At first, my two massive projects at work were almost fun. Finally I had a chance to break out of my office confinement and be creative. I felt fulfilled to work out of strengths for a change. But after a few weeks of obstacle after obstacle — at first leaping over them and now barely crawling over — the deadlines loom larger and louder. Creative vision has had to take a back seat to execution. Rather than dreaming up ideas, I’m doing more of the physical work these days, and that’s not always easy for someone who’s knock-knock-knockin’ on Sixty’s Door. I limp home each evening with a sore back and ankle, and a mind that won’t turn off and let me sleep.

Each morning, I pray the Alchoholic’s Prayer as I commute:

Oh God, please give me the Serenity to accept what I can’t change, the Courage to change what I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.

I’ve had to let go of a few things I normally do. I’ve decided to give up on my long-held (and long-achieved) goal to blog at least once a week. Instead, I’ll only write when I have something to say.  And lately, I’ve been too brain-dead to have anything worth saying. It would just be words for the sake of words.

Words are meant to give life. Some words do that. Some words are timely. They come when we need them most.

“Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.”

Proverbs 25:11

I received some words like that yesterday. I felt especially exhausted when I left the house much too early to drive to work. My husband knew that and hid a note for me in my lunch that he packed. He wrote that he’s proud of me for doing everything with passion and excellence and drive. (I’d just received my grade for my summer class and now I’m officially halfway finished with my Master’s degree!) He said to loves to see the woman God created me to be.

Those words hit their mark. They came well-timed. But they also made me think of people I could encourage with words spoken (or written) in the right circumstance. Have you given — or received — words of encouragement lately?