Good Advice

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I ran across this verse in the book of Proverbs chapter 15. “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.”

This was a lesson learned the hard way for me. There were many times I could have and should have sought advice from family and friends, our pastor, or a counselor but instead wrestled alone in prayer about a concern or decision for many months, even years. Looking back, most of the choices turned out alright in the end. But it took more time than it might have to get direction. Part of the problem was fear. Part of the problem was my pride.

There was a stretch in my life I struggled with anger. I just could not pray my way through. Finally I sought counseling. It felt good to talk about it, get biblical instruction, and pray with someone else. It did my heart good to share the burden. My relationships improved dramatically.

Watch my site for a resource I’ll make available.

Do you find it hard to tell family, friends, a counselor, or your pastor when you need help? Take my advice – find someone who will listen.

Pain & Pleasure

The last four weeks, I’ve been reliving the past. We were retrieving the Easter decorations from our storage unit when I spotted what I thought was a memories bin. You know, kids’ art projects, newspaper clippings, and beloved greeting cards.

After getting the stuffed bunnies and crosses placed around the apartment, I opened the bin only to find photos. Lots of loose ones and negatives, and not many dates on anything except the outside of the bin and on one old gift bag filled with pictures.

Going through a memories bin would’ve been simpler.  Just keep or discard. Mostly the latter. But photos take more time and concentration. I decided I would work through this bin of the “lost years” in on evenings when I would normally watch TV.

After many evenings and Saturdays of shuffling, sorting, marking, and organizing into albums, I finished! I am proud to say six newly-filled photo albums grace our bookcase.

The process of looking through those pictures gave me pain and pleasure. Most of the pain was mental – trying to figure out what year each photo was taken. I resorted to using as a gauge my daughter’s childhood hair styles – or where we were living. There were twinges of sadness, too. The pleasure came in the form of reminiscing and outright laughing at some photos. I texted certain ones to family and friends and copied others for my son, Ray’s albums. Why not spread the joy around? Mostly. My daughter, Kellyn texted an Ugghh along with a few Awws and LOLs. I’m looking forward to discovering what the next bin might hold.

Do you have projects that have been put aside too long? Have you kept family photo in bins and boxes? Or have you placed them in albums or on Shutterfly projects with precision? I’d love to hear your project stories and advice.

“Beautiful memories are like old friends. They may not always be on your mind, but they are forever in your heart.”

Susan Gale

Choices and Changes

In a Goldilocks life, things aren’t perfect, but in the end, they turn out just right. I planned to make Delicious Cheesecake for our Easter dessert, the recipe I shared a few weeks ago. Except for one problem – I forgot to buy graham crackers to make the crust. No matter, I thought. I’ll create a crust from a sugar cookie recipe.

The recipe makes four dozen cookies. That’s a lot of dough for an 8” pie plate. I adjusted the measurements of flour, sugar, and margarine accordingly, so I thought. The oven was preheated, and the crust looked nicely crumbled after cutting in the margarine. I folded in the eggs and pressed it into the 8” pie plate. Lots of leftover dough wouldn’t fit. Not being a person who likes to waste, I got out my 9” pie pan. The dough fit just right.

As the crust baked, it dawned on me I didn’t have enough cream cheese to fill that size pan. Back to the drawing board. I had bought two containers of fat-free plain yogurt, so I added all of it and an extra egg to the 8-ounce Neufachatel cheese and sugar and blended on low.  When the crust was finished with its first baking and cooling, I filled it with the cheese/yogurt mixture and baked for what I thought would be the right time. The whole center still jiggled. I added five minutes. And five more. Maybe five more. Finally, the cheesecake only jiggled a little in the very center when I shook it. Done.

On Easter Day, everyone gobbled up the Delicious Cheesecake. No one but the Lord and me knew the maneuverings I went through to make it turn out just right.

Life is like that.  Sometimes we make plans that fall short of expectations. Other times, events happen we think we don’t have what it takes to get through. We stress, worry, or feel frustration. Praying about daily and even moment-by-moment choices and changes makes all the difference, if not in the outcome, certainly in our outlook. Things end up just right, though not always perfect.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and 6.

My cookbook, Get Cooking! By Lynn Lilja is available NOW to order! Click on the Books page at https://agoldilockslife.com for ordering information.