Thankful Thursday

I have to say that I missed writing this post last week. I enjoy the time to sit and think about the many ways, both large and small, that God chooses to bless my life.

Visiting this site will bless your heart as you share with other thankful friends.

Today, I celebrate another year of schooling my kids. We all learned much and were challenged in many ways. The years ahead will continue to fly as we approach college, but I am thankful for the precious time that I have to spend teaching and discipling my children.

As we head out for the weekend, I am so thankful for a forecast of sunny, blue skies. We will be spending time with other family members selling flowers at a flea market – an activity quite out of my norm as an East Coast city girl. Non-the-less, the time shared with the kids is fun, and I am thankful for the opportunity to step out of routine.

My daughter has begun her garden. I look forward to summer veggies, and I am thankful for my daughter's drive and diligence in providing that for our family.

Our van needed some brake work done before we clock another 500 miles on it. I am thankful for some newly found friends from church who own an auto shop. They were able to take the van yesterday and have it ready for us today. I have to say that I am thankful for the fact that we have two cars and the schedule has not been so crazy that we were stuck without any transportation.

I am thankful for the summer ahead. I love teaching my kids, but the summer is a welcome change of pace. I look forward to some fun, some relaxation, and some time to read. I know those months will be gone in a blink, but I intend to enjoy the break.

As I head back into my day, I am thankful again for a constant God whose faithfulness is present daily and compassion is new every morning.

Night at the Union League

My hubby and I had the privilege of attending an evening of stimulating and encouraging conversation. The Union League in Philadelphia, a beautiful building rich with its own history, hosted three talk radio hosts: William Bennett, Michael Medved, and Hugh Hewitt. These three represent a strong, politically conservative, moral demographic. Approximately seven hundred of us of like mind joined to listen as they shared their opinions and explanation of the first 100 days of Obama. These men were challenging and concerned on many points, yet positive and affirming on others. God has placed President Obama in office. We may not agree with his politics, yet we need to respect his authority.

Living in a rather liberal state, I find myself feeling on an island of my own politics and belief system. I felt a sense of encouragement as the room was filled with others with the same thinking as I. I know that differences encourage thought and challenge us in a good way, so I am not saying that being with others who think your way all the time is a good thing – only that once in a while it is encouraging.

My hubby, having a political science degree, was in his glory. I loved watching him smile and nod in agreement throughout the evening. It was fun to do this together. My sweetie challenges me and encourages me to think. He often shows me an article that he has read, shares with me what his is reading, or even hands me something to read. My profession is teaching children, mine in particular. I do not often take the chance to read or watch the news, and only in the car do I have the slightest opportunity to listen to talk radio. I am thankful for my husband who helps me keep in touch with life outside school.

My politics do not define me; God's word defines me. When politics and morality go against God's principles, I have a problem. The evening I spent with my hubby focused on political thought that matches up with God's principles of life, marriage, and money.

I may never again have the opportunity to listen in on a radio talk show, share dinner with these hosts, or be challenged by their panel discussion. However, I am thankful for this special evening I could share with my husband.

Daddy-Son Weekend

I had the privilege of sending my hubby and son away for a camping weekend. That's sounds weird, I know. The privilege lay in the blessing of having a husband who is intentional in parenting our children. The two of them picked their campground, made their menu, packed their gear, and left on a three-day trip for just the two of them. I wished I could be a fly on the wall tent to watch their interaction.

As a husband of a scrapper, my sweetie knew to take plenty of pictures to document their time. They ate, fished, ate, biked, ate, played baseball, ate, listened to the Phillies, and ate. You get the idea. The two of them came back dirty and tired, but excited and refreshed in their precious relationship.

We girls had fun scrapping and garage saleing, but we honestly missed our guys. Now to attend to the new piles of laundry.

Just a Few Things That Made Me Smile Today

I thank God for creative minds. Things can get a little crazy in our home, and today was no exception. However, I must say that the kids had a blast together after their schoolwork was done. Somehow, they got it in their minds to make costumes – one was a lamp, and one was a washing machine. I give them kudos for working together and making their own fun.

When my hubby got home with our oldest from softball, we loaded up the van and went to Chick-fi-la for dinner. Yeah for Mom – I didn't have to cook. We enjoy eating there on fundraiser nights, as we know so many people who also go. Mind you, it is not cheap to feed a family of six, one of whom is a teenager. Non-the-less we enjoy the fellowship.

I had to take a picture of the girls. My little one received a gift card for her birthday (thank you Aunt Linda) ,and she chose to spend it on a milkshake – a chocolate one with whipped cream and cherry on top. These milkshakes are not meant for little ones, so she offered to share with her sisters and they of course jumped at the chance. If you can look past the germ sharing, you will see pleasant smiles and sweet sisters.

Garage Sale Season

I spent the last few days up state with some family going through my grandparents' house and selling quite a bit in a garage sale. Upon arrival, I began the roller coaster ride already in progress. My grandmother has already left us to be in heaven with her Jesus. My grandfather isn't feeling too well, and has spent the last week in the hospital, anticipating future dialysis. It is always hard to see family suffer. We know that Pop will be in heaven some day, but the wait can be difficult.

On the upside, we had some silly moments together, cooperative efforts, and meals together around the table. My cousin also brought her little one, and we enjoyed his toddler presence.

Garage sales can be a lot of fun and we provided some great deals for others to enjoy. I look forward to getting to some sales at home in the next few weeks. I love a good bargain.

Time to get back to work at home. In the meantime, I enjoyed a beautiful evening with my hubby and kids. Grilled sausage is a wonderful thing. So is watching kids play kickball, set up obstacle courses, and play together.

The roller coaster ride goes on.

Thankful Thursday

Visit here to be blessed by other thankful hearts.

Motherhood is tiring. It is draining and busy. Being a mom takes a lot of effort, which often goes overlooked.

Motherhood is also rewarding. At every level, it makes me smile. It brings a level of joy amidst the exhaustion. Being a mom is the hardest job I will ever love.

My view of motherhood was not a learned ideal received from a class, a book, or a TV show. It was one modeled by my own mother. She exemplified a mother's job with excellence and reality. I knew when she was tired and spent, but that reality was balanced by silliness, caring hugs, and a mother's love.

Looking back as a mother, I am even more grateful for the godly example that my mother gave to me. She showed that being a mom meant loving me, caring for me, and taking time for me. She was there when I fell and there when I soared. She answered the calls of distress, listened, and led me in godly ways of problem solving. She often let me make my own decisions and didn't interfere even when I am sure that she felt otherwise.

My mother prayed for me. I am out of her home with a family of my own, but her prayers have not ended.

She shares with me as a friend. She laughs with me. She spends time with me over a cup of tea.

I am so thankful for my mom. She is a blessing in my crazy life. In a culture of broken homes and crumbling, angry families, I am thankful for the loving example my mom has purposely portrayed.

I don't take my job as a mother lightly. At one point, I thought God would only give me one child to love. In His providence, He chose to take three of my little ones home to Him before I had the chance to meet them. Since then, God has chosen to bless me with three other precious children. I am undeserving of this, yet I am humbly grateful for the privilege of being a mom.

Thank you, Mom, for showing me how to love my kids, how to keep my priorities straight, how to be a wife as well as a mother, and how to keep God as the center of it all.

Did She Mean to Say That?

I was sitting at my desk working on school papers for tomorrow. At the same time, I was social director for my two middle kids. A friend called to come over to play – but only for an hour until dinner. As she was coming down the street, the two middle kids were "discussing" their plans for play. As their "discussion" heated up, I stepped in (read yelled from the other room) and said that their friend was not coming to hear them argue. My princess proceeded to kindly express that that is why they were arguing now. What!!! Isn't the idea to eliminate the arguing? We all had a good laugh. The doorbell rang. The play group moved downstairs. Time to go on. Hopefully their future "discussions" will be friendly.