To Someone I Don't Know

To the person who taped silk flowers and a pinwheel to the park bench:

I wonder who you are. I wonder if you are someone who is struggling with difficulties and you placed those flowers on the jogging path to get outside your immediate thoughts and remind yourself that the circumstances of your life won't always be a struggle. Or I wonder if you are someone who just likes to do little happy things for strangers.

Whoever you are, thank you. Thank you for reminding me that not everyone cuts people off on the freeway. Thank you for reminding me that not everyone is rude and miserable and looks away when I smile and say hello on my daily jogs. Thank you for reminding me that there are nice people in the world. (Not that I had forgotten, but some days it seems that nice people are few and far between!)

Thank you for making me smile.

I hope that whoever you are and whatever your circumstances you have a lovely day!

Shoe Leather, Mystery Pie, and Thankfulness

Freedom From Want by
Norman Rockwell

A month of Thanksgiving, and I didn't even post on Thanksgiving Day! I didn't turn my computer on all day long. Instead I cooked and ate and spent time with family and friends..the perfect way to spend the day.

A friend sent me the following letter, written by her son who is currently working overseas. I asked his permission to post it here and he said, "Go for it!" He mentions the food they ate this year. I can SO relate! Our family spent fifteen years pastoring churches overseas and sometimes we just had to make do with what we could get. And you know what? Now, back home in America, those "make do" times have become some of our dearest memories and unite us as a family in a very personal and deep way.

The letter is a bit lengthy, but I think it's a great perspective on Thanksgiving. I have highlighted in bold what I hope you get out of this.

"Hey all,

 

"I may begin to wax poetic here, which feels a little odd for me since I've never really taken Thanksgiving all that seriously. One year when I was active duty and stationed (overseas) I had completely forgotten it was Thanksgiving. I just showed up to work like any other Thursday and thought it was weird the base was so quiet. It wasn't until leadership brought in a whole mess of food that I remembered which Thursday it was. With that kind of cavalier attitude toward turkey day, the introspection I'm feeling now is surprising.

 

"Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. Not Christian, mind you, because there are lots of Christians elsewhere in the world (for instance, those native to European countries) that don't really celebrate it despite a passing familiarity with the idea from our entertainment output to the globe. I read somewhere that the Pilgrims dug a lot more graves than they built huts, so there's certainly a predominantly Christian flavor to Thanksgiving- but never forget it's also ours as Americans. (This is also evidence to me that football is the REAL American sport, because we don't sit down to watch that perverted version of cricket that sissies call America's past time after we gorge ourselves. But that's a topic for another day.)

 

"So, from my deployed location, we paid roughly $40 for our buy-in to a catered Thanksgiving meal, and this is where you know certain dishes just don't cross cultures. Some guys here were pretty disappointed, to be perfectly honest. I say it was worth the money just for the story! Yeah, some of the food was terrible, but you know what? I'm really and truly grateful. My spirits are high, my coffee cup is full (as is my belly), and nobody's shooting at us. Just thought I'd throw that last bit in there for some perspective. So we had beef as tough as shoe leather (and for once, I'm not exaggerating) instead of turkey. Big deal! It had lots of rosemary, tasted ok, and wasn't yet another peanut butter sandwich! You just had to chew it more. A lot more. And the green bean casserole was more quartered mushrooms than anything, with green beans diced up like green onions- but it was tasty. And the pies...? Well nobody's really sure what's in the pies. We think those dark things are raisins, but even after eating it we question what the filling is. They don't taste like any apples or pumpkins we've ever had... And I'm laughing the entire time.

 

"I'll let the other guys gripe. I don't care. Because while I'll whine from time to time about suffering through poor internet service, the fact of the matter is we've got it pretty good. See, we get to LEAVE here eventually. And come on, after growing up eating so many Thanksgiving dinners at a fire station (his dad was a fireman before he retired), how cool is it to be chowing down in an aircraft hangar with some of the most sophisticated aircraft in the world as a backdrop? So they don't know how to cook traditional American meals here. So what? I didn't know what the heck their space alien-looking fruit was until a day or two ago.

 

"I don't really know how to communicate what I'm feeling right now- I've eaten better meals in the states and been less satisfied. Was the food worth the money? Heck no! But I laughed and had a good time, and think it's more than worth it for the story. And when I look at the huge spread of not-very-good food, the fact is we still have a LOT. And that changes just outside the fence line.

 

"So enjoy your turkey day. Take real inventory of what you have (or in some cases, what you don't) and realize there's so much to be thankful for. As Americans we are really and truly blessed- and only the most selfish see it otherwise. Considering how "crappy" this Thanksgiving is here, I don't know that I could've enjoyed it more and I truly hope everyone who reads this gets a chance to truly embrace what Thanksgiving is all about, rather than just roll through an annual routine. God bless you, and have a happy Thanksgiving."

In Which I Am Thankful for My Family, and Point Out That Safeway Probably Won't Run Out of Food

It's the day before Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays. I love that Thanksgiving is right before Christmas. I think we would do well to set aside time purely for giving thanks and cultivating a grateful attitude before the greed season Christmas.

As a side note, and not really the point of this post, but I'm throwing it in:

I'm not a Grinch. Really, I'm not. I love Christmas and all that it means. I decorate, I do a Christmas tree, I cook and bake and I love the gift thing, family traditions, spending extra time with family and friends. I love it all, but underscoring everything during Thanksgiving is the need to remember that we are celebrating God's greatest gift to mankind: Himself. Jesus. This should set the tone for all we do in the upcoming weeks. Also...I stay out of malls this time of year and shop as little as possible. I hate traffic. I hate fighting for parking. I hate that the general population acts like all the groceries in the world are going to run out tomorrow, and that Target, Walmart, Costco, and Best Buy are all going to close their doors forever this afternoon. I hate spending money I have no business spending on cr*p that no one really wants anyway. (I do love it when I find the perfect gift for someone, but it doesn't have to be Christmas for that to happen!)

I really think we need to step back and have a look at what's really important in our all-too-busy lives. Jesus, family, friends, all the God has done, is doing, and will do. This, for me, is what's important in life. A food processor or a bottle of perfume under the tree a month from now won't go amiss, to be sure, but those things are just extras. We need Thanksgiving, the holiday and also in our hearts all year long! We need to remember Who gave us life and everything in it!

Today I am thankful that all three of my kids are here with us (two live here and one flew in yesterday) and that we will all be together as a family with some of our church family joining us for dinner tomorrow. After all the turkey is gone and the pies are reduced to crumbs I want to remember this year as a blessed year, one that we were able to spend together as a family, reach into the lives of others, let them reach into ours, and welcome a new family member, a son-in-law.

My kids doing what they usually do when they are
together: messing with each other. 

Back Home Again

"Hey, it's good to be back home again...." What's that old John Denver song? Ok, so I'm dating myself. I'm not ashamed to admit I loved John Denver as a teenager!

Anyway, we're back in the saddle here. Well, sort of! After faffing around with coffee, lost keys, and loading the last of the stuff we were finally on the road at 7.45 am to drive our daughter's car home. She and her husband are on their honeymoon and will fly straight here in a few days. We arrived home about 8.30 pm. (I promptly slept for eleven hours.) Allowing for the time change between Arizona and California we made good time. We don't mess around when we do that drive. It's too far to waste time. We do it in one long straight shot, bringing sandwiches and snacks and energy drinks (Hello purple Monsters! Gotta have those!!) or just grab something fast and eat in the car. Yesterday it was almonds and coffee on the way out of town, Quiznos and purple Monsters in Blythe, and cheddar flavored chex mix in nowhere-ville California.

Yum.

Not.

Actually the Quiznos was pretty good.

Anyway, we grab some food, gas up, and hit the road. I usually drive the first half and then my hubby finishes up. We tried it the other way around once and it was not a good scene. Let's just say that waking up in the opposite lane facing oncoming cars is NOT a good idea! Granted, on that particular trip we had traveled overnight instead of starting out early in the morning, but sleeping while driving is probably not a good idea. Hubby is good for either shift, but I can only do the first one if we want to arrive alive.

Click this link if you wonder what we've been doing for the last week! This will also explain why my Month of Thanksgiving posts have been sketchy. I tried to post daily. I really did. There was just too much going on and posting from my phone was too much hassle. I was going to go back and clean up the ones I did but...nah. 

My thankful post for today is associated with the link. I am so thankful for longevity, history, and heritage in the Kingdom of God.

image credit

Thanksgiving Month: November 4, 2011

Home is where the heart is.

We have a fantastic relationship with our soon-to-be son-in-law. He stopped by just now with his brother and they are hanging out for a bit. Love that! Love that people feel at home in my home, and I'm thankful that my home is a happy place for anyone who wants to come over, and thankful that our family is expanding in such a wonderful way!
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Fig Trees and Early Mornings

November 3rd. Day three of a month of Thanksgiving.

Today I was reading in the book of Mark (also found in Matthew) about the fig tree that Jesus cursed when it bore no fruit and the tree died. I was a bit confused about what this all means. Figs were not in season, yet Jesus expected the tree to bear fruit at that time.

Isn't that unfair? Isn't that unreasonable?

No. There is a lesson there for us. By the way, all scripture is given to us by God for our instruction and guidance and the answer to every single situation in life can be found within the pages of the Bible. Just thought I'd throw that in as an extra! :-) Anyway, there is a lesson in that scripture that my husband pointed out to me. God expects us to be fruitful for His kingdom, and there is no excuse for unfruitfulness. Even when, in our own minds or by our limited human understanding, we think that we have a good reason to sit back on our laurels and let someone else do the work, we are wrong.

But it's impossible for a tree to bear fruit when it's not in season!

Not true, because with God all things are possible, even bearing fruit out of season. Dare I say, especially bearing fruit out of season! God demonstrates His miracle power when things happen that are beyond our understanding.

I am thankful for God's Word that brings direction and help to our lives, and also gives us little nuggets of His character and who He is. I've been getting up daily at 5.30 to pray and read my bible and I have to be honest...it's tough. Some days are harder than others and I often just want to crawl back into bed (like today...it was raining and my pillows looked so cozy!) but I'm always, always glad when I'm up and at it. (I set up my coffee at night so it's ready for me in the morning...a little luxury to help me start the day at o'dark thirty.)

"...those that seek me early shall find me." Proverbs 8:17
"Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalms 119:11

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Life Is Never Dull

Today has been super busy and hectic but I want to get in my thankfulness thought for the day before I hit the sack. I am thankful for so many things, but I'll mention that I'm actually very thankful for being so busy today! I'm thankful that I have enough going on in my life to keep me from ever being bored! Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all that is on my plate, but in the words of one of my old friends who doesn't blog (so I can't refer you!) "Well...life is never dull!" She says this in her charming Tennessee drawl in reference to being married to her hilarious and very adventurous husband.  This is her philosophy on life too...that life is never dull, and she is someone who just loves life and everyone she comes into contact with. She is one of my favorite people to be with and I should add here that I'm thankful for her too, and will be with her this time next week! Happiness!

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I Just Wanted to be Sure of You

Happy November! Happy Thanksgiving month! This month I will be joining together with my friend Anne and posting daily about something I am thankful for. It may be a big thing with pictures and the whole nine yards, or it may a small one liner with no picture at all (thinking of the trip I'm about to take to my daughter's wedding...limited internet access other than my phone...yada yada), but one way or another, I think Thanksgiving is a very important holiday important to remember and our culture is rapidly forgetting.

Our society is way too caught up with stuff and materialism, especially where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area! I would like to take this month and not focus on the bling of Christmas, but focus on thankfulness, not only for where we came from as a country but in general. We must maintain a thankful attitude if we are to appreciate Christmas as truly an honoring of the birth of our Lord and Savior, not just jingle bells and presents.

Yes, I will be working on some Christmas ideas and gifts during this month. Three weeks in December is not enough time to pull together some of the gifts I would like to give this year (hint: they are coming out of my craft studio!) but my thinking is to focus on living thankfully.

So! With that as an intro, today, November 1st, I am thankful for friends. I am thankful for friends especially who are willing to overlook our mistakes, faults and shortcomings, and just love us, no matter what. Thank you.

On Thanks Giving

So the mojo may be back, but it's taking me in other directions. Things have been pretty hectic, which is not unusual! The bread was only okay. Kind of dense and I wasn't thrilled with the flavor. I used several different types of flour in an attempt to make it super duper healthy, and it was, but the flavor was sacrificed. I'll keep working on it.

I have been thinking about thankfulness recently, with Thanksgiving approaching.

Thanksgiving.

Thanks plus giving.

Thanks. Giving.

Here's a thought: Giving should be a result of thankfulness. Not only do we give thanks, but because of our thanks we give. I am thankful for a Savior who gave Himself for me. My reasonable response should be to give (of myself, my money, my time, everything) because without Jesus giving Himself for me, I would have nothing and I would be nothing with a capital L. L for Loser. This is not self deprecating. This is a fact.

So with that I am compiling a list of things I am thankful for in another blog. You can see it here.

Photo credit:
http://gocanada.about.com/b/2007/09/01/the-best-places-to-see-autumn-colors-in-canada.htm