A busy weekend--and a lot of thankfulness to catch up on! I am thankful that I was available on Thursday night when I got a call from Tiffany that she was on her way to the ER with Quinn who had fallen down the steps and broken his arm. Brent was on his way home from Hagerstown so she needed someone to meet her and pick up the other kids so they weren't hanging out at the hospital. I am thankful that Ryan was also home because Bill was out with the Suburban and I couldn't fit all three kids in my back seat. Ryan followed me and brought Caitlin home while I brought Grant and Jacob. I am also thankful that I had been past Harford Memorial the week before and knew where it was; otherwise, it might have been difficult for us to find it in the dark.
I am thankful that I have a job that allows me the flexibility to be able to stay home on Friday so Caitlin, Grant and Jacob could spend the night rather than Brent and Tiffany having to pick them up after midnight. Another evidence of God's perfect timing was that Dad's caregiver, Deneen, came on Friday morning to find that I was still home. Her baby had had her up half the night with a cold and she was very happy to be able to go home and back to bed!
Of course, we are all thankful for God's protection over little Quinn and the easing of his pain.
I am thankful for the three days of rain that replenished the earth. And how beautiful was the sunshine when it stopped! The weather was so beautiful on Sunday that we were able to take Dad out for a drive and, although the trees hadn't really done much changing in our area, it was still a nice drive and he enjoyed getting out and enjoying the sunshine.
It was an unusually calm Monday at school which was wonderful. We had the opportunity to meet our new senior, an exchange student from China. His host family is a home schooling family who was familiar with the school because their 14 year old son takes Bill's biology class. He is a very bright young man, with an engaging smile. He will be taking the SAT's for the first time on Saturday and is nervous about the vocabulary, but plans to apply to MIT for next year. Of course, Kim Lindner was very interested to meet and talk with him. And all the seniors are excited about having him join the class. What a wonderful opportunity all around!
God is so good!
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
This morning I started my day by eating breakfast on the back porch while I let Oliver have a little yard time before I went to work. I was treated by a beautiful sunrise that I would have probably missed in my busyness to get ready for work--had it not been for a puppy who isn't quite housebroken yet! So I guess I am thankful for a weak bladder today! But I am thankful for a calm day enabling me to not only accomplish a lot of tasks at church but have time for some chit chat, both phone and in the office. The third grade teacher, Jolene Muckerman and I both share a love for cups of tea and she almost always comes in at least once a day to fix us each a cup. Today she had a little time to sit and chat while we sipped and, of course, since it is a school and she is a teacher our conversation went to students. That led me to reminisce about my own elementary school days, a mediocre time in my life to say the least. I remembered that I didn't test well, I guess just getting nervous and freezing up. But I apparently did well on standardized tests they gave every year. I still remember being relieved when the teacher would stand in front of the class, explaining the test and that it wouldn't count and just do your best. Apparently with the pressure of it "counting" off, I could relax and just show what I actually knew. But when my mother would have a conference with the teacher, she would explain to my mom that I wasn't "working up to my potential". I guess because my performance didn't match my test scores. My mother would then come home and admonish me to try harder and work up to my potential. I had no idea what that meant and thought I was working as hard as I could--it was a vicious cycle! I didn't hit my stride until college when I finally starting excelling in my studies--I guess because it was something I wanted to learn and I had a goal in sight. The other memory I had today was another time my mother had a conference with my 2nd grade teacher. The teacher informed my mom that I was a good reader, but had trouble "reading between the lines". So my mother dutifully came home and repeated this to me. I got out my reading book and closely examined the pages but never could find anything but blank space between the lines of print!
Today I am thankful for:
- God creating beautiful sunrises just to give us joy
- friends to laugh with
- friends to work with
- a dad that is a joy to be with
- a caring person to take care of Dad when I can't (he is getting so forgetful that he doesn't remember taking his meds only minutes after taking them--we have to really closely monitor that and have removed his meds from his room so that he doesn't accidently take the wrong medication (which he did several days ago). Deneen seems just as concerned and diligent about this as we are and I am especially thankful for that
- that Dad was finally able to see the farmer across the street harvest his soybeans last night. We missed it last year and Dad has been looking every day to see when he would come with his machine to do it. We had a joyful time just sitting on the front porch watching the farmer work his way back and forth through the field--it was amazing actually! Simple joys are so often the best.
I am thankful for:
Sunday:
- the privilege to worship God without fear
- a Bible believing church teaching the truth
- time to rest and meditate and reflect
- friends that listen, admonish with love--what a special blessing
Monday:
- the pleasure of early morning and renewed energy
- time at the gym
- time with the Lord, seeking His strength and wisdom through prayer and reading His Word
- meaningful work
- calm day
- time with Dad on the porch, simple joy of watching the farmer harvest his soybeans
Today I am thankful for:
- a beautiful fall day
- sleeping a little late
- having time to finally do a little housework--the kitchen floor is clean for the first time in a month and I found a shoe I have been looking for--buried in a pile of clothes that needed to be hung back in the closet
- time with my hubby--we went to the Home & Garden Show--and Bill didn't have to do a display there, finally we get to do Saturday things like "normal" people do!
- celebrating Cait and Jake's birthdays with a party at Brent & Tiffany's home
- being happy, a wonderful feeling
We had a relaxing breakfast with Popdaddy and Shawn--which was a treat as he has such a busy schedule that meals with him are a rarity. Popdaddy had a remembrance of when my grandfather lived with them for a bit. My grandfather was a dear man and I loved him but he was a bit of a curmugeon. I think I loved him because he didn't fuss over me but we could just "be", not chattering or interacting a lot just be in the same room quiet and about our own business. My grandmother was a sweety-but she fussed, kissing all over my face and then fussing that I didn't eat enough to keep a bird alive. My grandfather didn't say much but I can remember him doing little things for me. Like the day he walked to the corner store, Hazelback's and brought me back a pack of Dentyne. He just walked up to me while I was playing on the floor and said, "Girl, you like gum?" I said yes and he just handed it to me. I actually hated Dentyne but I knew it was something special he had done for me so I thanked him and didn't chew it.
I gave that background so you would understand my Dad's story. My Dad had his favorite chair where he sat and read the paper every evening. However, when my grandfather moved in, he took over and that became his chair. Dad said he (Granddad) also claimed first right to the paper, which had always been my Dad's routine. Dad said he would have to sneak out the back door and walk around to the front to get the paper and then find a hiding place to read it if he wanted it first. But the funny story Dad told this morning was about one time our neighbor, Mrs. Brouse was visiting. My granddad was in the bathroom when she arrived and she inadvertently sat in "his" chair. When he came out of the bathroom, he hobbled with his cane over to the chair where she was sitting and just stood there. She looked up and said, "Oh Mr. Whitten, am I sitting in your chair?" He gruffly replied, "You are." And she had to get up and move so that he could sit down.
What special times we miss when we think elderly people are a bother and of no further use. They add so much to our lives, even if it is just to slow our busy lives down to listen. It is a blessing.
What a difference a day makes! Today I am thankful for some time of relaxation. I was able to get up early enough (despite having a hard time getting to sleep the night before--very wired, I guess) to get to the gym for a short workout and a shower, quick stop at the coffee shop across the street for a muffin and tea to go and found Par Excellence in Havre de Grace with no trouble, even getting there 10 minutes before my 9:00 a.m. appointment. What a treat! It is a restored Victorian home, very cozy and I had a wonderful massage. I then treated myself to a browse through a couple of Antique stores in Havre de Grace (and even found a Christmas gift), then some shopping in Kohl's where the Lord led me to a fabulous sale on a much needed outfit to wear to work. I am thankful also for some wonderful hours with Caitlin. We had a very grown-up lunch at Panera Bread and then stopped off at Cold Stone Creamery for an ice cream treat before heading to my house with her. We both were in the mood to bake cookies and so we made a batch of Snickerdoodles and discussed the merits of using an electric mixer versus hand mixing the batter. (She favors the electric mixer because it is easier to mix the batter and I prefer to wash one large spoon rather than having to get out another appliance, wash the beaters and put it all away again--we are both lazy in our own personal way.) Then we got about half-way through a DVD of Swan Lake before her family came to retrieve her.
I am thankful that the Lord never gives us more than we can handle and that His mercy is new every morning! (And that my husband doesn't mind going out for pizza even when I have had a day off work!)
I am still waiting to hear someone else's gratefulness stories--I know you have them!
