Wed. June 18, 2008

On the lowcarb front:

The scale is up .6 pounds from last Wednesday.

Did treadmill intervals with weights this morning. This consists of 5 minutes of warm-up. 1 minute increased speed on treadmill, 2 minutes of weights, 1 minute running etc until the last 5 minute cool down.

Planned most of my menu for the day. Made oopsie rolls yesterday so I had an oopsie pizza this morning. I brushed 2 oopsies with tomato sauce, topped that with mozzarella and pepperoni. Not bad.

I saw a wonderful dessert on Cleochatra’s blog today - ooopsie layered with whipped cream and topped with blackberries. Too, too decadent.

I have a staff meeting followed by a cookout tomorrow, so, tonight I made an almond encrusted raspberry cheesecake - sugar free of course. I used Emerald Cocoa Roasted almonds. I can't wait to try this. I also made a beautiful salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and avocado. The pastor is grilling. I have no reason to stray off track tomorrow!

Word of the day:
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Jesus said, 'Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

'So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

'And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

'And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Reflections from the cornfield:
It is a fine line, 'twould seem, between being an example and being an exhibitionist. I think the distinction lies in the motivation of the heart. Is the motivation to do good for the sake of doing good? Or is the motivation doing good so as to be thought of as a good person? And what is the blessing of the recipient in either case?

Jesus continually reprimanded the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. He described them as "white washed tombs filled with rotting bones." Matt. 23:27-28 Yes, the Pharisees prayed a lot - publicly. They also heaped burdens on the poor while never lifting a finger to help them. Jesus could see into their hearts and for all their prayers and public piety, it seems that the objective was to be seen as holy men. They blinded themselves to the fact that what they did was not for the glorification of God, but to serve their standing in the eyes of man. (John 9:41)

This past week journalist Tim Russert passed away. Among the many remembrances of his life that were recounted, one stands out in my mind. Sean Hannity tells of a $10,000 donation that Mr. Russert made to Hannity's annual Freedom concerts. This, at Mr Russert's request, was never made public - until after his passing.

Authenticity - that's what it's all about. It's making sure that what's happening on the outside, is a true reflection of what's happening on the inside. "From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matt. 12:34 Take care of the inside and the outside will take care of itself.

In the OA community there is a favorite saying. "What others think of me is none of my business." Words to live by, those are.

God bless the troops

Monday - June 16, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
Now that school is out, I am hoping to really have time to focus on what I need to do. I got a 20 minute workout in this morning which is a good start. Summer is generally a little easier because I have more time to do the things I love. I am hoping for great things in the next couple of months, one of them being firmly planted in the lowcarb lifestyle before going back for my last 4 months of work at the school.

Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day by going down to Nina and Jamie's house for a cookout. Nina was worried that a storm would ruin the day. We did get a bit of a thunder dunder so we went inside and had a great time playing Guitar Hero and WII baseball. After the storm we went out for a bean bag toss game while Clayton searched for "bugs and creatures." I did pretty well food-wise. It wasn't hard because Nina and Jamie had burgers, steaks, and hot dogs. Later we walked up town for ice cream. (Always ice cream on Sunday in the summer.) I opted for sugar free frozen yogurt which may or may not have been sugar free, but really tasted good. I probably won't do that again because I have a hard time trusting people who don't get the difference between sugar free and fat free. There are actually people who think the terms are interchangeable.

But yesterday was a lot of fun as are family times together.

On the home front:
For some reason I was up exceedingly early today. It's the first day of summer vacation for me - maybe that's it. I had a funeral to do this morning. And I'm headed out to Sam's club to stock up on some stuff. A trip to Mt. Pleasant is never complete without a visit to JoAnn's and a drop-off to GoodWill.

I have a ton of work to do this week. Even though school is out, I have inventory to finish up in the media center.

The house is a wreck and I am hosting a Home & Garden party for Melisa. Time for crisis cleaning (which basically means stash and dash and lock the rooms until I can get time to deep clean.)

Word of the day:
Matthew 5:38-42
Jesus said to the crowds, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you."

To paraphrase an old quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt - "no one can make you a victim without your permission."

On the face of it, this passage is talking about peace and forgiveness, but when I read it, I see it as something else. Have you ever had someone say to you when asking to borrow a pencil, "can I steal a pencil?" Now, of course this person is not really asking permission to steal. That would be a sort of oxymoron. What he or she is asking is, "may I borrow a pencil. I am of the opinion that words mean things and I often wonder if we are not losing the language. If one is stealing from you, does that not make you a victim of theft? However, if you give someone an item that is a totally different situation. How much more power does a person have who gives something rather than one from whom something is taken.

When I talk about power, I am referring, of course, to spiritual power. There is an old story in a book by Anthony De Mello. I am hazy on the details but it goes something like this. There is a man who has a precious stone. Another man covets that stone and begs the first man to give it to him. When the man hands it over, the second man enjoys the stone for a while but later returns it to the first man saying "I want what you have that allowed you to give me the stone."

I am re-telling the story very badly, but the gist of it is that the second man is asking for the freedom to give generously. He recognizes that there is power in not being held hostage to the possessions of this world.

The truth is, we really own nothing in this world. We are merely stewards. The man with many possessions is no richer than the man who has none. In fact, the man with many possessions can be very much poorer if he is held hostage to those possessions and if they distract him from his true place in the world. That is not to say that having possessions is bad. But we are called to be "poor in spirit." Being poor in spirit means that we recognize that when we stand before God, we, in truth, have nothing but the grace of God. A favorite priest of mine once said in a homily, "you take nothing with you when you leave this world except the love you shared along the way."

Words to live by, those are.
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I'm off to work out - will update later . . .