2020-11-15 — November Roses

The fire in the fireplace crackles and pops here and there, the flames so perfect, as mom said, it could easily be one of those gas fireplaces with fake logs.

It’s the first fire of the season, the first in a couple of years, actually; and I’ve parked my little rear end in the overstuffed couch/chair directly in front of the fireplace, my laptop sitting on my lap, and the comforting noises of the fire and the beautiful flames distracting me here and there.

It’s 9:09. My stomach is full, having just finished a small dinner of baked beans, bread, and an Asian pear. Not too much earlier, I had a coconut, banana, and strawberry smoothie. 😊

It’s been a beautiful day, absolutely beautiful. I think the high was in the upper 50s. The sun was out, and I spent a good chunk of the day outside in the woods listening to nearly the entire book of Alma while pulling up vines to make the woods a happier place to be for the hill folks.

I found that the storm the other night… was it last night? I don’t remember… knocked down one big dead tree, which had the domino effect of knocking down a live one, and at least two more dead ones–two of the trees right across the back road that leads from our place to Stevie’s new house.

I’ll need to get the chainsaw chain sharpened. Well… I’d probably better enlist some help with a gas-powered chainsaw, as this was no small tree that toppled over. It’s a big fat one. The others it knocked down I could probably do with my battery-powered chainsaw, but the biggie… that’ll be easier with a gas one.

I found a big aluminum ladder in the woods that I guess one of my nephews had borrowed when he was looking for a tree to put his tree house in. I think it’s been there for a year or more, probably more. He’d borrowed it from my brother, and so I untied it from the tree and took it to my brother’s place.

Beautiful day.

Oh! If any of y’all want to move to Northwest Arkansas, there’s an organization offering $10k cash and a mountain bike (or road bike) to successful applicants just to move here. Have to be at least 24 years old and been working for at least 2 years–something like that.

Come on down. 😁

Well, I’d probably better head to bed. It’s 9:20.

#1. I’m grateful that the fire is friendly and heating the house up at least a little bit.

#2. I’m grateful that I was able to spend some good time wandering around the property, hanging out by the creek, etc.

#3. I’m grateful to have been able to have the house lean and the fire going and whatnot for mom’s arrival home today.

#4. I’m grateful for my friend Cory being willing to be there for me as I strive to overcome this addiction of mine. He’s texting me to check up on me. I’ve been thinking about the struggles I’ve had recently after going nearly five months and thinking I’d finally conquered it. I’ve been thinking about that… the addiction… If everyone I cared about would be physically tortured for the rest of their lives if I ever relapsed again, what measures would I take to stay clean? How clearly would I remember to not let *anything* distract me or pull me from a life of pure love and zero selfishness? Love is the best motive for conquering this, so that’s what I’m trying to do, have that be my motivation–I want to love. I want to be free of selfishness. So… this is my motivation. For love of my future wife and family, for love of my loving Father in Heaven, for love of my gentle Savior, I will be clean. I will do whatever it takes to be filled with pure love and to be free of selfishness. For them, and for all the rest of the world, too, I will do whatever it takes.

#5. I’m grateful that the ozone in the house cleared out before mom and Thomas got home from Texas.

Well, my lovelies, it’s time for bed. My eyes are gritty despite getting an extra bit of sleep today. Up at 4:55, but I chose to sleep in a bit shortly after getting up, and that was good. Oh! And I’ve got 12 days in a row now of 10k step days. Just over 14k today. Anyway, there you go. Beautiful day. Beautiful fire. And November roses (wouldn’t be surprised if we have over a 100 in bloom right now.

Loves and hugs. Lift the World.

~ stephen