living in gratitude

"Only when we are no longer afraid
do we begin to live in every experience,
painful or joyous,
to live in gratitude for every moment,
to live abundantly."
~ Dorothy Thompson

I came to the realization that I was trying to live out other people's ideals.

It had less to do with God, and more to do with other people's perceptions of what they think God wants and what they personally think is the only way.

Self-deception. It's so natural and easy to live in denial.

The fear of man.

"God is on my side;
I will not fear:
what can man do unto me?"
(Psalm 118:6)

Emily at chatting at the sky talks about grace for the good girl here.

I was a good girl gone bad, then I was trying to be "good-er" than good, and now, well, now I'm just trying to be real and genuine. Some people have farther to travel than others.

Husbands, Cats and Friends

I'm joining Brenda at Garden of Learning for the Gratitude Challenge again today.

This Friday morning I'm grateful for:

My hard-working husband -- his patience, humbleness and unconditional love toward me. He's the most forgiving, forbearing, accepting man I know. He's very reliable and stable. He's a rock.



More cinnamon rolls. Yep. Our cell group meeting was canceled at the last minute yesterday, and now we're up to our eyeballs in yummy Peter-made cinnamon rolls. If ya'll were near, I'd bless you with some! Time to bless the neighbors!



Gracie and Sandra, our cats. Plus an inherited outdoor cat that came with the house. I am so grateful we don't have dogs. I am definitely a cat person, not a dog person. Cats are just too smart to be trained, and besides, they don't need it. They don't chase cars down, they don't get into neighbor's garbage, they don't need to be walked or else they pee on the rug, they're not so needy that they have to be petted to have healthy self-esteem, they purr instead of bark, and they actually stay on your lap. To let them go on a walk you just open and close the door, and on and on. Cats rule; dogs drool. That's the way I feel about that. Love my cats. (Sorry, dog people.)

Little Sandra

Big lazy Gracie (aahhh...to be a cat...)

Outdoor cat. The one that came with the house.

Grateful that I'm almost done sewing a new dress for Pauline, which is no small feat here. The children always know when Mom is sewing, because they hear me whimpering, come into the kitchen, and see me hunched over the sewing machine in tears. Really. Every time. You think I'd be a pro by now, but I struggle through every dress I make. A true labor of love. It's worth it though, to see Pauline light up when she sees the new dress. Then to see her in it twirling around is priceless. And I'll have to admit, it's easier for me to make one than to shop for one, especially for Pauline, because she's a very difficult size to fit, and I hate to shop.

All my friends (including you!) are truly a blessing. I am grateful for every friend. We also have a wonderful church fellowship, and the children have so many good friends. I also am grateful for Pauline's high-pitched giggle, especially when she's around her friends.

Pauline and LaWanda giggling

So today I love my loving husband, cinnamon rolls again, cats, and friends.

Join Brenda at Garden of Learning for the Gratitude Challenge, or just visit to be inspired.

Happy Friday friends!

Comfy Robes and Cinnamon Rolls

I'm joining up with Brenda at Garden of Learning for her Gratitude Challenge. Today I'm grateful for:

Cold weather. It got down to 35 degrees F lastnight -- the coldest yet this season, so we'll be able to have a nice cozy fire now.

My big comfy robe that my sister-in-law, Kitsy, gave me one Christmas. It's the best robe I've ever had and it's like wearing a warm blanket around myself. Only it has sleeves. They live in up in New England, so they know about keeping warm. Doesn't it make you just want to stay in it all day? Very tempting. Maybe I'll get dressed before breakfast. Or maybe not.


Homemade cinnamon rolls that my son Peter made lastnight, and the smell wafting throughout the house. Mmmm......


Little boys and all their busy little activity. Two of my boys made a tent lastnight in the living room and slept together in it. They worked really hard on it and were very excited about how it turned out.

Complete with built-in kitchen.


So today, I love little active boys, warm robes and cinnamon rolls. And I'm grateful for a decent night's sleep to enjoy it all! God is good.

Not-so-great photos by Jimi Ann

For more thoughts on gratefulness, click here.

Meditation on Acceptance

My husband and I've made some changes to our lives during the last decade, as our thinking and philosophy of life has broadened and gone in a not-so-popular direction. It hasn't always been received easily with friends or relatives, and understandably so. People aren't readily comfortable with the unfamiliar. It takes a while to get used to. While it's not always easy for them, it's not always easy for us as well.

It's not easy following a less-sought-after path. It's definitely not the path of least resistance, because we're not "going with the flow." But it's the path God has called us to and we find peace and rest in it.

It's not the path for everyone, and that's okay. We don't try to make others go the way we have chosen. We try to accept them where they are and with the choices they've made. They don't need to agree with us, or we with them -- but we do need to accept them, and hope they do us. But that's not always so. Sometimes it's lonely.

But I haven't always been the most accepting, either, and definitely have room to grow. It brings back to mind a quote that I've shared before, "We teach best what we most need to learn." (The quote is by the author that wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull.)

I guess the older we get, the more we realize how much we don't know. We realize how we don't need to convince everyone to walk as we walk. How we're not as right as we sometimes think. Humility. I guess you could say that non-acceptance is a form of pride, no? A thought to ponder.


Sometimes people aren't accepting by accusing others of being legalistic. I was talking to a brother and he said someone accused him of being legalistic, although this brother was accepting of his friend. He was following the path for his family that God had called him to. He didn't require others to have the same convictions.

The brother being accused said something like, "Well, have I imposed my ways upon you?" The answer was no. He made the point that it was actually the accuser being legalistic, in that by accusing him of being legalistic, he was implying that his friend should change to be more "normal" like him. The friend/accuser was the one that had a problem with the way this brother lived, not the other way around. Maybe the friend felt threatened that this brother wasn't following the status-quo. The friend then agreed with the brother, and the friendship probably grew to a new level because of the humbleness and acceptance displayed by the brother.

Photo by Drew

Anyway, we appreciate the rich variety which makes life interesting, and realize how boring life would be if we were all alike, and we learn from each other. This is acceptance. Not mere tolerance, but true acceptance, is what we desire -- to give acceptance as well as to receive acceptance.

I'll end with one my favorite quotes penned by Henry David Thoreau:

"If a man loses pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears,
however measured, or far away."

Photos by Jimi Ann, except where noted.

May we give each other liberty to listen to the drummer each is hearing. And love each other unconditionally while we're at it.

The gift of Acceptance. Easy to receive, but difficult to give.

I'm very grateful today for the Acceptance we've come to appreciate so much. It's coming along and we don't feel as alienated as we used to. Stop over at Garden of Learning where Brenda is challenging us to a Gratitude Challenge for the month of November.

I'd love to hear any comments you have. Your thoughts and ideas bring fresh perspective and are inspiring to me. I'll try to be accepting of all! :)

Safely Through Another Week: Wrap-Up

I'm totally uninspired this morning. The well is dry. Nothing left.


Waking up with hot flashes and sweating all night does that to you. Four hours sleep tops. And broken up at that. When the children are no longer babies, you think, "FINALLY, I can get some good sleep; no babies to wake me up in the night." Uh-uh. Try again... Now I've locked myself in my room until I can be not so grumpy.

But I guess it's okay to be uninspired some days. If all days were perfect, we wouldn't notice them, because we'd have nothing else to compare them to. Hills and valleys; ebbs and flows. I'm confident that there are special treasures in today, if I only look for the everyday miracles that God orchestrates so effortlessly for us. So I'll keep my eyes open and pray for vision to see clearly, past the muckiness. At times like this, it helps to think of the good things from the past week that I can savor in my thoughts. It also helps to read Posts on Gratitude. It'll help me realize that life's not really as bad as it seems when I'm feeling so yucky.

Well, let's see...Monday I rested from our looooong, tiring weekend. It was so nice to wake up, stay in bed a little late, stretch, and not have to rush out anywhere. I let the children sleep in a little as well. We spent the morning slowly getting the house back in order, then we did school in the afternoon. I love the freedom of homeschooling! It's always nice to change things up a bit, like doing school outside, studying at the library, storytime at the park, or...doing school in the afternoon.

Tuesday night we went on a field trip with our homeschool/church group to the Observatory. We had perfectly clear weather, and got to see Jupiter and four of it's many moons.


It was nice laughing with my friend Lucinda. That was probably the best part for me! Laughter with an understanding friend...

Wednesday was a nice, ordinary day. Predictability and stableness are refreshing some days. (But too much is, well, not refreshing!)

Thursday, my daughter Pauline was in the throes of a full-blown sickness. Kids are funny when they're sick -- the ones you think would be quiet, patient sufferers aren't.

Ever feel so yucky that you follow people around the house all day and go sit near them so they can hear you whimper and feel bad for you? Times like these when a mommy builds lots and lots of character, HOPEFULLY. And, I guess it's easier to listen to someone be sick, than to actually be sick yourself. Or is it??

Then us girls had some quiet moments Thursday night when Drew took the three boys to our cell group gathering (a Bible study with other families). The boys needed to get out and stretch a little, be around a few other children. And, believe me, there were plenty of children to do that with Thursday night. In our little gathering of four families, there are 28 children! (With more on the way...gulp.)

So, it was nice to have quiet time with my sweet Pauline to rest and recover. To recoup from the boy-noise.

Friday. Got up feeling great, lots of energy. Going to accomplish a lot. School, cleaning, catch-up with the laundry, a little sewing, to the park for some exercise, and then maybe to the library. I may even break down and go to the grocery store! Woo-hoo! Feelin' good!

In reality, we got some school accomplished, did one load of laundry when I realized we're out of detergent, and a quick walk at the park for half an hour. I had aspirations of trying to get some great photos in the golden afternoon sun. But by the time we found the boys' shoes and ran back in the house to use the bathroom multiple times while the rest waited in the car, drove to the park, well, the sun had passed it's golden age.

I was very grateful for the meatballs we (really it was Pauline) made last week and put in the freezer. We had a nice Italian meal with homemade meatballs and sauce, whole-wheat pasta and a nice salad. Even a holiday-type cake for dessert! Sonlight, a curriculum we use, sent out a newsletter last week, and there was this very easy holiday cake recipe in it:

Quick and Easy Holiday Cake
(from Sonlighter Bethany W.)

1 package spice cake mix
1 21-oz. can apple pie filling
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
whipped topping

Beat dry mix, pie filling and eggs together. Spread half in greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over it. Spread rest of batter on that. Bake 30-35 mins. on 350. Cool. Serve with whipped topping. Wa-lah!

Looking forward to today, Saturday. And expectantly searching for those little miracles. My mother-in-law sent us a book she enjoyed by Bruce Wilkinson: You Were Born for This, 7 Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles. Check it out by clicking on the title.

My husband is feeling quite ambitious this morning, as you can see (those are socks, by the way!):

Please share about your week, what you're doing today, or any comments AT ALL... Now go search for those miracles! That's what I'll be doing. Digging for treasures. And remembering to be grateful for each little one.


(Did you notice I finally figured out how to use that Hyper-Linky-tool thing? Well, actually, my husband sat down with me and very patiently instructed me. Check out the Homeschool Curriculum We Currently Use links on the sidebar there. I'm getting a little hyper-linky happy now. It'll wear off soon...)

How to Give a Spoken Blessing

I want to share a special way I bless my children.

But before I share it, let's look at some of the everyday ways we bless them:

1. We feed them, and sometimes go beyond boxed macaroni and cheese! (This is one of my most-used cookbooks, published by MOPs, Mothers of Preschoolers. Love those styles!)

(Although boxed mac and cheese is, by far, my George's favorite. None of that dry homemade stuff for him! No sirree, he wants the REAL Kraft processed stuff -- with the vibrant color! Pale-looking, flavorless mac and cheese just won't do for that boy.)

2. We talk with them, one-on-one, giving them that warm, loving acceptance. (This gets more difficult as they get older! As those of you with teenagers know, they love to talk. And talk. And talk.)

3. We support their interests. Since one of my sons loves airplanes, I try to educate myself somewhat in that area so we can talk about it. (This fulfills numbers 2 and 3!) I remember reading about Catherine Marshall. After her husband, Peter, passed away, she did all she could to learn about football so she could connect with their only son, and so he would still have encouragement in one of his favorite things. (By the way, I helped our Peter set up his own blog about All things Air just yesterday, if you want to visit, click here: To Fly! He would really appreciate it.)

4. We teach them and guide them. We educate our children, whether we homeschool or not.

5. We clothe them.

6. We nurse them when they're sick. Read them stories to help them get their minds off feeling terrible and bring them food in bed. (Pauline really is sick this morning. This picture isn't staged!)

7. We laugh with them and cry with them.

8. We try to understand them. (Key word: TRY) You know, we try to remember what it was like when we were that age. Put ourselves in their shoes.

There's so many more, but these are the kind of blessings we usually give them without thinking much about it.

Well, one morning I was still lying in bed reading and thinking. God put it on my heart to bless each child separately, giving them specific, verbal blessings. So I wrote out a blessing, kind of like a prayer, for each child.

Then after breakfast, I stood by each child and placed my hand on top of each head, one at a time. With our heads bowed, and my hand still on them, I read the blessing out loud, as a prayer.

Here's an example:

"Dear Lord, I thank you so much for George today. Thank you for his boundless energy. Bless him with discernment on how to best use his energy for Your glory today. Thank you for the joy and laughter you've blessed him with. May he use that joy to minister to others. I thank you for the way he makes my heart smile when I look at his sweet smiling face. And thank you for the way his joy blesses others and helps Mommy remember to not be so serious. Be with George today, Lord, and bless him with peace. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Oh, they feel so honored and then they feel they just have to try to live up to the blessing! God honors the blessing and gives them the strength to fulfill it.

Saying it out loud is very powerful. David CRIED OUT to God in the Psalms. Isaiah 49:1 says, "Lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid..." and then in Solomon 2:14 God says, "Let me hear your voice." There is definite power in a spoken blessing. God says again in Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." So many more examples all throughout His word! He promises to hear and to answer.

By touching them, having my hand on their heads, is like the prayer is going out of me and into them. I know that may sound weird, and maybe it is. But it's true.


In the Old Testament, the blessing was so valuable that Jacob actually took great pains to STEAL his brother Esau's blessing! I won't type the whole blessing here, but you can read the account and the actual blessing their father, Isaac, gave in Genesis 27 by clicking here.

I've given them blessings a few times now -- sometimes at the breakfast table, sometimes after a devotion time in the living room. The children have actually asked for their blessings from time to time.

It helps me to connect more with them and their struggles, because by writing each blessing down, it forces me to think deeply about their needs, and about what gifts that child has. I end up being just as blessed or more, because it helps me to see the "undesirable" traits they have in a new light. I end up being grateful for the traits that I usually would find annoying.

I save each blessing, and put it in their keepsake "boxes," that are stored under my bed. Those oblong tupperware-type containers that you might use for wrapping-paper rolls. Each child has one with his or her name on it to put special things in, like homemade cards, pictures, etc. It's great to finally have a place for all those cute notes and drawings they give us.


So that's a special way I bless the children. And it's a way they bless me.

For Father's Day, I wrote out a blessing for Drew, my husband. Each of the children wrote a blessing for him as well, and we read them in church during sharing time. Many tears! (The good kind of tears.)

Please leave a comment telling more ways to bless our children and husbands. Little blessings are just as important as big ones...and I could use fresh inspiration!