Money

Today, I could totally just copy and paste a blog post that I wrote not too long ago about MONEY. (You can read it by clicking HERE if you would like.)

Money is an evil word in "my" dictionary! There is a constant NEED for it in my house. Yes, there are things that we "want", but more often... money is "needed" rather than "wanted". There never seems to be enough of it.

Right now, all I can think about is what I can do to bring more income (money) into our house. I work now as a part-time preschool teaching assistant, so I DO have hours in my week that could be spent working somewhere else. Before this job, I worked full-time and our family life struggled because I was only home in the evenings. I hate to bring that problem back, but I don't know what else to do.

For now, I think the best thing for me to do is...
 pray about the situation.

I need to talk to God.

But, more importantly.... I need to LISTEN to God.

He, alone, has all the answers.

Today's Bike Adventure

Once again... I loaded my biking gear into the truck and headed up to Callaway Gardens for what I had hoped would be another beautiful morning of quiet time, biking and photography!

I took this photo of the golf course and lake, out of my truck window.

I parked my truck where I always do... at the Discovery Center. I decided that today I would go to the Vegetable Garden to look for some possible photo opportunities. I hadn't been there since Spring.

As I was riding the 3.5 miles to get there.... I came across two twenty dollar bills laying half-way folded up on the bike path in front of me. I admit that I got excited at first. "MONEY!!", I thought. But, then my mind quickly went to... "I'll pick it up and wait for a few minutes and see if anyone comes looking for it." Then, I realized that I hadn't passed anyone on the bike path yet that could have dropped it. So.... I decided that maybe the person was going the same way that I was going and maybe I would pass them coming back to look for the lost money.

So, I got back on my bike and started riding again. As I rode, I was thinking to myself... "I may never know who dropped this money." I decided that unless I ran into someone while I was at Callaway that was looking for the lost money, I would hang onto it and take it to church with me on Sunday and donate it to the church.

I also thought about turning it in to the Discovery Center Help Desk when I returned there, but decided that whoever I gave it to, might just "pocket" the money for themselves and it still wouldn't get to the rightful owner.

As I rode the rest of the way to the vegetable garden, I continued to look for someone that might have dropped the money. No such luck. I didn't pass a single person until I nearly got to my destination, and that was nowhere near where I found the money! I feel really bad for the person that lost the money, but I will make sure that the money goes to good cause. I will put it in the collection plate at church and mark it to go to our "Pastor's Discretionary Fund" that helps people in need. That way, I KNOW that the money is going to someone who really needs it!

Here's my friend "Bike" -- Yes! I named him! Don't laugh!-- , as he rests and waits for me to return from visiting the vegetable garden.

Here are some photos that I took inside the vegetable garden ---



I guess I missed out on getting photos of the corn. Oh well!





Habanero Peppers -- One of the HOTTEST!



I enjoyed my time in the vegetable garden. I found a shady place to sit, and enjoyed a nice gentle, COOL, breeze!

On my way out of the vegetable garden.... I took this photo of Bike, waiting for me --

These next two photo's were taken back at the Discovery Center. I know it as a "Beauty Bush". But, I believe it's technical name is the... "Callicarpa Beauty Berry Shrub". I also saw that it is called an... "American Beauty Bush". Either way, the berries are such a beautiful color!! We have one that grows wild in our yard, but it is nowhere near this pretty!

Here are some bonus photo's that I turned into black & white images. Let me know what you think! I have been messing around with the photo-editing software that came with my computer.

I'm no expert, but I'm having fun!!

A to Z Blog Challenge ~ M

Today's word is MONEY. Unlike, the word LOVE, from last time.... I do not like this word!! This word does not bring me happiness in any way, shape or form. It brings nothing but grief in my house. It never seems like we have enough of it.

It's sad because it seems that our whole lives revolve around MONEY! We all need it. It's not something that we can live without. We need it to buy food for our family. We need it to pay for a roof over our head. We need it to buy gas for our cars. We need it to pay for our kids' education. We need it to pay our doctor's when we are sick. The list goes on and on.

Money makes people greedy and can make some people become dishonest, causing them to lie, cheat and steal in order to get more of it. Some people become addicted to trying to get more money, while others become selfish and don't want to let go of theirs. They want it all for themselves.

Money can cause unwanted stress in marriages and families. I have often heard that one of the main reasons that marriages fall apart is because of money issues.

Lack of money can bring on other issues such as depression.

Money makes some people lose sight of God. It becomes all that they think about and focus on.

I believe that money truly IS the "root of all evil" and "money does not bring you happiness".

God's Word (The Bible) teaches us many lessons on money thru the scriptures. Here are just a few ---

Proverbs 1:19 -- Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;it robs them of life.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 -- Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!
Matthew 6:19 -- “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.
Matthew 6:24 -- “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
1 Timothy 6:10 -- For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Hebrews 13:5 -- Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you.I will never abandon you.”

Bucket List #100!!!!!!!

We made it!!

Thank you for hanging in there with me to the end. I had a lot of fun posting about my Bucket List! I hope you had just as much fun reading it! If not... that's ok, too. **Smile**

#100 --- Have enough money to do all the things on this list --- Yes. I realize that MOST of the things on this list will require me to either... a) Rob a bank... b) Take out a HUGE loan... or... c) Win the lottery!

So.... since NONE of these things are things that I am willing to do.... I guess I am left with them being just simply dreams that may or may not come true and I am ok with that. .....Honestly.

After all.... a girl can dream, can't she??

Bucket List #25-27

I am feeling a little guilty about my Bucket List this morning. There are so many things that I want to do before I "Kick the Bucket", but as you can see.... most of them require the almighty dollar (actually a LOT of them!!!) and we our family doesn't have the kind of money that some of my Bucket List items will need. So, bare with me as I continue sharing my list and know that I DO realize that most of these things WILL require lots of $$, but also know that these things are mostly just things that I dream of doing and I know that most of them will never really happen.

#25 --- See a tornado from a safe distance --- You probably think I'm crazy for wanting to do this!! But... although I am TERRIFIED of them, I also find them fascinating at the same time! I saw on TV just the other night where you can sign up for a vacation to travel with "storm chasers" as they travel around the mid-west chasing tornadoes! It's highly expensive, and you would travel in a van full of strangers for 10 days only stopping when you see a storm. They said that they cover about 600 miles a day!! But.... wouldn't it be neat to get up close and personal with a tornado! WOW! --- As long as I knew that I would be safe, that is!

#26 --- Parasail --- I would love to do this with a friend or family member! My ultimate dream would be to do this somewhere in the caribbean, but hey.... I'll be glad to do it at Panama City Beach, too!

#27 --- Ride in a hot air balloon --- I have wanted to do this for as long as I can remember!! It just looks so peaceful and you would get to see so much from up there! Of course, I would go with an expert! Hot air ballons are so beautiful, too!