When Five Plus Seven Does Not Equal Twelve

Where has the time gone?  I cannot believe this is the 28th anniversary of my 29th birthday (smile)!

But it does go by so fast!  I'm taking Becky Higgins' 12-week course, Project Real Life.  The first two weeks have focused on two of the principles from Stephen Covey's best-seller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

• Begin with the end in mind.
• Put first things first.

When I think of the end in mind...I think of eternity and what impact will my life have on eternity.  I think about the kind of legacy I leave my children and grandchildren.  When I reflect on this...my priorities come clear.

And while they may become clear, keeping our priorities in check, i.e., putting first things first, is a daily challenge.  So many distractions compete for my attention.  And sometimes the tyranny of what is urgent can be disguised as what is most important.  Often it is not.

I think of Christ's advice in the promise of Matthew 6:33,

Seek first the kingdom of God's and His righteousness, and all these things
shall be added unto you. (ESV)

I think it is pretty clear where my first priority should be and that will influence the rest.

A Birthday Present

Missing a day of work is like missing a week most places (or more)...imagine how I'm feeling being off sick for three days and just finished reading my work email late on a Sunday night before I go in tomorrow.   Deep breaths...

I joined 52 in 2013, a Flickr group, this year.  You are to take a photograph based on the theme of each week...and you cannot use an OLD photograph.  It has to be taken during THAT week, with strict cutoff times.

Week 3 (this past week)...the theme...WEATHER

I live in Northeast Ohio...no problem.  Alas, no rain, no snow, if things didn't change it would be a boring photograph of gray clouds.  Plus being sick...my opportunities were even slimmed down even more. Yikes!

I don't know what possessed me to look out the window on my birthday, this past Thursday...but look what God painted just for me!!!!!

Grabbed my Nikon, stuck my head out the sliding glass door for a nano second to get a quick click,
and there was my weather photo.  Yes, clouds...but with that BONUS red glow!  What a birthday present!  Wow...