cross can’t ever be undone!

·       There is nothing I can do to make You love me more.

·       There is nothing I can do to make You love me less.

·       Jesus, thanks that You don’t need me, but you want me.

·       Thanks that I can KNOW that You will never leave me.

·       Thanks that my faith is not about what II do, it’s about what You DID!

·       Thanks that You use everything that happens to make me more like You!

·       Jesus, You are a better friend than any human could be.

·       Thanks that You want me to come to You when I’m at my worst.

·       I’m so glad that this life is not all there is.

·       I’m so glad I’m completely covered with Jesus!

·       Thanks that, because I have You, I don’t have to get my needs met by people.

·       When You died, it was for every sin I will ever commit!

·       I love you, Jesus!

·       It’s amazing that You know me, see me, hear me, and understand me.

·       Thanks that You don’t count on me for anything.

·       You see MY fingerprint, know MY name, and how many hairs are on MY head.

·       I’m so glad You are changing me from the inside out.

·       Jesus, it’s crazy You paid such a high price to save me.

·       It doesn’t matter what my life is like now, I have heaven to look forward to!

The Higher Purpose We Choose to Focus On

·       Holy Spirit, please use this unfair person in my life.

·       Please use this financial struggle to teach me to trust YOU instead of money.

·       Holy Spirit, please work in the hearts of everyone involved in this conflict.

·       God, please captivate my heart so I will live for ONLY You.

·       Holy Spirit, will You use this tragedy to detach my heart from this life.

·       God, please reveal Yourself to my husband during this difficult scenario.

·       God, please use THIS to draw people to Jesus and send out laborers.

·       Please, Holy Spirit, use my presence here to help people find Jesus.

·       Holy Spirit, please change me from the inside out while I go through this.

·       Please teach me that I don’t have to let other people’s choices affect mine.

·       Teach me to believe that what You want for me is better than what I want.

·       Holy Spirit, please prepare our hearts for whatever the outcome of this is.

·       God, please teach my heart that You are enough through this disappointment.

·       Holy Spirit, please make me willing to go wherever this takes.

·       God, I see brokenness right now and I need Your healing in my heart

·       Help me to see the privilege I have the right now to show Your grace.

Well, that's all for now. Have a great fall, wherever you are!!!

Love, Kitt.