SIXTY-ONE!

I've been planning this day since the beginning of December! I wanted a day to be by myself!

And it was a splendid day!

After Mom and Isaiah left, Alan and I had our prayer time and he took off!

I put up all the chairs, trash cans, and other furniture so that the iRobot can vacuum. I then took down the clothes and cleaned up the bathrooms!

I got a cup of coffee and my book and settled down to read! I finished the book. Having time to read is the gift I gave to myself! The book I finished was Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper.

Oh... I decided NO GADGETS! NO WORK!

At 11am, I went off to World Gym and a run around the River Park! 30 minutes at World Gym and I thought... hey, I will run 12.12 kms. The weather was perfect and my legs felt great! I had two records -- fastest mile and fastest kilometers. 5.37/kilometer and 9.37/mile! I never run that fast!

For lunch, I went and bought a 'fantwan'! WITH EGG! While I munched on that, I went for a hike. I didn't reach the top of Rock Face Mountain... I'll have to do that on another day. I had to get back home as I made an appointment for a one hour oil massage at 2:30! 

After the massage, I was in no rush... So... I let myself have a nice long shower! I am usually in a rush... I had asked Alan to be home to pick up my Mom. I stopped at the local veggie and fruit stand and bought things for my Bible studies tomorrow plus I will need to bake for MOE on Wednesday. I'm making soup and mashed sweet potatoes. Yes, two different Bible studies! As for baking... I'm making something with chocolate!

I was home and got all the chairs down and Alan came home. Soon, Mom was home. I had dinner ready!

I finally picked up my phone and saw all the birthday wishes from House of Praise, my siblings and my best friends! I am truly blessed.

For this year, I'm seeking God in applying the gift of a Sabbath. Today was a great start! I highly recommend it to everyone! God created us and He knows we need a Sabbath for our body, soul and spirit. Like the run, I feel so refreshed... so alive! John 8:12 -- JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD AND THE LIGHT OF LIFE! How can we experience that light? I think having a Sabbath is a start!

I want to say: Ariel, a gal from my Bible study, gifted me with a meal at a restaurant! Jenny, a gal at HOP, gave me a new pair of socks -- COMPHY SOCKS! Jane, another gal who just returned from England, gave me a box of saltine crackers. She knew I like savory biscuits. Another gal from HOP gave me two containers of kimchi! And two brothers wished me happy birthday yesterday because they both knew I like things 'low key'.

I am still waiting for my homemade cards from my kids... 

And Alan, Isaiah and I had dinner at a Cantonese restaurant tonight! For dessert, we went and got some sweet 'tangyuan' soup!

What a way to top off the celebration!

Daily Lovely Insight:

Here is the prayer from the last chapter of the book:

"Incline our hearts to Christ. Open our eyes to the glory of Christ. Break our addiction to this world. Cause us to set our minds on things that are above where Christ is seated at your right hand. Free us from the anxieties that come from too much dependence on earthly circumstances. Form us into a radical band of risk-takers in the cause of love because we know that this mortal flesh will put on immortality and this body of lowliness will be transformed into a body like Christ's glorious body. We love you, Father. We love your Son's appearing. Grant us to live out this hope in the freedom of self-sacrifice to the glory of your great grace. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Seek Him First!