The Gift List: The Giving of Thanks

I thank my God every time I remember you. -Philippians 1:3

I adore this little quirky bunch of mine and the people they are growing into. Thankful for their health and happiness. So many things to offer up thanks for.

#236-255

236.  Family gathering around the dinner table.

237. Quiet mornings in the Word.

238. "I love you" and "Thanks you" from the kids.

239. An 11-year-old who still calls me mommy.

240. Friends calling to check in on my kids.

241. Our regular visits to Chick-fil-A after Saturday Night Church.

242. Provision

242.A fridge full of food.

242. The smell of Thanksgiving filling the house.

243. Hope against all hope 

244. Wisdom from above.

245. Worship music playing 

246. A Bible in my lap.

247. Prophetic words spoken over me rehearsed and remembered.

248. Family recipes passed down.

249. A warm bed on a chilly morning.

250. Alarm clock turned off during vacation.

251. Neighbors waving hi.

252. Toddler feet running through the house.

252. Lord Have Your Way

253. Persistent in prayer.

254. The Pacific Ocean....a 20 minute drive away.

255. My babies tucked into bed: safe,warm and loved.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

On the Mend

It's been six days since kid number 2 had his tonsils and adenoids removed. It's been more of a rocky recovery than I'd anticipated. He woke up in the middle of the night a day ago in pain. And this morning it was just rough. Nothing but tears at the breakfast table until his pain medication kicked in. 

Worst thing in the world is seeing your child in pain. Despite the pain, he's been a champ and is bummed that Thanksgiving is tomorrow and he's not fully recovered. 

The other day his class sent him a get well card that every one signed. His teacher really is a gem for mailing it. And his teacher from last year also sent a card. I so appreciate his teachers. Their involvement in the kids' lives is one of the many reasons that we are making the sacrifice to send the kids to a private school.  

Thankful for great teachers and a kid who is gradually on the mend.  

11:36 p.m.

This morning I dropped this little busy blur off at daycare so I could get some work done. I knew I couldn't manage work and constantly telling her to stop jumping on the couch. I'm off for the week because the boys are out of school but I had some loose ends to tie up. Then, I got the chance to mop the floors before picking her up. I managed to get to the grocery store to go Thanksgiving shopping at 6:00 p.m. (just in time for the Ferguson announcement.) I decided not to check for the outcome on Twitter because I was sure I already knew the outcome. I was right. Discovered the grocery store was clean out of turkeys. Sad. But as I was checking out I saw a man with a turkey. Turns out, there were about 8 turkeys that they'd missed and put out just as I was leaving. I snagged a $32 turkey for $11. Came home, avoided the news but can't avoid the ache in my heart that our black boys deserve better.

This is about all I can manage today.

Makes Me Happy Monday (number 8)

Sharing a little linky love from around the web to kick off this Monday of Thanksgiving week. 

Too many women have wife aspirations with side chick ways. Hard but necessary truths from Sandra Holton. 

In A Tight Place With Profanity: Hats off to the author for doing something I always want to do in this situation.

Jesus advocates illegal prayers. Good stuff from Bob Sorge: We Have Laws for This Kind of Behavior

What Women Need For Better Bible Study: a short quick video with great points.

Why It May Be Time To Dig  Out Those Old Prophetic Words: I did this recently. We all need reminders of what God has spoken over us through someone.

Six Tips To Lose Weight at Chipotle: Love Chiptole and need to drop a few pounds. Good info. 

As a new girl mom I love this: A Prayer for Our Daughters

And a few Pinterest pins I'm adoring: gingham and leopard? Yes!, and the techie in me is happy about this alarm system. Will be looking into it. 

A Little Housekeeping...

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Sometimes What We Think is the Greatest Reward Isn't

Sometimes we forget that our whole Christian walk is about one Person, and it's not ourselves...its Jesus. He is our great reward.

If you take a look around today, ministries and recognition seem to the reward. Wanting to influence and teach and have a platform take precedence over pointing people to Jesus. Sermons touting kindness, giving and love come first rather than messages about our need for Jesus. Often times those who say they love Jesus the most mention Him the least. Wanting influence and reach isn't a bad thing, but when we want those things more than we want God, then we fall into dangerous territory.

Genesis 15:1 says: After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Abram had just come back from a battle where he had put his life on the line to rescue his nephew, Lot, but God protected him. Then he met the king of Sodom and was given one sweet offer: the choice to take some of the spoil of the battle. Before he could choose, Melchizedek (a type of Christ) came out and met him, and encouraged him by blessing him. He ended up deciding not  to take any of the spoils, lest the king of Sodom should say, I have made Abram rich.

God had just proven to Abram that He was his shield by protecting him in battle. God was also letting Him know that He wasn't just the avenue to riches, but He was indeed the riches. 

Makes me wonder how many times I've looked past God to what I think are riches when He's extending His arms to me letting me know that He is the reward I'm seeking. God promises to protect and provide for us, just as He did for Abram. 

How we short change ourselves when we simply seek things from God without realizing the treasure that lies in Him alone. 

All that we need is found in Him. I'm taking great comfort in this thought today.

Feeling Grateful vs. Living Grateful: Saturday Night Church Sermon Notes

Tonight, one of the ministers on staff shared tonight's message about living a life of gratefulness.

We sometimes think we are entitled to blessings instead of seeing them as gifts from God. Whatever state, we find ourselves in, we are to give thanks. This includes when life is miserable, when it's mundane and when God seems like He's missing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

When life is miserable do you still give thanks? Jesus gave thanks when He was about to go to the cross.  You will never miss God's  goodness if you stop looking at the bad. Even when life is miserable, God has a purpose. Point yourself to the God's goodness.

When life was mundane, Jesus gave thanks. Eating is trivial, but with Jesus nothing is trivial. Matthew 15:35-37 says that before feeding the four thousand, "He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when He had given thanks, He broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied." Jesus gave thanks for what He was about to give. We create God's goodness when we give.

When God seems like He's missing, we have to create a protocol: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. No matter were you are or what you're going through start by saying thank you and not "please Gpd." When you ask first and then say thank you later, you lose the worship. Instead of asking "when God?" thank Him instead when in the middle of a hard situation. 

You will never ben an overcomer until you learn gratitude because gratitude builds faith. We must give thanks in the beginning and the middle. We to give thanks when we receive from God. But we must remember to give thanks at the end too instead of "What's next God?" 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Jesus always gave thanks publicly. We should too. How will people know what a great Father we have if we don't tell people?

Waiting Sucks

Waiting sucks. Waiting rooms sucks. 

It's especially sucky for a highly impatient person like myself.  

So I sit here with my husband and hurry up and wait.  

And it's the not knowing that makes me anxious. Is my child okay? Are there complications? 

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

We sit and eat.  

We sit and chat.  

We sit and laugh.  

We sit and scroll through our cell phones.  

And just below the surface, we both are concerned about our baby boy.  

Then when we aren't even looking, we hear the news that all is well. Our baby is in recovery. The procedure done and behind us.  

Concern and worry give way to sighs of relief and smiles.  

We never knew that parenting would bring us such angst over a common outpatient procedure.  

But when your baby is whisked away to an operating room for what is common and routine, it suddenly seems much bigger than that and makes you appreciate little things like health and insurance and life. 

Thanking God for being on the other side of waiting and for desires fulfilled.  

Open Up Let the Light In {Letting God's Word In on Every Dark Area}

Every morning when I wake up, one of the first things I do is open up all the curtains in the house. Letting in the sunlight has always been a priority. It helps to warm the place up and let’s the little one know the sun is up, so they should be too.

Even when my oldest wakes up before me, he’s taken on the habit of letting the sun in. I enjoy waking up and seeing early morning sunlight pouring in. Then, I look around and see that the sun, while beautiful, is shining its light on some not-so-beautiful things like: all the dusting that needs to be done, the millions of tiny fingerprints on the windows, the sticky square of juice that some kid of mine spilled on the hardwood floors and the yogurt that another kid wiped on one of the couch cushions.

Light has a way of being beautiful while at the same time shining a light on the ugly.

. . .

Listening to Steffany Gretzinger's Open Up Let the Light In made me think about the verse: The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130 (NKJV)

The entrance of God’s Word into our hearts brings Divine light and glorious revelation of the scriptures. But it also shines its way into those dark areas of our lives that we’d rather not look at.

But everything that is exposed to the light becomes visible, Ephesians 5:13 International Standard Version

 It’s not just the hearing or the reading, but the opening up of ourselves to the light that gives light. We know that we can hear and the Word can fall or be snatched away.

Today I’m thankful for a life that’s open to the light, even when it’s painful, ugly and downright embarrassing to see that shadowy areas of my life that I’ve tried to turn my back on.

God, help me to continually open up and let the light in.

Dear Daddy {a letter of gratitude to my father on the 5th year anniversary of his death}

It’s been five years today since my father left us. Sometimes (a lot of times I just want to pick up the phone and talk to him). Since I can't phone him, the next best thing is writing a letter.

Dear Daddy,

The last week of your life was painful (for you and for us). For some reason, you couldn’t talk. Maybe it was the drugs to sedate you or maybe it was the pain. Either way, I wish that you would have been able to share some last words with us on what we now know was to be your death bed. I wanted you to hold our hands and tell us how much you loved us and how proud of me you were for this accomplishment and that one for bringing your grandchildren into the world. I knew all of these things already but I still wanted to hear them.

I wish you could have given voice to your greatest regret and your greatest pain. I realize that though I’d know you my whole life, there were still areas of your life that were a mystery. I’m so grateful when my mother shares little tidbits that I didn’t know.

What I do know is that you loved us in your own quiet, reserved way. At a time when many daddies abandoned homes, you were there, even if you weren’t perfect. You had to pave your way through boyhood, manhood and fatherhood because your own father wasn’t there. Thank you for what you were able to piece together.

And thank you for your smile that charmed strangers wherever we went. Your kindness to others built bridges that have endured for years. Still, people tell me "oh how much I loved your father and his beautiful smile." 

Thank you for a love of books, words and poetry. I remember a letter you wrote to me during my freshman year at Howard. You referred to us (those who love to pen words) as a unique breed. I never saw us that way until you penned those words. 

Thank you for playing music of every genre in the house. You expanded my musical horizons more than you know. I hear Marvin Gaye, Kenny Rankin, Carole King and The Commodores  and think of you. 

Thank you for having a soft spot for kids and the elderly. In an era when kids were seen but not heard, you took the time to hear and see us. I'll forever love you for that. 

Meeting grandson number two for the first time.

Thank you for loving your grandchildren immensely. I have such great stories to tell them about your deep and abiding love for them. I only wish you were here to see them growing up. We talk about you so much that even baby girl says your name when she sees a picture of you. You'd be so tickled by that.

We miss your contagious laughter, your knowledge of just about everything under the sun, your superb cooking, and of course, your smile.

I still haven't gone to visit your gravesite. Even after all these years, I'm just not ready. Maybe one day soon....Until then, I'll hold onto all the good memories and the love. Most of all, the love.

Forever,

Your first-born daughter.

Here's a video I made a year after his death. Click through if you can't see it.

~Remembering Daddy.... from NONSuperwoman on Vimeo.