Saturday, November 22, 2008
Gratitude - Day 22
Today I am thankful for my busyness. For seeing friends at a birthday party, for seeing my beautiful niece dance, for seeing my two other nieces bundled up in their PJs at my home after hours of play with their adoring cousins. For having so many blessings it was a challenge to fit them all into my day. And for coffee, because boy did I need it.
Gratitude - Day 21
It's midnight and I just walked in the door after another whirlwind day and tomorrow will be more of the same. We have a basketball game, a dance recital and a birthday party to attend, as well as company coming in to spend the night tomorrow evening. I promised myself that I would not grumble about my decision to commit to 30 days of Thanks, but man have I been tempted this week. Not from lack gratitude fodder, but from lack of time to record it.
Every other Friday night I have girls night. There are four of us and we meet together sans husbands and kids for Bible Study and food and talk and a general unburdening of our hearts. These three friends know me better than anyone in my life, with the exception of my husband. And in some areas, better even than he. Some of us have been friends for nearly twenty years. Twenty years. I can tell them anything, and I have. We've loved each other through so much:
Heartaches, weddings, divorce, babies, infertility, depression, new jobs, lost jobs and kids. Kids that have stolen our hearts and sometimes broken them. Prayers that were answered and the ones where God said no. 247 diets and twice as much chocolate. Laughter and tears and wine and prayer and insecurities and encouragement.
Our enduring friendship is a rare and amazing gift. And I can honestly say there is not a day that goes by where I am not grateful for it.
Every other Friday night I have girls night. There are four of us and we meet together sans husbands and kids for Bible Study and food and talk and a general unburdening of our hearts. These three friends know me better than anyone in my life, with the exception of my husband. And in some areas, better even than he. Some of us have been friends for nearly twenty years. Twenty years. I can tell them anything, and I have. We've loved each other through so much:
Heartaches, weddings, divorce, babies, infertility, depression, new jobs, lost jobs and kids. Kids that have stolen our hearts and sometimes broken them. Prayers that were answered and the ones where God said no. 247 diets and twice as much chocolate. Laughter and tears and wine and prayer and insecurities and encouragement.
Our enduring friendship is a rare and amazing gift. And I can honestly say there is not a day that goes by where I am not grateful for it.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Gratitude - Day 20
Today, I am thankful that it is technically already Friday and this long crazy week is coming to an end. And I am thankful for my friends.
The one who sent me a devotional at the perfect time this week reminding me that
And I'm thankful for my friend who recently reminded me to get up close with my camera. I did, yesterday. And look what I found.
The one who sent me a devotional at the perfect time this week reminding me that
"God never intended for us to make completing a to-do list the purpose of our lives."Hurray for that piece of good news! Because if that was my purpose I would certainly be failing. But it's not, and I know it's not. But too often I fall into the trap of judging my success as a parent, as a homemaker, as a child of God by how much I get checked off my list.
~Rick Warren
And I'm thankful for my friend who recently reminded me to get up close with my camera. I did, yesterday. And look what I found.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Gratitude - Day 18 (Jello)
On the way home from school today:
Ben - Mom. I really want to know what Jello tastes like. I think it tastes good.
Me - Really? Did someone have Jello at school today?
Ben - No. It's something I've been wondering for a long time.
Me - (Ha! A long time. My kid is the cutest.) OK, well we will have to make some sometime so you can find out.
Ben - Can we make some when we get home?
Me - Ummmmm... (Do we have Jello? Have I ever actually purchased Jello?You know, since I stopped using it to make shots in college?) I'm not sure we have any Ben.
Well, we came home and on a whim I searched the back of the pantry and amazingly found one box. I think it's been there for years. I have no recollection of purchasing it. I couldn't find an expiration date, so I took that as a positive omen and we made Jello. Ben actually squealed when I poured in the boiling water and it turned from pink powder to bright red liquid. And then he burst into tears when I explained to him that it wouldn't be ready to eat until after his nap.
Thirty minutes later, he popped out of bed. "I slept! Is the Jello ready?" He did this two more times. When we finally scooped it into a bowl, he did a little happy jig, and then he sat at the table and laughed and laughed as he tried half a dozen times to get it on his spoon. And when he finally got a bite, he said. "It's wigglely Mom. It's wigglely on my spoon and it's wigglely in my mouth. And it's yummy, just like I knew it would be!"
And then my heart exploded from all the cuteness.
And so today I am thankful for the mystery box of strawberry jello in the back of my pantry. And for taking ten minutes out of another insanely busy day to say yes to my four year old. What a beautiful reminder, as I enter into this season of chaos and excess, that the magic really is in the simplest things.
~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, and lest you thought I forgot about my giveaway, I didn't. It was just taking a little longer than I thought to get my ducks in a row what with all the Thanksgivinging going on around here. But it's official now, and I have something super cool to give. And it was actually donated to me for the giveaway, when I said I wanted to use it as one of my favorite things! Oh my goodness! I'm just like Oprah. Except, that I don't have my own TV Show or Magazine or a Kabillion dollars and I think Exhaert Tolle is full of Baloney. But other than that...The Same!
Anyhoo, I am doing a giveaway. Tomorrow. Or the next day. Or Friday at the latest. But soon, and I'm really excited. In case you couldn't tell.
Ben - Mom. I really want to know what Jello tastes like. I think it tastes good.
Me - Really? Did someone have Jello at school today?
Ben - No. It's something I've been wondering for a long time.
Me - (Ha! A long time. My kid is the cutest.) OK, well we will have to make some sometime so you can find out.
Ben - Can we make some when we get home?
Me - Ummmmm... (Do we have Jello? Have I ever actually purchased Jello?
Well, we came home and on a whim I searched the back of the pantry and amazingly found one box. I think it's been there for years. I have no recollection of purchasing it. I couldn't find an expiration date, so I took that as a positive omen and we made Jello. Ben actually squealed when I poured in the boiling water and it turned from pink powder to bright red liquid. And then he burst into tears when I explained to him that it wouldn't be ready to eat until after his nap.
Thirty minutes later, he popped out of bed. "I slept! Is the Jello ready?" He did this two more times. When we finally scooped it into a bowl, he did a little happy jig, and then he sat at the table and laughed and laughed as he tried half a dozen times to get it on his spoon. And when he finally got a bite, he said. "It's wigglely Mom. It's wigglely on my spoon and it's wigglely in my mouth. And it's yummy, just like I knew it would be!"
And then my heart exploded from all the cuteness.
And so today I am thankful for the mystery box of strawberry jello in the back of my pantry. And for taking ten minutes out of another insanely busy day to say yes to my four year old. What a beautiful reminder, as I enter into this season of chaos and excess, that the magic really is in the simplest things.
~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, and lest you thought I forgot about my giveaway, I didn't. It was just taking a little longer than I thought to get my ducks in a row what with all the Thanksgivinging going on around here. But it's official now, and I have something super cool to give. And it was actually donated to me for the giveaway, when I said I wanted to use it as one of my favorite things! Oh my goodness! I'm just like Oprah. Except, that I don't have my own TV Show or Magazine or a Kabillion dollars and I think Exhaert Tolle is full of Baloney. But other than that...The Same!
Anyhoo, I am doing a giveaway. Tomorrow. Or the next day. Or Friday at the latest. But soon, and I'm really excited. In case you couldn't tell.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Gratitude - Day 17
Today was another busy day, chock full of glamorous things like grocery shopping and laundry and sorting the 18 inches of socks that had accumulated at the bottom of the basket. Mondays are always hard for me, because the week starts with a dreary and seemingly insurmountable list of chores. A list made even more dreadful by being virtually indistinguishable from the weeks before. It's hard not to feel like I am spinning my wheels. So I really tried, in the spirit of this project, to stop and notice the positive things. And today it seemed obvious, I am thankful for Clara.
When we were grocery shopping Clara sang and talked to everyone we saw. All my kids have been obnoxiously friendly shoppers at this age, but Clara's exuberance is really something to behold. She will start shouting her greetings 50 ft away. And if they stop and speak with her, she will shout at them again as they walk away. "Buh bye, Honey! See ya soon!" It cracks me up every. single. time. And when we are in the car she will demand Christmas music. And not just any Christmas music, but "Sleigh ride" by Amy Grant. And then she will dance and sing like nobodys business. It's fantastic. And impossible to resist. We make a humorous picture, the two of us, twisting and throwing up our hands in the carpool line.
Clara is our child that looks most like me. And the one most unlike me in personality. But I am just so thankful to God for the blessing of my loud, feisty baby girl. She brings such a spirit of passion and joy (and unpredictability) to my life. And I think, sometimes, it's just what the doctor ordered.
~~~~~~~~
The week ahead of me is looking a bit crazy. And by crazy, I mean I went grocery shopping today for four Thanksgiving type feasts between now and Sunday. And that doesn't even include the actual Thanksgiving shindig at my in-laws on, well, Thanksgiving! That's a lot of shopping, and baking and casseroles to be toting around. And we won't even discuss how hopeless fitting into my jeans will be when it's all over.
So I resolved to take a hiatus this week from Facebook and Blogging. Ironic, as I am participating in NaBloPoMo by doing this Thirty Days of Thanks thing. My resolutions are conflicting. Which, strangely enough, is not an unusual problem for me. So, while I will still be spitting out a post a day on gratitude, I probably won't be reading and commenting much this week. And yes, I do realize, this falls in the category of very bad blogging etiquette. To which I say: Four thanksgiving feasts people. Four! Cut me some slack.
When we were grocery shopping Clara sang and talked to everyone we saw. All my kids have been obnoxiously friendly shoppers at this age, but Clara's exuberance is really something to behold. She will start shouting her greetings 50 ft away. And if they stop and speak with her, she will shout at them again as they walk away. "Buh bye, Honey! See ya soon!" It cracks me up every. single. time. And when we are in the car she will demand Christmas music. And not just any Christmas music, but "Sleigh ride" by Amy Grant. And then she will dance and sing like nobodys business. It's fantastic. And impossible to resist. We make a humorous picture, the two of us, twisting and throwing up our hands in the carpool line.
Clara is our child that looks most like me. And the one most unlike me in personality. But I am just so thankful to God for the blessing of my loud, feisty baby girl. She brings such a spirit of passion and joy (and unpredictability) to my life. And I think, sometimes, it's just what the doctor ordered.
~~~~~~~~
The week ahead of me is looking a bit crazy. And by crazy, I mean I went grocery shopping today for four Thanksgiving type feasts between now and Sunday. And that doesn't even include the actual Thanksgiving shindig at my in-laws on, well, Thanksgiving! That's a lot of shopping, and baking and casseroles to be toting around. And we won't even discuss how hopeless fitting into my jeans will be when it's all over.
So I resolved to take a hiatus this week from Facebook and Blogging. Ironic, as I am participating in NaBloPoMo by doing this Thirty Days of Thanks thing. My resolutions are conflicting. Which, strangely enough, is not an unusual problem for me. So, while I will still be spitting out a post a day on gratitude, I probably won't be reading and commenting much this week. And yes, I do realize, this falls in the category of very bad blogging etiquette. To which I say: Four thanksgiving feasts people. Four! Cut me some slack.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Gratitude - Day 16 (3-year-olds and sleep)
Today was my last choir class until the new year. I am so thankful for the opportunity to sing, dance, play instruments and praise, praise, praise with my small group of 3-year-olds. What an amazing transformation we have seen in our shy, quiet bunch since the year started. That first week I was seriously concerned that my class was going to be the "Joy Preschool Solo Hour." But now they sing and dance and get out of control just like 3-year-olds should. And while I have been known to grumble when it cuts too far into my Sunday afternoon nap, I genuinely look forward to going each week.
And man, am I grateful for the faithful people that put aside their their own naps (and pride) to show up and be silly right along with me - not to mention saving me about 243 trips to the potty. I have made new friends and - after six years in fourth grade choir - have found a brand new passion. (Making music with preschoolers...whooda thunkit?) If Christmas wasn't such a hectic season I really would be sad for such a long break.
And also, right now, I am thankful for the clean sheets I am about to go put on my bed. And the down comforter. And the seven hours of sleep I am going to get. Ha! That's positive thinking if I ever heard it. Or maybe just plain claiming a miracle. But who knows? It could happen.
And man, am I grateful for the faithful people that put aside their their own naps (and pride) to show up and be silly right along with me - not to mention saving me about 243 trips to the potty. I have made new friends and - after six years in fourth grade choir - have found a brand new passion. (Making music with preschoolers...whooda thunkit?) If Christmas wasn't such a hectic season I really would be sad for such a long break.
And also, right now, I am thankful for the clean sheets I am about to go put on my bed. And the down comforter. And the seven hours of sleep I am going to get. Ha! That's positive thinking if I ever heard it. Or maybe just plain claiming a miracle. But who knows? It could happen.
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