Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matthew 16:24 KJV

Well brothers and sisters I am very pleased to see you back again to my blog and to my rambling thoughts. I am always so happy to know that the Lord has seen you through another day. Life is crazy but we have a good good God and He is like a rock. I know some say it is a place of safety to run to when we are in trouble… I advocate for never leaving the shelter of the Rock.

Why are we so prone to wonder?

Anything worth doing is not easy.

I think about all that the disciples went through in the book of Acts. Ananias was told by Jesus that Saul was going to suffer for Jesus name’s sake. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. Acts 9:15‭-‬16 KJV

Imagine if they had chosen not to suffer the fate in store for them if they chose Jesus. All but one of the original twelve died a painful death for their faith and love of Jesus. However, can you imagine if they had chosen to take the easy road at any point in their lives as Christians? Where would we be today? The way we live our lives and the attitude of our hearts is important not only to us but to those that come after us and in contact with us daily.

The old vintage advertisements I found blew my mind! I decided to share them in this post. Some of them are horrific like the first one. Who came up with these ads anyways? They pushed it on to people with ridiculous ads and promises of different outcomes that had no way of being proven at the time. Over the years we all know that smoking is bad for you. Yes, I hear you out there:

“DUH! Only air belongs in your lungs!”

This is true and to be honest I have no idea why I really wanted to do it as a child. I think it was because my father smoked, while I was in the womb, my mother smoked and studies have shown that if we smoke while pregnant, our children will be addicted to the same chemicals as we are. How many mothers didn’t understand the full science behind this? How many good ol’ boys went to war and were given “smokes” in their rations?They used ads with “Doctors” in them and more. In my day they had the Marlboro man and Camel Joe.

How did such a nasty habit become so romantic in culture? As I scan over some of these old ads, some make me laugh others I take a deep breath wondering what was going on with these ads! Some are so adult themed I dare not put them on this blog… and they were just out there for all to see… kids and all.

This reminds me of the jab that has been going around for the last few years… 2020. It was pushed on us through some of the craziest ways known to us yet. They were offering free vehicles, money, gas, coffees, meals, discounts, rental and so much more to all the ones willing to get juiced up. Yet they have no idea how that stuff is going to affect the body. It was an experimental drug and we were the lab rats. If you are interested in some mind blowing facts, hop over to rumble and look up the documentary “Died Suddenly” and just see what they are finding in the bodies of people that have had the juice.

Yesterday and Today…

I really did take it easy. I didn’t do much more than was required to run my home and yes, I feel behind on all things but it all worked out for the best. At this point in the journey I had only smoked a total of one cigarette by the end of the night. Contrary to popular belief inside my body… I am still alive! Not all of my body’s cells would agree with me. This is due to the lack of more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke.

At least 250 are harmful: hydrogen cyanide * carbon monoxide * ammonia – 1, 2, and 5 and we have not even talked about the amount of tar that covers a smoker’s lungs or the effects of the hot smoke entering the throat and lungs. Just to name a few and at least 69 can cause cancer. That sounds so nice right… Makes me want to take a nice morning walk or afternoon stroll and get some fresh air… back in the day I would take that walk while smoking… that makes no sense at all.

Gallon Goal Reached! Yes, I drank one gallon of water. I feel my body is somehow swimming inside. I am not sure how I feel about this to be honest. The bathroom and I have become really good friends. I have yet to get on board with the taste of water but I pray the Lord will change my taste buds and if it His will to give me a love for it than thank you Jesus because I am still going to drink it either way.

Anyways, along with the symptoms below I have had headaches on the low side or my blood pressure is high. I am leaning towards blood pressure. My sister was told by her doctor that due to heart issues she should slowly cut back rather than quit all at once. It would be too hard on her heart and she could suffer a heart attack due to the stress of going cold turkey. That is crazy! Anyways to combat that my family has been wonderful and quiet for the most part. They have not bickered with each other and they have worked together. I am wondering if I want to quit as much as they must want me too.

The cravings for both days have been horrible but bearable. I have a very nasty odor which makes me count my blessings that I am able to stay at home. My husband was able to come home early last night and said it was particularly strong… lovely *as I secretly die inside*

I have noticed I can track the fits now and I can feel them come on, which is completely helpful in so many ways. Now I am able to socialize with my family and take myself away from them if needed. The Lord has kept me and I have not blown up at anyone but I have lost myself inside of YouTube and several posts have now lined themselves up for months to come.

The Symptoms

1. Having urges or cravings to smoke. Double Check
2. Feeling irritated, grouchy, or upset. Check
3. Feeling jumpy and restless. Check
4. Having a hard time concentrating. Check
5. Having trouble sleeping. Check
6. Feeling hungrier or gaining weight. Check – snackish
7. Feeling anxious, sad, or depressed. Check – anxious