Miss Emma

 

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 189: Today, I am grateful for this witty and wonderful woman. 

Today, we celebrate her birth.

Yes, she is a woman. No, I didn't give birth to her, but I am so grateful I was able to watch her grow up into an amazing young woman. Miss Emma is the perfect compliment to Chase. She delights us and dazzles us. We adore her. 

She is our daughter not simply by law, but by Chase's choice and deep in our hearts.  He has chosen a wife who fits him well.  

"A wife of noble character is her husband's crown," -Proverbs 12:4

She is, indeed. 

They say if the shoe fits, wear it. How about the tiara? Shouldn't every girl have one? It appears this one fits just right. 

She is a little bit famous with the town "littles".  They love to visit her at the library. She picks the best books to read.  On rainy Fridays, her library programming moves to the building where my office is. I don't pray for rainy Fridays, but I do love getting to see her and her fan club.          

I loved her before I knew Chase would choose her. I am so grateful he did. 

Today, I am grateful for this witty and wonderful woman.

Quiet Contentment

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 188: Today, I am grateful for quiet contentment.

There is something special about being able to sit together in quiet. Silences are not awkward when there is a deep and abiding relationship. The Love of My Life and I have had 37 years together, with nearly 35 of them as husband and wife. 

How can that be possible? It feels like a blink. Trust me, the years have flown by. 

I think one of the things that comes with seasoned love and other long friendships is the comfort in simply being together, no matter what you are doing. You can almost read each other's thoughts so words are not always necessary. Best friends do it, too. It isn't limited to marriage. 

Contentment in the silences allows space for new thoughts, dreams and ideas to grow. It is okay to slow down and take a deep breath. 

When I think about our spiritual lives, do we make room for quiet contentment? One of my life verses has been Psalm 46:10-

"He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The scripture is quoted often, but only the first half, Note the pause! After He declares HE IS GOD, there is a pause. The verse continues to remind us that HE will be exalted! Lifted up and glorified, because HE IS, HE was and HE will be. All those "be" verb forms. And we get to choose TO BE with Him,  in quiet contentment. 

He says to the weary and the burdened... "Come... and I will give you rest." It is all about relationship.

Today, I am grateful for quiet contentment.

Cool In the Pool

Gratitude Year 10- Day 187: Today, I am grateful we can be cool in the pool. 

It is hot in so many places right now. Really hot! What a blessing it is to be cool in the pool. 

We are spoiled to have close friends with a pool. Our kids grew up in the water. Midwest summers are hot and humid. Summer is He turns a desert into pools of water and a dry land into flowing springs.
 enjoyable when you can cool off in the water. 

Humans have long known the joy of a dip in cool water on a hot day. It feels luxurious. The senses tingle. It is too good to pass up. 

It is that way with a soul that is refreshed by His Spirit.

He turns a desert into pools of water and a dry land into flowing springs."-Psalm 107:35.  

If you can't be at the pool today, savor the renewal in redemption. If you are at the pool, delight in the wonder of the experience. 

Today, I am grateful we can be cool in the pool. 

 

Worker Bees

Gratitude Year 10- Day 186: Today, I am grateful for the worker bees.

This week, we have been surrounded by some amazing "worker bees". They are the people who are not necessarily in the positions of honor, prestige and glory... they are the ones who get the job done. 

I've watched this again and again. "All guts and no glory" is a phrase I've heard over the years. I have always loved the country song by Chad Brock with the lyrics "Thunders just the noise boys; lightning does the work!". 

The worker bees who spend the day gathering from flowers are vital to the mission. They return to the Queen in the hive and somehow, we end up with honey. (Honey is a favorite around our house.) 

Honey is so much more than a sweet treat. It has some natural healing qualities that have been used for centuries. The Queen is the star of the hive, but the worker bees are vital to the work. There would be no honey harvest without them.

This scripture popped into my head. HE is the "Lord of the Harvest". He commissioned all of us as worker bees to spread the sweet news of redemption and new life in Christ. 

"These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." Luke 10:2

Who are the worker bees in the harvest for the Lord in your life? The ones busy with the work of spreading the gospel, each in their own way. See them. Thank them. Celebrate them.  Bee.... I mean be them. 

Today, I am grateful for the worker bees.

The Echoes of Freedom

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 185: Today, I am grateful for the echoes of freedom.

Please remember that this post is always for gratitude. No political thoughts or commentary. Feel free to private message me if you have political comments or thoughts. 

This image is from Peoria's "Red, White and BOOM!" celebration. It has been a long standing tradition with the Smiths, Leanders and some of the Roth family. It is a day of portable games, summer friendly snacks, carnival food, entertainment (some planned and some unplanned), family(and friends who are family) and fellowship.

I have a patriotic heart. I always have. I was young at our Bi-Centennial in 1976 and impressionable. Sometimes, I forget the youthful age of this nation we call home. Those who came longed for freedom. They longed for opportunity. This land was huge, wild and unforgiving at times. They came with excitement, determination, big ideas and bigger dreams. Many came with not much more than their clothes. 

Mama Ina Mae always said she had a Native American great- great grandmother. It bothered her that their land was stolen.  We were raised to look for what we could learn from others with different backgrounds and experiences. Mama was always reading about Native American treatments for illness and injury. She taught us that people are better together. Our differences can make us stronger or they can divide us. Core values are key, but there are places where compromise when we are in relationships. This is true for families, communities and in the workplace, too. 

How do we figure it out? I find this scriptures to be key: 

"And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” -Matthew 22:37-40 

This is how we get it "right". We can't undo our past wrongs or anyone else's. We can only move forward chasing God's heart and loving our neighbor better. A collection of wrongs can't be righted... only Jesus has the power to do that. 

"for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." -Hebrews 9:26 

Freedom! True freedom through His grace and forgiveness. True freedom through relationship with Him. The echoes of the freedom we know because of His sacrifice should be celebrated daily! Do we walk in freedom and with gratitude? Do we chase His heart and does our love for others show up in our daily walk and talk? 

We are not perfect people, but we are free people. Our freedom required a sacrifice. 

Today, our nation celebrates the high cost of freedom. It isn't just a birthday party with burgers and hot dogs. From a rebel army dressed in rags into a nation that has had great moments and not so great moments, We are still free. We included our Creator in our founding documents. Let us not forget Him now. 

Sometimes, freedom requires a sacrifice. Our response to sacrifice should be gratitude. Say an extra prayer for our military today.  

Today, I am grateful for the echoes of freedom.

Band-Aids

 

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 184: Today, I am grateful for bandaids.

Do you ever think about the many little conveniences we enjoy? A bandaid is one of them. I wonder how many of them I gave out in 10 years at the Jr. High? Especially, when "nursing" was part of the job description. (So grateful for our in school health people!) 

A bandaid can help protect a wound from infection, provide comfort and provide just enough pressure to stop a small wound from bleeding. They are definitely on the list of first world comforts. They seem so ordinary and necessary. 

We use the term "bandaid fix" as something temporary until you can get a job done correctly. I imagine it is an American phrase. Sometimes, a bandaid fix buys us just enough time to seek out the right person or resources to do a job right. It isn't permanent... just a bandaid fix. 

Short post. Savor the sunshine in your day. Be grateful for creature comforts, like bandaids.

Today, I am grateful for bandaids.

Honest Relationships

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 183: Today, I am grateful for honesty in relationships.

I love this giraffe. He seems perfect for the reminder that real and honest relationships require us to stick our necks out. It is scary at times.

We live in a world with other humans. I am so glad we do. Isolation from other humans is a form of punishment in jails and for prisoners of war. A basic parenting consequence is sending a misbehaved child to their room... without technology. We need companionship.

Some humans are good (though none is without sin), some are evil, most are a little broken and some are simply challenging to be. Our perceptions of "Who's who?" on that list boils down to our relationships with them. And our most real relationships are the ones that mold us, improve us and guide us.

Even most hardened criminals love their mothers or grandmothers. They say Mother's Day is one of the saddest days around prison systems, for all involved. There is so much brokenness in the world. One bad decision can have life changing consequences.

Being a completely flawed and imperfect human myself, I am grateful for those who know me best and who continue to extend forgiveness and grace. Seeing the best in those we love is a by-product of real love. It is enduring and resists the storms of life.

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."  -1 John 4:18

Today, I am grateful for honesty in relationships.