Personal Victory

It's only 10:30 on a Monday morning but I already have achieved a personal victory this morning. Since I joined Weight Watchers in July I have lost 30 pounds, and while that is a victory in and of itself this mornings was almost better. I began working out sporadictly when I began Weight Watchers (and I still do not work out as regularly as I should). I decided to check out the work out room at my complex because lets face it, if I'm not going to use it if it's free I'm certainly not going to pay to use equipment. Well I walked in the room and just saw machines. I was not familuar on how to use the machines spart from the treadmill and stationary bikes. The first one I saw was the infamous eliptical. I had never been on one, and it seemed like the most popular machine based on facebook/internet comments about it. Well I got on the machine 6 months ago and about died. I could barely use it for 2 minutes. I moved on to other machines.
Well today after walking on the treadmill, I decided to get on the elliptical and just try it for a few minutes to see if I could do it. To my surprise and delight I could! And I was on there for 12 minutes! It totally has made my day. To me these things and even smaller clothes show me how much better my health is getting in just these few short months with Weight Watchers. It also shows me that of all the weight loss programs on the market Weight Watchers is the only one that works! I need the accountability of a weekly meeting and that is what has helped me to be successful. 

Praise

Praise is something I've done often. Many times it was out of sense of obligation that as a Christian I need to praise God for the blessings He's given me in my life. Often when I have felt the lowest spiritually I will try to keep my longings for change and petitions to myself, and focus on praising God, but it often feels fake. However lately I have come to feel that my circumstances and life are completely out of my control right now. I'm in a holding pattern. Therefore, I feel like the more I think about it and what I can't change the more I begin to obsess and become ungrateful and often blind to what God has already blessed me with. I feel like I shouldn't be ungrateful. I also have recently felt that by not taking the time to recognize and acknowledge these blessings I'm being ungrateful. I know that my faith isn't about all the good things that I can get from God. Obviously struggle is necessary , but I believe that there is something so powerful about thanking God for the non material things, the little things in life that I normally would not consider as a gift from God. I believe that I have missed many of these moments in my life, but I think that for my true spiritual growth, I must be conscience about God working through the everyday seemingly unimportant details. In these small parts of life I hope to find and maintain a joyful spirit.
This is partially inspired by the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp which I'm waiting to receive and read. I also read an entry from Frances J. Roberts book Come Away My Beloved entitled "Learn to Reign" where she writes. "Praise Me, O y People Praise Me Praise me out of a  heart full of love. Praise me for every blessing and victory. Yea, and Praise me when the most difficult thing to do is to Praise. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith and praise is the voice of faith." (168).

Update

It's been a crazy few weeks. I have been working a lot at my new job as well as volunteering for Flagler working on the civil rights archive that will hopefully launch in a few weeks. I also have been working on a presentation that I will be giving next week on my senior seminar topic for women's history month. I'm slightly terrified! I don't think it will be much of a problem once i get up there and start talking, I just hope everything makes sense and that it is interesting. I also have to tweak my presentation because I don't want it to really be just a paper presentation, but a genuine presentation. I am excited for the opportunity though.

I did receive the best birthday present on Friday! I found out that I got into the musuem studies program at George Washington Unviersity! I really didn't think I would get in, and it's just an amaizng thing to get in! I don't know if I'm going to end up going there because it is so expensive, but it would be awesome if I was able to go.

Finally, I have lost 25 pounds on Weight Watchers since I started in July. I have dropped two dress sizes and kinda love to shop now. I am hoping that I can get refocused a bit and really work to get quite a few more pounds off before I have to leave St. Augustine and my wonderful group here!