I’ve never been a huge fan of Thanksgiving… I’m not sure why, and yes, I realize that makes me sound like a bad person, BUT… it’s not that I don’t like Thanksgiving… it’s just that I try to be thankful every day, not just once a year. Of course I am thankful for all the “usual” blessings of family and friends, health and home… but I hope that we remember and teach our children to thank God every day for all things, not just once a year for the good things.
So this Thanksgiving, I decided to think of those things that I tend to be least thankful for and take time to thank God especially for these less-than-exciting things…
For traffic when I’m running late, long lines, and the check-writers who make them even longer … Thank you God for teaching me to be patient.
For poop, poop, and more poop… Thank you God for healthy tummies!
For watching people we love slowly slip away… Thank you God for memories… may the good ones far outweigh the bad.
For stubborn four-year-old sassiness… Thank you God for the strong spirit of a child… may she never lose her feistiness!
For noises in the night that make me nervous… Thank you God that these remind me to cling to you when I am scared… and thank you that You never sleep!
For 45 minutes of non-stop screaming in the car… Thank you God for every breath this child takes.
For medical bills… Thank you God for those who care for us… Thank you for sharing your power to heal and knowledge to help.
For the never-ending mountain of laundry… Thank you God for washing machines and dryers! And for clothes, towels, sheets, and diapers too.
For freckles, break-outs, blonde eyelashes, and bad hair days… Thank you God that you make us all different and that your measure of beauty is not like the world’s.
For Wal-Mart… Thank you God that we can go just down the street to get what we need… and for people who make me feel “normal”.
You’ve probably heard the old cliché that “it’s the simple things in life that make living so grand”… but it’s not just the simple good stuff that we are supposed to be thankful for… the simple nuisances, frustrations, and sadness are great causes for gratitude too. Maybe I do like Thanksgiving after all.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” ~Psalm 34:1
“[give] thanks always and for everything to God the Father…” ~Ephesians 5:20
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Inconvenient Blessings...
This morning I got everyone ready for preschool and a morning of running errands… hopped in the car… dropped the goose off… drove to Target… calmed Sissy down… put on my makeup… and then… realized I had forgotten my wallet… back home we went, hoping that we didn’t get pulled-over on the way.
By now, Sissy was finally asleep, so I turned off the radio and enjoyed the soothing sounds of the sleep sheep (Sissy’s white noise maker). It was then I realized just how long its been since I stopped to enjoy the quiet. Its not that I haven’t appreciated these brief and rare peaceful moments, trust me… I appreciate every minute of silence... But I usually take this time to clean-up, or catch-up. These moments are spent on ordinary chores, which though necessary and often overdue sometimes lead me to neglect the most important things.
So today, instead of grabbing my wallet and rushing back to my morning errands… I am going to enjoy this time. Instead of using Sissy’s nap to scrub toilets, wash clothes, or sew I am sitting by the window watching the sun shine through the trees… thanking God that I left my wallet… thanking Him that instead of being frustrated with my forgetfulness, somewhere along the way I have learned that we will never know what good may come from ordinary “inconveniences”… learned what things are worth getting upset about and what things are better to laugh at… learned that sometimes its better to turn your chair toward the window, let your house be a mess, and let your heart be full.
Or, as Frederick Buechner puts it in his book Listening to your Life
(a book which if you don’t have you should)…
“There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or not to recognize him but all the more fascinatingly because of that [….] Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.”
I hope you forget your wallet today… or tomorrow… or someday when you need to turn your chair away from the mess and toward the window.
"The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,and night to night reveals knowledge."
~Psalm 19:1-2
By now, Sissy was finally asleep, so I turned off the radio and enjoyed the soothing sounds of the sleep sheep (Sissy’s white noise maker). It was then I realized just how long its been since I stopped to enjoy the quiet. Its not that I haven’t appreciated these brief and rare peaceful moments, trust me… I appreciate every minute of silence... But I usually take this time to clean-up, or catch-up. These moments are spent on ordinary chores, which though necessary and often overdue sometimes lead me to neglect the most important things.
So today, instead of grabbing my wallet and rushing back to my morning errands… I am going to enjoy this time. Instead of using Sissy’s nap to scrub toilets, wash clothes, or sew I am sitting by the window watching the sun shine through the trees… thanking God that I left my wallet… thanking Him that instead of being frustrated with my forgetfulness, somewhere along the way I have learned that we will never know what good may come from ordinary “inconveniences”… learned what things are worth getting upset about and what things are better to laugh at… learned that sometimes its better to turn your chair toward the window, let your house be a mess, and let your heart be full.
Or, as Frederick Buechner puts it in his book Listening to your Life
(a book which if you don’t have you should)…
“There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or not to recognize him but all the more fascinatingly because of that [….] Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.”
I hope you forget your wallet today… or tomorrow… or someday when you need to turn your chair away from the mess and toward the window.
"The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,and night to night reveals knowledge."
~Psalm 19:1-2
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Boo... BooHoo!
Ah Halloween... what fun... that becomes what chaos... that always ends in weeping and gnashing of teeth... followed by months of when-can-i-eat-more-candy negotiations. But still... what fun!
This year the goose decided early on, while browsing through a pattern book, that she wanted to be a "nurse-doctor" (which is ironic because this year I did not actually make her costume. Sigh...). Surprisingly, she never changed her mind and happily declared she was a "nurse-doctor" right on through Halloween night. This decision was sealed when we found Sissy a onesie that looked like scrubs AND later when the real pink stethescope arrived... there was no turning back!
You may be asking yourself, exactly what is a "nurse-doctor", well you see... if you have your "doctor coat" on, you are, of course, a doctor. BUT... if you take said coat off and just have on your scrubs... you are a nurse. Simple enough... and comical too... as the Goose took her coat on and off her shoulders declaring "I'm a doctor! I'm a nurse! Now... I'm a doctor! Nurse! Doctor! Nurse! Doctor!" You get the picture :)
About this time in the evening, I think the Duggars came trick-or-treating at our house... seriously... a mini van followed by a 15-passenger van pulled up and out poured at least 20 kids... no lie! They came from all directions... trampling Wes' newly-planted grass... tumbling down the hill... falling in the ditch... they swarmed the candy bowl taking it from full to nearly empty. In all this mass chaos, Little Bo Peep and Dr. Goose, who had just been arguing over who got to hold Nurse Sissy for the picture, both decided that it is more fun to handout candy than to hold a baby... abandoning poor Sissy at the same time without a thought to who may or may not be holding her. Luckily... Mommy didn't trust them too much and my hand was right there to catch the baby. I only wish we had a picture of her sitting alone on the porch :)
Whew! That's enough Halloweenmadness fun to last a whole year... Thank goodness!
This year the goose decided early on, while browsing through a pattern book, that she wanted to be a "nurse-doctor" (which is ironic because this year I did not actually make her costume. Sigh...). Surprisingly, she never changed her mind and happily declared she was a "nurse-doctor" right on through Halloween night. This decision was sealed when we found Sissy a onesie that looked like scrubs AND later when the real pink stethescope arrived... there was no turning back!
You may be asking yourself, exactly what is a "nurse-doctor", well you see... if you have your "doctor coat" on, you are, of course, a doctor. BUT... if you take said coat off and just have on your scrubs... you are a nurse. Simple enough... and comical too... as the Goose took her coat on and off her shoulders declaring "I'm a doctor! I'm a nurse! Now... I'm a doctor! Nurse! Doctor! Nurse! Doctor!" You get the picture :)
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| hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work she goes! |
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| Little Bo Peep found her sheep & brought him by to trick-or-treat! |
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| ... But sheep found a stroller & ran off to play... |
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| What a rough night for a baby! Sissy needed some "down time" after all that fun... So she headed to her favorite spot... The changing table :) |
Whew! That's enough Halloween
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