Hahaha! I posted this in my Facebook and Plurk. :-D
I hate that I have multiple blogging sites. It doesn't make sense that I keep signing up for new ones, too. I just signed up an hour ago for the typepad microblog. And now I'm considering going pro in typepad. On one hand I do not want to have to spend money just to blog, and on the other... I don't know. I honestly don't know why I would want to fork $9 a month just to blog.
One of the things I like about typepad is that it is kind of similar to vox but it lets other users leave comments without having to sign up with typepad. Vox is annoying because the developers somehow think all of the people who follow us will want to sign up in Vox just for the purpose of leaving us comments. !#%@#@$% You think they would be more flexible than that.
I do want to stay in just one place. I would prefer to stay in Vox but the restriction the developers have imposed on commenting is killing me. I do have other readers you know---all 2 of them who do go to my blog to read when they remember to visit.
I barely check this place anymore and now I have new neighbors who seem to update here quite often and I forget to visit on a regular basis!
I am thankful that my spouse makes mistakes with our kids.
If
he didn't, they might not learn humility; when he fails in what he says
or does in the parenting department, he takes the time to go to them,
admit he was wrong, and make it right.
I am thankful that my spouse doesn't always treat me like a princess.
I
am sure it'd be nice – at least for a while – to be spoiled at every
turn and always get my way. But there are times that, quite frankly, I
am just being a brat, and I need him to stand up to me and tell me so.
I am thankful that my spouse doesn't always say the right thing.
If he did, I might not see Matthew 5:23-24 modeled.
I am thankful that my spouse doesn't always think I am beautiful – either inside or out.
If he did, he might not tell me about that chunk of food stuck in my teeth. I probably wouldn't care what I ate or if I ever ran another mile. And even more than that, I'd never have anything bigger and better to strive for in character, grace, and mercy.
He's not perfect, to be sure. But thank God, because neither am I!
And the truth is, I wouldn't have it any other way.
We finished up our final One Month to Live small group
session tonight. One member quipped that since it's been more than 6
weeks, which obviously equals a bit more than 30 days, we could at
least be thankful to still be alive. That was good for some hearty
chuckles.
The wrap-up of the series has me pondering my own take-aways. Sure, if I only had 30 days to live some big things would change. But what about the little things? Through this whole process, it's the little things that have begun to mean so much more.
- Sitting next to one of the kids, watching a show they like
- Taking a few extra minutes to snuggle up to Rob before starting my day
- Letting that person with only an item or two go ahead of me in line
- Saying thank you, even for the smallest things
There are many, many more.
We often don't realize what one act of kindness, one word of
encouragement, one pause in our day to allow a "God-moment" to happen
can do. The possibilities are endless! One group member shared
tonight how a nun gave his mom a Good News Bible many years ago. She
laughed it off and stuck it in a drawer. One day, while still a child,
he found that Bible and asked if he could have it.
"It was in reading that Bible that I found God. Years later, I was able to lead my mom to the Lord. That nun probably has no idea."
One small gift changed several lives for eternity.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It
is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden
plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its
branches.” -Matthew 13:31-32
God, please give me many mustard seed moments as I live out the rest of my days!
There is a need to scratch that itch! I wanna travel but not just like road trip travel but like european hiking travel...
What was your favorite class in high school? (And no, lunch doesn't count.)
French. Was my favorite college class too.
Would love to take more classes - or better yet, spend a year in Paris so I could be immersed in the language. I love the way it sounds.
What's the longest you've ever waited in line?
An hour and a half just to buy tickets for a local film and The Time Traveller's Wife. The longest wait of my life!
Here I am again, two weeks in a row - woohoo! I probably won't get to do this next week since I only have three days in the office, but I am going to relish it today!
Notes from The Noticer:
"...a true friend holds you to a higher standard. A true friend brings out the best in you... A best friend...will tell you the truth...and a wise best friend will include a healthy dose of perspective." (p. 30)
"We grow up expecting everyone else to be just like us. And they aren't." (p. 42)
"I just think it's amazing...that a person could lose everything, chasing nothing." (p.49)
"...smart people get tripped up with worry and fear. Worry...fear...is just a misuse of the creative imagination that has been placed in each of us. Because we are smart and creative, we imagine all the things that could happen, that might happen, that will happen if this or that happens." (p.52)
About 8% of what we worry about are legitimate concerns (p.55)
"Most people spend so much time fearing the things that are never going to happen or can't be controlled that they have no energy to deal with the few things they can actually handle." (p. 55)
"...the seeds of depression cannot take root in a grateful heart." (p. 56)
Big takeaway from today's time: Perspective is everything.
A lot of you in my Vox Neighborhood are good photographers.
Not just good. Great.
Now that I oversee our church's website and various promo items, I am constantly looking for fresh, innovative, creative, original photos. On a limited budget.
Limited meaning I actually don't have a budget to purchase photos.
If you'd like to help a girl out by allowing me to occasionally use photos of yours that you've posted here or on other hosting sites, such as Flickr, would you send me a PM? I will let you know what I use, when I use it.
(I will not use photos that show any identifiable parts of a person, such as their face - I am looking for still shots, scenery, or photos with people's faces obscured - or just feet, legs, hands, etc. And if I am using a lot of your photos, it would move into a paying gig - or, I can give you a charitable contribution letter if you let me know the value.)
Gracias!
Since the Phillies are on their way to ANOTHER World Series Victory, the local news came back to interview Will a year after his parade debut. It was a rainy day and Will was as hyper as it gets. The reporter and his camera woman were very nice, and very patient with our little guy. Sean and I felt like total dunces on camera, but oh well. It's not about us. Luck for us, they only showed brief footage of us talking, and the best footage they got of Will. I don't think they gave him much. I wish I had saved a clip of last year's interview.
Without further debut:
