Laughter is always the best medicine....

Oh my, I didn't realize it had been so long since I had written. I have been soooo busy that I have not had time to write. School, subbing, kids, and just life in general has kept me very busy. But it has been good...life has been good. God has done wonderful things in my life and in my heart. He has, like he promised Hezekiah, "heard my prayers and seen my tears and He has healed me." Wow! What a mighty God I serve. Oh, I am not "there" yet....I still struggle with sin everyday and with selfish thoughts and desires, but the pain that once ripped me wide open every waking hour, has been healed. I can only praise my Savior. I want to shout His love from the rooftops. Give me joy and laughter, Lord, but always keep enough rain in my life to make me love you more. You are good and Your mercies are new every single morning. I love you!

So, I don't even know where to start really. I have subbed nearly everywhere in this town. Today, actually, I am subbing for the head football coach at Liberty High School. I am basically in the weight room all day! What fun! Some of these guys are such show-offs and I laugh and laugh at them! I love to laugh. God has given me the gift to laugh easily. I sometimes get to laughing so hard (like I did last night watching the Croc Hunter's show on practical jokes....oh man, just thinking about it makes my kidneys hurt!) that my eyes will water! I truly thank God for the gift of laughter and the joy He sends my way. I sometimes will just pray, like I did today, for God to send me laughter. Now I realize that is a dangerous prayer to pray, because God has a wonderful sense of humor, and before when I have prayed that, the joke has often been on ME! But I can take it! There are too many people that take this life way too seriously, and then there are others that don' t take it seriously enough. It is a fine balance, I guess, sometimes I cross both lines. My kids make me laugh all the time. My friend Susan just absolutely cracks me up! The guys in my class make me laugh. They all call me "notes pimp" because I put my notes on their jump drives for them. They are bums! I am not too proud of that name, but hey, it does make me laugh!

I guess why I appreciate laughter so much is because for a year or so I just really lost it. I couldn't find my humor anywhere. I was down and in the dumps all the time and nothing made me laugh much. I am glad it has returned. I am glad God has restored unto me the JOY of my salvation!

Well, I am taking tests, writing papers, and studying nearly all the time. School is getting harder! I will have 30 hours at the end of next semester if I pass all my classes! I am taking summer classes and J-terms to hopefully get finished in two years. If God is willing! I am working on a 9 member committee at church to plan the winter retreat at Youth Front camps in Edgerton, KS. (formerly known as Circle C Ranch) I am meeting new people all the time. I have even gone on a DATE! I can't believe it, either! He was a great guy and a Christian man, but I am not going to go out again. I just don't think he is the "one". I don't know if God has prepared anyone to be the "one" for me or not. I just know that I am very, very careful and prayerfully considering God's will for me always. I don't want to repeat the mistakes I have made in the past.

Well, I need to run. This class needs my attention! Weight rooms always smell the same!