Ahead by Susan L.

  Most of the outside stuff is finished. The grass got cut last night in lieu of a walk. It takes about an hour and a half which is a bit longer than the time it took me to walk six kilometers. I don't think cutting the grass covers the same distance but pushing the mower sure adds to the workout. It's a heavy beast and the grass was long.
  The apple tree had a surprising amount of apples even with the drought. It's too bad most of them are out of reach. All I can do is wait for them to fall which ruins them as they bounce around the driveway. It seems such a waste to rake them up and toss them in the compost pile.
  They are feeding the birds, though. Blue Jays have been pecking away at them.
  The black squirrel who used to feast on them has vanished. In previous years, he or she was the rake who cleaned up all the fallen apples as well as picking them. I think it might be because a huge gray squirrel seems to have taken over the neighbourhood. There's a pair of aggressive red squirrels, too, who chase anything and everything away except the gray squirrel. It's a mammal battlefield out there.
  I'm glad to be taking a break from all the Triple T's (Thinking Things Through). It's good to let new understandings settle in for a bit. There's been a lot of them in the past little while.
  I had a surprising email the other day. Because a large number of the worship team has gone away to school, we're short musicians. The team leader approached me about playing the piano for Sunday services. (Gulp!) We're going to get together later this month to see if this hybrid organist/pianist can play what is needed. I've never played back up before, only solo so it'll be a huge learning curve. I said to her, the heart is willing, the mind is doing the screaming heebie-jeebies. (Even thinking about it causes a great deal of anxiety.) I'd only just started being comfortable with the flute and vocals to the point I was actually enjoying myself! Imagine that!
  Still, being outside my comfort zone is a good thing because I know that what is outside that zone will soon be inside. It's the getting there that's challenging. All I can do is try. It's all anyone can do. Besides, there's a Helper in my life who will be with me.
  "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord." Ps 104:33-34