Gratitude: Hiking Forward

It’s been a long while since I posted. Too many reasons excuses to list here.

I’ve been wanting to post but not so sure about what I had to say. I needed to refocus and remember why I began here and move forward. I’ve been standing sitting still way too long.  Yes, I wasn’t even standing anymore, I’d gone to sitting.

I’ve been sitting a long while, not just concerning my blog.

Logan wrote about her struggle on the Allume website and so much of it resonated with me.

It was yet another reminder of what the Lord has been speaking into my life for a while.

I was listening… just not obeying.

You know, like when you tell the kids to do something and they definitely hear you, so much so that they respond with a ‘yes ma’am’ and yet no action follows. Well, that has been me. The Lord has been speaking, I’ve been saying, “I hear you Lord.” but I stayed sitting still in the middle of the trail.

Too much looking back at the bad and the good (but mostly the bad) and not looking at the positive and good right here, right now.

Yup, that would be me. Yes, the one who is constantly harping on the kids with Philippines 4:8!! (ahem… clears throat.)

Elisabeth George says, “Learn it, Log it, Leave it”.

Yes, I need to do that.

The bad AND the good.

I’ve been looking back at the bad so long that all it seemed I could see is the bad and none of the good, even in the present.

So today I am getting up off that rock I’ve been sitting on and tightening the laces of my hiking boots and picking my walking stick and putting one foot in front of the other starting with this post.

Getting back to a routine of gratitude listing on Mondays.

To begin with… I’m thankful that Jesus doesn’t ever give up on us and waits patiently while we just sit.

***

With the start of a new school year I decided to try to start a new family habit too. I found these fabulous small (perfectly kid-sized) hard-backed composition notebooks for a dollar at Walmart. I wanted to get the kids to focus on being more grateful and thankful too.

The kids have begun their own gratitude lists. I borrowed an idea from Ann Voskamp to have the younger one who can’t write yet draw pictures instead and we label them for her.

***

1129. great weather (this one is a bit old, the last week of August)

1130. cream filled donuts

1131. the way the youngest smiles at Daddy

1132. fun with the kids in Wildwood, NJ

1133. waves

1134. he sketches

1135. and he notices the swan

1136. Godly friends with Christ-centered wisdom

1137. a husband who prays and checks up on me to make sure all is well

1138. God answers prayer and often to teach us a lesson in the process

1139. Danielle

1140. … and her observations on certain topics

1141. “Paid in Full”, God’s continuing provision

1142. youth camp, going along with the two oldest as a counselor

1143. she prays with her closest friends

1144. Speechless, how being part of it makes her so very happy

1145. the Mask, and watching her doing what she loves, (even though it seems she gets ‘abused’ in the process, OUCH!!)

1146. Carla’s tortilla soup, YUM!!! (and it is so easy to make!!)

1147. more cream-filled donuts

1148. cousins having fun in the surf

1149. children writing out gratitude

1150. baby birds (cardinals) in a nest just outside the window

1151. a great marriage

1152. good relationships with our in-laws, both sets

1153. freshly cut grass

1154. they named the spider “Sarah”

1155. her reminding us to “do our thanks list”

1156. Christian Cowboy, playing it without fingers stumbling

1157. hamburger helper

1158. meat in the freezer and the mom who provided it

1159. He kept the flowers watered while I was at camp with the kids

1160. finding the right shoes for school

1161. school uniforms bought cheap

1162. time spent with a dear friend and helping her in the kitchen

1163. sweet notes from friends left on…

1164. … binders for the kids for school

1165. the kids given new backpacks

1166. Georgia Peach milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A

1167. the oldest son helping the youngest sister with her gratitude list

1168. she took my quilt and washed it, so fresh and clean, breathing deeply now as I snuggle down

1169. pretzel rolls

1170. night blooming waterlilies

1171. time with Mom and Dad and the kids, wandering through gardens blooming

1172. Mango insistently putting the ball into my lap over and over…

1173. so that she can chase it again and again

1174. she started K-5

1175. … she is so excited to learn

1176. His commenting that he is “so glad she is in the classroom right next door, it is so nice to have a family member close by”

1177. a lawn mower that works

1178. chunks of freshly cut grass

1179. Mango’s feet stained green from the freshly cut grass

1180. sweaty boy…

1181. …playing soccer with Dad

1182. kids, projects, and paint

Linking up with Ann today…