2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (King James Version)
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Okay, so I might be about to stretch this a little out of context, but these were the verses that came to mind this morning after spending a little over 36 hours with some form of flu/food poisoning. My entire body still aches and I haven't been able to eat much, but I think I'm headed out of it as opposed to still going strong. In the first 12 hours of it, I lost over 5 .5 pounds, probably from the fact that everything in my body had been emptied out. Now I've put one pound of it back on, so I think that means my fluid levels are getting back up there.

I was reminded as I was fervently begging God to take this away from me of what a small issue it truly is in the scope of eternity. Could I really have the same spirit that Paul had? How does one really take pleasure in infirmities? I do recognize that it is much harder to feel like you can do things in your own strength when you are sick and just praying that it will go away fast. So perhaps God is using this to remind me that I can't operate in my own strength and I need His help. It did give me the opportunity to slow down a little - certainly not in my timing, but I've had to recognize that I'm not in control and wait on God's timing to feel better.

Please pray that I'll feel better quickly. This weekend is the big scrapbooking expo consumer show that my sister's company participates in. This requires many hours of work and I have an important role in preparation and being cashier for all day Friday and Saturday. I'm just asking the Lord to heal me as I know my sister needs my help and I don't want to let her down.

Okay, off to take a nap. I can only be up for a little while at a time before needing to rest again.

Straight Hair

Here is a picture of Stela and I (courtesy of Cristina Vielmas). Right before the game she said that after the game she was straightening my hair. I said okay and hence the picture. I do like my hair straight and loved it when I had it professionally done in Saipan several years ago. It just makes it so much easier to deal with. Unfortunately this one went away after washing, but the professional one lasted about 6 months. I just don't have the skills or patience to deal with straight ironing it every day.

As for the weight loss goals, I'm now at 33.5 pounds. It feels like it is much harder now. I'm working out more and feeling more of a difference in my clothes, but the scale isn't budging. I just can't give up. Jenny, here is the picture you've been asking for. It isn't full body, but I can tell a difference and that makes me feel better.

It's official.

Now that Mr. Redmon told the basketball girls in the locker room that I would be coaching high school girls volleyball and basketball next year, I feel free to share the news here as well. Since some of my girls check the blog, I didn't want to break the news before he did. My plan is to start with a two-day practice in May for those interested in playing volleyball next year. That will allow us to have a better idea of who will play on which team and warn the girls who might be on the bubble so they can work over the summer. That will also allow me to introduce the plans for the new year. They are going to find themselves in a whole new world. I'm seriously going to be pushing conditioning much more and allotting time for it in practices. Even if you are an expert at a skill, pack on extra pounds and you'll have a hard time performing it well. Now imagine that you aren't expert at a skill and you have extra pounds...and hence you see the need for extra conditioning.

During the summer, we are also going to have two practices a week (one for volleyball and one for basketball) as well as a week of camp for each. I think this year we will need to do that camp in house, but I'm hoping that next year we'll be able to start bringing in some other help to run the camps. We just need to keep the cost down this year and build the basic skills. That is something I can do.

So, that is my good news. I'm excited about continuing to work with the girls next year and having the freedom to make the coaching decisions. Even though it will be a lot more work for them, I think we have a group of girls who will rise to the occasion. If some choose not to work hard, I will be disappointed, but I'll also have a great spot next to me on the bench for them. No matter the skill level, I'll only reward those who work hard. That might be a new world for them too.