Friday, August 28, 2009

Top 10 Things I'm Thankful For Today

An attitude of gratitude is an important one to have, and in an effort to hone mine, here are my top 10 things I'm thankful for today:

10) Another sunny, hot day in the desert where I can admire palm trees and beautiful rock formations not too far from our home.
9) A fixed bike trailer so that I can take the kids to school on my bike with Denali in tow and Aubrielle on her bike. (Thanks, to my wonderful hubby!)
8) A beautiful (and somewhat shady) greenbelt path to ride traffic free all the way to school
7) Sleeping through the night last night with no headache to wake me up
6) Knowing that I have lifelong, deep friendships - even if those friends don't live where I do
5) Plans for the weekend to celebrate Aubrielle's 8th birthday - and all the years we've had with her as part of our family.
4) New workout shorts and shirts that I found at Target yesterday on clearance - so cheap AND cute!
3) Being reminded yesterday that I am not walking in the sand of the desert all by myself.
2) Finishing all of my blog writing (for work) before 8 am this morning! My weekend has already begun.
1) A sense of peace that all will eventually work out the way it needs to, and there are good things still to come.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Persist


So, after what has been a VERY trying last several weeks, I have found myself (once again!) stuck. Stuck pitying myself and my situation, stuck wishing for something that I cannot have, stuck asking God "why me?" at every turn.

I got a phone call from a dear friend this morning because she sensed that I needed to talk. She called me despite being in a very trying situation herself, but she wasn't focused on herself. She was focused on me and how I was doing, and I was touched and humbled. We spent some time talking about our circumstances, how they are the same, yet different. She told me about how God has made Himself very real to her in her own struggles lately and how He appears on the faces of people in her life. Now she is actively looking for Him in faces all around her, and she's finding Him.

If I pay attention, I can see Him, too. I saw Him last night in my 8 year old, who, for no apparent reason, suddenly came over to me and gave me a big hug. I saw Him in my friend who called today out of the blue. I saw Him in the very kind girl behind the counter at Fuddrucker's (where Denali and I had lunch) when she offered me Denali's lunch for free because of some promotion they are starting this evening (well after lunch is over). And, when I was driving around this afternoon, running some errands, I saw Him in a license plate. I quickly snapped a picture of it when we were stopped at a light.


I'm going to persist. I have it on very good authority that it will all be worth it someday.

Friday, August 21, 2009

What have I been up to??

First, I need to apologize for my lack of blogging this month, and part of last. This headache and the ensuing drama it has caused has left much of my "normal" life in its wake. Still working on that.

Secondly, my free time and creative juices have been poured lately into a new adventure I'm pursuing with a company that I worked for 3 years ago. I love this company, called Lifebushido, because the president and founder has big ideas and it is poised to revolutionize the work at home field by honing in on people, like me, who have chosen to stay home with kiddos, but still want to earn some extra income with very part time work.

Anyway, I've been blessed with the opportunity to take over blogging for one of this company's blogs, and a couple of other blogging assignments related to the virtual assistant services we offer. I thought I'd direct you all to the work I've been doing for Lifebushido, because, if I do say so myself, I think the content is pretty good and applies to everyone, whether they're in the business field or the CEO of their home.

Let me know what you think! And sign up to be a follower over at the Lifebushido blog, if you want, too! :)

Monday, August 10, 2009

Denali's 4th Birthday recap

For those (actually, for all of you!) who weren't here
to celebrate Denali's birthday with us, here's a snapshot of the day!
Enjoy! :)








Saturday, August 8, 2009

Celebrating Today!

Today my baby girl turns 4! I cannot believe just how fast this time has gone. Denali has brought so much laughter and joy into our house, and we are so blessed to have her in our family. Enjoy these great photos from these last four years with Denali!


Wednesday, August 5, 2009

An update, and some things I'm learning

So, turns out that I spoke a bit too soon almost two weeks ago when I proclaimed that my pain was a thing of the past. It did improve briefly, then took a sharp turn for the worse - which explains my lack of blogging all this time. I've had a couple of horrific days of intense pain that has been difficult to get on top of. Those days were followed by the past two days of waking up pain free (and in disbelief!) then settling into a very minor version of the pain I've experienced. I don't know if I'm out of the woods, or if there will be more downswings, but I'll take any improvement! Anyway, that is the short update.

I was reading in my devotional, _Streams in the Desert_ a couple of days ago, and this poem struck a chord - it's about the things we leave undone. I thought I'd share and hope it brings you some things to ponder, too.

It isn't the things you do, dear,
It's the things you leave undone,
That gives you the bitter heartache
At the setting of the sun;
The tender word unspoken,
The letter you did not write,
The flower you might have sent, dear,
Are your haunting ghosts at night.

The stone you might have lifted,
Out of your brother's way,
The bit of heartfelt counsel
You were hurried too much to say;
The loving touch of the hand, dear,
The gentle and winsome tone,
That you had no time or thought for,
With troubles enough of your own.

These little acts of kindness,
So easily out of mind,
These chances to be angels,
Which even mortals find -
They come in nights of silence,
To take away the grief,
When hope is faint and feeble,
And a drought has stopped belief.

For life is all too short, dear,
And sorrow is all too great,
To allow our slow compassion,
That tarries until too late.
And it's not the thing you do, dear,
It's the thing you leave undone,
That gives you the bitter heartache,
At the setting of the sun.

~ Adelaide Proctor