Uphill idealist

My friend Kristen is good at reminding me about gratitude. In the last year she and her husband have changed vocations, had a new baby, cared for their active two-year-old boy, self-published a book called “Hyper and happy – 225 toddler activities that work” , and just six months ago relocated from Jamestown to their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.  Earlier this week, she found a rare moment of quiet in her home and posted a photo that caught my attention. In the picture, I saw a few tree branches that had been collected from her yard that had been artfully placed in a vase, and had small paper leaves had been tied onto the makeshift tree. When I looked a bit closer, I noticed that the leaves were covered with writing. Each leaf was a statement of gratitude and thankfulness. The simplicity and beauty of her picture took me off guard. In the midst of the transition, challenge and hyper but happy atmosphere that Kristen was experiencing; she remembered to make a pr...

Marking things and people I'm thankful for is a prayer practice that I've worked at off and on for years. Recently I've been reading the book 1000 Gifts  (Which inspires the reader to live fully WHERE THEY ARE as well as live into an attitude of thankfulness.) and have started to write down some things I'm thankful for in a "Smash book". (For more info on what a smash book, watch the clip below.) So here goes it for a few things from a late summer Sunday that I'm thankful for. (If you'd like to join in on this online "Smash page" feel free to post in the comments below) Thanks for reading - You're smashing yourself. 1. Singing and joking with my friends in the worship band. 2. Sharing "Herman" in my kid's message. 3. Surprise puppy that attended worship with it's owner. 4. Grey Grey 5. People who get what is important and encourage pursuing after it. 6. Passing the peace. 7. Car rides with my family, dog a...

Image November by Giovanni Pascoli found at blog Able Muse. Some folk don't shave for the month of November. Some try to focus on saying "Yes!" to life instead of "No!" for the whole month. Others, being that Thanksgiving is a part of the month, focus on gratefulness for the month. I've been in need of a November blogging muse, so I've decided to work in the vein of thankfulness and gratefulness. I need to do some upward, thankful, joyful musing. Would you like to join me? So, thinking in this frame of mind, I'm thankful to have the space and time here at this blog, as well as those who pop by for a visit, and comment too! Thanks to those who read, write, comment and take part in this month of gratitude. PS. By the way, I won't be giving up shaving. Gentlemen, have fun with that one!

On my morning run, I was amazed to see a lovely sunrise, cool drips of leftover rain from the canopy of leafy trees, the a marble-like blue and white sky, and four deer with one stomping his left hoof at me as if I was interrupting his breakfast. Maybe I was, but all these things reminded me of the newness of each day and the grace available to swim, soak and live in. What a beautiful dawn of grace. Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. To my surprise, and my delight I saw sunrise, I saw sunlight I am nothing in the dark And the clouds burst to show daylight Ooh and the sun will shine Yeah on this heart of mine Ooh and I realise Who cannot live without Ooh come apart without It On a hill top, on a sky-rise Like a first born child At full tilt, and in full flight Defeat darkness, breaking daylight Ooh and the sun will shine Yeah on this heart of mine Ooh and I realise Wh...

Image from Thompson and Morgan . Spring is all around us. We see the trees budding, the daffodils are in full bloom and the tulips are just about ready to open their colors to the world. With all this growth and life bursting forth, you can't help to think of what other things might be coming to or already have come to the surface. In my Sacred Space reading today, I was stopped by the question of reflection presented. " Where do I sense hope, encouragement and growth in the last few months. What have been fruitful activities or occasions. How will I give those fruitful things the space and time needed to produce more fruit in the near future." It's been a long winter, and due to that I think it's easy to think and stay in a place of frozen tundra spiritually, physically and intellectually. In the words of Ferris Beuller, "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." I don't want to miss the fruit...

This morning, my Dad had valve replacement and bypass surgery. He is doing well all considered and was alert and awake when we left the hospital this evening. It's been a very long day of beeping machines, tissue boxes, prayer and family bonding. Please continue to pray for Gary (Dad), Nancy (Mom), Garret (brother, Heather (daughter and I as we walk through these next few days together. Your support and love mean the world to us all... T

Image created by the blogger Lauren's Life. How do you do Sleeping with Bread? Sleeping with Bread is a Monday meme that is hosted by my friend Mary Lue and I at the blog location Sleeping with Bread . You can participate in one of two ways: 1) Pick one of the examen question sets and answer it in the comments section of my SWB post; or, 2) Create your own Sleeping with Bread post. You are welcome to right click on the Sleeping with Bread button and save it to your own computer before uploading into your post. Then, make sure you come back and put the link to your post in the automated Mr. Linky form at the end of the current SWB post. We hope you will join in with the fellow bakers as we Sleep with Bread on Mondays! After a very busy October into November, I feel as if I'm running full steam into the Thanksgiving holiday this week. Thankfulness is something that I try to think about on a daily basis. It is good to look back at every day and trace the lines of grace and bless...

Image from A Mother's Love As I think to sit and write this thank you post to all the Mom's in my life, I feel awash with an ocean full of memories of nurturing people. Here goes the great splash of thanks... To my Mom: Thank you for giving me life, loving me, baking cookies with me, for encouraging me to be myself even when that was hard, and for understanding my need to express myself in what I said, drew and even wore - even down to the bell bottoms, butterfly shirt, and pixie hair cut on my first day to kindergarten. For all the PTA meetings, summer camps, choir concerts and rides home after track and volleyball - thank you for giving of your time and energy. To my Mother in law - Janet: for welcoming me into your family, teaching how to be a better grown up, for encouraging me to go to college even when raising my kids, for helping to care for the kids when juggling work, school and ministry commitments, and for loving me as I am. You make a mean cup of tea too! To Jacki...

Cartoon from Toothpaste for Dinner. No complaints here. I'm pressing onto the reality that I had had some serious help today in preparing for the fundraiser breakfast and luncheon for Sunday. I keep looking around and on my to do list and I see that most everything I was worrying about is done, assigned, or good to go. One, two, three, four, five, six of the eight student that the fundraiser is for came to help and one, two, three, four who are not attending the trip came to chip in just because. Tables are set, eggs are cracked, and the rigatoni is ready to bake. Thanks to the two moms who assisted as well. Usually the night before such events I full of nervous energy, tonight I'm relaxed. In fact the most relaxed I've felt in a long while. This fact is one I'd like to happen more often in my reality. If you think of us on Sunday - stop by and have some good eats. If you can't make it here - say a prayer that it all goes well. Breakfast is 9am-10:30am with scramble...

In light of reading my blogging friend Mel's reminder of the choices we all have in life, I'm making a thankful list for today to make up for, well - some really cranky attitude I choose to swim in earlier this evening. By the way family - sorry for that. On to the thanks, for what I thought was a crummy, but really not day: A sit down breakfast out with my hubby complete with over-easy eggs, sour dough toast, strawberry jam, a PITCHER of coffee and great conversation. Getting a flyer project done for my youth group. Complete with bios on each student and pictures. Beautiful color printers at the office. People who call the office after reading my article in the monthly newsletter to tell me they were TICKLED by what they read! TICKLED! Love that word. Little children that are content to sit by me and color with sharpies, chat about what movies they will see this weekend, and sing very loudly in my ears for over an hour. I think this means that they might just like me a little...

It's a picture perfect day outside. The birds are singing, the sky is totally blue and the sun is more August like than it is April like. The quiet of my Monday should make me feel at rest - this is my day off, but I find myself feeling totally overwhelmed in the area of "Things to do". I was even tempted to head into the office to get a head start on things in the coming week, but to be honest - I know I need the day away. Really I do. So for the sake of sorting out the last week I'm choosing a specific, Sleeping with Bread question/statement today. Often, I just need pointed in the direction of a start then I'm good to go. So here goes. For what am I least grateful? Most grateful? Challenge: I'm the kind of person who would prefer to have things given to me straight , even if the message is tough to hear. This week I experienced some misaligned info and attitude that I had to spend too much time re-orienting and repairing. I really hate to waste time on suc...

This week I picked up a teaching an art project in a local elementary school. It's only a two week project with me visiting the class on four short occasions, but I have to say I think I've fallen in love with the children there. It's a small class, built to help the kids with the struggles they face and a high ratio of teachers and aids to support the class environment. The calm and organized class has made a huge impression on me, but I have to say most impressive of all have been the kids themselves - they have been fantastic. The other day I was greeted by a little guy as I came in the door on my second visit. He wrapped his arms around me, smiled and hugged me tight for what seemed to be a minute or two. I was taken a little by surprise by his affection, but smiled and gently received his hug. He was beaming when he looked up at me. He said, " I've missed you so much. Thank you for coming to my room and teaching me art." I'd only been there one day be...