Quick Takes, Vol 55

Quick Takes are hosted by Jen at the Conversion Diary.

And here are mine.

1. 
   
   Lent has begun. I have made my plans and checked them twice.  I pray for the grace to keep up the struggle and draw closer to Christ with each day.  Putting down my own will, that is the challenge.  Submitting to God. Doing things that will help me to grow in love, grow closer to Him.  That is the challenge.
2. 
   
   How am I building up the kingdom of God?  That is the question I ponder.  How?  When I go out and teach something or participate in a group it seems easy to answer that question.  But when I am home I am tempted to think that unless I am blogging something on faith or reading something or preparing something that I am not building up the kingdom.  The other stuff just seems like stuff.  But isn't having clothes to wear, nourishing food, a happy family, a well kept house and yard also a part of building up the kingdom of God?  Are not the ordinary graces also necessary and good and holy? One of my goals is to focus more on the ordinary graces.
3. 
   
   Have I mentioned that I am very very very tired of winter?  This winter has had too many gray days.  I miss blue skies and sunshine.  And too much snow, I do not miss.  All over the place too much snow. Here in the Lou there are rules about snow that have been violated.  One snow is supposed to melt before the next snow comes along.  It is only fair. I keep telling you--I live in the south.
4. 
   
   Took the cats to the vet on Monday because hubby and I both had the day off.  Dodger is 16 yo and has thyroid issues.  He needed expensive blood tests.  Rudy is 10 yo and fat and had a cyst.  They both needed shots.  One thing I will say is that I have very easy cats.  They go in and out of the carrier easily.  They don't bite, hiss, or scratch.  Dodger growls at the vet, but his growl means nothing.  He has never ever bitten anyone.  It is nice to have nice cats.
5. 
   
   As I was looking forward to my busy week again this week, I realized that I feel like my life is like the starship Enterprise.  It is going in warp speed.  You know on the show when the ship just sitting there and all of a sudden it moves out of the picture really fast.  That is my life, the starship Enterprise going in warp speed across the galaxy.
6. 
   
   If you can be boring, or like to read boring, join me once again for Boring Posts for Saturday tomorrow. Because, although I am very busy, I never miss the opportunity to be boring.
7. 
   
   I changed the setting and picture at the top of the blog and I have to say that these colors and that picture say "Mary" more than anything else I have ever had.  At least they will say "Mary" until I get tired of them and I will change to something else.  But, when I look at the blog now, I am very pleased because something about it says--me.