Achieving Glory

Sadly, on my list of ordinary things is the pain in my heart. It is ordinary because, like others who have been wounded to the core, I live with it every moment of every day. It is what one former pastor's wife I read recently called a 'forever pain'. Many days, like today, I begin my day feeling utterly exhausted emotionally from the weight of the pain. It's really hard to be thankful for that!

But this morning I was reminded of a verse that gives me a reason to be exactly that: 2 Corinthians 4:17 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Isn't that amazing? Think of the deepest pain you carry - does it seem 'light and momentary' to you? I know mine doesn't! Yet, Paul says that, compared to the glory to come, it is exactly that.

I am reminded of Hebrews 12 where Jesus, "for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame". That must have been some joy! Philip always ties the Hebrews passage to Psalm 16:11 - "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Christ endured far greater pain than I ever have by focusing on the indescribable joy he knew was coming when he was re-united with his father. So, today I'm giving thanks for the pain and the trouble because it is going to produce amazing, eternal joy when, someday, I see my loving, compassionate Father and his beautiful Son.

Traditions

This year, for the first time since we started having children, our family will be at home & on our own for the holidays. I'm sad about this, of course. I love spending the Thanksgiving & Christmas celebrations with extended family, and we have certain things we've done every year with them. I'll miss that a lot this year. At the same time, I'm also excited about getting to develop our very own traditions for the day. I have traditions in place for the weeks leading up to both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but not for the actual days themselves. So, I'm brain- storming & I'm sure Phil and I will be having discussions about things we want to do. I'd love to hear what traditions you have. What you do to make Thanksgiving Day about more than just eating too much turkey? What special things do you do as a family? What do you do to focus on thankfulness, or maybe to share the blessings God has given you with others who are lacking?

Thanks for Dirty Dishes

I wash a l.o.t. of dishes -- what mom doesn't? I haven't had a dishwasher since our move, so I'm keenly aware of just how many dirty dishes we make every single day. I'm afraid I don't usually see that as a good thing. Maybe I should stick this poem above the sink in my kitchen, just to remind me.

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Thank God for dirty dishes --

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They have story to tell;

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for by the stack I have,

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it seems that we're living quite well.

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While folks of some countries starve,

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I haven't the heart to fuss,

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For this stack of evidence shows to me

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God's very good to us.

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- Author Unknown

Thanks for the unremarkable

I've given it some thought & decided to put my focus this week on giving thanks for the ordinary things in my life . The things I often take for granted. Things that, normally, I would not even notice - or might even grumble about - but which, I expect, will take on a whole different look when examined through the lens of gratitude . Want to do it with me? Give it some thought - what do you enjoy every day but forget to be thankful for? What often-frustrating or bothersome thing you can turn on its head and give thanks for this week?

For all the friends who have been urging me for years to do this post . . .

Since my boys were babies, I have had long-sleeved bibs for them to wear. I LOVE these bibs because they keep all those little sleeves clean & stain-free. They're especially handy when little ones are learning to feed themselves. I also have friends who have told me they use them to protect the clothing of their budding artists during messy projects. A few years ago I started making the bibs to give as gifts to new mommies and eventually I began selling them.
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The bibs are fabric with a Velcro closure & clean easily with a trip through the washer & dryer. I make them in 2 sizes: the smaller size fits up to 12 months old (maybe longer on a petite child), and the larger size fits up to 3T-ish (Thomas is still wearing his, with a bit of room to grow).

This morning, I took some of them up to the craft fair at the seminary, and they're selling like hot-cakes! I'm also pleased to say that I got my first mail-order for bibs this week. Mostly, I'm excited to be sharing something that makes life a bit easier for other, hard-working moms ;o) If you're interested in ordering some, leave me a comment and we'll 'talk'. . .

EDIT for Grins & Giggles

Boo! This afternoon Youtube pulled the video I linked to in my last post. Here's another link that I think will work. A warning, though, you will have to watch an ad of some sort (they play a few different ads) to get to the video.

SingingFool.com - Phil Vassar - Just Another Day In Paradise - Music Video

Grins & Giggles

So, in the middle of all the all kid-related the craziness at our house this week, a friend shared this song with me. It made me laugh which made me feel so much better about my day! Thanks, Crazy Mom!

I'm afraid youtube wouldn't let me post the video, but here's a link: