You Light Up My Life

If anyone ever says, "Why be on Facebook?", you all have given the reasons. Throughout my day, to have received such beautiful wishes and thoughts, makes this "young" woman beyond amazed and grateful! I am so thankful for God's blessings in my life, and you all are right at the top of the list of those blessings! Thanks so much for boosting my self esteem and putting such joy in my heart.

Yesterday was my birthday, and I must tell you the embraces of words, hugs, messages, phone calls, cards, surprises, coffee time with girlfriend, dinner with other girlfriends, gifts, serenades and unmerited favors made for “my day” to be one of the sweetest, most blessed days EVER.

How can I say thanks enough? My heart is filled to overflowing with gratitude . Facebook has a special way of helping us stay close to each other.....and at times like this, it makes the day so much sweeter. Please forgive me for not being able to respond to each of you yet as I'm working on a project that has kept my shoulder to the wheel yesterday and today.

My first surprise of the day was whn my godson, Owen, his brother, Henry, and Mom Bernadette showed up at my front door before heading to school. There are no words adequate to express the profound love I have for this family, and, quite frankly, the love I receive back from them.

Then it was “birthday” breakfast with my sweet sister and mother-in-law – a “usual” each year. We laughed, cried, and sincerely “knew” God is up to something in our lives. Karen gave me a beautiful Willow Tree angel holding a bird and her words were “As you go forward, I see you “soaring into a new freedom with great strength like you have never known” Isaiah 40:30. The angel’s name was “soar”. I accept those words so deeply into my heart. Then it was special time with a dear friend -- laughing and celebrating life. My sweet friends from my community took me to dinner last night with cupcakes afterwards. I love these ladies so much! We are the "never tire, never quit women of Hyde Park"! We've made up our minds "we're not givin' up until we're taken up"!

In this season of life, I have found that the rarest and most valuable treasures of life are those friends and family that we do life with. We have choices with who we hang out with, and God has made it so easy to choose the cream of the crop. I am so blessed with the gifts of friendship that far exceed silver and gold. All of you, my precious friends and family, are the most treasured possessions I have. I thank God for each of you who made me feel like a queen!

"I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3

To all my family and friends.....thank you for humoring me, tolerating me, encourating me, celebrating me, but most of all....for loving me. I’m smart enough to know, that God used you to brighten my day and life. His mercies came to me via YOU and I’m so very grateful.

Gratitude Even in the Toughest Times

Day 262 of Photo Inspirations -- Gratitude Even in the Toughest Times
Last night, my Life Group's discussion was about gratitude.  I asked them to write down 10 things they are grateful for in one minute.   Some beat the minute and wrote down even more things.

I did the exercise, yesterday morning.  I gave myself one minute, also, and as I started the stop watch, I heard my dishwasher running.  I wrote down "dishwasher".  My eyes went to my piano that Papa played and now so does our grandson, Payton.  I wrote down "piano".  I was seeing -- I wrote down "my eyes", and hearing -- "my ears"; I was sitting in a comfy chair -- "my furniture"; I'm flying to Seattle today -- I wrote down "airplanes"; I saw my computer -- I wrote down "computer and internet".  I glanced over at my refrigerator -- I wrote down "refrigerator".  When we express gratitude, it's typically about the love we have for God, our family, our food, our home and car.  But, in reality, everywhere we look, we see things to be grateful for.   And, when we live in an attitude of gratitude, rather than being bugged that the computer is too slow, we say, "I'm so thankful for my computer".  Instead of complaining about our "old" car, we say, "I'm so thankful for a car."

A grateful heart sees each day as a gift. Thankful people focus less on what they lack and more on the privileges and blessings they have. I told the ladies about a FB post I saw by Greta Van Susteren yesterday.  She reported that White House aide, Jake Brewer, and the husband of Fox News frequent guest Mary Katherine Ham was killed in a bicycling accident while riding to raise funds for a charity.   They have one small child and she is pregnant with their second child. Read on to see what a heart of gratitude says during the toughest of times. Just hours after his tragic death, Mary Katherine posted this picture and note on Instagram:  

"We lost our Jake yesterday, and I lost part of my heart and the father of my sweet babies. I don't have to tell most of you how wonderful he was. It was self-evident. His life was his testimony, and it was powerful and tender and fierce, with an ever-present twinkle in the eye. I will miss him forever, even more than I can know right now. No arms can be her father's, but my daughter is surrounded by her very favorite people and all the hugs she could imagine. This will change us, but with prayer and love and the strength that is their companion, we can hope our heartache is not in vain-- that it will change us and the world in beautiful ways, just as he did. If that sounds too optimistic at this time, it's because it is. But there was no thought too optimistic for Jake, so take it and run with it. I will strive and pray not to feel I was cheated of many years with him, but cherish the gift of the years I had. In a life where nothing is guaranteed, Jake made the absolute, ever-lovin' most of his time with all of us. This is a family picture we took a couple weeks ago. It was taken because Jake, as always, was ready with a camera and his immense talent. All four members of our little, growing family are in it. I can never be without him because these babies are half him. They are made of some of the strongest, kindest stuff God had to offer this world. Please pray that he can see us and we'll all make him proud. God, I love him. Psalm 34:18 -- "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you."

Oh, my!  This is one day after her husband's death, yet she found reasons to be grateful.  Obviously, she is a woman of gratitude. Her words,  "I will strive and pray not to feel I was cheated of many years with him, but cherish the gift of the years I had."  Instead of looking at what she didn't have, she looked at what she had. Shouldn’t we be so grateful....that at the worst, unimaginable crisis or heartbreak, we find so many reasons to be grateful?

The grateful heart is like a magnet that collects reasons for gratitude -- for the paper clip to hold those pages together; for the milk in our cereal; for the song that soothes us; for the clock we hear ticking; for the light that turns on; for the safe drive home; for the clean water from our tap, for the time we had with our loved ones.  Thank you, Lord!

May we choose gratitude as a habit that we choose daily as a way of life.  May we adjust our lens and see our lives and our world through the eyes of a grateful heart.  May we be overwhelmed with the beauty and abundance of all God has given us!
#Gratitude