I Hate Cluttler!!!

I hate clutter!! My apartment was clean - though I felt as if it could use about 13 more hours of cleaning. Now, it is the chaotic mess that I hate. Most of that mess is thanks to little Miss Bella. She can find paper where I did not know that it existed. One of her favorite pasttimes is shredding paper all over the apartment. She likes to punish Hubby and me when we don't walk her or when we leave the house. So, on the weekends she is a perfect angel. However, when the week days come along she turns into a little devil. What she doesn't understand is that when she creates more mess around the house, I have less time to spend with her. I keep telling her this, and she just doesn't get it. Therefore, tonight I would have liked to play with her, but now I am cleaning.
Hubby and I ran tonight. We ran out of time, too. (Only I will probably think that those two sentences together are funny.) I think that I am going to start training for a marathon - or at least a half marathon. The Myrtle Beach marathon is coming up in about 4 months. I think that that would give me enough time to train for it. I was looking at the schedule that Oprah used when she ran her marathon. In the beginning, you only run 3 miles 3days a week. On the weekends you run one long run of about 6 to 10 miles. That isn't bad at all. If Oprah can do it, I can, too. Yeah for Oprah!!! Oprah is proving once again to be an inspiration to the masses.
So this weekend is my father's b-day. Yes, in my family, b-days are not celebrated for only one day. They are a whole week long celebration. Hubby and I can only take off one weekend. We - meaning my whole family - are going to the beach to camp and clam and run and bike and antagonize alligators...Yeah, I'm excited. This is the first time that Hubby and I will go 21st century camping together. I am really happy! I just want to run on the beach at either sunrise or sunset - or both. I can't wait to clam this year. I love to do that. It feels so great just to get muddy and work until you ache all over. Then, when you go back to camp, you get cleaned up and steam the clams over a big bon-fire. It's one of the most fun experiences that you can ever have. I hope that in Heaven, I'll still be able to clam. I know that if God doesn't let us clam up there, there will be even more fun things to do. However, I don't think that God lets us do things here for no reason. I think that all that we learn and do will bear some relevance to our eternal lives. Nothing happens for chance. Everything has a purpose.
Have you ever thought about that? I mean, sometimes I just really wonder why God has put all of these things here for us to do. Sometimes, I think about how short our lives are, and I think that all of the time that we spend studying and working is just a waste. In my mind, if we are only here for a short time and we will be in heaven forever, I sometimes wonder why we don't spend time learning about heavenly things rather than earthly things. And then it hit me the other day - what if the things that we learn here are preparing us for heaven. The Bible says that we will be known there as we are known here. So, maybe that means that the things that we do here are no accident. Maybe they also play into a heavenly plan. I know that there will be no sickness in heaven, but people in those fields might be learning the compassion and caring that could translate over to a heavenly life.
That verse that tells us that we will also be known there as we are known here has also been really troubling me. It gives some reassurance. I know that I will not be separated entirely from my family or from Hubby after death. But, then there are those that I know and love who might not have the relationship with Christ that is needed. I am going to know that they are not there and I am going to miss them. That has really been bringing me to pray for those that I know and love. I really thank God for bringing this new burden to me. It shows that He is using me for His purpose to bring people to Him - even if I just pray and don't verbally tell anybody about it.
I guess this would be a good stopping point now. I think that my thoughts just ramble on. So, I guess that I should just get back to cleaning so that I can play with demon-puppy so that she will not punish me anymore tonight or tomorrow. :)