The Close of November

We are closing yet another month and starting a new one. As we come closer to December and have wrapped up our month of Thanksgiving, I want to remind everyone that we don't stop here. November and Turkey day are great reminders of being thankful, but that's not the only time we should be thankful. We should have a heart of gratitude all the time. I challenge you to find something you are thankful for each and every day. It is truly impossible to count all the blessings we have in life. Every day is filled with them. But the problem is that most people just live right through them, never pausing to be grateful for what they have. Each day there are a dozen things we can each be grateful for.Things as simple as I got up this morning. That in itself is beautiful. I woke up because the Good Lord decided today was to be another new day for me. He didn't have to do that, but he chose to do that. The coffee was brewed and smelled so very good. Some people do not have the luxury of  coffee every single day. There are a ton of them this morning already and will be a ton before my head hits the pillow tonight. That again, another blessing to be thankful for.. a pillow. But I digress. What I'm saying is that thanksgiving is not just one day out of the year. It is all year long. :-)

Z

Zzzzzzzzzzz....I am thankful for zzz's today ;-) Throughout this entire month, I have found there is so much to feel so very blessed for. I am one who actually struggles with sleep quite a bit. I sit silently at night, oftentimes, listening to the beautiful sounds of zzz's from my family. From the soft, quiet breathing of my Monkeypants or the quiet rasp of breath from my Sunshine to the growling snores that come out of Snuggle Pup and the Big Guy, there are all kinds of sleepers in our house and I love to watch and listen to them sleep. Knowing that any worries or stresses or childhood blips are gone in their sleep is such a peace of mind to me. It's also such a blessing when I can get sleep and lately with the blessing of having my sweet hubby home for a time, I've had the true blessing of being able to sleep later in the mornings than I'm accustomed to sleeping. I'll not know what to do when he goes back to work, but for the time being I will be thankful for what I have. :-)

Y

Yarn....I am thankful for yarn today (I'm thankful for much more, but it's our letter of the day). I love the fact that I am able to take something so simple and create a treasured item for family and friends. I crochet and being able to make blankets and scarfs, hats and sweaters. Even fun gag gifts (you know who you are ;-) and I know how much those who receive those items appreciate the work that goes into making them. I'm especially thankful this year as my gift list is more affordable. Since I started early, I have thus far been more productive and gotten much more accomplished. Thankful to have my yarn to make awesome things for those I love.

X

Xanadu.... Today I am thankful for one of the first works of beauty that brought me to love the English language and the world of imagination behind the pages of literature. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Kubla Kahn"


"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea."


Coleridge's words were brought to him during a drug induced sleep. He had been reading about Kubla Kahn prior to sleeping. After waking, he feverishly started writing. After writing the first three stanzas of the poem, Coleridge was interrupted by someone who kept him occupied for an hour. He then was unable to recall the original dream to end the poem.

The mysterious person is one of the most notorious and enigmatic figures in Coleridge’s biography; no one knows who he was or why he disturbed the poet or what he wanted or, indeed, whether any of Coleridge’s story is actually true. But the person has become a metaphor for the malicious interruptions the world throws in the way of inspiration and genius, and “Kubla Khan,” strange and ambiguous as it is, has become what is perhaps the definitive statement on the obstruction and thwarting of the visionary genius.
So today, because well darn it I couldn't come up with another X word ;-) I am thankful for Xanadu.

W.

Wade....I think this particular day was a given. I love my husband. He is truly the greatest gift from God. I think about how we met and how he was truly a gift from God. I had left college (yeah for a boy). stupid, I know..but it was part of God's plan to make me who I am today. After some tough luck and rough situations, God led me back to school. I could have went anywhere, but He led me back to where I was before. Once back, all my friends had made other friends with other groups of people. Not a bad thing at all. ;-) My friend Katrina (who I adore for the choices she's made) was Wade's girlfriend when I went back. Unfortunately Trina had to transfer to another school as life would have it. I say unfortunately for her as she's an incredible person and knowing her makes me a better person. Anyhow, I got to know Wade in a snowstorm. For the first time in this history of the college, classes were canceled and the Blizzard of 1994 became part of history. Those who went to CC at the time remember it, I'm sure. Borrowing trays from the cafeteria so we could slide down the hill. What seemed like campus-wide snowball fights. Making snowmen outside of the dorms. A TON of fun! School was closed for a week, then the snow melted and the floods came and school was closed a little longer. Those of us stuck at campus made the best of it smelly or not (water was out for awhile). It was a gift of time. One that so often we don't find in college. God gave Wade and I the time to truly fall in love.
Here we are 16 years later still strong and still together. So many couples don't have what we have. We see it all the time, but I don't question it. I see it as a true gift from God that it is what He intended, a devoted husband who cares about me unconditionally.  Praise the Lord for the gift of the best husband a woman could ask for. I am so very thankful each day that I have him to keep me strong and to keep me grounded. Otherwise, you would find me in the clouds all day ;-)

V

Validation....Today I am thankful for the validation that we get from family and friends that our children are being raised in a Godly home with Godly principles. It feels good to know that we are doing a good job. I am thankful that we are able to get and give validation from time to time to our friends and from our friends.
Thank you everyone!!

U

Unconditional Love.... I spent a good portion of the morning debating what "u" word I could possibly use for today. I am thankful for a lot of things, as you can tell by my perusing of the alphabet. As I sat listening to Todd's sermon this morning, he mentioned unconditional love and I knew what I would be typing here. A parent's love is truly unconditional and I think about my Father in heaven and His truly amazing unconditional love. It truly gives me chills to think about the unconditional love of the Lord!
I think about the fact that I do things and I know they are wrong. OHH, don't tell me you don't!! We are all sinners. But think about it, isn't there something that you have done that would put your parents to shame? And yet, we don't have to shame. How about we look at some verses......

You may not know Me, but I know everything about you.                  Psalm 139:1

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.                                 Matthew 10:29-31

For you are My offspring.                                                                  Acts 17:28

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love.    1 John 4:16

And I rejoice over you with singing.                                                    Zephaniah 3:17   

What an incredible joy to have someone that is always looking down on us and keeping our best interests at heart!! I look over those verses and I know that He is Lord and that He gives me unconditional love no matter what kind of mistakes I make. Praise be to God! 

T

Tasks....This is all associated with my online job. Work. That is what tasks are. Tasks= Work= Much needed money. 'nough said.

S

Sofia....Despite the fact that my precious angel has decided to be wild and crazy today, I am truly thankful for my blessed gift. Days like today when she strips herself naked in front of friends, Sorry Kasy and Trace, and throws a major temper tantrum when I do not allow her to yank on my favorite pink sweater, I still love her and treasure her. I appreciate that God thinks so highly of Wade and I to bless us this third (and final!!) time with a little girl. She is what my mother always wished on me.. A daughter just like me, so Heaven help us when she gets older if she's this moody now. But she's so much more. Her laughter makes all the men in my life light up. She walks into a room and commands attention, not by being ornery or anything like that, but just by being herself. She can be such a sweetheart and a doll baby. Her unspoken language with Alec and her gentle way with Owen when she knows he just needs a little of her time. She knows when to draw the line and when to push the envelope (not so much today though). In one week from today, my baby turns 2. And while I mourn for the loss of her babyness (I KNOW! I'm making up words), I treasure the big girl she is becoming. The potty training, word learning, temper tantrum opinionated young lady she is becoming. I am thankful for these first 2 years of molding her and showing her the Lord in her every day. :-)

R

Righteousness.... Some say we obtain righteousness by observing and obeying God's laws. We are acceptable to God when we do "good things."  However, Paul tells us in Romans 3:20 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." Here we see that we can't place our faith in the Law and carry out the deeds of the Law in order to be in proper standing with God.
The Law only causes us to become aware of the fact that we are sinners. Also, the Law came many years after Abraham (who God declared righteous in James 2:23 "And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend"). So then what do we have faith in?
Paul goes on to say, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Paul declares that we are to have faith in Christ (in the work he did on the cross), and by doing so, our relationship, or our standing with God, is now as it should be.
True righteousness requires more than just faith. In James 2:24 it says, "A man is called righteous by the things he does, not just by his faith." We strive for righteousness.  Although faith is required to prove ourselves righteous, speaking about what we believe is what saves us. In Romans 10:10 it says, "It is this belief in your heart that makes you righteous, but it's your mouth, when it confesses this, that brings salvation."
For this today, I am thankful.

Q

Q-tips.... While this might seem like a strange thing to be thankful for, I truly love my Q-tips. I have a serious OCD issue with my ears. Most people don't even know this, but I am a Q-aholic. There is no real term for it, but I am well aware it is not normal to have such a severe distaste for ear wax that you have to clean them multiple (and I'm talking seriously multiple) times a day. At one point in our marriage, Wade had severe ear wax and it drove me insane to the point where I convinced him to let me get my Q in there and get it out. Well, having so much wax naturally and not caring, he said sure. That became a problem because he ended up with impacted wax on his ear drum from the attempt. With a trip to the doctor and a painful irrigation, problem solved. Right? Well, to this day he won't let me hear the end of it (excuse the pun). I'm forbidden to touch the children (as I would expect) and my obsession continues.
Last week, the world stopped spinning. Did you guys feel it? Seriously, I ran out of Q-tips and didn't have time to go to the store. I was close to knocking on neighbor's doors and start asking to "borrow" the beautiful cottony tubes. A trip to the store definitely helped, but I'm still reeling from it all if truth be told. So today, I have my beautiful Q-tips and am very thankful to have them.

P

Paper plates....***WARNING: TREES WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS BLOG POST***
 I'm not talking those Styrofoam things that ruin the environment. I mean, true paper. Growing up, I remember that we had a portable dishwasher. That meant that if you wanted to be lazy, you couldn't be lazy. You had to roll over the dishwasher from the other side of the room, load it, hook it up to the sink, plug it in and then run it. After it ran, you were also in charge of undoing all of those actions to put it back. Too much work to be lazy. We used paper plates quite often, but if you went down to Grandma's house, you didn't use paper plates. After school snacks included a plate or a napkin. I don't think my Grandma would have minded paper plates, but I am certain Grandpa is rolling in his grave thinking that I wanted to use them in his house. hee hee. That's besides my point. I remember having Thanksgiving dinner a few years back and breaking out the paper plates to laughter and jokes about living the high life. Well, I'm not too good to use paper plates. They are awesome when it comes to taking care of our children and getting meals on the table quickly. Today I am very thankful for paper plates and the time saving they provide.

O

Owen....Today I am so very thankful for my middle angel Owen. What a pure joy for a Mommy to have in her life. My Owen is our dancer. He is the light in the day. I watch his loving way, and it makes me want to be a better person. He has such a big heart and already has such a passion for the Lord. I watch him singing his little heart out in the back seat of the van with his eyes closed, hands in the air praising the Lord. He is an inspiration and a wonderful little boy. 
When I was expecting Sofia, Owen asked me one day if Sofia would be her Daddy's princess. I said, yup. His next sentence really shows just what kind of person he is. He said, "Mommy, can I still be your princess?" I told him that he would always and forever be my princess. Such a sweetheart. He is my princess and while he may not like it when he's older, I love reminding him that he is ;-)

N

Nourishment.... Man, was I ever thankful for an incredible worship service at AGCC today. God truly always knows what we need. As I sat there, my tears brimming in my eyes, I felt the presence of God as if He was standing next to me in the pew. My eyes went to my friend Lori, and I lost it. I sat there praising the Lord and crying. Unable to really stop it. It was not a weeping for sadness. It was not only a weeping of joy, but one of relief, of completeness and wholeness. I cried because everything is all right.
Sometimes when we’re in the presence of God we do not pray with words but with a wordless response to the Holy. It could be laughter; it could be tears. We could experience prayer in our breathing, in our listening, in our singing, in our looking.
Our sermon series on prayer continues, and I think of the power of prayer and the nourishment it provides to us. We pray for the Lord to provide and to give us what we need. We pray asking specifically for what we are looking for and eagerly await a response. We are going to get an answer. It may not be what we think it should be, but we always get an answer.
Today, as I sat there shedding and then wiping my tears, I thought about our prayer as a family. We are asking God to heal our friends, those who are sick like Ms. Anita; those who are sad, like Ms. Karlene; those who are now in glory, like Ms. Helen. Our whole bodies join in prayer. And sometimes we cry. That is beautiful prayer too!

M

Mom....I am very thankful for my Mom today. What a praise to the Lord that her and Dad are going to be able to move up closer to us as she's an incredible Grammy. I am so very thankful to be closer to her as we get older and understand where we've been and where we are going.
Love ya Mom!

L

Little fingers....This morning, I sat watching Veggie Tales with Monkeypants and Snuggle Pup. Pup wanted Monkeypants to rub his back, but Mommy did it instead. As I sat there, Monkeypants decided to rub MY back. I felt those little fingers on my back being so sweet and rubbing and thought of her little personality. I am so thankful for those little fingers and the reminder that those fingerprints on the wall will be gone one day. Those little hands will no longer be reaching up for mine one day. Her little fingers attempting to sign I love you or night night. All no longer little one day. So today I am thankful for those little fingers and think it's a great day to take them to the park :-)
Children are a heritage from the LORD,
   offspring a reward from him.        -Psalm 127:3

K

Kindness....Today I am so very thankful for kindness. My sweet and wonderful husband - oh the emotions and words that just don't come to me. I know, very surprising, but I find myself speechless when I think of the incredible person he is and the love that I feel for him. Okay, so where does kindness fit into that? Well, yesterday, I sat nervously as my husband and all his co-workers awaited their fate at the office trying to find some kind of normality in the day. I texted him at one point and said, "Hoping no news is good news. I love you." He replied with "I love you." I knew. The minute I got that text, I knew he would be home soon and that he was one of the casualties of the company wide restructuring that is laying off tons of people. My heart broke for him. Not because I was worried or scared. Not because I thought negatively of him, but it broke because I know him. I know how he felt and the nurturing person inside of him was still more worried about how his boss was feeling at having to tell him or how our sweet friends at the office were handling not being told goodbye.
The day was nothing like we expected it would be, but we took the joy out of the day to move forward as God intended. It is not ours to question. We accept and move on. Here's the thing. By 5 pm, Wade had tears welling in his eyes and I saw how very overwhelmed he was, but it wasn't a bad overwhelmed. The kindness that showered us in such a stressful time was insane and magical. Job offers were emailed. Links to sites. Offers to assist with resume building. Love. Faith. And beautiful kindness. Friends from all over the country were reaching out. From prayers to just pure and simple smiles. His phone had to be recharged before we even had to pick up at school from all the calls and encouragement from true friends. His inbox and FB account were full of comments and positivity. We truly felt God's hand yesterday afternoon!!
And I have to say throughout the day, I felt my heart grow stronger and stronger for the man I already knew was wonderful and the man that I saw had touched so many lives. He's a special fella. He's a hard worker, and he's a phenomenal Christian husband and father.
In this time that could be so very stressful, we are not focusing on the negative. We are looking to the future and excited that God has decided it's time for some changes. Praise be to God and great thanks for the showers of kindness that we have seen in this wonderful time of transition!!!

J

Joy....I read a friend's post today and realized she is so right, so I am going to borrow some of her words and paraphrase. This is a very appropriate thing to be thankful for today amidst the uncertainty in our lives at this time. My friend said Joy is a choice and I thought, what? Hear me out now people. It is a choice. She is totally right. Let me quote from her a little...
"Joy is much different from happiness...true joy is not dependent on circumstance or situation. It is a feeling of peace and rejoicing in the Lord EVEN in the face of some of the toughest stuff this life has to offer. Happiness is temporary, fleeting, it does depend on circumstance. Happiness is not bad, it is just not the same as joy."
So I wanted to do as she has done and think about times in my life when I truly felt joy. It wasn't normally in times of happiness and not even necessarily in sorrow. It was more in times of being tried by The Lord. I remember when Wade was laid off from Nims years and years ago. I was a freelance writer barely working with an infant son. We were out of work and scared of what the future had for us, but instead of being upset or seeing it negatively, we looked in the joy of the situation. Wow, what a great opportunity to move closer to family and that's just what we did. Here we are 8 1/2 years later and we are better for going through that and choosing joy instead of the other alternative.
Things can get us down. It's okay to be sad and frustrated when life changes and you don't anticipate it. It's okay to be fearful, but I believe we should always look to God in those times. It's not easy and it's not a game of pretend. We have to truly believe that God is in control despite life.
My children have this cd and dvd and book that is a great reminder of what we should try to remember. "God is bigger than the boogie man." He is. No matter how tough times get or life is, God is bigger than all of it and NOTHING can happen that He is not able to redeem for His glory. As my friend says, "It is especially in these hard circumstances that we can be a testimony to His goodness by choosing joy."
Today, I am thankful for joy despite the troubles and I am very thankful for my friend Kristy for the great reminder. You are an inspiration to so many of us!
"you are to rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you put your hand to." Deuteronomy 12:18

I

Independence....I am thankful today for independence and all that that encompasses. Our ancestors worked very hard to earn our independence so that we could live our lives according to God's Word and not live in religious persecution as so many others do. We can go to the polls, both women and men, and vote for individuals we believe are going to run our country, state and local governments according to our beliefs. We are able to go to the church of our choosing without someone telling us who or how we worship. We are an independent nation who is blessed beyond comprehension from The Lord. I often wonder why God selected Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Richard Stockton, Thomas Stone and even John Hancock. What made these particular men, the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, God's chosen ones to secure our freedom? Take Josiah Bartlett for instance. He was the second to sign (after John Hancock). He was a doctor in New Hampshire who got involved in politics and wasn't one to listen to the Royal Governor. Or William Williams who studied with his father, a pastor, and worked later as a merchant. Williams came late into the Continental Congress and didn't even vote for Independence. He was a replacement for the ill Oliver Wolcott. I wonder how God brought him to this place, a man who was a merchant for forty-four years before moving into the state Legislature later in life. Simple men by all accounts. And yet men that changed the course of history forever. God definitely led that group of men. God definitely had a hand in our independence and today, I am thankful for that :-)

H

Home....On the news last night, I saw a report of the area homeless shelters are full, and it isn't even the coldest it's going to be outside. I look up and down my street and see empty houses, two of which, I am aware were abandoned. I think of those families who thought they would be in their houses much longer. Today I am so very thankful for our home and a reminder from The Lord that it's not all about location. Families in the shelter are together. Families who have dealt with foreclosure are together. They are not located where they previously thought they would be, but they are together. Isn't home where our heart is? I think about my church. I enter the building and it's just like home. I feel loved and special there. I know that God is in that house and is in my heart. I walk into my own home where again, I feel loved and special. Home is where our heart is and is something we should be thankful for every day.
Thank you Jesus for living in my heart and showing me the way home.

G

Grace....God's Grace is enough. No other words needed.

F

Family....I am forever grateful and thankful for my family. It is a family that is always there for you. It doesn't matter if it's something like a child's activity or an emergency trip to the hospital. They are always there. I feel truly blessed to ahve the family that we have always there. Even if they aren't in the same area/state, they are on the phone checking on us and finding out how things are going. Thanks Grammy Norma ;-) God is so good to give us a great family :-)

E

Ears.... Today was a hard pick for E at first. Then once I sat down with my Bible and started to read, it all came to me. Without my ears, I couldn't hear. Without hearing, I couldn't enjoy that special giggle of my little girl or the little joke my great big boy just told. Or hear the wonderful sound of praise music coming from the back seat of my van.
This morning when taking "sunshine" to school, "snuggle pup" was listening to my Brandon Heath CD and "monkeypants" decided to sing along. So I hear her little voice singing words that aren't really words and snuggle pup started with the lyrics making sure his little sister can understand what he is saying. His favorite song, "Trust You" came on and I remembered my devotion and my thankful post for this morning. God had already led me to ears to hear, but this really cemented it. Out of the mouth of a 6 year old, as loud as possible, I heard these words...
I’m not gonna fight you anymore
Not gonna try to lock the door
You took your life and gave me yours
There’s no reason why
I shouldn’t trust you with mine
That's his favorite part and if you ask him why, he tells you that he loves the song because Jesus lives in his heart and since He died for our sins we should trust him without asking a bunch of stupid grown up questions. How wise!! And without ears, I would never hear that. Thank you Jesus! For your life. For my super smart kids. And For ears!!

D

Disturbances.... I am thankful for the disturbances in life, especially the little ones that make us pause in our daily routine. My Nanny's health is not as good as it used to be. She stumbles and falls and has been found on her apartment floor more often than not lately. To answer the problem, her doctor has put her in the hospital and then plans to put her into a nursing home. As we were going to run a quick errand before nap and then the dentist yesterday, I decided to talk to my boys about it. When I said that she would be going to a nursing home, my 9 year old, yelled passionately NO! I was taken aback at his reaction and it caused me to pause in this crazy routine. I was at my errand and I turned in my seat and asked him why he said no. He looked at me with those big beautiful baby blue eyes and said, "Mom, most people die when they go in a nursing home." He didn't have to say anything else. His eyes showed the pain and the memories of losing his other great-grandmother. I got out of the van and went to him to hold him. I told him that I love him and that if God chooses to take Nanny, then it is her time. We will be sad, but we understand that God blesses us with each day He allows us on this Earth. As I held him, my mind didn't think about the fine timeline I was on. It didn't even go to the fact that I was standing in the middle of a parking lot holding my child. All I could think was how thankful God gave me the ability to take pause in my life and console my child when so many other parents either don't have the time or don't bother to take it. Praise be to God for disturbances that we often see when we have children.

C

Coffee.... Today I am thankful for my coffee. I didn't use to be a coffee drinker, but now I couldn't imagine going without coffee for an extended period of time. Nor would my family enjoy that side of me. hee hee
I'm also a bit of a coffee snob. I love my Gevalia and have even ventured into store-bought Seattle's Best. When it comes to going out for coffee, Starbucks has my vote hands down. Yesterday I splurged and got a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Oh how I love Fall!!! The flavors, the enticement, the much needed jolt. Nothing deep in this particular blog entry, just the simple facts. I SO LOVE MY COFFEE!!

B

Bible.... For a long time, I thought reading the Word of God was an obligation, something I had to do. Even as a Christian, I felt it difficult to read the Bible and understand what I was supposed to take away from it. Today, I am thankful for The Word. God changed my heart and my outlook during a religious class in college. Dr. Faught taught me about stories in the Bible that I had never heard about. I am not a true religious scholar, but I love to read my Bible. I am thankful that God has allowed the compilation of such incredible stories that tell us about life in Biblical times and provide a guide to us for living a life as God intended.

2 Peter 1:20-21
 ²⁰Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
 ²¹For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

A

Alec....  Today I am thankful for my oldest child. Each day, he teaches me something new.. something different. His unique view of the world shows me so many of God's greatest gifts. He has such a talent for anything creative and his heart is as big as the sky. I spent time watching him play with his brother this afternoon. While he lacks in patience when it comes to that relationship, he showed so much love for his brother, allowing him to sit partially in his lap watching him play his DSi. He didn't get frustrated or upset as his brother kept screaming instructions into his ear. He only focused on showing him the new game and different moves he could make. I am thankful for the gift of my baby, no matter what age he gets and how frustrating being his Momma can sometimes be.
 

26 Days of Thankfulness

As a bit of an introduction, I have decided to take my friend, Jane's, lead and show all the reasons I am thankful. For the next 26 days, I will blog what I am thankful for and work my way through the alphabet. I hope this is an opportunity for my readers to think about their lives and despite any of life's challenges or frustrations and be thankful for the positives.
Let the positivity begin :-)