pastoryancy

Today was a major victory.  Let me back up.  Since coming to Florida, I’ve had numerous people telling me they were frustrated with my inability to hear when spoken to.  So, I finally scheduled a hearing test for today.  It took nearly an hour with the prep questions, physical exam, and the hearing test itself.  It seems I have an excess of ear wax, but it is nearly perfect hearing otherwise.  There is a slight loss in the upper frequencies but nothing to be concerned about.

After that, Dinah and I ran some errands then had an early dinner; Chinese.  Got home around five-thirty and had been taking it easy since.  Tomorrow is NAMI, another group we look forward to.  Probably won’t go out for lunch since we’ve done that twice this week.

We have another new litter of kittens.  Bootsie gave birth to five beautiful babies last night.  Mother and kittens are doing fine.

It happened again, two days without a post, not counting Sunday, my day off.  Trying to get settled into a consistent routine is harder than I wish.  There is my Blog, my morning routine, and other things; stuff I want to get set up as a nonnegotiable habit.

The person I want to be is organized and structured, attributes I am trying hard to make a part of me.  There are many reasons for this: I function better when I have a structured plan in place, plus it is much easier to get things done when you are organized.

I feel like I’m taking the right steps, it’s just like there is a block between what I desire and what I have.  I think it is probably old programing that no longer serves me well, if it ever did.  This is one of my primary goals for therapy over the next twelve sessions with Maggie.

Reprograming my mind is not to be taken lightly, I have 68 years of programs that need to be changed.  It can be done.  With positive affirmations, exercises to reset my thinking, and support from my teams.

From now through the end of the year I have a series of goals that will form a major part of my quest to become the best version of myself.  I will continue to document it here so maybe we can do this together.

Until next time,

Yancy

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you make My word your home, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

John 8:31-32 NJB

This passage does not get much attention to the commentaries, especially in the quoted translation.  The reason being, one needs to understand the meaning of certain phrases before interpretation can occur,

The first phrase in question is “to those Jews who believed Him.”  This phrase indicates that before one can fully understand the subsequent teaching there needs to be a belief in the teacher’s authority.

The second phrase in question is “make my Word your home.”  By making His word our home indicates that we will live out of the teaching.  In other words, we need to trust in and apply the teaching to our everyday lives.

Phrase three, “you shall know the truth,” indicates a level of understanding that will change your life.  That truth is the fact that we are one in Christ.  Potentially with all His gifts and knowledge.

By knowing this fact, “the truth shall make you free.” As the fourth phrase indicates.  By freedom we are referring to our ability to impact the universe through our God given powers.  A fact we should not take lightly.

The “Truth” as I believe is that we are created in the image of God which means by connecting with the Holy Spirit we can do that Jesus did and, in His words, even greater things.  Just because we are human doesn’t mean we are less than divine, in fact, by being human we are the greatest of God’s creation.

There are many believers that have exhibited great gifts, and some have even been canonized by the church.  It is a shame that the average believer doesn’t realize their potential.  Even greater dilemma is that most organized religions work very hard at keeping this information from the masses.

Please open your hearts and minds and start exploring the possibilities.

Robert A. Charlois III

This week’s book review is over Atomic Habits by James Clear.  This 300+ page book is a course in habit formation.  In these pages you will find 20 chapters: 3 for background, what how, and why.  Chapters 4-17 cover the 4 stages of habit formation” make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying.  The last 3 chapters are advanced tactics.  Finally, there is an appendix of approximately 40 pages.

I’m currently reading this work for the 3^rd time and each time I’m embedding the lessons deeper into my habit center.  By following these lessons, it is my desire to build a base of habits so that I can automate a significant portion of my life.  This will free up important segments of my brain for the more important and creative tasks I desire.

I encourage you to read this book so that you can see the benefits of habits and the ease that they can be formed.

Yancy

Lessons to be learned.  When I was living at Owingsville Manor in Kentucky six months ago, I was proud of myself.  In the six years I lived there I made tremendous progress.  I went from a mental breakdown to nearly able to care for myself.  I was even transitioning out of mental health therapy; I was doing so well.  In those six years I learned so many lessons.

Now six months after leaving there I find myself having to learn things all over.  Things I can control against things I can’t.  The 2-minute rule, where if it takes less than 2 minutes to do something, go ahead and do it. There are many others, it seems every day I’m having to learn something new.

I must give myself some grace.  I know these lessons are just because of the stress I’ve been under with the move and all.  But like for many it is good to repeat the class occasionally, just as a refresher.

Lesson for today: review your habits occasionally and adjust as necessary.  We can all slip up and need correction.

Yancy

A few years ago, I learned to distinguish between things I cannot control and things I can, then to focus on the ones I can control.  A piece of that lesson came from the Serenity prayer, which follows…

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

In my world there are three pieces that are a part of the equation: our circle of control, our circle of influence, and that which is beyond our control.  What it boils down to is our level of responsibility.

We are responsible for acting on the things we can control.  We are, to a lesser degree, held accountable for acting in a way that exerts a positive influence on a situation.

What we are not responsible for is most things, including how others act.  By trying to influence things beyond our control we set ourselves up for stress.  This is the lesson I am re-learning these days.

There are enough things going on in my life to make butting into other areas is foolish.  Maybe that is a lesson we all need to learn.

Yancy

I’m going to continue talking about the Holy Scriptures of the world’s faith traditions.  Contrary to popular belief, we do not believe that one tradition is more important than another.  In the Christian tradition there is a passage,

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  2 Timothy 3:16

It does not say only certain scriptures but all of them.  In our opinion this includes any writing, music, or art that inspires a closer relationship with the divine.

Through the various mediums people connect with their creator in ways that many may not understand but are valid anyway.  If we all embraced such thinking, then a whole new understanding of God could be possible.  We need to work together for the good of all creation and not just our own little piece of it.

Robert A Charlois III

May 1^st, 2025, some interesting things have happened financially over the last couple of days.  As usual, the first of the month is payday.  The 1^st is payday for my VA pension and the 3^rd is payday for my Social Security.  So today I received my VA money and as usual spent most of it.  I paid my share of the household expenses, picked up my monthly prescriptions, bought a few things at Dollar General, and took Dinah and our Granddaughter, Keni out for lunch.  So now I’m almost broke again.  Tomorrow, I get my Social Security money and with that I’ll pay the rest of the month’s bills and a few other things.

The problem is my budget is not working.  There is more scheduled to come out than I have going in.  Usually, I have a budget that balances out, not this month. There are several items that are not part of the usual calculations, and they are throwing things off.

Which brings me to another issue.  Yesterday, for some unknown reason, my credit card company increased my credit limit from 200 dollars to 2700 dollars, an increase of 2500 dollars.  I did not request an increase, but it is tempting to use it to get through the dilemma I’m in this month.  I really don’t want to do that because I’ll eventually have to pay the balance.

On another front.  The VA is reviewing my pension case to make an adjustment in the amount I receive each month.  When I moved from the Manor to Dinah’s the amount that I’m expected to pay has changed.  When they finally decide what my new rate will be I’ll be informed.  If the amount goes up, I’ll get some back pay.  If the amount goes down, I’ll owe them for an overage I’ve incurred by getting my old rate since December.

All this to say, we never know for sure what our financial situation will be like until it happens.  We can plan and set up a budget, but things can always change.  That is why financial advisors suggest having an emergency fund.  That is one of my financial goals: have 6 months’ income in an emergency account for the unforeseen.

That is my confession for tonight.

Have a blessed day.

Yancy

About two weeks ago one of our cats, Darling, gave birth to her first litter of kittens.  Because she was so flighty she had them outside, against our best efforts otherwise.  As much as we tried, we couldn’t find them anywhere.  And we were concerned as to whether she was caring for them properly.

Yesterday we had a breakthrough.  It started raining hard at times. Much to our surprise Darling became concerned for the kitten’s safety.  And so, she started bringing them inside one at a time.  We now have seven little furballs sharing our bed.

We are pleased that our concern for her parenting skills was unfounded.  Since bringing them in she has thoroughly bathed them and is nursing them frequently.  She has turned out to be a very conscientious mother.

The reason I mention this is because throughout the universe certain rules seem to exist.  We have responsibilities, things that most people believe are important if we are to be a part of society.

In our household it is expected that everyone contributes something for the good of all.  Granted, it doesn’t always work the way it should, but we strive for a balance.  It is my belief that whether it’s a family, place of employment, or community at large, when everyone works for the good of everyone involved, we all benefit.

So, I urge us to take responsibility for our part, it’s the least we can do.

Yancy Adamson

A new phase of life is starting.  The next few days: the end of April, through the beginning of May marks the end of my first 6 months in Florida.  October 11^th, 2024, we were told the Manor was closing and we had 30 days to move out.  Essentially, I was homeless until Dinah, my ex-wife offered to let me move in with her in Florida.  That change came about starting on November 4^th, 2024.  I unpacked my suitcase on November 6^th, 2024, and started a new phase in my life.

Here it is nearly 6 months later, (Next Tuesday will be my anniversary) and a lot has happened.  We made room for me and my stuff on my side of the master bedroom, finally getting all my furniture in place at the beginning of March.  The rest of my things: books, office stuff, and my winter clothes are still in storage.

Other successes have occurred as well.  Dinah and I have become regulars at the NAMI Pasco support group on Friday mornings, after which we have a weekly lunch date.  There is also the YMCA; our goal is to go there 5 days a week, Dinah for the pool and me for classes and cardio.  As of a week ago I now have a psychiatrist, which rounds out my healthcare team of primary care physicians, urologist, and pharmacy.  Still getting all my meds organized but getting close.

I’ve had a therapist for a few months, but she is leaving.  I met her replacement today who will provide my therapy for at least 6 months.  Her name is Maggie, and I believe we will work well together.

The reason I mention all this is that we all have transitions occur in our lives.  Everything from birthdays and anniversaries to school graduations, job changes, and health issues to name a few.  When these things happen, we need to adjust.  This adjustment can be the difference between advancing ourselves with our dreams, or caving and letting circumstances dictate our lives.  To keep this from happening we can take steps. Finding the professional services we need, setting up support networks, and finding social connections, all aid in minimizing the trauma associated with life changes.

In my own life it has been a struggle, however, I’ve worked at taking appropriate steps and set myself up for success.  It hasn’t been easy.  I have peculiar issues that make changes more problematic.

Never give up.  Keep working at getting established and you will be amazed how these changes can benefit your life.

Until next time, Yancy