What a week it has been with everyone waiting on the announcement of who our next President will be. Talk about high anxiety! On top of the wait's pressure, we receive overwhelming amounts of news updates. The commentary may not all be positive and if we are not careful, the inundation of so much information can distress us to the point of breaking. On top of this, we have to deal with work, family, and this virus!

As many of you know, the wildfires have put so many people in harm’s way. Two firefighters here in Orange County were hurt, with 50% of their bodies burned due to the fires. Others are working hard to fight the fires and are exhausted but continue to push ahead anyway. Yet, others are displaced due to the fires burning so close to their homes.

I was running this morning and felt exhilarated. It's been a tough week, but despite all that has happened, I am so thankful to be able to see another day. A couple of things can happen when we experience challenging situations. We can become distracted and irritable or allow the Holy Spirit to deal with our hearts. When the latter happens, our blind spot reduces, and He (the Holy Spirit) can better work in us. That's what happenedto me yesterday and early this morning. I had to experience an attitude adjustment.

I send you greetings and blessings today. What a wonderful week it has been. I hope you have experienced joy and happiness along with the exhilaration that comes with accomplishing things you set out to accomplish. As the week closes, I sit and think about how blessed we are.

Well, it's October! How wonderful it feels to be alive and well. I am looking forward to the cooler weather in the mornings and the fun things in the later months of the year. First, we celebrate my birthday for the entire month of October! Yay! Then we celebrate Fall Harvest, Thanksgiving, and finally, my favorite holiday of all, Christmas! I can hardly wait.

Have you ever just had one of those days? Yeah, the days when you feel that everything is pushing against you? You know, those days when you think you should into your house, and then into your bedroom, cover yourself up in a blanket, and stay there? Maybe you are saying, “LaShandra, of course, I have. Look at all of 2020!” Oh, okay?

I hope your week has been one of the best. I am old enough to know that there will be times when I will want to throw my hands up in the air and say, “why bother?”. I am also old enough to know that when I look at challenges through that kind of lens, everything will always look bleak…my mountains will appear too tall to climb, and my mind will begin to play head games that will lead to negativity and defeat.

I was in Heidelberg, Germany, in 2001 when I heard people gasping and showing signs of terror and stress on their faces. I asked what was going on and was told a plane had crashed into one of the Towers in NYC. I ran to my office and turned on the television to watch CNN. As I watched with tears, I watched a second plane hit the other Tower in a split second. This was when we knew the first hit was no accident.

It’s September; can you believe it? As we approach this month, I thank God for another month and the possibility of what is to come. No one expected the 2020 that we have seen so far. We could not have imagined living as we are today---that our lives would be changed as it has. Yet, here we are.

I hope you have had an enjoyable week. I begin this week's letter asking you, Who are You? Who are you when no one is watching? How do you handle frustration? Do you seek the joy of the Lord when you face diculty? I can tell you that I try, but it can be hard to do. I was very frustrated recently. It seemed that one thing after another happened. Have you ever been there? Ok, maybe it's just me.