Sunday, October 29, 2006

Grateful heart

Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing - a grateful heart!

George Herbert

Man, do I need to work on this. I read an interesting article a couple of weeks ago about the two different types of gratitude. One is the 'thanks God for all the stuff you've given me and the blessings in my life' and the other is 'thanks God for being God.' Boy, do I need to work on the later.

I am thankful when it comes to thanking God for His blessings in my life. But how shallow and self-centered to just stop there. I began to think about the idea of thanking God for just being who He is. I realized that I could go on and on.

Thank you for sending your precious only Son to die on a cross for a world who despised Him.... and the ones who didn't despise Him are like me... just shallow humans with a flawed sin nature that are incapable of fully appreciating such a gift.

Thank you for being merciful and full of grace.

Thank you for loving me and giving me your best when I deserve the worst.

Thank you for being a GOd of second, third, forth... etc.... chances.

Thank you for creation and all of the beautiful things in it.

Can you think of anything to be thankful for? Maybe we should all spend more time cultivating a heart of gratitude.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

IIIII'MMMM Baaaccckkk!!!!

Well, it feels good to blog again. It's been a long time. I guess now that the cold weather is setting back in I'll have alot more computer time.

Well, I guess I should do a summer recap..... hhhmmmm.... not much to recap.

Hubby and I took the kids to the beach. The Banimal... who is now a little boy and not a baby ...wha..whaa... tears.... is an official beach bum. He would have just moved to the beach. He tends to be a little sensitive and easily scared, but he was fearless at the beach. He would let the waves crash over his head and carry him out. We had to grab him a few times. He also puked a few times. Poor kid has the easiest gag reflex of anyone I have ever met. He'd get a big mouth of sand and ocean water and then blluuuckk.. Okay, everybody.... load up and move a few feet up the beach. He wasn't ready to leave and now he is already begging to go back. Pteradactyl boy loved it too. He was pretty fearless, as well.

Let's see... what else... Well, I am back to my fighting wieght and I feel great. I am going to run a 5k race next year. That is my goal, at least. I am not so sure why I am enamored with running.. I have always hated it. I have always been of the opinion that running should only be done if you are being chased by some kind of rabid animal or axe-weilding psycho. But over the last few months I have changed my mind.

I personally think that it has to do with being couped up in the house with screaming kids. When my kids are fussy and fighting and screaming.. in my mind all I can think about is Forrest Gump..... yep, you read it right... Forrest Gump. You know the part of the movie where he 'ran and ran and ran and then one day he just stopped.' I can just envision leaving my screaming children... in a safe place, of course... and just running and running until I just run out of steam. In my current condtiion I might be able to make it to the end of the street. I guess I wouldn't even have to call Grandma for that one. But hopefully, by spring I will be doing a 5k.