A Good Anniversary

Last year I stuck to my beliefs, and as the Bible would say, I "persevered under trial (James 1:12)". That end quote sounds utterly dramatic. All it means is that I am as consistent and honest as I can be, when others around me manipulate and lie to get what they want. God knows my heart.

There is no doubt that I am reaping the benefits of being true to myself. What's more important, I follow God's word as well as I can, beginning with my return to church. I can't emphasize how much I love Heart of the Bay. In fact, when I weigh pros and cons about staying here or moving away, Heart of the Bay carries a lot of weight. So far, I haven't found another church that compares to this one, so I can't be sure what will happen. I'm very new in my evolution as a Christian. In the past, I let the stereotypical image of a uber conservative Christian influence me in a negative way. Now, I am working on my personal relationship with God.

I wish I could make money scrapbooking. Irene at Scrapperlicious lives in Malaysia and travels all over the world, teaching classes. In fact, she'll be in San Jose this month. Irene is out of my league--at least at the moment--but I am learning. I was invited to be part of the design team at Scrapbooking and Crafting Friends. And Jasmine asked me to think about putting together a class for her store on the boulevard. It looks like I'll teach a class on stamping, liquid embossing, and various inks. I'm getting some great feedback about my layouts.

The next great thing to happen this year could be HUGE. One of my friends at the screenplay forum really likes my work, and he is actually a working screenwriter. In fact, he doesn't spend that much time at the forum because he has deadlines.
Anyway, I have one comedy and one drama with a belly dancing theme that I've been working on forever. He has been steering me toward the best contests to enter. But better than that, he wants his agent to see my work. Can you believe that?

I keep my sights on all good things that are possible. Yet, I'm practical enough to know that timing is everything. Just knowing that someone will read what I am writing is extremely encouraging.

I will look for a job as soon as I get moved, but if I could sell some of my work, I can actually get my second little place in Tahoe, and I can spend some time in Hawaii and Paris. I also have this new yearning to go to New York City and walk around Manhattan. I want to go to the Hamptons. I'd love to check out Martha's Vineyard.
On some days I get fatigued pretty easily. I just got my blood work done. We are seeing how--or if--the hepatitis has progressed. I feel confident that I can arrest it, as long as I don't let these test results scare me. I think I just have to deal with this typical fatigue and these remaining headaches.

I notice how much better I feel when I can keep stress to a minimum. How does anyone do that? I honestly don't know, except that I just have to stay away from conflict, or my days on this earth will be numbered. And right now, there are good things happening in my life.

I found a group of Toastmasters that meets at Neighborhood Church. I'd like to meet a special guy. Toastmasters could be perfect for me. Since I majored in Speech, I can give a speech standing on my head, with one hand tied behind my back and one eye closed. I'm not sure what kind of guy I'd attract that way. Haha. I need to push myself to go.

I also want to go to church on Wednesday nights but I need to wait until the seasons change. I'm having lots of problems driving at night, even around Castro Valley.
Today is the twenty-second anniversary of the bus accident. I've had a great day today. In fact, my Swirlydoos scrapbooking kit arrived on time, and it is downstairs on the table waiting for me. I bought some new CDs by Lady Gaga and Natasha Bedingfield.
Life is good, quiet, and peaceful. No drama.