A Little Thinking and a LOT of Catch-up...

Since it's Sunday, I'm going to use my Sunday Seven (plus) to do some thinking and some catch up today:

1.  I found this quote while doing some study the other day:

"Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live. The law tells me how crooked I am. Grace comes along and straightens me out.” -Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899)

It struck me as such a powerful thought that God's grace continually helps improve who I am.  It also covers me in those times when I am SO crooked.  I love that thought!

2.  I let it come and go and I really shouldn't have!  DH and I have been married for 23 years as of last Sunday evening.  Sunday morning someone congratulated us and said, "23 years of married bliss."  I thought about that.  It's been 23 years, though not always blissful.  Sometimes marriage is just hard work and commitment.  Other times bliss abounds and you know that the hard work and commitment are so worth it.  I think THIS is what defines us and our marriage.  God is good and I am so glad to be married to this wonderful man!

3.  Teachers returned to duty last Monday.  This meant a week of learning about our new Principal and hearing how things were going to run this year under her leadership.  It will be different.  I know she made a HUGE effort to balance the week with a little fun, a little dose of her expectations, and celebration for who we are as a school staff.  It was busy, but good.  Her theme this year is "Cruisin' to Success" and everything is being built around the metaphor of cruising.  There is no question that it will be a year of learning to navigate my role on the ship.  And that's OK with me.

4.  Students returned on Friday for our Open House and "Meet Your Teacher".  Our church has formed a really neat partnership with the school and has done several servant events for the families there.  Each year, we have donated school supplies to be distributed to children without them.  This year, the new Principal gave us permission to actually set up a location and distribute them during this event.  We had 11 adults and 9 youth there distributing school supplies!

5.  This event is definitely worth two bullets in my list!  I have to say that watching it was absolutely amazing! I would check kids off a list and then a volunteer would get that student and help them choose one of 350 backpacks donated by the Rotary Club.  Then they would take their school supply list and let them go select five more things for the backpack!  I loved hearing the connections people made with the kids.  I loved watching parent's faces as they realized that the list would be met without financial strain.  It was an amazing outpouring of love!

6.  I went school supply shopping for my own kiddos this week.  I am so thankful that we have the resources to assure that our kids go to school lacking nothing.  I don't take it for granted.  I remember days when it would have been much more difficult for us and thus, for them.

7.  We had a lovely trip to see my family yesterday.  I love just visiting, sharing food, and laughing with them. Though I had a terrible headache all day long, it was a highlight of my weekend.  I am blessed that we are so close.  And I love the fact that we can just BE together with no other agenda.

7+.  And an extra blessing I received this week...was a lovely gift from Edie over at Rich Gifts.  She sent me a beautifully crafted initial "S" to hang on a wall.  (I will take a pic of it and post...my camera is dead and I can't get any pics off of it right now.)  Anyway, Edie surprised me with a note a few months back and said that she had created this piece for an Etsy shop she was going to start.  God took her in another direction and she was wondering what to do with it.  Then she said she thought of me and wondered if it had been meant for me all along.  Edie, it is absolutely GORGEOUS and I was BLESSED beyond belief that you thought of me. And actually when you did, it was a very rough time where I was struggling with WHO I am and whether God was always listening to me.  It is going to serve as a reminder that  he DOES know my name and is always there.

So, there you have it...some thoughts...and a catch-up all here on a Sunday morning.  Doing the Sunday Seven reminds me just how richly blessed I am!

Sunday--FUNday!

Another week comes to an end. Or is Sunday the beginning for you? Honestly, I know it comes at the front side of all my calendars, but I think of it as the end of the week. Maybe that's because I work on Monday. I don't know.

Either way I love Sunday. It is the day we go to church and worship. It is often a day of family and laughter. Today it will be a day of all of these. We are headed to church this morning. After that, we are headed to our local beach to give away free hotdogs, chips and cold water. This is part of our servant evangelism here in our city. When people ask WHY it's free? We say, "Its our way of saying God loves you!" Sometimes that is the end of the interaction and others it opens up the door for some excellent conversation.

In other parts of my brain I have been so reflective this past week. I don't know if it's just one of those times when I am a bit melancholy or what. It could even be the fact that we've read and heard about some families in our area experiencing some tragic losses. Whatever the impetus, I think it's good to stop and really count our blessings. As I do that, I realize that my needs really are very few and my "wants" become so minor in the face of all I have.

By way of updates:

• DS 1 got to attend the UofF and UT football game yesterday. I think it was his first time. I'm sure he had a great time.
• DS 2 played Ultimate Frisbee yesterday for one of the state teams. They will now go to sectionals in Atlanta.
• DS 3 is planning to be in his school's airband competition. Thank goodness they are no longer planning to perform Vanilla Ice's "Ice, Ice Baby". Can't reveal what they ARE going to do.
• DS 4 was pricing out an Escalade Hybrid yesterday...yes, you read that right. He's still my dreamer...and, at 10yo, thinks that he could have one when he's 16. Whatever!?!
• DH is planning his next round of consulting. It's going to be pretty extensive. I'm so glad he is able to continue doing what he loves.
• I had an opportunity to really get out and surf some new blogs yesterday. I haven't done that in forever. It's such a blessing to meet and discover new bloggers!

That's pretty much it from my neck of the woods! Happy Sunday everyone!

Why whine when we're blessed?

I have to tell you, I can be a whiner sometimes. I try not to do it. I try to keep my chin up and not complain. But occasionally the whine slips through my filter and right out into the open.

If you read my last post, then you know that I've been a little stressed at work. I know that ultimately my moving is the "right thing"...but it DOES NOT make it easy. And it doesn't mean that I am not a bit emotional over the whole thing. It would be easy to get stuck in the muck and the mire, but I am making the choice to make the best of it and muddle through my emotions to take the next step in location.

I have to say, though, in the last 24 hours I have been the recipient of MORE blessings than I can count. Right in the midst of my whining!

It started with the food delivery and box top pile. Last night, I came home later than usual. My wonderful in-laws had dropped off "Grandma's Kitchen" for us...complete with new foods to taste-test. On the fridge was a note telling us what had been delivered. The thing that really got me was the P.S. from my MIL. She saw a mountain of General Mills Box Tops on my counter that needed to be cut. The P.S. asked if I wanted her to do that for me. I gotta' tell you this simple offer made me cry on the spot! Even though it seemed like a small "mountain"...I had been trying to finish the task admist everything else for a couple of days.

Today, my sweet DS 2 offered to come help me move stuff to my new room. Now please understand that this is the same son who helped move from my old office to my "new old" office just a few months ago. He got his grandfather, my FIL, to come with him. Right when they arrived, it started raining and it did not stop for the rest of the afternoon. Yet, those two did NOT stop! Thanks to them there is only a small bit left to do tomorrow and then I can concentrate on getting stuff put away and organized.

At home I had been preparing to host a Tastefully Simple party for my neighbor who is a consultant. I'd been promising her for months that I would do this. I had several people RSVP and ready to come this evening. DS 3 totally made sure things were ready to "Mom's specifications" around the house before I came home.

At five o'clock, I got a call from my neighbor (the consultant) who told me that she'd been running a fever and was getting worse. She had already had the food ready to go with the help of her family. My party was at 6:30. She said she was going to send it over and let us enjoy it.

I immediately called my friend Sandy who loves to cook. She said not to worry she'd be here to help. And she was....we just faked our way right through the party and had a blast sampling and tasting the stuff. My friends are simply the best as they didn't care either way...they are so flexible and helpful and just all around super people.

After they left, I sat with my boys and once again reflected on all my blessings. I think I'll count them tonight as my head hits the pillow...as I sing "You'll fall asleep counting your blessings!"

Night!

Anticipation...and a blessing...

I'm anticipating today. There is a much-loved surprise coming to my DS 4 and I can't wait to take part in it. I will be videoing and hope to post it later.

I'm going to be BRIEF...but I have to say what a GREAT "Santa" my FIL is! He helped carry out operation Santa today in a BIG WAY! I'm blessed for sure!

I'll check back in later.

Thanksgiving Reflections

This weekend has been FANTASTIC! Although it's only been five days long, I feel like it's been weeks since I've been at work. We had a house full for Thanksgiving. One of the highlights of my day was a call from DS 1! This phone picture was the closest we could get to including him in our Turkey Day Photo Journal. DH does an AWESOME job cooking the turkey! Here he shows off all the yummy food cooking in the oven. I'm so thankful for him and his contribution to our celebration. He's ever patient when my head is spinning on my shoulders exorcist style. I love that man!
We decided to serve our food up buffet style this year. It worked out pretty well, I think. Here's the crew getting their Thanksgiving "grub"!
We moved our living room furniture out so that we could all sit together. Isn't this a fine looking bunch? DH and I had both of our immediate families here (sans DS 1 and our oldest niece). And, having my Grandmother and her friend Dick join us from Ohio was an extra blessing.

Here's the second table. There were 23 of us in all.
We took an opportunity with Grandma here to take a family photo earlier in the day. This includes all of us except DS 1.

I love having our family around us on this special holiday. It's really what it's all about, isn't it?

Next up: A Black Friday Coffee Give Away Report

An Open Letter

Dear Mr. Grocery Bagger Man,

I know you were hired by our largest grocery chain to bag groceries despite your disabilities. In fact, this chains hires many people with disabilities as part of its service to our community. I also know that many many people probably look at you and think about all the things you "can't" do. In other words, they see you as a limited man.

Today, I want to encourage you, though. For I see you as a huge bundle of possibility and promise. For today you were my 9-year-old's biggest blessing.

When we piled all the groceries on the belt and you saw his birthday cake, you immediately noticed him. My little man. You sang to him with great gusto...and even used his name! (Thanks to that cake.) You talked to him about the exciting event that will happen for him later---his "mini-party". You even noticed his soccer shirt and offered to come play soccer at the party with him and his friends.

And then, you did the unthinkable.

You reached in your wallet and handed this nine-year-old boy that you do not know a dollar and said again, "Happy Birthday!"

Your possibilities are endless! You have a great capacity to bless people and to make them smile.

This Mother is glad our paths crossed today! For you reminded me just how simple it is to put a smile on someone else's face. I mean he was beaming just from the song...but you even went an extra mile to make him feel so special.

My son and I said a special prayer of thanks for you and your blessing today. We asked God to send you a special blessing in return.

Thank you,

A Grateful Mother

Sunday Seven

A weekly meme for giving thanks and/or for noting important things in our lives.

1. I am so glad that my boys live their lives to the fullest. Each one is busy in his own way and "going for the gusto" (as my Dad used to say) in each of their lives. Sometimes it leaves my head spinning, but it's a pleasure to watch none-the-less.

2. I was able to reconnect with a friend this week in a very special way. She and I were college roommates and have kept up with each other through Christmas cards over the years. This week, though, we had the opportunity to speak via phone and I was so blessed. We will speak again next week as we share where God has taken each of us and catch up on our families.

3. I had the pleasure of spending Saturday with my extended family at Sea World. It was hot, but fun. I think the kids had a great time as did the grown-ups.

4. My Sister-in-Law, Heather, is back in the hospital. Will you please add her to your prayer lists? I'm thankful that there is this extended Christian community of bloggers that can and do pray for one another. And I am so glad to know that God is healing her day by day.

5. I'm thankful for the privilege of attending the church of my choice on Sunday mornings. Reading the journey of Melli and Baba as they've reconnected with the church, I am reminded of the fact that we all find meaning in different places. Also, Danielle had some very thought-provoking posts about this type of thing this week.

6. I am grateful for resources and blessings that allow us to give our children a wide variety of experiences. I loved taking DS 4 to Sea World yesterday...but I also loved spending time there the night before just enjoying each other and the state in which we live.

7. I am thankful for a job that is a blessing to me. It allows me to live out my passion every single day. I have the pleasure of working with children and adults and helping them discover the joy of reading and teaching about reading. I can think of no greater privilege than teaching others...and I'm so thankful that God placed me in this profession.

P.S. I chose this header because this is kind of what it looked like outside this morning. We were definitely so thankful for much needed rain!!