Earlier this week my friend directed me here, to read a post about Thanksgiving. What a great post, and an even better challenge.
So while I am trying, diligently, not to sweat the small stuff and to focus on the Good stuff, here are a few things I am truly Thankful for.
I am so Thankful for my family, while we definitely aren't the Walton's, we do love one another.
I am thankful that my mom still gets us together weekly for supper with my siblings. It is a tradition I hope never ends.
I am thankful for my job, and my wonderful co-workers. Even though I sometimes complain, not much really, I am blessed with my job situation.
I am thankful for my church family. Whenever I need something, anything, I know I can't count on them. Along with them, comes my friends. I have great friends that I know if I needed something they would not hesitate to help.
I am thankful that I live close to my family. My mom and I live on the same dirt road, and my brothers aren't far away. My husbands family is also close by. Double blessing!
My kids are healthy, and pretty good kids. My husband is a good guy (most of the time), and I am lucky to have him. (And he I).
I am certainly thankful for God's amazing grace that saves us all!!
What are you thankful for?
After a Thankful, HUGE, Thanksgiving at our house, we will be heading off to the Beautiful mountains of NC to get our Christmas Tree.
For about the past 5 years, we have been going to the mountains and getting our Christmas tree.
It started by accident, we just happened to be at a friends house in the mountains and it was right before Thanksgiving, and we couldn't help but see all the Christmas tree lots with so many BEAUTIFUL trees. What was amazing to us, was the trees were so much cheaper there than they were if we would have bought them at home. And so the tradition began.
This weekend will mark our 6th annual Christmas tree trip. We have been staying for the last few years here, because they offer a "Christmas tree package", and we have loved it. The people here are so nice, and the beds are soooo comfy!! They have those down comforters, oooohhh, I just love them.
When we first went, my brother and his family would go with us, it was so much fun, we would find different places to stay and ride around until we found the perfect tree. If the weather is good we like to go hiking. One of the best times we had was when we went and stayed in an old cabin with no TV and the kids actually had to have CONVERSATIONS with us. A whole new concept for teenagers. That was a lot of fun, that place was right on the river so that was nice. And of course we have been when it rained, but we still had a good time. The last few years it has just been my family going and our kids don't think we're that much fun. Imagine that.
This year one of my Beach Girls and her family is going and I can't wait. We are going to have a ball. I just hope the husbands can handle it. I am going to take lots of pictures so you can enjoy the experience right along with me. My oldest is 17 and he thinks he is graduating out of this kind of thing. I hope he never stops wanting to go, but he is growing up and I suppose we should want them to be independent. Shouldn't we?
So, what are your traditions?
A few weeks ago I was sitting in my living room floor putting together a wreath made with Christmas ornaments like you've seen on other blogs. Then I remembered seeing a picture of a garland made with ornaments that looked kind of like this.
With that, I decided when I was done with my wreath I would tackle one of those, I mean, how hard could it be, right? So I had all of my supplies on the living room floor.
So I set out to make something just as pretty as the other one, and believe it or not, it was!!!
I wanted to use plum colors and I happened to buy a whole box of plums and greens at Wally World and just look at how it turned out.
I had to sit it on the mantle, just to see how it would look, and I absolutely love, love, love it!!
I know there aren't any more decorations but this was Halloween time when I did it, I just got so excited I had to show it off.** I used floral wire to string them on. Also, I linked up with A Soft Place to Land.
The other night, just as I was about to settle in to watch Criminal Minds, I really like that show, my husband decided to chime in and comment about all the crap on TV, and that we should be watching PBS.
I am not a hater of PBS so I agreed to turn it to the station. It so happens that night the show was about religious caves in Tibet. These caves were built into the sides of mountains and really were pretty fascinating. But one of the things that really caught my attention were the relics they found in the caves.
Some of the caves were specifically set up for burial, which apparently was only for the high religious leaders. The other bodies were disposed of via vultures. That's right, I said vultures. They had a specific rock, with tools for chopping, and they proceeded to chop and the vultures ate the remains. They still had some knives there for chopping.
Anyway, some of the caves were living quarters. I have to admit it really was interesting. I reluctantly watched to begin with, then I found myself captivated. (Probably the knives.) One of the items they found were Prayer cards. People would write their "Prayers" on paper, fold them up and put them in a special place. Because back in the day, it was sacrilegious to throw them away so they saved them.
So, with that I had an idea.
My daughter has struggled with something/someone in her life and makes her feel intimidated and uncomfortable.
Every day, she asks me to pray for her, which I do, but I immediately said to her, we will do that for you. I will make you some prayer cards that you can take with you.
She jumped right on it and I was actually suppose to do it yesterday, but didn't get around to it, so today, I am making them.
Now, the old Prayer cards were written in Tibet, and I have no idea what they put on there's, I guess it could have been what they were praying for, or to, because they were mostly Buddhist (I think).
So I am going to put encouraging scripture on hers. I want her to feel free to be herself, and have fun. When someone says something ugly, let it go. Remember what God says about you, that's what is most important.
I probably wouldn't be writing this if I had watched Criminal Minds. But I still like the show.
Sunday, our Sermon at church was about Hannah and Samuel. He started off talking about how Hannah had always wanted children and yet she wasn't able to have any. Hannah's husband Elkanah also had another wife named Peninnah. (Apparently not uncommon, though frowned upon today.) Peninnah teased Hannah to the point of tears. Hannah went to the temple to pray, she was so overcome with grief over not being able to bear children she couldn't even eat.
While she was there, as she prayed she asked God to give her a son, and if he would, she would give him back to the Lord. While she was praying and crying, the priest thought she was drunk. When she explained her situation to him, he understood and said "may God grant your request."
After that Hannah's whole attitude changed, she was no longer sad, she was eating and had a whole new attitude. In time, Hannah had a son, and she was true to her word, when he was weaned she sent him to live with the priest at the temple. She completely gave him to the Lord.
What a woman!! I am completely in awe of how Hannah took her son to live at the temple when he was probably very, very young.
Another amazing thing was how her attitude changed the minute the priest gave her his blessing. She was completely at ease and she had the attitude that she would be getting pregnant. She knew it in her heart, that God would take care of it, in his time.
One of the things the Preacher talked about was how powerful prayer can be when it is in line with what God has planned. Look at what Samuel was to become. And Hannah went on to have more children. God's plans for us now, probably don't really seem like plans at all. Why are these things happening to me, why now? Well, we can't see the end result, not yet. But there is a reason. We just have to have faith, and trust. Like Hannah.
Let's be Hannah, we can pray about whatever it is we feel like we need, give our prayer over to the Lord. Completely, don't worry over it any more!
Have faith, in his time, your prayer will be fulfilled.
I am in the process of working on some chairs that I got out of my mom's building.
I love the look of the chairs, but they are blue, and really dirty!
Not that there is anything wrong with a blue chair but I wanted to paint them, so on Monday, I will show you the finished project!!
I know, the anticipation is killing you isn't it.
You have to wait.
This morning as I was working out with my Jillian tape, I noticed a spider.
He (or she) was slowly making their way on to the rug that I was exercising on, I was starting to panic a little because I DO NOT LIKE BUGS!!!!!
I asked myself, What would Jillian do?
So, I smashed the guts out of that spider!!! Sorry, I am not one of those people who will try to scoop it up and put it outside. If I were to do something like that it would just jump on me outside and I would end up screaming like an idiot. Besides, it was a big spider.
So, after ridding myself of the spider, and continuing on with my exercising of course, I started to wonder. Why do bugs bother me?
I guess it was something that could have happened in my childhood.
I really don't remember any traumatizing moments with bugs, except once when my cousin caught a katy did (That is like a giant green grasshopper, and no, it isn't a praying mantis), and he kept telling me he was going to put it in my hair and it would lay eggs in there.
I know, I know, everyone wants to be in my family don't they? So kind, and loving.
Anyway, we were probably 15, or 16 when that happened so I guess that couldn't have done it, could it?
Maybe some people just don't like bugs, like some people just don't like cats. (You know who you are.)
I guess that's what makes the world go round. No, that's love that makes the world go round.
Sometimes in life, we get disappointed. It is part of life, no one is immune to it. That is what makes it so difficult to watch people you care about get built up for something, only to be let down.
This is where faith, and trust come in. It is so easy to trust God when things are going along just like we want them too, but let something come along that wasn't planned and that's when we are really tested.
Even though we trust God to get us through every day, when he mixes it up a little we tend to ask him why. When something messes up our routine, or we are simply out of our comfort zone, it makes us anxious.
We forget that we are not in control, not of anything. That is hard for us to understand sometimes because society tells us we are. Luckily for us there is someone much wiser in charge. He knows what we need, and that is enough.
This week someone I cared about was disappointed, and my heart broke for them. But it was something that we had prayed about, together and separately, and if it was meant to be it would be.
Trusting God all the time, even when we are disappointed, hurting, scared, and feel alone, can be a challenge. But without him we couldn't even get through the good days.
No, the Lord is all I need
He takes care of me.
My share in life has been pleasant;
my part has been beautiful.
Psalm 17: 5,6
The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,
He leadeth me beside still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me,
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my head with oil
My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and Merci shall follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.
Psalm 23
The other day, I was listening to something on the radio that was pertaining to what our kids were learning in school.
I thought about all the things kids learn about now in school, and some of the things they don't learn.
For instance, every morning in Elementary school, we would recite the 23rd Psalm. EVERY DAY!
We would also say the Lords prayer and the pledge of allegiance.
Now I know that after 9/11, a lot of schools began doing the pledge of allegiance again, but I don't know that they still do. I am talking about public schools here, I feel sure private or Christian schools do this.
What are we teaching our kids now? I have to say that I have two teenagers and I can tell you what they don't learn.
What has happened to learning how to write? The schools spend very little time teaching kids to write. When I was in school, fourth grade to be exact. We had specific times designated to help us learn to write our letters correctly. If there was something we had trouble with, we got extra help.
How about spelling? We did spelling all through middle school. I am not sure that kids are really getting the basics, reading, writing, and arithmetic. I think because of all the new testing, and No kid left behind stuff, that kids aren't getting the basics that they need.
Kids need to be taught how to balance a check book. How to write checks. How to write letters. How to be respectful.
Maybe if they were still able to recite the 23rd Psalm things would be different. Maybe.
Yesterday,
at church I overheard a conversation between a Grandpa and his Granddaughter.
She is probably 6 or 7. Here is how it unfolded.
First let me set the scene, another Grandparent was holding her Grand baby, you know showing him off which is exactly what Grandparents are suppose to do. While everyone was oooohhing and aaaaaahing over the baby this is what unfolded.
*Please note the abbreviations.
GP: One day, I want you to have a Grand baby like that so I can hold him. But now I don't want that to happen till you are 25 or so.
GD: Why do you and Grandma argue?
GP: Me and Grandma don't argue.
GD: Yes you do, like when you are in the car going somewhere.
GP: That's not arguing, we are just having a disagreement. Everybody disagrees sometimes.
When we disagree, then we just discuss what we should do. We aren't arguing.
There isn't anybody who doesn't disagree sometimes. Everyone does that.
GD: Do they argue? (Pointing to someone)
GP: Yes, everyone does.
GD: I bet there are people in that book that argue. (Speaking about the bible)
GP: Probably.
Now I have to say that when the conversation first started, I did get the giggles. When Grandpa was going on about how they weren't arguing they were just having a discussion. I really almost lost it. I couldn't stop thinking about all the time I had had a discussion with my husband in the car.
I just thought that was so funny! And I don't know how the conversation went from grand babies to arguing. That's kids for you.
Later on, you know how the kids will go up to the front for a little childrens message. All the kids went up front. The message was about fishing for men. The lady up front happen to have a fishing pole, she said if I use worms to catch a fish, what would I use to catch men.
One very smart child said chocolate. Another threw out candy. But I definitely think they were on the right track, you will surely need food if you want to catch a man.
Kids really do say the darndest things don't they?
