Rainey Days

Most people hate Mondays. It's hard to get up early and get back to the work week grind, after a weekend that was probably busy and fun-filled. I can sympathize with those Monday yawns and mumbles, but I actually enjoy my Mondays these days. On Monday nights, I lead a group called The Right Fit at Pasadena AG church, and it's one of the fastest growing programs at the church. Just about every week we see new growth, either showing up at our doors or finding us on the website we're using to spread the word locally. The Right Fit is a weight-loss support group, dedicated to providing accountability and encouragement to those who need help to get healthy. We've become a pretty tight group over the past six weeks, and I'm constantly encouraged by the participation of the group as a whole. Every week someone has something to share, from the cheapest place to buy granola bars to the great-tasting snacks they've brought to pass around. I'm very happy to be ...

I live about half a mile off Ritchie Highway, one of the busiest thoroughfares in Anne Arundel County. Anytime I run errands, I inevitably find myself stopped at the intersection of Jumpers Hole Road and Ritchie Highway. That light, no matter which direction I'm going, is a long one. To sit there waiting for all the east-west traffic, all the left turns, and all the north-south traffic takes forever. Since I'm not known for my patience, I've killed a lot of time at that light. I've changed CDs in the player, opened and sorted mail, flipped through magazines. I've watched other drivers, laughed at their nose-picking, sang loudly to 80's love songs on the radio. I've fought with my sister, talked on the phone, reached for things that fell in the backseat just out of my grasp. I've put on makeup, opened the sunroof, searched my purse for my bank card or receipts for stuff I'm returning to the store. I've danced to catchy pop tunes, given m...

Since I'm unemployed, I have a lot more time on my hands. My mother babysits several children regularly, and I enjoy spending time with the kids. I take them outside in the snow; I eat lunch with them; I serve as mediator, entertainer, substitute, computer fixer, and more in a given day. Sometimes they drive me crazy, and I'm glad that I can come back up to my attic and escape the madness. Mostly, though, they give me a lot to appreciate. Here's a picture of just one of the joys of an average day.