Thankfulness Journal - Day 7 & 8

Wednesday - Day 7

Believe it or not I was up at 5:30 on my day off. I can't believe I was able to do that but so thankful. I knew if I didn't get up and get to the gym it wouldn't happen that day and I knew I would be sorry if I didn't. So I was at the gym by 6:00 a.m. and worked out until 7:15, came home and ate breakfast and had devotions on the back porch (puppy yard time again!). I was treated to the most beautiful sky. Because storm clouds were rolling in, the sky was a beautiful gray-blue. I can't describe the color, it was not anything I had seen before. But I would have loved to take a piece of it to Home Depot and gotten a paint in that color, but I think it was a color only God could make.

Left the house at about 7:45 to drop Oliver off for grooming--his first hair cut! I got home before Popdaddy was up and read my Bible before making breakfast for him--and I ate again. I guess all the early working out made me hungry! But it was a good fellowship time. I got caught up on laundry (although I am sad to say it is still sitting unfolded in a laundry basket!).

And then the best joy of my day--I got to help home school Caitlin and Grant. I had offered to give her a day so that she could spend one on one time with each one of her kids. And Jacob got to be first. We had lunch together. Popdaddy turned on cartoons for the kids (he always wants to turn the TV to something the kids would like when they are over) and they enjoyed watching Diego while we ate grilled cheese sandwiches. Then I got to hear Grant read and practice the guitar while Caitlin rewrote an essay in cursive. The real fun was sitting around the dining room table while they made apple pomanders and I read to them from the Light and the Glory and then from their science book about Manatees (and I got to tell them about seeing some when we were in Florida a few years ago). We had just finished that when Tiff came to pick them up. What a joy!

Another blessing of the day was that Ryan and Shawn both were home for supper at the same time and we all five sat in the dining room and had smorgasbord (my name for eating the leftovers in the fridge!) Bill and I then left for Bible Study and Popdaddy had a visit with Pat, the Hospice volunteer who comes to visit with him every other Wednesday. It was a good study although by this time I was running out of steam and had trouble stifling yawns.

What a full day of blessings!

Thursday - Day 8

Today I am grateful for:

• Being able to move after the workout I had yesterday (although I could feel just about every muscle)
• Rain--we need it so badly
• Sweet people to work with and get me through a trying day of hard-to-get along with high schoolers (a story that doesn't need to be told here!) and a grumpy husband who was having his own struggles with hard-to-get along with people (another story not to be shared here)
• A surprise from my secret pal at school--a beautiful tea cup and my favorite flavors of teas and a box of low fat cookies that were really yummy.
• Energy to get through the day when I would really rather be curled up at home with a good book listening to the rain and napping a bit