Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts

Christmas Musing


It's the day after Christmas. There's still gift bags and tissue paper piled high on the loveseat. The coffee table is full of Christmas bounty. Jason's back to work. Julian is crawling around the house in his new sleeping bag pretending to be a worm. Jane is sleeping off a crazy jam session in her fancy exersaucer. I'm feeling the usual mixed emotions that come with the holidays. This week between Christmas and New Years is always kind of long and strange, especially with school being out.

 We spent Christmas day with my in laws. I'm so lucky to get along with them well. My mother in law made it a relaxed, delicious, beautiful time. We've established a tradition. We open presents at our home and then head over there for breakfast and time with all the family. At some point presents are opened. By noon, everyone heads back to their houses for a Christmas nap. We don't have other family in town so we go back for a nice holiday dinner. There's usually a non-related guest or two that joins us. It's a nice day.


 I do miss my family though. My parents are overseas. My brother is in California and my sister and her family live in Texas. We try to talk, or at least text, Christmas day, but I think that only makes us miss each other more! For me, there's always a little undercurrent that something is missing during the holiday season and I know it's being with my family. Hopefully we'll all be able to celebrate together in 2015.

 I also went into this Christmas thinking that there would not be many presents under the tree. We've had medical  bills to pay off, stuff with the cars, and just a lot of financial drama this year. Jane is pretty small so I wasn't worried about her being disappointed, but Julian has had some major Christmas hauls in past years. I also love finding perfect gifts for friends and family members so, by my own choice, I normally have quite a few people to shop for. This year, we had to seriously slim down the list. We mostly just bought for our kids, nieces & nephews and our parents. 

 Much to my surprise (and gratitude!), we were flooded with gifts from family and friends. The grandparents got the kids' big items: a bike for Julian and a deluxe exersaucer for Jane. I'm pretty sure neither of the children minded that some their gifts from us were not entirely new. Julian even said that this was the best Christmas ever. We all loved hearing that!

Of course, as much as family means and as fun as all the gifting is, the real meaning of Christmas also brings me mixed emotions. I can't express enough thankfulness that I don't have to earn God's acceptance. Jesus made that possible, so celebrating His birth is the highlight of my year. This holiday and the whole Jesus story is about love, forgiveness, acceptance, peace... and it makes me very sad that those are not words that are associated with Christians in general any more. That's another blog post entirely though! 

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Armed Forces

Sunday, September 16th~  Went to a farewell party to a friend headed off to basic training in a couple days. I don't know that there's a specific stereotype for who joins the military, but the people I know who serve are good-hearted, intelligent and reliable. It gives me confidence to have people like that protecting our country. Politics are rarely black and white and public opinion of the military is always shifting. I think shows and movies like "Last Resort" really undermine the public respect of the armed services. If you stop and think about the people you personally know who serve, are they not people who deserve respect and gratitude? 

 

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Safety

Tuesday, September 11th~

 I'm watching the strangest thing on a local tv station. It appears to be a modern dance troupe performing a They Might Be Giants tribute. They have on sheer white outfits. You can totally see everyone's underwear through them. Seems weird that that would be intentional, but I can't image them missing it. Anyway...

 Today is the 11th anniversary of 9/11. I still don't know what to say about that day. I still feel a little shock if I allow myself to really dwell on it. My heart will always go out to the families of the victims. Makes me thankful for the safety my family experiences on a daily basis.

 







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God Provides

Sunday, September 2, 2012~
    
   My most most lucrative business venture is my Etsy shop. I have to  be able to photograph my jewelry and vintage pieces so I can list them. The photos have to be clear and detailed, so it's vital that I have a decent camera. Last year, prior to heading to Asia, I got a little Nikon Coolpix from a pawn store. It was brand new and I felt that is was sufficient. You may have read that it broke this weekend. It's a lens error. I investigated having it repaired and that was going to cost almost what I paid for the camera. I admit to feeling some despair over that.

   I have quite a few photographer friends so I went on Facebook and just asked if anyone had a good camera they'd graduated from that they'd be willing to sell. Then the phone rang.... my brother-in-law had seen my post. My sister-in-law is a very good photographer and she'd been given an amazing camera for Christmas. Her old, but good, one was just sitting in a closet, so they offered it to me. They won't let me give them any money for it. I feel a little weird about that. I'm going to offer to let my SIL pick a piece of jewelry from my shop and, of course, I'll babysit anytime. My BIL loves food, so I'm also thinking I can make a nice dinner for them too.
    So once again God provides for me. It's only September, but in my journal, I already have an entire page just filled with how our needs have been met this year- most of the time in very unexpected ways! I know a lot of people find belief in God to be ignorance, but I look at just the last 9 months and how we've been crazy blessed and my heart just knows that God deserves all the credit and thanks.
   Here's a few more Etsy listings I just posted!

Tyn Llan Celtic box from Wales

Old metal sake decanter

Trimont ware pedestal bowl
 

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My Thanks

July 21, 2012~


  
My Thanks
 
People everywhere in life
From every walk and station,
From every town and city
And every state and nation
Have given me so many things
Intangible and dear,
I couldn't begin to count them all
Or even make them clear...
I only know I owe so much
To people everywhere
And when I put my thoughts in verse
It's just a way to share
The musings of a thankful heart,
A heart much like your own,
For nothing I think or write
Is mine and mine alone...
So if you found some beauty
In any word or line,
It's just your soul's reflection
In proximity with mine.
 
~Helen Steiner Rice

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25 Thanks

Saturday, July 7, 2012~


Yes, I've been down lately, but I still have a lot to be thankful for. While I'm not going to attempt the One Thousand Gifts thing, I am going to list 25 things I'm thankful for right now, today.
  1. My dreamy husband
  2. My happy son
  3. My loyal dog
  4. The roof over my head
  5.  Jesus
  6. My trusty Nissan
  7. Our honest mechanic
  8. Julian having godly grandparents and great grandparents
  9. Good online sales
  10. The big box fan Jason got me
  11. My sister and her family and how good Texas has been for them
  12. My soul sisters: Rebecca, Faith, Heather, Roxanne, Ruth
  13. My brother and his cooking
  14. Nacho Libre
  15. Clean water
  16. Grounded for Life reruns
  17.  Loyal goalies
  18. The Chocomania collection
  19. It's not raining
  20. Michael’s Bleu Burger
  21. Wash and wear hair
  22. Indoor plumbing
  23. Dilmah Peach & Lychee tea
  24. Fuel Perks
  25. Wes Anderson movies

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