Soul Runnings

Springtime 2016 on the Springwater Trail My psalm of the day today, psalm 20 is a companion to my psalm of the day for tomorrow, psalm 21. I did not realize this.  I was reading from my psalm book last night. I always put the date in the book, to keep track.  I accidentally put 03-31-2016 on psalm 21.  When I realized what I had done, I sat frozen for a bit. I believe I have a bit of OCD. Self-diagnosed, of course. But still. I notice this about myself. Little things will sometimes paralyze me. Like small decisions in life. Or minor mistakes. Luckily I am not like this when I play piano! But fortunately, I discovered with further study that these two psalms go together. So today I have two psalms of the day! " Psalm 20 and 21 go together. Both are Battle songs. The 20th psalm precedes the battle and the 21st follows the battle. Psalm 20 is a Psalm of Prayer for the Battle, while Psalm 21 is praise for the victory of the battle. Psalm 20 Anticipates victory." http:/

Portlanders are a rare breed.  We get super excited about the weather. Most of us do not mind the rain so much, because when the sun does come out from behind those clouds, it is glorious! Green, blooming, fresh air. Yes indeed. Another beautiful spring day in Portland! Everyone I talked to today spoke about getting out and enjoying the sun.  And most of them also talked about how many mountains they could clearly see. Including me! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood I began my day with a lovely chamber music rehearsal. Two sweet violinist females picked me up and took me to one of their lovely homes. This house sits on top of a hill and had the most clear view of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams that I have ever seen! Plus her cherry tree was in full bloom. Then I went home and made a bit of breakfast, cleaned and practiced. I was planning on going to the gym, but then my son called and asked me if I would like to walk the Tilikum Bridge since it was such a be

A beautiful, sunny, clear day here in Portland, Oregon! I am about to set out for a long awaited trail walk. I am thankful for my life today. Despite the fact that I am so imperfect. I am still working on my gluttonous eating.Funny, in my bible reading this morning, I came across this: "Their destiny is destruction, their God is their stomach and their glory is in their shame." -Philippians 3:19. IT!! Out of the mouth of St. Paul! This is the root of my problem. I worship my stomach! Time to dethrone my belly. Jesus is my Lord. Be gone, belly!! My psalm of the day is Psalm 18. It is a very long psalm. There are only 3 psalms longer than Psalm 18. In my Revised book of Grail Psalms it is called a "canticle". A canticle is a hymn or song. Psalm 18 I love you, Lord, my strength, .3 my rock, my fortress, my savior. My God is the rock where I take refuge; my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold. .4 The Lord is worthy of all praise, when I call I am

"Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean".   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronesia Yesterday was a long day. Long but rewarding. I got up at 5:30 a.m. I wanted to have time to sit and have a cup of coffee before playing for the two masses at the Catholic church I am interviewing for the church pianist job.  There is a Starbucks just a few blocks from the church. I was worried about being late, so I reasoned that I could go to Starbucks and sip coffee until about 7:00. I needed to be at the church by 7:30.  First Mass was at 8:00, but I needed to get my music in order and meet with the cantor. I got to Starbucks in plenty of time. I felt quite pleased with myself for being awake before sunrise!  And I had a new drink:  A honey caramel latte. So yummy!  The barista was very friendly. I felt good! The church services went well. I was worried because I did not get a chance to practice at the church. B

He is risen indeed! Happy Easter to all! Jesus has risen. He conquered death! I am so thankful for my risen Savior! And now I must rise. I am playing the piano for two church services. I will return to my blog tomorrow.Happy Sunday!

 My daughter told me this morning my skin looked healthy and glowing "for a woman of my age". Lol! I will take that as a compliment. She saw the expression on my face, and said, "I mean, it has really improved over the last few days, Mom". :) I am keeping up with 100 ounces of water. Eating more fruits and veggies. Avoiding restaurants. Except for yesterday. Yesterday I met a dear friend for lunch downtown at our favorite Chinese joint, The Mandarin Cove.  We both had the same dish: Sauteed chicken, beef and shrimp with veggies over brown rice. Pretty good. And a big improvement for both of us. I have know her for over 25 years. After lunch, she had to head back to work, so on a whim, I jumped on the Max to the Rose Quarter. Bernie Sanders was due to speak at 12:45. I wanted to view the crowds. I got there by 1:00 and there were a few people milling about outside, but a very small line to get through the security checkpoint, which was impressive - almost lik

Today I am having lunch with a friend downtown. Another day off!  Spring break is coming to a close. But I am feeling quite refreshed.  And reinspired to keep on living the good life! Turkey chili is in the crockpot for dinner. I just downed 20 ounces of water. This afternoon I plan on practicing for my Easter Sunday church pianist audition for the congregation. Doing a good yoga session is also on my list. And a long walk. Tomorrow I will be going to the gym early with my daughter for more fun with calorie burning!  Then home to cook a turkey for my daughter's 26th birthday celebration! My psalm of the day is Psalm 15: Psalm 15 1  Lord , who may dwell  in your sacred tent?      Who may live on your holy mountain? 2  The one whose walk is blameless,      who does what is righteous,      who speaks the truth  from their heart; 3  whose tongue utters no slander,      who does no wrong to a neighbor,      and casts no slur on others; 4  who despi

I am absolutely digging my jicama! I bought a big one on Monday. About the size of my head. I shaved of slices and drizzle it with lime juice.  Explosion of flavor in my mouth! My daughter suggested sprinkling "Taj ine" on top. Whamo! When I visited Tijuana, Mexico when I was in my early 20s, the highlight of my trip was the food vendors. I still recall the fruit plate:  pineapple, mango, coconut, bananas and jicama, drizzled with lime juice and sprinkled with a chili powder much like Tajine!  This is a memory I do not mind reliving! I googled the jicama, and discovered it is quite nutritious!   " Low in calories but high in a few vital nutrients,  jicama  is a bit of a contradiction when it comes to its starch content. It provides one-quarter of what's needed daily in fiber per serving. But not just any fiber -  jicama's  fiber  is infused with oligofructose inulin, which has zero calories and doesn't metabolize in the body. Inulin, a fructan, prom

I had another dark night of my soul. I had been watching the news all day about the terrorist attacks in Brussels. Praying for them. I woke at 4 a.m. and checked the breaking news.  I felt pretty good, but knew 4 a.m. would be too early to rise. I thought since I was on break, another 4 hours would be good rest for me. Not so! I fell back to sleep until 9:30 a.m. Intense, disturbing dreams. Not about terrorists, but scenes from my past that I regret. I forced myself out of bed. I made a mango smoothie (frozen chunks of mango, almond milk, a bit of honey, flax seed meal, turmeric and ginger). Wow, that was a nice start to me feeling more human! I have been focusing each day on adding more veggies and a bit more fruit to my diet. After my smoothie, I did about 20 minutes of yoga. Then I stepped on the scale and smiled. My dark night dreams starting to fade into the mist. I am back under 190 again.  189.  One step forward, two steps back this life of mine is! I set another monthly g

Add http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35869254 Tragic news this morning: multiple terrorist attacks in Brussels . My psalm of the day could not be any more timely.  I am praying this psalm for the people of Brussels this morning. The Psalms 12 A Prayer for Help against the Wicked To the chief Musician upon Shem'inith, A Psalm of David. 1   Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth;          for the faithful fail from among the children of men. 2   They speak vanity every one with his neighbor:          with  flattering lips  and  with a double heart do they speak. 3   The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips,          and  the tongue that speaketh proud things: 4   who have said, With our tongue will we prevail;          our lips  are  our own: who  is  lord over us? 5   For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,          now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set  him  in safety  from him that  puffeth at hi

Today is the first day of my spring break. A good time for me to refocus. I started out with a workout at the gym with my daughter: treadmill, elliptical and stretching. Next we headed too the grocery store. My daughter has a plan. A very good meal prep plan. She had a detailed list- I was so proud! For under $100, we bought and prepped about one month of crockpot meals for our family. Of four! We set up a prepping station in the kitchen. We diced vegetables and packaged them with the meat and seasoning. She made labels, complete with simple cooking instructions and we tossed them in the freezer.  I do love a system!! She went off to work. I thought I would log my food for today. This is a vegetable-focused day. I was craving jicama, of all things! FOOD LOG  Small gluten free banana pancake for breakfast. Shared a small bowl of pho with my daughter for lunch. For dinner: rice bowl of topped with shredded chicken, sauteed zucchini and onions, steamed cauliflo