New Commandment ~ (Puppy) Love

My Day ☀️

07:50am

I've been through today's Bible in a Year reading and have already added it to the website...hehehe I think this is the first time I've already added everything to the site for that reading plan. I typically wait until the end of the day to do all of that.

I decided to try that today because yesterday was so long. The day went really well. But by the time I was working out things like that, it was late.

Yesterday had the added moment when I do my weekly call with my parents. So, that contributed to the busyness of the day. It is such a Blessing to have my parents.

Today is Maundy Thursday in the Holy Week calendar. Today is the day we celebrate the Last Supper and the time when Jesus gave us Holy Communion. Tonight, I'll be tuning into the CUMC service.

11:25am

I've run into a challenge at work this morning. I enjoy a good challenge...hehehe It helps me grow. In this case, professionally. Hopefully, by the end of the day, I will have met the challenge with a solution.

A lot remains on my mind and heart. I feel so much better this week than I felt last week. But so much of what I've been thinking and praying about is still hovering over me. And it keeps tapping me on the shoulder...LOL I can see another season of growth here in my newest personal year. I'm grateful for that ❤️

I haven't been outside yet. It looks like it will be a bit warmer today than it has been lately. It is inching its way back to being hot. By the time I have my Dapper Day next weekend, it will be hot. I've been rethinking what I'll be wearing. It is considerably hotter than it was last April when my dapper life began. I may need to go with one of my retro outfits instead of my full on fancy dapper. The real feel for that day in the Disney area is forecast to be in the 90s. Which means, even for me, it will be hot in dapper attire. And even with my retro, I'll be wearing pants.

12:45pm

Once again, I enjoyed today's Holy Week & Easter devotional. And just as I did this morning, I've already added it my website. It will go live once I publish all of today's content tonight. But the work is finished.

I grew up in a church that observed this Christian Holiday. It's Maundy Thursday, or mandate (commandment). The new command from Jesus was to love one another. Along with this mandate, He also gifted us Holy Communion. It is the best and greatest reminder of what He did for us and what we should, in turn, do for everyone. For us, it isn't literal death. But it is a symbol to show us to die to self and live for Christ. And in doing so, express His love to everyone.

This is honestly a very difficult concept. Especially in today's me first entitlement culture. I am one who struggles with it myself in some ways. I'm working on removing old habits I've adopted from the culture I've lived in my entire life.

This is the very topic for this week's The Chosen Bible study lesson...LOL How about that! HAHAHA

03:45pm

The challenge at work is still challenging...LOL But I'm learning some things along the way. Yay!!!

Also, I just got word my new work-laptop is on its way. I'm told it should arrive by end of day Saturday. It's fantastic timing. I had told them I was going to be away from home next Wednesday through Saturday. My staycation will be keeping me busy and mostly away from my apartment those days. So, I'm glad they are getting it to me before all of that...hehehe This is one of the final steps for the transition to the new company. It's hard to believe it is taking so long to transition. But it's also surreal that the finish line is a month away...hehehe

Life is painful. Life is rewarding. It has taken me awhile, but I'm glad I can see both now. I have a ways to go yet. And I've come so far already. Everything is going to be okay. There isn't anything going on behind this paragraph, even though it is a deep rooted sentiment. It's simply a reminder.

04:00pm

There was a mass shooting at Florida State University this afternoon. As of now, no one has died. But there are several injured with at least one in critical condition. It sounds like there have been at least 80 such events in the USA this year. I learned they define a mass shooting as having 4 or more victims (injured or killed) other than the shooter (if taken out).

I've been actively trying to keep my eyes and ears open to these things this year. I had previously tried to avoid bad or political news for a short period to regain strength, in a way. All of the negative stuff can weigh one down...hehehe But I didn't want to keep away for long. One of my goals this year was to be a better listener to understand how life is impacting others and to help when I have the ability to act.

For this particular event, I'll mostly be listening to others by reading how people feel about it all. I don't know anyone directly impacted by the event.

I'm no stranger to mass shootings. They've been going on my entire adult life. I'm sure some occurred before then, in my lifetime. But I became more aware of these things since the mid-to-late 90s.

As expected, some folks are calling for gun control while others are arguing gun control wouldn't stop it. I don't know much about this event yet. But it was on a college campus. I presume it was a gun free zone at least. The shooter was determined to cause violence regardless of the law or campus policy. But I also wonder how they had a gun in the first place. And what was their state of mind? Gun control and mental health are two topics worth paying attention to.

My heart goes out to those who were injured. And my heart goes out to the witnesses who were fortunate enough to not be shot, but still have the trauma of being in danger in a place they thought they were safe 😦

05:00pm

Two people have now passed away 😦

In other news...hehehe I see other news articles talking about things that happened in the 90s. The Menendez brothers are back in the news with the possibility of being paroled after 35 years. And the Oklahoma City bombing was 30 years ago. There is a story about it in today's paper. It's funny how the FSU shooting sparked some memories for me of events in the 90s and now there are suddenly other news articles about some of the events that happened back then...hehehe I was also recently reminded of the OJ Simpson stuff when I was in Indiana last month.

I'm sure glad God is in control. I'm glad that someday all of this will be over. In the meantime, I'm going to be open to what God needs me to do for others in the moment. He is a good God. These things need to happen. We live in a broken world. We can do what we can to pick up the broken pieces and make something new. With God's help, life can still be beautiful despite the mess we've made.

07:55pm

I'm glad I tuned into the CUMC service tonight. I truly needed that ❤️

There were some technical difficulties with the stream. It wasn't on YouTube. But it was on Facebook. And the audio had issues. But it worked for the most part.

It had been a while since I last attended a Maundy Thursday service. CUMC didn't do the foot washing ceremony. But it was part of the message. I'm not sure how common that is anymore. I'm not even certain is was common even at the time my old church was doing it. And I personally have only done the foot washing ceremony once. It was a humbling experience that I'll never forget.

Honestly, it wasn't until my lunch devotional today that I actually knew what maundy meant. And it makes so much sense now. Even the message tonight talked about it. As I mentioned above, it's about the commandment...to love.

09:05pm

I only took one walk today. It was after work. That challenge I faced at work kept me focused. I could have still taken walks. And I probably should have in order to clear my head. In fact, that is why I started taking walks during work hours in the first place...LOL But I just didn't feel like it today.

On that one walk, I was very Blessed. Tonight was the first time I have seen Sandhill Cranes here at my complex. I've seen them elsewhere throughout Florida. Just never right here at my pond. I was so excited to see a pair of them tonight!

Today's featured photo is of one of them. For the song, on Instagram, I went with Puppy Love as sang by Paul Anka. I never include the reason for the song choice, or the photo choice for that matter, on my posts of the day's featured photo. Each song has some sort of meaning in the moment. Today's was chosen because, right after I took that photo, one of my puppy friends ran over to greet me...hehehe Her name is Dolci. I'm not quite sure how old she is now. But I believe the age can still be measured in months...hehehe She is a fur ball of joy and it always makes me happy to see her. Ooh, and I'm happy to see her owner too...LOL

The work challenge will be taken into another day tomorrow. But I did find a path to take that should yield a resolution tomorrow. So, hopefully I can wrap that up tomorrow and get things prepared for testing to be complete before my staycation next week...hehehe I'll be working Monday and Tuesday. The issue is data related. So, if there are still data issues after Tuesday, I know of some folks who can help resolve that. The technical details have all been worked out...the parts I'm actually responsible for. The data is someone else's responsibility. But I have to figure out what is missing in order to get them on track. So, for now, it's my problem...hehehe

10:05pm

During the service tonight, I had an idea that I'd like to implement soon-ish. Some churches drape cloth on their crosses of differing colors throughout the Christian calendar. The little wooden cross Cherie gave me would be perfect for that. I could probably use ribbons for that since the cross is small. This could become as amazing as what I do with my LEGO Bonsai tree ❤️

I'm so glad I connected with Holy Week last year. Continuing that this year has been such a Blessing. Although I'm doing something different this year, being connected with God through all of this is what I've always needed to do.

I'm already thinking about changing my sleep schedule again...LOL This new one I'm on is working for what it needs to. But I don't like it...hehehe What I would rather do is change my work start time. I've thought about that before and even discussed it with my boss. That might be what I end up doing next. When? I don't really know yet. The Big Bang weekend is a month from now. Before? After? Never? Choices...LOL

Regardless, today is not the day I'll be making a choice. Today, I'm sticking with what I've been working on this month. So, that's a wrap for today...LOL

Today's photo 📸

You can find this photo in the photo section too.

Bible 📖

Holy Week

📖 Today's reading in the Bible section.

Bible in a Year

📖 Today's reading in the Bible section.