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<——My life is like that. Sometimes I'm really amazed at how life seems great one minute, and so incredibly hard another minute. Great happiness is followed by great sorrow. But the biblical meaning of the word "joy" is what encourages me. Joy is the state of mind whereby we recognize that: 1. God is in control, 2. God loves us, and 3. God has a plan.

A friend of mine from church recently gave an illustration that I think is appropriate and poignant. She said that a turtle had crawled up to her house from the pond, where it lived. She lured it into a bucket and carried it back down to the pond. She said that she felt like we are the turtle sometimes: God puts us in a bucket so He can take us where He knows we will thrive. We don’t understand the bucket, we don’t like the bucket. It’s hard, it’s uncomfortable, but in the end, we are glad we were in the bucket. Thanks for the illustration, Robin!

I went to a church picnic/hayride tonight with my family. We really enjoyed the fellowship with other believers. The food was ok, but what was exceptional was getting to spend time with these people that we will be with for the rest of eternity. My kids rode in the hayride, and I got to play a little touch football with some of the teen guys from my Sunday school class. I went down a few times, and I was glad to see that I still know how to fall (roll, baby!). I have a twinge in my knee right now, but I’m sure that will go away after a few days.

Speaking of twinges, I have had this irritating pain in my heels for the past several months. I started feeling it back in May or June (I know it was before I went to Seattle for the Tiger cruise). I assumed it was just soreness from me being on my feet a lot at work, and wearing shoes with bad support. I got better shoes, and I haven’t been working as much (due to the lack of overtime at work), but my heels haven’t gotten better. They hurt the worst when I get out of bed, and the pain lessens with stretching. The pain stays throughout the day, but it’s not bad enough that I would get them looked at by a doctor. So, enter the nurse mindset: find out what the problem is before I go to a doctor. After doing some research, I have determined that it is highly likely that I have (drumroll please)…….plantar fasciitis!!

Basically I need to do a bunch of stretches, make sure I have good arch support in my shoes, and stop jogging for now. I’m going to start riding my bike instead, and while my feet will appreciate that, my rear will be sore from the seat. Bummer. The fasciitis should clear up in the next several months, and then I can start jogging again. God is good, and He loves me as much as He loves His own Son (John 17:23).

Sports: The Hawkeyes are now 6-0 (undefeated!) with their best start since 1985. The Colts are 4-0 (soon to be 5-0, hopefully, going into the bye week). I am currently 4-0 in my fantasy football league, and the Cubs are playing golf.

Weather: It rained for the past few days here in Indiana, so I didn’t ride my motorcycle. I mean, I will ride in the rain in a pinch, but it takes longer to get suited up and unsuited when I get to work. It’s supposed to be nice until Wednesday, so I should be riding to work on Sunday and Monday nights.

Work: There is still no overtime at work, but I have been hired (I guess) by Nursefinders, which is a nursing “temp” agency, and I should be able to get some work through them. Orientation is Tuesday morning, and then I can start picking up hours. We’ll see how that goes.

Education: I am still vacillating on getting my MSN degree. It would take three more years of school, but at the end I would be a Nurse Practitioner (kind of like a doctor, but different), and I would have a more stable work situation. In order to start next fall, I need to have my application processed by February, and I would need to start classes this January (for the two prerequisites I need). I’m still trying to decide if it’s worth it.