Welcome to another edition of Thankful Tuesday!
Today I am thankful for:
1. Homeless Christmas Tree
There is a tree on a hill east of Beach and I-30 that was planted as a Christmas tree for homeless people in Fort Worth. It is decorated year round for all the homeless in the area to have a tree they call their own. We have the benefit of driving by it every week on our way to my granddad's house. It's a great tree and a great story.
2. Bumper stickers
Instead of staring at the redlight I am stopped at, I like to entertain myself at intersections by reading the bumper stickers on the cars around me. Bumper stickers are like tattoos for cars. They are almost always worth the read.
3. Exciting detours.
Recently we were on the way to somewhere and had to turn around to see an exciting site. There are two fields in our neighborhood that were the site of recent apartment demolition (another detour event). We got to see a water truck park in the street between the two fields and a man watered both fields from one spot in the middle of the road. He had a firetruck hose and a pivoting stand where he kept rotating and watering. He watered two entire fields just from one spot. It was really interesting, and I'm afraid that we creeped him out just slightly because we were so excited that we actually followed him to watch him refill his truck at a fire hydrant.
4. Trees on the horizon
I drive to Irving once a week to go visit my grandfather. Last week I was driving and thinking and realized how much more interesting trees make the drive. I can't imagine how boring the drive would be with no trees to look at as I whiz by. Of course I don't recommend only staring at the trees, but they are nice.
5. Shade tree escapes
We have a giant shade tree in our front yard. I think it's an oak, but you should really ask Adam because he knows for sure. Twice this summer we've looked out our window to see an exciting site under our shade tree. One time a limo was parked in front of our house. I got out to offer the guy a bottle of water, and he said he was waiting to go to a wedding at the church down the street and just wanted to sit in his limo in the shade for a while. I told him to stay as long as he wanted and to take us with him, but alas, he didn't. Last week a trash truck parked under our shade tree so the driver could get out and take a break visiting with his girlfriend in the car behind, also under the tree. Who knows who will park under our tree this week....I guarantee it will be exciting!
6. !!!!!!!
I have recently been informed that I am an exclamation point abuser. I have since calmed down my exclamations in professional writing, but at home, I am showing my true enthusiasm for life. !!!!!!! I am now super concious of how much I use these !!!! but also how much they usually truly reflect how I feel when I write the sentence that ends with !!!!!
7. Cute kid crafts
Part of being active at church is that the kids bring home cute darn crafts every week. Paul brought home a shoebox shaped like a whale last week and the week before that he brought home a water bottle with blue water and a balloon floating in it, both illustrating the Jonah and the Whale story. Claire has painted two flowerpots this summer and made an awesome rock cross. I love decorating our house with kid crafts! (Yes, that exclamation point was purposely used.)
8. Hope
I love surprises as much as I love mysteries. I haven't checked the weather report today, but I look outside and see rainclouds that I hope to bring forth rain. I have already been informed that these clouds won't bring rain today, but if you already know what's going to happen, do you really pay attention to the shapes and colors of the clouds and hope? I don't prefer ignorance, but I do prefer hope. The weathermen aren't always right and that cloud over our house is pretty dark. With some events, I just find it better not to know what's going to happen.
9. Connections to the outside world
Last week I took our laptop to my granddad's house and began interviewing him again about his personal history. I have done this in several different formats through the years. I have cassette tapes of me interviewing him, I have a journal of questions and answers, and now I'm typing his answers. He is 86 and full of exciting stories that will die with him if I don't get them recorded. Last week we talked about his job as a lineman for the electric company. He taught me about wire insulators and that they really aren't much different today than the first ones he installed in 1949. Since then, the kids and I have been looking out the car windows spotting wire insulators on the electrical poles. It's exciting to look at those and know that they are tied to our family history.
10. Kids pushing me to be better
Somedays I wake up and decide, "Today, I am grouchy." Yes, I know this is ridiculous, and it rarely happens. Sometimes, though, I forget to set the coffee up at nighttime, or I don't get to have my personal quiet time, or I'm woken up because Paul has just wet the bed. On days like that, I get frustrated and I just say to myself, "I'm grouchy or I'm tired." Fortunately for me, the kids never let me stay that way long. They will unknowingly say something hilarious or ask me to do something that makes me feel better. Recently I was exhausted on a Thursday afternoon. I was ready to pack it in and head home, but then I told the kids that our church was hosting homeless ladies that night. "We have to go!" Claire said. Tired or not, I turned around and took us to church. We were blessed and I wasn't grouchy any more. Darn those kids always making me a better person! (intentional exclamation point.)
Here's a place where Sarah writes what's on her heart and mind for whomever will read it. Sometimes it's hilarious, sometimes it's little pieces of life that I'm grateful for. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Thankful Tuesday July 19, 2011
Good morning to cyberspace! Today is Tuesday, when I count 10 of my blessings. If I counted all my blessings, you would literally be reading this all day, so I limit it to ten a week.
This week I am thankful for:
1. Electricity
Adam's cousin John came and worked on our electricity on Saturday. He's a master electrician, so he rewired part of the house and installed a new circuit breaker box. Apparently the box we had could have been featured on Antiques Roadshow. Because he and Adam were working on the electricity all day on Saturday, we didn't have any power for most of the day. When the air conditioner came back on, I sent up a prayer of thanks that we have lights and air conditioning that work.
2. No electricity
Yes, while I am very grateful for the prescence of electricity, I was also glad that we didn't have it for almost a whole day. No dishwasher, computer, or lights. I had no choice but to ignore all my chores and play with the kids. I couldn't clean house so we had to go swimming. Poor us.
3. Cloud formations
The sky always holds a new and exciting shape. I love staring at the sky and drawing pictures in my mind of what the clouds represent.
4. Family games
Our family, even little Paul, loves to play UNO. We have this awesome version called UNO Attack! where the cards shoot out you instead of drawing from a stack. The entire family loves strategizing against each other. Paul gets so excited when he can skip one of us. Claire loves the "trade hands" card.
5. Wal-Mart as a Spiritual Practice
I just finished re-reading An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor. It is a beautifully written book about becoming concious of God in your everyday life. She discusses spiritual practices that remind us that we are human. I was spurred to begin viewing Wal-Mart shopping as a spiritual practice.
When I shop at Wal-Mart, I am reminded that I am no better than the toothless cashier or the woman with her underwear hanging out the bottom of her shorts. I, too, am a Wal-Mart shopper and a human and we are all equal. On Friday, I was delighted that the Wal-Mart cashier was able to fill in the missing lyrics to the "Dear Liza" song. I'm fairly certain that a Target cashier won't hold up her line to sing you five verses of "There's a hole in my bucket, Dear Liza."
6. Postal Workers
It is humbling to me to see our postlady walking in pants through our yard with a towel on her shoulder to wipe her forehead and a smile on her face as she brings us mostly junkmail. She is walking and walking in 100+ degree heat to bring us junkmail. God bless her.
7. Good neighbors
Yesterday morning the doorbell rang at 7:45 a.m. It was our neighbor from down the street, Loretta, who was going out of town and didn't want her fruit to spoil. She brought us her fruit and leftover donuts from her church instead of just pitching them. Later that day, Paul fell on his bicycle and another neighbor ran out with an icepack for his injured hand.
8. Memberships
Last week I was trying to let the kids pick whatever they wanted to do. They wanted to go to the zoo. At noon. On a day I was wearing pants. In 106 degree heat. We went, but we only lasted 45 minutes. I was so grateful that the trip wasn't a waste of money since we have a membership. The next day we went to the museum and used another membership where we could enjoy air-conditioned entertainment.
9. Educational placemats
We recently got Claire a placemat that was a map of the United States. (Paul's hasn't arrived yet.) Every meal she reviews what states she knows the names and locations of. I might not be able to list all 50 states and place them on a map, but I'm going to make sure my children don't have the same problem.
10. Post-It notes and flags
There are few books that I read that don't have a Post-It note in them where I have taken notes or marked a meaningful passage. When I plan my meals, I put Post-Its on the recipes in the cookbooks I will use. Post-Its really make my life easier.
This week I am thankful for:
1. Electricity
Adam's cousin John came and worked on our electricity on Saturday. He's a master electrician, so he rewired part of the house and installed a new circuit breaker box. Apparently the box we had could have been featured on Antiques Roadshow. Because he and Adam were working on the electricity all day on Saturday, we didn't have any power for most of the day. When the air conditioner came back on, I sent up a prayer of thanks that we have lights and air conditioning that work.
2. No electricity
Yes, while I am very grateful for the prescence of electricity, I was also glad that we didn't have it for almost a whole day. No dishwasher, computer, or lights. I had no choice but to ignore all my chores and play with the kids. I couldn't clean house so we had to go swimming. Poor us.
3. Cloud formations
The sky always holds a new and exciting shape. I love staring at the sky and drawing pictures in my mind of what the clouds represent.
4. Family games
Our family, even little Paul, loves to play UNO. We have this awesome version called UNO Attack! where the cards shoot out you instead of drawing from a stack. The entire family loves strategizing against each other. Paul gets so excited when he can skip one of us. Claire loves the "trade hands" card.
5. Wal-Mart as a Spiritual Practice
I just finished re-reading An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor. It is a beautifully written book about becoming concious of God in your everyday life. She discusses spiritual practices that remind us that we are human. I was spurred to begin viewing Wal-Mart shopping as a spiritual practice.
When I shop at Wal-Mart, I am reminded that I am no better than the toothless cashier or the woman with her underwear hanging out the bottom of her shorts. I, too, am a Wal-Mart shopper and a human and we are all equal. On Friday, I was delighted that the Wal-Mart cashier was able to fill in the missing lyrics to the "Dear Liza" song. I'm fairly certain that a Target cashier won't hold up her line to sing you five verses of "There's a hole in my bucket, Dear Liza."
6. Postal Workers
It is humbling to me to see our postlady walking in pants through our yard with a towel on her shoulder to wipe her forehead and a smile on her face as she brings us mostly junkmail. She is walking and walking in 100+ degree heat to bring us junkmail. God bless her.
7. Good neighbors
Yesterday morning the doorbell rang at 7:45 a.m. It was our neighbor from down the street, Loretta, who was going out of town and didn't want her fruit to spoil. She brought us her fruit and leftover donuts from her church instead of just pitching them. Later that day, Paul fell on his bicycle and another neighbor ran out with an icepack for his injured hand.
8. Memberships
Last week I was trying to let the kids pick whatever they wanted to do. They wanted to go to the zoo. At noon. On a day I was wearing pants. In 106 degree heat. We went, but we only lasted 45 minutes. I was so grateful that the trip wasn't a waste of money since we have a membership. The next day we went to the museum and used another membership where we could enjoy air-conditioned entertainment.
9. Educational placemats
We recently got Claire a placemat that was a map of the United States. (Paul's hasn't arrived yet.) Every meal she reviews what states she knows the names and locations of. I might not be able to list all 50 states and place them on a map, but I'm going to make sure my children don't have the same problem.
10. Post-
There are few books that I read that don't have a Post-It note in them where I have taken notes or marked a meaningful passage. When I plan my meals, I put Post-Its on the recipes in the cookbooks I will use. Post-Its really make my life easier.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Thankful Tuesday
Good morning! It's Tuesday again and time to count my blessings.
Today I am thankful for:
1. Synchronized wakeups
This morning I had planned on trying to get up at 5, but both dogs and Paul started making noise at 4:45 a.m. A little early, but I was very appreciative that they did it at the same time and I was able to sleep uninterrupted until then.
2. The excitement of small wonders
A couple of days ago, Paul asked about the washing machine, so I held him up and put a screwdriver in a hole to trick the machine to start working without the lid. We stood there for almost 10 minutes just watching it fill up with water and rotate. He was captivated and I was aware, once again, of what a miracle it is that we have a machine that washes our clothes for us.
3. Xerox machines
File this under the small wonders category. Claire was asking what they do the other day and I spent some time explaining it. This caused me to think and appreciate what a miracle it is that you put one paper on top and then identical papers come out of the machine.
4. Free activities
There are many free activities in our area for kids and we are thankful. The kids even get excited when they hear the word "free" because they know it's something I won't say no to. We've visited the Kimbell Art Museum's permanent collection several times this summer. The kids like to talk about what is happening in the paintings. It's air-conditioned and it's FREE!
5. Mouse cars
Claire has requested that we attach ears and a tail to my Jetta, but it wouldn't quite be as cool as the Truly Nolen exterminator cars that look like mice.
6. Songs that bring you back
For every season of my life, there is a song that reminds me of it. Hearing the Dire Straits or the Eagles reminds me of quiet nights of dinner and playing cards with my family growing up. Hearing the Toadies reminds me of the college nights Adam and I attempted to play pool at Gilligan's.
7. The power to limit quantity and still be satisfied
On Saturday, we took the kids to Lone Star Park to see the horseraces. We stayed for about two hours in the sweltering heat. The horse races continued, but we were beat, so we went home and were satisfied. Last night we introduced the kids to Slurpees with their own individual cups filled halfway. Sure we could have stayed for every horse race and filled the kids' cups up to the brim, but then we would have had exhausted and cranky kids one day and hyper kids another. Instead we had perfectly content children. It's about quality, not quantity.
8. Staying home
Yesterday we stayed home all day. We took the dogs for a walk, played at the park, splashed in the kiddie pool, I scraped paint, we all went swimming in the big pool, painted our toes, read books, took a short nap, and a few other activities. When it's so easy to be busy, it's also a blessing to be able to be at home.
9. Sprinkler systems
This weekend our neighbor was watering his grass by hand. I'm sure he was doing it for hours, but I didn't stay to watch the entire event. I am thankful for our sprinkler system. While it's fun to water my special plants, it's also nice to have green grass without labor on my part. (Of course, Adam will argue that the green grass is plenty of labor on his part, but he's not writing this blog.)
10. The power to say yes
We're certainly not lottery winners, but it makes me happy to be able to buy the children items they need and sometimes items they just want. Claire had been asking for a tutu for about a month. As a rule, I don't just buy her what she asks for every time because she often changes her mind and I don't want to waste money. Last week I got her a bright yellow and pink tutu from Costco and she was tickled pink. It makes me happy that Adam and I are able to purchase some items for the kids that they really want and all the items they really need. When I was buying school uniforms last week, I said a prayer of thanks that we had the ability to get those, because they are not cheap. Many families will struggle this school year with keeping their kids clothed in uniforms and we are blessed to not have that problem.
Today I am thankful for:
1. Synchronized wakeups
This morning I had planned on trying to get up at 5, but both dogs and Paul started making noise at 4:45 a.m. A little early, but I was very appreciative that they did it at the same time and I was able to sleep uninterrupted until then.
2. The excitement of small wonders
A couple of days ago, Paul asked about the washing machine, so I held him up and put a screwdriver in a hole to trick the machine to start working without the lid. We stood there for almost 10 minutes just watching it fill up with water and rotate. He was captivated and I was aware, once again, of what a miracle it is that we have a machine that washes our clothes for us.
3. Xerox machines
File this under the small wonders category. Claire was asking what they do the other day and I spent some time explaining it. This caused me to think and appreciate what a miracle it is that you put one paper on top and then identical papers come out of the machine.
4. Free activities
There are many free activities in our area for kids and we are thankful. The kids even get excited when they hear the word "free" because they know it's something I won't say no to. We've visited the Kimbell Art Museum's permanent collection several times this summer. The kids like to talk about what is happening in the paintings. It's air-conditioned and it's FREE!
5. Mouse cars
Claire has requested that we attach ears and a tail to my Jetta, but it wouldn't quite be as cool as the Truly Nolen exterminator cars that look like mice.
6. Songs that bring you back
For every season of my life, there is a song that reminds me of it. Hearing the Dire Straits or the Eagles reminds me of quiet nights of dinner and playing cards with my family growing up. Hearing the Toadies reminds me of the college nights Adam and I attempted to play pool at Gilligan's.
7. The power to limit quantity and still be satisfied
On Saturday, we took the kids to Lone Star Park to see the horseraces. We stayed for about two hours in the sweltering heat. The horse races continued, but we were beat, so we went home and were satisfied. Last night we introduced the kids to Slurpees with their own individual cups filled halfway. Sure we could have stayed for every horse race and filled the kids' cups up to the brim, but then we would have had exhausted and cranky kids one day and hyper kids another. Instead we had perfectly content children. It's about quality, not quantity.
8. Staying home
Yesterday we stayed home all day. We took the dogs for a walk, played at the park, splashed in the kiddie pool, I scraped paint, we all went swimming in the big pool, painted our toes, read books, took a short nap, and a few other activities. When it's so easy to be busy, it's also a blessing to be able to be at home.
9. Sprinkler systems
This weekend our neighbor was watering his grass by hand. I'm sure he was doing it for hours, but I didn't stay to watch the entire event. I am thankful for our sprinkler system. While it's fun to water my special plants, it's also nice to have green grass without labor on my part. (Of course, Adam will argue that the green grass is plenty of labor on his part, but he's not writing this blog.)
10. The power to say yes
We're certainly not lottery winners, but it makes me happy to be able to buy the children items they need and sometimes items they just want. Claire had been asking for a tutu for about a month. As a rule, I don't just buy her what she asks for every time because she often changes her mind and I don't want to waste money. Last week I got her a bright yellow and pink tutu from Costco and she was tickled pink. It makes me happy that Adam and I are able to purchase some items for the kids that they really want and all the items they really need. When I was buying school uniforms last week, I said a prayer of thanks that we had the ability to get those, because they are not cheap. Many families will struggle this school year with keeping their kids clothed in uniforms and we are blessed to not have that problem.
Monday, July 11, 2011
What I've learned recently
It is said that you learn something new everyday. Usually, that's true for me. Here are some things I have learned in the past few days.
1. South Sudan is now its own country.
Since Sudan won its independence from Britain more than 50 years ago, there's been strife between the North and South, revolving around religious beliefs and natural resources. There has been lots of bloodshed and tragedies amidst several peace declarations. Finally the northern and southern parts of the country have officially separated, hopefully, leading to peace.
2. Burnett Park has an awesome spiderweb climby thing.
Recently we were downtown and noticed this park. Since the kids are into Parkour and Ninja Warrior, they especially liked the spider web you can climb in the middle of downtown. We have now made two special trips to this park and then rode the free trolley around as well. I don't think the trolley goes to the park, but if it's not too hot, you can walk to the nearest stop.
3. You can buy individual serving packages of blueberries at Costco.
Each pack contains only delicious blueberries, and for on the go in the heat, it's perfect.
4. Kids' agendas are not the same as adults.
I took the kids to the zoo last week and asked them what they wanted to see. Claire requested elephants and Paul requested a train ride. From where we were standing, we started with the elephants. I thought that would lead us through a trip through the entire zoo and then a ride back on the train. Nope, just the elephants was all that was needed for Claire. So we saw the elephants and then walked over to the train and then played at the indoor zoo playground in Texas Wild. Both kids were completely satisfied and not concerned that we skipped the lions, tigers, bears, and nearly every other animal at the zoo. I was dreading all that hiking in the heat, and we didn't even do it. I often forget that their standards and agendas are different than mine. They think outside of the box much easier than I do.
5. The Wal-Mart greeters have free cookie stickers.
Yep, that cute senior citizen at the front door of Wal-Mart is holding out on you if they are not giving your kids the little blue stickers that say "free cookie." If they don't offer, ask.
6. Buy school uniforms now.
When we registered Claire for school two weeks ago, the secretary said, "I'm going to give you some advice." I was expecting something educational about how to prepare my daughter for kindergarten. I nearly told her I knew it all because I was a teacher just a few years ago. Thank goodness I kept my trap shut and listened because she told me not to wait to buy uniforms. She said that if you don't buy them as soon as you see them, they sell out and are not restocked due to season changes. The other day we grabbed some skirts at Wal-Mart and debated buying more. When we went back to the rack five minutes later, they were gone. Apparently if parents wait until the tax-free weekend in August, they're out of luck.
1. South Sudan is now its own country.
Since Sudan won its independence from Britain more than 50 years ago, there's been strife between the North and South, revolving around religious beliefs and natural resources. There has been lots of bloodshed and tragedies amidst several peace declarations. Finally the northern and southern parts of the country have officially separated, hopefully, leading to peace.
2. Burnett Park has an awesome spiderweb climby thing.
Recently we were downtown and noticed this park. Since the kids are into Parkour and Ninja Warrior, they especially liked the spider web you can climb in the middle of downtown. We have now made two special trips to this park and then rode the free trolley around as well. I don't think the trolley goes to the park, but if it's not too hot, you can walk to the nearest stop.
3. You can buy individual serving packages of blueberries at Costco.
Each pack contains only delicious blueberries, and for on the go in the heat, it's perfect.
4. Kids' agendas are not the same as adults.
I took the kids to the zoo last week and asked them what they wanted to see. Claire requested elephants and Paul requested a train ride. From where we were standing, we started with the elephants. I thought that would lead us through a trip through the entire zoo and then a ride back on the train. Nope, just the elephants was all that was needed for Claire. So we saw the elephants and then walked over to the train and then played at the indoor zoo playground in Texas Wild. Both kids were completely satisfied and not concerned that we skipped the lions, tigers, bears, and nearly every other animal at the zoo. I was dreading all that hiking in the heat, and we didn't even do it. I often forget that their standards and agendas are different than mine. They think outside of the box much easier than I do.
5. The Wal-Mart greeters have free cookie stickers.
Yep, that cute senior citizen at the front door of Wal-Mart is holding out on you if they are not giving your kids the little blue stickers that say "free cookie." If they don't offer, ask.
6. Buy school uniforms now.
When we registered Claire for school two weeks ago, the secretary said, "I'm going to give you some advice." I was expecting something educational about how to prepare my daughter for kindergarten. I nearly told her I knew it all because I was a teacher just a few years ago. Thank goodness I kept my trap shut and listened because she told me not to wait to buy uniforms. She said that if you don't buy them as soon as you see them, they sell out and are not restocked due to season changes. The other day we grabbed some skirts at Wal-Mart and debated buying more. When we went back to the rack five minutes later, they were gone. Apparently if parents wait until the tax-free weekend in August, they're out of luck.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Thankful Tuesday
It's Tuesday again and it's time to count my blessings!
Today I am thankful for:
1. Clerks that meet you at the door.
Standing halfway in the heat of the summer and halfway in the air conditioning, I am thanikful today for these people who greet you as soon as you walk in the door. At Wal-Mart, few things are as exciting for the kids as the door greeter who sings to them and offers stickers worth free cookies. At Costco, the kids fight over who gets to show the membership card to the door greeter. At church, the kids can't wait to race to hug the senior citizen who is greeting that week. Today I am thankful for the cheery door greeters that set the tone of entering a place with joy.
2. Freedom for limiting social schedules.
Each day I make specific decisions about the kids schedules. We could go to the zoo, the museum, the library, a friend's house, or 1,000 other possibilities. With so many options at our disposal, I rejoice in the fact that we can set our own schedules and that we can say no when we don't want to do something or become overwhelmed. Yesterday for the Fourth of July, our family stayed home together and started working on getting the house ready to paint. The kids were in bed by 7:30 and I followed at 10. We did fireworks on Saturday and I rejoiced that yesterday we had the freedom to stay home.
3. Sharing clothes
Adam's godmother brought a sack of clothing that she couldn't wear anymore. I love it when someone hands down clothes to me or the kids or when I am able to pass something along that someone else can wear. It's like shopping for free.
4. Surprise showers
Today on my way into church to work, Claire noticed that the sky wasn't as sunny as normal. I agreed, but dismissed it because it wasn't cloudy, it just wasn't extremely bright. A few minutes later I drove through a 30 second rain shower. If I hadn't been paying attention, I might have missed it completely, but I was watching and got to enjoy the blessing of a summer rain, brief as it was.
5. The power to make home improvements
Yesterday as I stood on a stepladder scraping paint off our house exterior, I was grateful that I had the energy to do it. I am grateful that my arms can be raised above my head for long periods of time and that Adam and I both have the time and energy to paint the house. Granted, we have only just started and I might feel differently in a few days.
6. Sprinklers
While I was sweating it out scraping paint, the kids were in their swimsuits dancing in the sprinkler. Millions of people around the world struggle with access to fresh water. We are so blessed to be able to turn on the faucet for a drink, a shower, or even entertainment.
7. Real life TV
On Sunday night, Adam noticed He-Man was on TV. He recorded it so the kids could watch it and enjoy his favorite show from childhood. Knowing that our children are active and hands-on, he had the brilliant idea of bringing the He-Man characters into the living room for the kids to play with while they watched the show. What ended up happening was the kids tuned out of the show and began to make their own storylines with the He-Man figurines. I love that our children's imaginations override their desire to watch TV.
8. Sportsmanship
Last Thursday was Paul's last basketball game. I was so grateful for the other parents who helped encourage Paul, by far the youngest player on the team. I was grateful for his teammates who didn't seem to notice that he was a foot shorter than everyone else and not quite as coordinated. I was grateful for his coach who assigned him playtime on an incoming ball again and again and never lost patience. I was also grateful for referees who tried to teach the children to play fair and interceded when the ball was stolen from Paul. Lastly, I was grateful for the single basket shot by my favorite three year old in the last game.
9. Private fireworks shows
We love fireworks, but I hate crowds. Several years ago, Adam started shooting fireworks at his uncle's house in Chandler. It's in the country, so it's legal. As the years have gone by, Adam and his cousin John have gotten close to professional on their fireworks display put on just for the family. No crowds to fight, and we got to go in the air conditioning as soon as it was over. It was spectacular.
10. Carpet cleaners
Last week we had two dogs that had some stomach issues. When they were finally well, I steam-cleaned the carpet with my own appliance. For just the cost of detergent, the carpet is fresh and clean. Everyone in the house is grateful for that.
Today I am thankful for:
1. Clerks that meet you at the door.
Standing halfway in the heat of the summer and halfway in the air conditioning, I am thanikful today for these people who greet you as soon as you walk in the door. At Wal-Mart, few things are as exciting for the kids as the door greeter who sings to them and offers stickers worth free cookies. At Costco, the kids fight over who gets to show the membership card to the door greeter. At church, the kids can't wait to race to hug the senior citizen who is greeting that week. Today I am thankful for the cheery door greeters that set the tone of entering a place with joy.
2. Freedom for limiting social schedules.
Each day I make specific decisions about the kids schedules. We could go to the zoo, the museum, the library, a friend's house, or 1,000 other possibilities. With so many options at our disposal, I rejoice in the fact that we can set our own schedules and that we can say no when we don't want to do something or become overwhelmed. Yesterday for the Fourth of July, our family stayed home together and started working on getting the house ready to paint. The kids were in bed by 7:30 and I followed at 10. We did fireworks on Saturday and I rejoiced that yesterday we had the freedom to stay home.
3. Sharing clothes
Adam's godmother brought a sack of clothing that she couldn't wear anymore. I love it when someone hands down clothes to me or the kids or when I am able to pass something along that someone else can wear. It's like shopping for free.
4. Surprise showers
Today on my way into church to work, Claire noticed that the sky wasn't as sunny as normal. I agreed, but dismissed it because it wasn't cloudy, it just wasn't extremely bright. A few minutes later I drove through a 30 second rain shower. If I hadn't been paying attention, I might have missed it completely, but I was watching and got to enjoy the blessing of a summer rain, brief as it was.
5. The power to make home improvements
Yesterday as I stood on a stepladder scraping paint off our house exterior, I was grateful that I had the energy to do it. I am grateful that my arms can be raised above my head for long periods of time and that Adam and I both have the time and energy to paint the house. Granted, we have only just started and I might feel differently in a few days.
6. Sprinklers
While I was sweating it out scraping paint, the kids were in their swimsuits dancing in the sprinkler. Millions of people around the world struggle with access to fresh water. We are so blessed to be able to turn on the faucet for a drink, a shower, or even entertainment.
7. Real life TV
On Sunday night, Adam noticed He-Man was on TV. He recorded it so the kids could watch it and enjoy his favorite show from childhood. Knowing that our children are active and hands-on, he had the brilliant idea of bringing the He-Man characters into the living room for the kids to play with while they watched the show. What ended up happening was the kids tuned out of the show and began to make their own storylines with the He-Man figurines. I love that our children's imaginations override their desire to watch TV.
8. Sportsmanship
Last Thursday was Paul's last basketball game. I was so grateful for the other parents who helped encourage Paul, by far the youngest player on the team. I was grateful for his teammates who didn't seem to notice that he was a foot shorter than everyone else and not quite as coordinated. I was grateful for his coach who assigned him playtime on an incoming ball again and again and never lost patience. I was also grateful for referees who tried to teach the children to play fair and interceded when the ball was stolen from Paul. Lastly, I was grateful for the single basket shot by my favorite three year old in the last game.
9. Private fireworks shows
We love fireworks, but I hate crowds. Several years ago, Adam started shooting fireworks at his uncle's house in Chandler. It's in the country, so it's legal. As the years have gone by, Adam and his cousin John have gotten close to professional on their fireworks display put on just for the family. No crowds to fight, and we got to go in the air conditioning as soon as it was over. It was spectacular.
10. Carpet cleaners
Last week we had two dogs that had some stomach issues. When they were finally well, I steam-cleaned the carpet with my own appliance. For just the cost of detergent, the carpet is fresh and clean. Everyone in the house is grateful for that.
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