A Birthday of Epic Proportions

I offer up thanks to the One who made me for having His hand on me and for guiding my steps. Yesterday was The Most Epic Birthday of All Time in my book, with certain elements that I hope never need to be repeated. 

Highlights included coming home from work to find my gift from Mr E being a cleaned kitchen, a lunch of stuffed shells made for me by Miss A and eaten with the 3 people I love most, lemon cake with lemon frosting, a present from a friend and being sung to in not only English, but Dutch and Portuguese as well! There were so many well-wishes and birthday hugs, I am truly blessed to be on this earth!

The not so fun but very much needed element was spending 4 hours in the ER with a dearly loved one as they again came face to face with some serious stuff. I would like to encourage anyone reading this who may be in a terribly impossible situation. I don't know what you are going through, but I challenge you to wait. Waiting is the hard part, but it is so worth the pain. I am encouraged to know that my hope is not in vain. God DOES have a plan for us and our families. His timing is never our timing, but it is always RIGHT ON TIME.

Hang on, dear friend. Look up and dare to keep hope alive. Reach out to the One who made you. He loves you more than you will ever know.

Sing and Not Be Silent

What a morning!!  I have come back from the weekly woman's Bible study with my heart full of thanksgiving - It is appropriate that today is a Thursday.  Many prayers have been answered this past week in the lives of the ladies around me.

Please understand, we have had our share of stress and sorrows recently, but God is turning our mourning into dancing and I must stop to give Him praise.  He is our Provider, our Comfort, our Way in the Wilderness and Path through the Desert. He is our Wisdom, He is our Peace.  In some cases answers have come over time, yet in others we give praise for sudden and surprising answers!

For those prayers that have yet to be answered, I claim His promises to "never leave or forsake" us.  He is working in places we cannot even see, and loves those who are dear to us with a love that is fiercer than our own.  His plan is good, and waiting is hard.  Let's keep our eyes on Him and see what He will do.

Psalm 30:12 "That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever."    Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you..."

...thanking God for many answered prayers and eager to see what He has for us in coming days and months.

Thankful on Friday

Seeing how I am still not asleep in the early morning hours of Friday, I will consider this a post for Thankful Thursdays...

I am thankful for:

• God's Word
• a friend whose life and walk with Jesus is true encouragement
• a bed to lay in once I fall asleep

A New Start

This is the moment I changed my mind. 
This is the day I changed my life.

More Time on Foreign Soil

Today I am thankful that TAPM's contract has indeed been extended for 3 more months!

I have been thinking on many things lately.  Things that need adjustment...like my attitude about greeting the morning, for one thing!  I have gone through ups and downs and seem to be in a down right now at getting to bed at a reasonable hour, and then getting out of the bed after the allotted time is up for rest.

Hopefully next week I can be thankful for progress having been made in this area.  :)

Thankful

• for blue skies and sunshine
• for the happy Tui bird in the tree outside my window
• for healthy children
• good communication with TAPM
• for technology that allows me to join US team mates on a conference call
• for technology that connects me with my AUS mates for training
• for reminders to "sit up straight, drink your water, move your body, etc"
• for breath in my body and a smile in my heart!

I'm Not Too Busy To Be Thankful!

Wow, it feels like my life has sped by as fast as the wind is gusting outside my window tonight.  There have been many things on my heart (as usual) and it is good to know that God is right beside me on this path.

There are many things to be thankful for today:

• Kids and I not getting hit by a car while crossing the street in the rain.  Umbrellas are as much a distraction as cell phones in my book and we have learned to be more careful!
• Miss A is very excited to be going to camp this weekend.
• Mr E gets to spend the whole weekend with The Artistic Pixel Man and is looking forward to a WHOLE weekend of computer games, junk food, movies and time with Dad.
• I am flying to Newcastle, NSW on Friday for the Juice Plus+ Conference happening in this part of the world.  I never would have guessed that my first JP+ conference would be somewhere other than in the States.  I hope to meet many new friends, gain much information and have a great time without getting lost.
• I am thankful for friends who were willing to offer childcare at a moment's notice.
• And I am thankful that TAPM is going to take Friday off to spend with our children.  May their memories be sweet and their time together fun!

A life-long blessing for children is to fill them with warm memories of times together. Happy memories become treasures in the heart to pull out on the tough days of adulthood.  
~ Charlotte Davis Kasl

 

A Timely Power Outage

Today is Thursday.  I am thankful for a new friend, who came for lunch with two of her little ones.  What a joy to remember my days in her shoes.  Lord, Thank You for my children.  Thank you for the memories of them at that beautiful age.

After they left to go home for a nap, Math became the focus of our day here at Mosley2.  One of my favorite things as the "teacher" is when one of the kids is having a time understanding the lesson, and all of a sudden...BING!  On snaps the light bulb and the difficult concept is now understood.  I also enjoy the corrections...sitting and working through the problems with them.  Checking the mistakes and rechecking the answers.  (Now, if they would only understand and apply the knowledge that checking math work before handing it in makes much better sense!)  Lord, Thank You for my children.  Thank you for my time with them at this wonderful age.

Today during studies the power went out.  That put a kink in my busy plans for the afternoon.  No grocery shopping (good thing I got oats the day before), and all of a sudden I was feeling unwell and needing a bed right away.  Lord, Thank You for slowing me down, and for my children who tucked me in and quietly continued their afternoon so that I could rest.



One last reason of thanks...Lord, Thank You for timely reminders of so many important things lately.  Focus for my brain, devotion for my heart, gentleness towards others, and how time is spent.  Please help me to apply the reminders in a way that honors You.

A Full Heart

Today I am thankful for

• a husband who is a good provider.
• a place to go when this lease is up
• half-price entry at the zoo tomorrow
• safety in the storm last Friday
• hugs from my children every day
• notes and greetings from friends
• a helpful bus driver today with the patience of Job
• God's Word.  It is active and living!

Acknowledgements

This week is  celebratory week and I am oh so thankful for so many people.  I would like to take a moment in my corner of the cyber-world to say "Thank You" to those who are walking on this journey along side of me.

To the ladies at Table 6, thank you for welcoming me into the circle.  I am honored to be a part of your lives through Mosaic.

To my friends and ABF family from HBC, thank you for your prayers and patience as I grow in your garden.  I may be blooming far away, but my roots are still with you.  I thank God upon every remembrance of you!

To my NSA family, thank you for your contagious enthusiasm.  What an honor to serve with you!

To Tamera and the QE Gals, I miss you.  Save me some chocolate cake!   ;) 

To my mom, thank you for always believing in me.  I cherish your wisdom and strength.

To my dear sister and bro-in law, thank you for your courage.  I am proud of you both.

To the "Tenacious Twosome" words can't say it, but I will try...thank you for the "Bull Dog" approach you use to make sure I am focusing on God's Truth.

To Adelaide, thank you for walking this journey as a sister and friend.  Hope sends her love! 

To Gigi and Poppie, thank you for taking care of things, and for the great gift that your son is to me!

Sam, Dan, Daniel, Jim and others, thank you for loving my kids along with your own.

To my children, thank you for the joy that you bring to my life.  May I be a worthy example for you to follow in your own lives.

Last, and most importantly, I would like to thank The Artistic Pixel Man.  Because of your focus and hard work I am able to do what I do.  I am thankful for your creative spirit, and courage to bring us along on your adventure.  Mahalo Nui Loa.

What a Day!

Having taken the topic for Wednesdays to heart, I am ashamed to admit that once again I have procrastinated on something that really needs to get done.  I even procrastinated the writing of the procrastination!

On to other things!

Today is Thankful Thursday, and what a day it has been!  I woke up in time to see the sun coming over the eastern hills and the day only grew better from there.  My time in the Word this morning was first rate, and God brought to mind many dear friends to pray for.  I also received word that someone I met recently has made a decision to have a personal relationship with Christ.  I am so thankful today for Salvation.  Not just mine, but that of those whose hearts are being softened even now.

I am thankful for Debbi Bryson http://www.biblebusstop.com/ speaking at today's Mosaic Group.  I had been praying for her last week, that her words would be straight from God.  That prayer was answered.  Also at the meeting this morning I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting again, a young woman who the kids and I met at a bus stop many months ago.  I saw her Bible and asked where she attended church.  It just so happened that it was the same one that I had been procrastinating about visiting.  So, the next week we went to her church, http://www.thestreet.org.nz/ and it is now our church too!  Amazing to see her again.

So many other things to be thankful for, but life is calling and I must close for now.

2010

2010 - My Year of Focus!

Simplistic Sundays - getting back to basics, balance, faith and fulfillment.
Muse Full Mondays - celebrating creativity, curiosity and learning.
Tenacious Tuesdays - are exciting and full of hope!
Worthy Wednesdays - anti procrastination day.
Thankful Thursdays - with an attitude of gratitude.
Focused Fridays - addressing goals and organization.
Self Talk Saturdays - am I speaking and believing truth?