I Thought Thanksgiving Had Something To Do With Giving Thanks

I was at the local library this evening for their “fall family story time”.  As tonight’s session started, the reader asked the kids what was coming up on Monday.  Thanksgiving was the correct reply (Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October).  The reader then asked what happens for Thanksgiving or what do you do for this holiday.  The response:  food.  Everyone chuckled, some harder than others, and the conversation died there.  While food is a fun part of Thanksgiving, even in my family, it can’t be the only reason why people celebrate.  Or can it?

Truth be told, I was slightly disturbed by this.  Major holiday, involving “thanks” and food was the only priority?  What’s more–this was a child’s response.  This is a reflection of what the child is learning or has been taught.  No other kids had their hands up with responses either.  It made me think.  Are children no longer taught to give thanks? 

It’s kind of different for me.  Giving thanks plays a big role in my relationship with God.  It’s something that I do and am intentional about doing, particularly when I don’t feel like there’s anything to be thankful for.  When you live life with eyes that seek out things to be thankful for, it adds a different perspective.  You tend to be more positive about life in general.  This is something worth sharing, so I’m teaching my children to be thankful.  Even at their young ages, they have things that they can thank God for. 

Where does that leave people who aren’t in the habit of thankfulness?  I know people who are into themselves, very self-focused, very self-oriented.  They often tend to be quick to complain, yet slow to be thankful.  As though nothing happens outside of their personal bubble or beyond their control.  In fact, they get flustered with something extraordinary occurs.  I wonder what meaning, if any, Thanksgiving has for them.  Or is their main focus food as well…

Lots to think about.  Lots more to teach my girls.  Lots to live.

And I thought I was going to the library for 30 minutes of cute stories and a craft. 

What A Pretty Day

We broke all sorts of temperature records today.  It was 31 degrees Celcius (88 degrees Farenheit).  In October, no less!  These scorchers are no stranger to us here, but usually they’re found in June through September.  Actually, as I think back a bit, I remember Oct 5, 2002.  It was chilly…and snowing!  The flakes didn’t last too long, nor were we buried under them.  But it was cold enough to snow then.  Today, people were tanning, enjoying shorts & sandals and blasting air condition.

The weather is a great example of how little control we have.  We cannot control when or how the temperature changes.  Sure, the calendar may indicate a change in seasons.  As to how those seasons feel though?  That’s not up to us to decide.  What we do control, however, is our reaction to what goes on around it.  I’ve heard nothing but pleasant surprise at the sunshine and warmth these last few days.  As if it’s completely mind-boggling that nice weather can occur in the fall. 

Rather than question it though, I think we should just embrace it while it lasts.  What a lead-in to the Thanksgiving weekend.  Let the weather kick start the recitations of thankfulness.  Yet, don’t stop there.  Look for other things in your life for which to be thankful.  Dig deep.  Some of us may need to dig deeper than others, but don’t stop digging.  The story of some gold (I believe it was) mine owners comes to mind.  They were digging for a long time.  Weeks, months, eventually years, but no sign of any precious metals.  Finally, they gave up; threw in the towel.  They quit completely and walked away.  Frustration and fatigue won out over any more digging. New owners came along and began digging.  They hit pay dirt two inches into their dig.  If only the first group had keep hanging on.

Hang tight while the things around you seem dismal.  Though quitting may seem like a sensible option, don’t do it.  That next step is just that much closer to the prize.  Like the weather, you have no control over your circumstances.  Don’t fret.  Just sit back and enjoy it.

Five Minute Friday: On Friends

I don’t have a lot of friends.  I’ve always struggled in the friend-making department.  Breaking the ice?  Not my forté.  I’m great at halting conversation, not at carrying it.  Not because I want to willingly kill a conversation, but because I sometimes don’t know what you say that’s genuine.  Especially if I’m not feeling the person right at that moment.

Regardless of all that, I can still be a friend.  Just because I may not have a long list of people beating down at my door, filling my echoingly empty social calendar with dates and outings  and playdates doesn’t mean that I’m completely clueless.  I still choose to be a great friend. 

I’ve thought a bit about what I’d want a friend to be for me.  And that’s part of what I’m trying to follow.  No sense in having a list of desirable qualities in a friendship if you’re not planning to ever reciprocate. 

Then, there’s the ultimate in friends:  Jesus.  Have you started to take careful notes as to how Jesus does friendship?  He never quits.  He never stops loving.  He forgives always and forgets all about it.  He never holds a grudge.  Jesus always offer friendship on the ultimate level to everyone, and that’s without us even proving ourselves.
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Your turn.  The thing about “five minute friday”, at least for me, is that the first 4.5 minutes are spent trying to compose something sensible on the fly.  Then inspiration hits and I start rolling with it and then–
cut off!  Time’s up. 
Just spend the next 5 minutes writing freely, openly and without restraint.  You’ll be glad you did.  Click the button below if you’d like to link up.

Five Minute Friday: Growing

Growing is an action; something that you do.  Something we should all do.  When I think about it, we are always presenting progressing towards some goal:

  • Growing up
  • Growing old
  • Growing your hair out
  • Growing grey
  • Growing taller
  • Growing wiser

I’m sure the list could grow even longer.  But once you stop growing, then you start slowly ebbing away.  Dying, really.  If you’re not growing up, maturing, then that means you’re stopped right where you are.  Are you at your maturity pinnacle right now?

If you’re not growing any older, and this can be done with grace & elegance (yay!), then you’ve stopped right where you are.  If you stop growing, doing, then life is at a stand still.

I don’t know too many who enjoy growing grey hair.  Some barely enjoy growing their hair out.  It’s a rough process, but once you’re past the awkward stages, then your hair can look fantastic.

Growing wiser.  I don’t know anyone who would purposefully choose to recede in wiseness.  Who wants to go backwards from growing in knowledge?  Why limit your brain to all it knows only here and now?
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Quite the topic today.  Your turn.  Click the button below to link up.  Please do visit some other posts listed and try to leave a comment where you can.  It’s most encouraging to hear that someone has read what you’ve written.

The Bad Sort of "Eureka" Moment

Once upon a time, about four years ago, Jamayia showed an allergic reaction during her first attempt at solid food.  She was tested by an allergy specialist and was found to have an allergy to cow’s milk.  I also had her tested for nuts, which was negative.

Fast forward to this last Saturday.  We’re sitting around the dinner table with my parents & bro, here at home.  Jamayia stops eating, saying that her throat was scratchy.  Then her tummy started to hurt.  She also got really quiet and kinda tired.  Daddy ran to the store for some anti-histamine and we gave her a dose.

About five minutes later, she threw up.  Once, but it was big enough.  She instantly felt better.  Her body felt the need to expel the offending food.  Her normal mood started to return and she perked up a bit more.  We encouraged her to just lie on the couch and rest.  She even asked for a couple of strawberries, which she ate.

Then, about 10 minutes later, she started to get itchy.  Very itchy.  And scratching everywhere like crazy.  Sure enough–hives!  These things were all over her entire body.  Literally, she was covered from head to toe and everywhere in between.  Eyelids, back of neck, underarms, torso, etc.  She refused to take more anti-histamine though.  My mom was worrying.  We were watching her breathing, which stayed normal throughout the entire episode.  But when we saw the hives, my mom was thinking that a trip to the ER was in order.  We just didn’t want her airways to the be the next factor in the reaction.

After a quick dip in the tub, to attempt dampening the itchiness (didn’t work!), she went off to the Children’s ER with Daddy & Uncle.  She got in to see a doctor nearly immediately, where she was given a liquid dose of a 24-hr anti-histamine.  Jamayia started to feel better almost instantly. They still went to Walmart for an oatmeal bath concoction.  By the time they returned home, the hives were all gone along with the itchiness. 

The only thing foreign in this roast was raw cashews.  Needless to say that I’ve added that to the list of things that the allergist needs to test her for.  Thankfully, her airway never closed up.  That was the one thing that my mom & I were watching her closely for.  And while she’s disappointed at hearing me say that we’re going to lay off the peanut butter for a few weeks, she remembers full well how she felt while she was sick.  She’s going to continue to modify her diet.

All was back to normal at our house by the evening.  We see the allergist next week.  Stay turns to the allergy saga…

How The Day Looks

I’m not alone in wondering exactly where the time goes, right?  I mean, I have a schedule in mind, and am trying hard to adhere to it.  It’s not a humourless, rigid schedule that’s set in stone.  There’s room for flexibility.  Yet, huh?

Like last Friday, for example:
I woke up just after 7 am
Baby & Toddler awoke too
Had devotional time
Did Bible lesson with the kids
Fed kids breakfast
Emptied clothes from dryer
Changed kids
Fed baby, then put her down to nap
Schoolwork with Kindergartener (and a wee bit with Toddler since she wanted to join in the fun)
Quick recess
More schoolwork
Fed kids lunch
Started to cook supper
Fed baby, who awoke from nap
Finished making supper
Emptied, then reloaded dishwasher
Started folding clean laundry

It’s about 2:45 pm–and Momma is just about to have breakfast!

Ah well, things can only improve, right?  On the days I plan to workout, I wake up even earlier to try and fit that in.  I have been managing to eat in the mornings too (morning being anytime before noon!).

Such is this life.  I’m not complaining; I’m blessed.  Maybe by the end of the school year, my daily routine will look a bit different? 

We’ll soon find out.

Five Minute Friday: Joy

This joy that I have the world didn’t give it to me
This joy that I have the world didn’t give it to me
This joy that I have the world didn’t give it to me
The world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.
~~~song lyrics

Joy.  Such a small word, such deep meaning.
First, there’s the acronym: J-O-Y
  • Jesus first
  • Others second
  • Yourself last
Where does joy come from?  The song above states it clearly:  the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.  I believe that in order to have joy and really appreciate it, you must look higher and farther than what we can see on our own.  This world, this life, the things we do aren’t the real joy-givers.  Yes, there are plenty, plenty of happy times, happy moments.  Pleasant euphorias.  But, joy goes farther than just what we can do for ourselves.  Joy comes from God.  In order to appreciate joy (defined as: the emotion of great delight cause by something exceptionally good or satisfying) we need supernatural help with that.  This is why people who are terminally ill, down trodden, below rock bottom can still smile.  They look to Jesus and cling to hope in Him.  This is how you can keep your joy.  No, you should not have a fake smile plastered on your face at all times (like The Joker from Batman), but joy allows you to not quit, to not give up during the rough patches.
This joy that comes from God allows us to find joy in all the smaller moments.  A baby’s smile.  A dirty house (means that it’s lived in and you have things can make it dirty).  The beauty of frost.  The fun of a embarrassing adventure (well, that laugh comes much later than the actual moment).  And on and on and on.  But you see your life with new eyes when your joy, your emotion is based on God’s standard.
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Why don’t you give it a try now?  You’ll have a blast.  You can click the button below to link up too, if you’re up to the challenge.  Basically, write for 5 minutes straight.  Say goodbye to editing, critiquing, and formal train of thought.  Rather, just sit, think on the topic and write whatever comes to mind.  Enjoy!


Invisibly Present

I used to dread the days when my classmates had to select teammates during high school Phys Ed.  If you’re the no-so-athletic type, you’ve probably had many nail-biting moments where you silently begged God to not be the last pick.

Then came the day when I was not even picked….

I’m very excited announce that I’m guest posting over at (in)courage today.  Come on over to finish the story there.

Coming Right Up

Our homeschooling adventure has begun.  School reconvened last Wednesday, in my local area.  Of course, Jamayia had had a super late night on Tuesday and chose Wednesday to sleep in.  So, homeschool started for her last Thursday, at a light pace.  Things seem to have gone pretty well.  She’s ahead of where I thought we’d be, which sounds good to me.

This week, the pace increases.  She looks forward to her “schooling” as she calls if, often asking me to teach her more things.  She has given me a new name: “Teacher Mom”, which she uses during our lesson time.  We’re currently working on phonics and math.  We also do some Bible time each day, and do some singing.  This week, I’m planning to add science into the mix. 

I’m planning to do a post about our curriculum in the very near future.  This is a neat age to be homeschooling–there seems to be a gazillion free resources out there.  My immediate need, however, is for a printer and a new computer.  In the meantime, I do have some printer options for me, as I await the equipment. I’m looking forward to this school year.