Thankful Thursday

Sometimes. . . when it's a particularly disappointing day. . . the best thing to do is give thanks.  I know there are hard things.  In our nation.  In our families.  In our lives.   Even the weather is yucky.  But today, I choose thankfulness.  Choosing to be thankful, is choosing to remember that the sovereign Lord God is in control.  Our hope is in Christ alone.

1.  Air conditioning.  That works.  And it helps to close the blinds and keep the lights off, too.

2.  Dinner in the crock pot, smelling yummy.

3.  Clean kitchen, somewhat orderly house, and clean folded laundry.

4.  A husband who has a job that he loves.

5.  A son who also has a job that he loves.

6.  A good week of football camp finished up.  Giving me two very tan, tired, boys.

7.  Snuggles with my Little Man.

8.  Phengren for upset tummies.  Times two.

9.  A day "off", resting with my girls.

10.  "Lark Rise to Candleford".  We've watched two episodes today and we love it!

11.  Vacation to look forward to (assuming the entire state of Colorado doesn't go up in flames - yikes!).

12.  A neighborhood that is mostly shaded for my morning run, even when I don't make it out there before 8 because of little sick tummies, bowls of cereal, and phone calls.

13.  Granddad's and Grandmother's neighborhood pool for daily swims.

14.  Friends and their babies to swim with us!

15.  A yard full of cool green trees.

16.  Birds to watch at the bird feeder (two pairs of cardinals, in particular) and hummingbirds, too.

17.  Ceiling fans.

18.  An evening without basketball practice or volleyball practice or 7 on 7 football.  They are few and far between.  And such a gift.

19.  OnCue drinks with lots of ice.

20.  Sprinkler systems and a whole crew of our own boys to keep the lawn looking lovely.

Today we woke up (after a short night sleep because of a little girl with a tummy ache in our room all night) and I decided we'd take the day off.  No errands.  No extra jobs.  No projects.

I went for my run, showered, supervised breakfast and morning cleanup, started dinner in the crockpot, picked up Daughter (#2) at school, ran to the store for Sprite, supervised lunch, and then a bit of quiet time, then back to school to pick up the boys from camp, fill up the car with gas, and drop Daughter (#2) back at school for volleyball.

Believe it or not, it's been a quiet, restful day.

So very much to be grateful for.

God is on His throne and I can choose to submit to the blessings AND the trials of this day.  Choose to "lean into" the Lord.  Lean HARD into Him.  Not fighting, kicking, screaming, resisting (although I do my share of that, too!).  But resting in Him, even when things don't make sense and our minds can't understand.

Make the Lord give you His grace for a grateful heart, today.

Summertime!

It's hard to believe that just four weeks ago, the Coach and I were packing up to go to Chicago by ourselves for an amazing four days.  It was so very wonderful, restful, romantic, fun. . . we just had the best time!

Three weeks ago, we were packing up our two oldest off to Rwanda with Reaching Souls International.  They saw over 14,000 people saved.  Yes.  I said fourteen THOUSAND.  Life-changing, I tell you.  For them AND for us.

Two weeks ago, the kids and I celebrated my 39th birthday. . . with Starbucks in the morning, dress shopping, Madagasscar 3 at the matinee, dinner at Chipotle with the kids (minus our two oldest) and the Coach, the Thunder game, and the MOST AMAZING CAKE EVER from Lori.  Amazing.

Last week, we were mid-VBS (for three), girls' basketball camp (for two), jury duty (for me - yay.), and were preparing to welcome our very own missionaries back home from their two weeks away.

I don't suppose it's necessary to say that this Summer has been busy.

And we continue struggling to find the balance in it all.

Needing desperately to get things done that we don't have time for during school - cleaning out, organizing, projects.  But also seriously needing FUN time. . .swimming, playing, friends. . . after such a hectic school year for the troops.

Understanding more fully each and every day, what matters for ETERNITY (and it's not cleaned out cabinets, by the way) and yet realizing, too, that the groceries still need to be bought, the meals have to be made, the laundry has to be done, none of which will last even a day.

Loving and finding joy in the blessed life the Lord has given us. . . healthy kids, lots of laughter, a home we love, a job the Coach enjoys, family close by.  Yet, our lives are also burdened with pain, trials, heart-ache. . . as we struggle to submit to the "hard" and find joy there, too.

So maybe the theme for this Summer is balance.  Letting some things go (like the blog) so we can enjoy some others (the laughter at the pool).  Remembering that the PEOPLE (particularly my Coach and my eight troops) matter more than the Projects.  That a relaxed mom matters more than a perfectly clean house. That the TIME with each other matters more than crossing things off the to-do list.  And our HOPE?  It's in Christ. . . not in our ability to handle it all on our own.

And especially thankful for grace. . .