All posts by Karen Teig

About Karen Teig

I am a 58 year old Native Minnesotan. I work as a Storekeeper at a local hospital here in town. I have been sober since April 18, 1982 and have not smoked since September 8, 2005. I am a Born Again Christian who loves Jesus and am grateful for each day I wake up. Life is really what I make of it, with few exceptions. God always has a plan.

December 1, 2019 10:05 a.m.

  1. I have a warm house to stay in while the blizzard hit. 
  2. I have heat in my house. 
  3. I have God in my life. 
  4. I am starting a chapter of Luke each day starting tonight and end on December 24.  I am excited to read this. 
  5. My cat.  He is such a good boy.  He likes to try and get my milk in my cereal and also anything chicken or seafood like LOL. 
  6. My son.  He is on his own and being such a responsible young man.  We texted last night and he will be out shoveling his place today. 
  7. The beautiful, yet angry Lake Superior.  You have to respect that lake for sure. 
  8. My wifi was going out and I had to to and reset it but am online now.  What did we do when we could not post things?  
  9. I don’t have to go out to a laundromat to wash my clothes.  It would be hard to do after this blizzard.
  10. I have people who love me and whom I love. 
  11. My coworker for filling in this weekend for the one that is out on injury.  I am sure it was not easy to get into work for her. 
  12. Although I miss my dog Jax.  I am grateful he is at peace and grateful I don’t have to worry about getting him outside to do his business in this mess. 
  13. Life.  It is not to be taken for granted. 

11-30-19 8:45 a.m.

  1. I have food in the refrigerator for the storm coming.
  2. God.  He let me wake up another day.
  3. I am not drinking or smoking.
  4. My cat Skeeter.  We are getting closer every day.  I am so glad to have him with Jax being gone and Justin living on his own.
  5. My son Justin.  He is doing so well on his own.  He has a nice apartment, a new bed and bought his very first Christmas tree. 
  6. Good neighbors. 
  7. Cab companies that were running yesterday, albeit late. 
  8. Good t.v. comedy. 
  9. A roof over my head.
  10. My Bible.  I plan on reading it quite a bit this weekend.
  11. Family and friends. 
  12. A job to pay my bills.  I was talking with a coworker the other day and we said we could not imagine being unemployed right now.
  13. Working out again.  I have a wonderful trainer just to get me going. 
  14. Becoming comfortable being on my own for the first time in 30 years.
  15. A good night’s rest.
  16. Feeling peaceful.  

Ahhhhh

  1. So grateful for a day off after working 9 days in a row.
  2. Good coffee.
  3. My cat laying by me on the couch.
  4. Nicer weather.  It is 36 degrees this morning.
  5. Good coworkers during our working short handed.
  6. A good night’s sleep.
  7. I get to go to church tomorrow for the first time in 4 weeks.
  8. A good pay check. Helpful at this time of year.
  9. God. So grateful for a relationship with him.
  10. I am sober and nicotine free another day.
  11. I started working out again at the gym.  I even have a trainer temporarily.
  12. I am working on making good choices in my life.  It is easy to fall back into laziness and eating unhealthily.  I am working on it though and want to get the weight back off.

November 2, 2019

  1. A new month to enjoy.  Grateful for that.
  2. No snow on the lake shore yet but I am sure it will come.  Looking forward to a little snow and for sure want it for Christmas.
  3. My cat, Skeeter, is warming up to me more and more.  It is like he knows that I am it on the home front now.
  4. I am employed and getting some OT here and there.  Good for the Christmas season.
  5. I have a roof over my head.  As the temperatures continue to dip to the freezing mark each night, I am grateful to have a heated home and not be on the streets.
  6. God’s grace… enough said.
  7. Technology.  I love that I can read and/or listen to my Bible online.
  8. Good coworkers.  Although we are one short, the remaining ones band together and get the job done.
  9. I have not been able to make many church services lately due to work and Via De Cristo.  Grateful I can go online to our site and still here the service any time.
  10. A day off to rest before I go back to work tomorrow.
  11. I am sober and nicotine free another day.

Awesome…

  1. God let me wake up to see another day.  Thank you God!
  2. I have a cold but I have time to rest up before I go back to work on Saturday.  Nice to have that time.
  3. I am sober and nicotine free another day.
  4. My Via De Cristo weekend was so wonderful.  I was a table leader this time with a wonderful lady whom I have grown to love.  I met many beautiful women and spent three nights and four days living with them in the church.  Such grace, such love, such healing.
  5. My friends from Bible Study who got me involved in Via De Cristo a year ago.  Not only are they sisters in Christ, but they also feel like family to me.
  6. Getting escorted to the Agape dinner Saturday evening by a gentleman who is like a brother to me.
  7. The sun is shining!  Yayyyyy!
  8. It has been four weeks since we put our Jax to sleep.  I still miss him sometimes but am starting to enjoy the freedom of not having a dog.  I still have my cat Skeeter.
  9. My son is doing well in his new apartment.  He texted me yesterday and said he is still loving his apartment and that it feels cozy and like home.  So happy for him and proud of him.  I still miss him now and again but it is getting better with each passing day.
  10. Enjoying being on my own for the first time in 30 years.  I did not plan on this in life as I thought my husband and I would see our twilight years together.  I do know, however, that God has a plan and a reason for everything.  I trust that more and more each day and try to remember that when I feel myself getting stressed.
  11. Facebook.  Although there are things I don’t like about it, I enjoy it also and being able to connect and stay connected to family, old friends and new friends.
  12. Music.  It really can heal me on less than enjoyable days.
  13. Meeting people recently from all facets of life and getting a chance to practice patience and love.  They are a child of God just as I am.
  14. The beautiful and mysterious Lake Superior.  This past Monday the lake was absolutely stunning with the wind and the horrendous waves.
  15. Grateful that I remain teachable every day.
  16. My church and my A.A. program.
  17. Prayer.  I have learned so much and continue to learn everyday about prayer.
  18. My meditation books.  I get away from them now and again and then come back to them and am grateful I still have them.
  19. Good people in my life, what would I do without them?
  20. God, as always, I mention him at least once or more during my lists.

Happy Sunday

  1. I am upright, breathing, walking and talking.
  2. I am sober and nicotine free.
  3. God works wonders in my life and others.
  4. The beautiful sun outside.
  5. My son moved out two weeks ago yesterday and he is  enjoying his first new apartment.
  6. My memories of Jax.  He has been gone for 10 days. I still miss him but am so very grateful for having him for most of his 15 years.  He was 11 weeks old when we brought him home from Animal Allies and he turned 15 years on September 7 of this year.
  7. Feeling like I am going to be okay and getting to know Karen again and liking her.
  8. A roof over my head, albeit things are breaking down here and there but I am still very grateful. This house will be 100 years old next year.
  9. Family and friends.
  10. My Bible.  I have a few and found one in my son’s closet after he moved out.  It was a study bible.
  11. My cat, Skeeter, who has made things a bit less lonely.
  12. Thinking of my husband and reminiscing.  It would have been 30 years next month that we went on our first date.
  13. Good music.  I surely soothes the soul.
  14. Comedy on t.v.  It is good to laugh.
  15. My coworkers.  They make me laugh and we enjoy laughing together.
  16. My bible study friends.  They are wonderful women and I love each and every one of them.
  17. In 12 days I am off to Via De Cristo again, this time as a table leader.  It will be awesome. :)
  18. Comfortable furniture to relax on at the end of a long day.
  19. Football.  It is something my son and I enjoy together.
  20. Good food.  I made a meatloaf for the first time in years yesterday.  It was pretty darned good if I do say so myself.

First day of Fall 2019

  • Beautiful day to wake up.  Thanks God.
  • My son waking up his first work day at his new apartment.
  • Enjoying Skeeter and Jax.
  • Spending as much time as I can with Jax the next couple days as he will be crossing Rainbow Bridge on Thursday.  15 years of that wonderful pup but it is time and he deserves peace.
  • First time in 30 years I have lived in this house alone.
  • A feeling of independence.
  • A text from my son asking advice.  Still very sweet.
  • Seeing my son’s new apartment the day he moved.  His best friend since Kindergarten helped so much.  Going shopping with my son for groceries and things he needed for his apartment.
  • A full staff at work for the first time in awhile.
  • My cat, Skeeter.  It will be me and him against the world LOL.
  • I am sober, smoke free and making my way in life.
  • Good friends and family.
  • A peace I find even though this house needs lots of work.  It will all be okay.
  • I got Netflix back as my moved and may not keep his account.
  • Not taking life for granted.
  • Good music.
  • Great church family and women at my bible study that are like sisters to me.
  • The beautiful lake.
  • Feeling loved.

Thursday, August 29, 2019 10:43 a.m.

  1.  I woke up sober and nicotine free today.
  2.  I have a wonderful group of ladies in my Bible study whom I not only feel are friends but have become more like family to me.
  3. My son.  He is still looking for an apartment.  May God place him where he needs to be.
  4. My dog Jax.  In nine days he will turn 15 years old.  My son and I were talking the other day and we were wondering at one point if me would make 13.  He is a strong boy but slowing down and struggling and I must be mindful of him and know when his time has come, if he does not do it for us.  I love that dog and I plan on him being my last.  God will take care of Jax.
  5. Beautiful, Fall like, day.  It is 67 in our house this morning and it has been awhile since it has been that cool without the air conditioner.  Even with the air condition, some days it did not get that cool in the house.  I am sorry it has been a short summer but I do love the Fall season.
  6. Good coworkers.
  7. God, as always.
  8.  In eight days, it will be the fifth anniversary of my husband’s suicide.  It does not seem that long.  I think the first year dragged and it was full speed ahead after that.  I have been thinking of him lately and I don’t ever think I will forget the day I found him and how hard the EMTs worked to revive him  in our upstairs hallway, only to turn and give us the sad news.  I am grateful for the years we had together.  I am moving on with my life and some things are easier and some are harder but I know God has me and I will work to do God’s will each day.
  9. My cat, Skeeter.  He has been warming up to me more lately. I am not sure if he senses that Justin will be moving or is it because Jax is slowing down so.  At any rate, I am happy Skeeter likes to cuddle now and again.  He is my cat but my son and I picked him out together and he has always learned more towards cuddling with Justin.
  10. My meditation books.  I have so many and have not read them regularly in awhile.  I am making a plan to at least read one or two each day again.  There is so much good stuff in them and it is a wonderful way to start each day, along with my Bible.
  11. Good coffee and a bowl of cereal.  It is sometimes the simple things in life….
  12. Another practice for Via De Cristo coming up in September.  So excited.  October will be the four day weekend.  Excited to see how if feels to be a table leader and not be going through it for the first time like last year.  Even though last year was something I will never forget.
  13. A roof over my head, food in my refrigerator, a bed to sleep in, my health, family and friends and last but not least….God.

Life is good!

  • Beautiful weather on the lake.
  • Time with my son eating at our favorite restaurant.
  • A day off work.
  • A couple busy weekends.  Last weekend going for my practice as a table leader at the coming Via De Cristo in October.  The weekend before, going with a friend to the City On The Hill Music Festival.  Good company, great Christian bands, good food.
  • My cat Skeeter warming up more to me lately.  My dog Jax is probably going to see 15 years of age in three weeks. I am so grateful to have him and Skeeter.
  • Enjoying a friend’s 60th birthday party last weekend.
  • Going to church tomorrow and working the coffee bar for the first time in two months.  Last month my back was messed up and I had to bow out. :(
  • I am sober, nicotine free at peace today.
  • Through joining my church over four years ago, I opened a door to meeting so many wonderful people.  By extension, I have gotten involved in other things that were outside my comfort zone.  I just had to make the change and the rest followed.  My relationship with Jesus is stronger than it has ever been.
  • I can laugh at myself.
  • I have great coworkers.
  • I woke up today.  It is such a gift and I am truly grateful to God for letting me wake up another day.
  • God but by no means least, GOD.

July 15, 2019

  1. I woke up. Thanks be to God.
  2. I am sober, nicotine free and relatively healthy.
  3. Love, in its many forms. 
  4. I was able to go to our first team practice for Via De Cristo this past weekend.  I will be a table leader this year.  I met many wonderful people and enjoyed Friday night and Saturday immensely.
  5. I went to a different church and saw a wonderful woman pastor whom my Bible study friends have spoken about preach.  What an awesome woman!
  6. I went to Black Bear Casino with 13 other people for Sunday brunch buffet.  Friends treated.  Nice meal, wonderful people and conversation.
  7. Beautiful sunny day to wake up to on another start of vacation.
  8. My pets were fine without me this past Friday and Saturday as my son took good care of them as always. 
  9. My world is opening to new experiences.  I am so thankful I started going to this church back in February 2015. Without it, I might not have ever met the wonderful people I have met, leading me to other experiences outside my comfort zone.  I do believe I am growing, little by little.  
  10. My Bible and A.A. Big Book.
  11. A wide open world of experiences.  All I have to do is take the steps to experience them.