TGIF!

This Week's Thoughts: I've been in a funk lately and I know why, I just don't like to think that I'm that affected by life. Sometimes though, I feel like God reminds us that things can change at any moment; the future you thought you once had, is suddenly derailed or changed forever.

I'm reminded of this recently for two reasons. I came home from Ohio and Matt (who hadn't come with us) said his back was bothering him again. Normal for a 50-year-old who may have aches and pains; a serious concern for Matt who has had two back surgeries.

With his insurance changing soon because of his new job and us having to consider Cobra for the three weeks between insurance coverage, life just got more complicated and way more expensive. Not to mention his brother's wedding (in Cancun) just a few months away. So if surgery is needed, things may be stressful. We battle through it though. We've been through this before and will get through it all again.

The second reason and probably more reason for my funk (less for my stress) is my sister. Right before we went to Ohio, Jenna and her longtime boyfriend broke up. After three years of them together, I think the breakup was a shock to us all. For Jenna it is obviously hardest, but in our own way, we all are dealing with their breakup. There was no goodbye for us, no explanation; just an end and our family forever changed.

Life is full of changes though. I must always remind myself of that. We will all move on eventually. Life will get better. And things always happen for a reason right?

As I was thinking about all these things this week, I heard a song on the radio-a song that helped me very much last year when I truly was heartbroken and asking God why. I'm not at that point this year, I'm just in a funk, but hearing that song this week I think was a little sign from God and maybe my little furry friend in Heaven. Life does go on. We remember what we had, the lessons we learned, and that there is always a reason for everything.

Here are my favorite lyrics from the song:

LAURA STORY – “BLESSINGS”

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights 
are what it takes to know You’re near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life,

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy.

And what if trials of this life
,

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights,

Are your mercies in disguise. 

What I'm Reading: After my whirlwind read of A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty, I'm back to cozies.

In Paperback: My goal this year has been to read all the physical books in my apartment. One of the biggest offenders is Death in Daytime by Eileen Davidson. I've had this book forever and I'm not sure why I haven't read it yet. There's just always something else I'd rather read instead I guess.

Death in Daytime is the first in a soap opera cozy mystery series. It's got potential for a fun read and so far, I'm enjoying it! I'll let you know what I think when I finish.

On Audiobook: My commute to and from work is quite long now. In order to pass the time and get some more books read this year, I've tried listening to audiobooks from the local library. I download them to my iPhone and listen to them. It's a great way to pass time at the gym too!

My current audiobook is Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman. It's the first in Lippman's Tess Monaghan series.