Take A Moment

I'm reposting this poem because I like it so much (stolen from a friend's FB status).  Take a moment, and be thankful with me.
~~

Every day be thankful for what you have and who you are.
Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings.
Thank you, Lord, that I can hear.
There are many who are deaf.
Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible.
Thank you, Lord, That I can see.
Many are blind.
Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising.
Thank you, Lord, that I have strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.
Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, and my children are so loud.
Thank you, Lord, for my family.
There are many who are lonely.
Even though our breakfast table never looks like the picture in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced.
Thank you, Lord, for the food we have.
There are many who are hungry.
Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous.
Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest.
Thank you, Lord, for life.


And, a song to go with it:

Sunday Blessings

1. Seeing all of my cute, Asians (and one little blond hair, blue-eyed boy) in my 3-yr. old Sunday school class.  I missed them.


2. Eating at Crepes de Paris in Brea with my small group after church.

Mark

Mark & Hiroko, my small group leaders

3. Exploring Brea with my dear friend, Susan.

(Brea is where our church is located)

And, eating French macaroons!  Yummy...


4. Going Thrift store shopping with the roommates.


5. Rearranging Tiffany's room...for hours.


6. Reading a great book (Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist).  (I also just finished The Healing Path by Dan Allender).  You should read BOTH.  The Healing Path is sort of life-changing.  One of the best books I've ever read, for sure.


Here's an inspiring excerpt from Cold Tangerines in regard to Waiting:

"But this is what I'm finding, in glimpses and flashes: this is it.  This is it, in the best possible way.  That thing I'm waiting for, that adventure, that movie-score-worthy experience unfolding gracefully.  This is it.  Normal, daily life ticking by on our streets and sidewalks, in our houses and apartments, in our beds and at our dinner tables, in our dreams and prayers and fights and secrets -- this pedestrian life is the most precious thing any of us will ever experience.  

I believe that this way of living, this focus on the present, the daily, the tangible, this intense concentration not on the news headlines but on the flowers growing in your own garden, the children growing in your own home, this way of living has the potential to open up the heavens, to yield a glittering handful of diamonds where a second ago there was coal.  This way of living and noticing and building and crafting can crack through the movie sets and soundtracks that keep us waiting for our own life stories to begin, and set us free to observe the lives we have been creating all along without even realizing it."

7. Shopping at the $.99 store (and buying a bunch of groceries...for under $15.00!)


8.  Organizing, organizing, organizing.


9.  Playing with Amadeus (our littlest roommate/puppy).


10.  Blogging!


What a terrific Sunday.  I am so thankful for every blessing in my life - big and small. 

A Fresh Start: winter to summer in one plane ride

Well, hello there.  Let's try this again.  And, by again, I mean, let's see how long I can keep my Blog relevant to my life.  It's a new year.  Hope is lingering thickly in the air.  And, I love it.

Friday was fantastic.  I forgot what a day of pure sunshine and terrific company can do for the soul.  I spent the day with my lovely roommates and visitor, Angie (who was in Niger for two years and is Ellen's best friend), breathing in the fresh air of the Pacific.

Hiking at El Moro Canyon

Beautiful View 

SoCal Trees

Quaint home on the Coast

What's better than a picnic on the beach?

Reminds me of the Mediterranean

Relaxation...Peace
Then the day ended with an evening jog in a nearby park in La Mirada.  (This is where I normally run).

It's good to be home.
(But, you're all in my heart).