Funny how when you stop writing it out and concentrating on it gratitude can slip right through your fingers like a wet bar of soap. Then it creeps back in. Life goes good for a season and suddenly you are reminded that gratitude was your word for the year. The goal was to find at the very least one thing every single day that I was grateful for and blog it out! The blogging was to keep me accountable in continuing The Gratitude Project. As you can see, THAT worked wooonders!
However! This day I am grateful. Actually, I'm grateful for lots of things this day, but I am especially grateful for the gift of memory. That God recalls to us who we once were, who we are or are on the road to becoming, and that sometimes we need to remember who we once were to right the path and get to where we are going. Savvy?
Thanks for the memories :)
Kisses to your faces, Babies~
Rach
Wednesday, June 20
Friday, March 23
Day 82
The past 10 to 14 days have brought much to be grateful for.
Brandon didn't get the promotion. It was a bit of a surprise (even Boss Man didn't expect one of the other candidates to have more experience), but it's still good. They did give him quite a nice raise and moved him off the truck and into the store to be fine tuned with one of the Assistant Store Managers. This is a HUGE blessing, not just in terms of money, but because Brandon will be having surgery on his elbow first of next month. The truck was wearing his body out. It would've taken him so much longer to heal in that position.
I passed my state boards last week. It was nerve wrecking and I was nauseous, but I passed. I am officially a state licensed cosmetologist :)
Had my first interview yesterday. At a salon close to the house. Owned by lovely men who pour back into our neighborhood. The job is mine pending that Anthony feels that I can in fact actually cut hair. So next Saturday, I'm taking my mom-in-law to be my model and bag me a j.o.b.
"I have all I've waited for, and I could not ask for more" - Edwin McCain
Brandon didn't get the promotion. It was a bit of a surprise (even Boss Man didn't expect one of the other candidates to have more experience), but it's still good. They did give him quite a nice raise and moved him off the truck and into the store to be fine tuned with one of the Assistant Store Managers. This is a HUGE blessing, not just in terms of money, but because Brandon will be having surgery on his elbow first of next month. The truck was wearing his body out. It would've taken him so much longer to heal in that position.
I passed my state boards last week. It was nerve wrecking and I was nauseous, but I passed. I am officially a state licensed cosmetologist :)
Had my first interview yesterday. At a salon close to the house. Owned by lovely men who pour back into our neighborhood. The job is mine pending that Anthony feels that I can in fact actually cut hair. So next Saturday, I'm taking my mom-in-law to be my model and bag me a j.o.b.
"I have all I've waited for, and I could not ask for more" - Edwin McCain
Wednesday, March 7
Day 67
Funny the way it is....Sing to me Dave cuz I see lots of Funny the Way It Is stuff.
Funny that when you open your heart back up to gratitude you find more and more things that make you grateful.
Take for instance that big one of this week. Last Friday, Lily had her phone stolen at school. It was a tragic thing not because a possession was lost, but because her faith in people was cracked on the same day our sweet Stella had to be taken back to her original owners. (side note: Stella escaped Monday evening and came bouncing back to our porch. Tail wagging. Peeking in the sidelights as if saying: IIIII'MMMM HOOOO-OOOOOME!!! Then we had to take her back....again. It appears that she wants to live with us too. Prayers please that if this continues to happen that we can find a way to be her family. We miss her terribly.) It was a rough day to be Lily.
Monday afternoon Emma had her ipod taken. It wasn't considered theft because the girl had asked Emma if she could listen to it while they were in class. Even though it is a struggle to like this girl, Emma reached out and said OK. Never leaving the room, but walking across it to get a game to play with another friend, when Emma came back to her seat the girl told her a teacher had taken it from her. The information she gave was sketchy. The questioning was awkward and uncomfortable making it even more obvious the girl still had Emma's ipod. Needless to say she was livid and calling for blood. Emma just kept saying, "She LIED! TO. MY. FACE!!!"
Thankfully we had placed a tracker on her ipod when she bought it in the chance that she misplaced it never realizing it would in fact retrieve it from theft. The ipod did ping up at the girls residence. After a lot of conversations with IMPD about our rights (she misplaced the serial number) and with Mr. Terry the principal the girl's mother was called. Ipod is back in Emma's possession. But that's not what I am grateful for.
What I am grateful for is her reaction. Her mother required her to bring the ipod to school and personally hand it to Emma with an apology. Emma, who the day before was indignant and ready to pounce, extended grace. Thanked her for returning it. Accepted her apology and told the staff she had no intention of bringing it back up again. She extended grace. This is my gratitude for yesterday...and even still today. I told her I was proud of her. Emma in her matter-of-fact way simply stated, "I wouldn't want someone to hold my mistakes over my head."
Then this morning, Belle went bounding out to the van on our way to school. Daily she is dressed in the strangest combinations of attire. Emma thinks it's hysterical. Usually, it is! Today this made my heart glad. The sheer abandon that comes when she dresses herself. I love this and this and this, so if I put it all together I LOOOOOVE THIS! I'm grateful for her fearless ability to be completely and utterly oblivious to the suppose to's.
Funny the way it is. Funny that gratitude can come from the reaction of large life lessons that opens your heart a little wider in order to make you aware of the littlest blessings.
In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.
Funny that when you open your heart back up to gratitude you find more and more things that make you grateful.
Take for instance that big one of this week. Last Friday, Lily had her phone stolen at school. It was a tragic thing not because a possession was lost, but because her faith in people was cracked on the same day our sweet Stella had to be taken back to her original owners. (side note: Stella escaped Monday evening and came bouncing back to our porch. Tail wagging. Peeking in the sidelights as if saying: IIIII'MMMM HOOOO-OOOOOME!!! Then we had to take her back....again. It appears that she wants to live with us too. Prayers please that if this continues to happen that we can find a way to be her family. We miss her terribly.) It was a rough day to be Lily.
Monday afternoon Emma had her ipod taken. It wasn't considered theft because the girl had asked Emma if she could listen to it while they were in class. Even though it is a struggle to like this girl, Emma reached out and said OK. Never leaving the room, but walking across it to get a game to play with another friend, when Emma came back to her seat the girl told her a teacher had taken it from her. The information she gave was sketchy. The questioning was awkward and uncomfortable making it even more obvious the girl still had Emma's ipod. Needless to say she was livid and calling for blood. Emma just kept saying, "She LIED! TO. MY. FACE!!!"
Thankfully we had placed a tracker on her ipod when she bought it in the chance that she misplaced it never realizing it would in fact retrieve it from theft. The ipod did ping up at the girls residence. After a lot of conversations with IMPD about our rights (she misplaced the serial number) and with Mr. Terry the principal the girl's mother was called. Ipod is back in Emma's possession. But that's not what I am grateful for.
What I am grateful for is her reaction. Her mother required her to bring the ipod to school and personally hand it to Emma with an apology. Emma, who the day before was indignant and ready to pounce, extended grace. Thanked her for returning it. Accepted her apology and told the staff she had no intention of bringing it back up again. She extended grace. This is my gratitude for yesterday...and even still today. I told her I was proud of her. Emma in her matter-of-fact way simply stated, "I wouldn't want someone to hold my mistakes over my head."
Then this morning, Belle went bounding out to the van on our way to school. Daily she is dressed in the strangest combinations of attire. Emma thinks it's hysterical. Usually, it is! Today this made my heart glad. The sheer abandon that comes when she dresses herself. I love this and this and this, so if I put it all together I LOOOOOVE THIS! I'm grateful for her fearless ability to be completely and utterly oblivious to the suppose to's.
Funny the way it is. Funny that gratitude can come from the reaction of large life lessons that opens your heart a little wider in order to make you aware of the littlest blessings.
In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.
Friday, March 2
Day 62 (or Stella Luna)
I've been grateful for several things during The Gratitude Project although I will admit that it has been more difficult to do so when not blogging about. I'm an external processor so the blog really does help focus all the things swirling around inside my head and piece through what's in my heart.
Today is quite easy though. I'm grateful for a sweet Pit Bull possibly Boxer mix that found her way to our porch and into our hearts last Sunday afternoon. She is the cuddliest thing I've ever seen. Housebroken. Well mannered. Not leash trained, but you can't have everything. She was so well taken care of we knew that she was some body's pet and they would be missing her badly. That still didn't stop us from praying she wasn't chipped. Indiana State Law states that if there is not a chip present that 30 days after finding and caring for the 'stray' the dog is legally yours.
Brandon has quite a knack for naming the lost of the animal kingdom that keep finding their way to us. He called her Stella and she came running, so Stella she is. Needing a middle name and since we are a rather literary family Stella Luna or Stelluna she became. But what was so incredible about our Sweet Stella was the healing she seemed to pour into Lily.
The past 3 years has taken a hard toll on Lil. Losing the house and moving on top of the ugly in between years that make up middle school has just been more than her big heart could handle. Hurt closed off places in our Sunshine Girl. Depression in kids does not manifest itself the same way it does in adults. Adults get sluggish and sad. Kids get angry. Lily has been too heavy. Too much has happened. Our girl crawled inside. Until Stella.
Lily isn't a dog person. She really doesn't much care for animals at all. On the flip side, animals (especially dogs) don't really much like Lily either. Until Stella.
From the first second they laid eyes on each other, it was love. Almost immediately Lily was laughing and smiling and visibly lighter. She wasn't has mean to her sisters. She would take Stella into her room and snuggle up with her on the bed and read books and watch movies. Lily has never liked being alone and therefore didn't spend much time in her room. Until Stella.
Stella gave Lily something to love. Pure. Unconditional. Untainted. Love. So it breaks my heart to tell you with tears in my eyes that Stella was chipped. She lives four houses down from us and her real name is....wait for it...BELLA! Which is why she came running when B said STELLA.
Her owners are overjoyed, but Clan Maxwell is heavy of heart today. We know that this is the right thing to do. We have to return her to her proper home. She came to us for a little while and in the process helped the healing process of our girl. I will love her always for that.
The part that leaves me the most astonished came this morning. I was sitting at the dining room table with my morning coffee and the laptop when Stella came and placed her sweet baby dog face on my lap. Looking into her chocolate eyes mine started to mist over. I was trying so hard not to be sad or show it until the kids left for school, but alas, I just couldn't stop the tears from falling. Lily came out of her room right about then (OF COURSE!) and said "don't make me cry. You'll mess up my make-up!" I apologized only to hear her say, "It's okay, Mom. She has a daddy that misses her. She has a good home. And it's OK." I'm so proud of my girl who has genuinely opened her heart back to love. Only real love can look at what is right and good for others. Only true love can take us past ourselves.
Thank you, Stella Luna. For affection so deep and so pure it busted through heartache to let sunlight in again. For you I am grateful.
Today is quite easy though. I'm grateful for a sweet Pit Bull possibly Boxer mix that found her way to our porch and into our hearts last Sunday afternoon. She is the cuddliest thing I've ever seen. Housebroken. Well mannered. Not leash trained, but you can't have everything. She was so well taken care of we knew that she was some body's pet and they would be missing her badly. That still didn't stop us from praying she wasn't chipped. Indiana State Law states that if there is not a chip present that 30 days after finding and caring for the 'stray' the dog is legally yours.
Brandon has quite a knack for naming the lost of the animal kingdom that keep finding their way to us. He called her Stella and she came running, so Stella she is. Needing a middle name and since we are a rather literary family Stella Luna or Stelluna she became. But what was so incredible about our Sweet Stella was the healing she seemed to pour into Lily.
The past 3 years has taken a hard toll on Lil. Losing the house and moving on top of the ugly in between years that make up middle school has just been more than her big heart could handle. Hurt closed off places in our Sunshine Girl. Depression in kids does not manifest itself the same way it does in adults. Adults get sluggish and sad. Kids get angry. Lily has been too heavy. Too much has happened. Our girl crawled inside. Until Stella.
Lily isn't a dog person. She really doesn't much care for animals at all. On the flip side, animals (especially dogs) don't really much like Lily either. Until Stella.
From the first second they laid eyes on each other, it was love. Almost immediately Lily was laughing and smiling and visibly lighter. She wasn't has mean to her sisters. She would take Stella into her room and snuggle up with her on the bed and read books and watch movies. Lily has never liked being alone and therefore didn't spend much time in her room. Until Stella.
Stella gave Lily something to love. Pure. Unconditional. Untainted. Love. So it breaks my heart to tell you with tears in my eyes that Stella was chipped. She lives four houses down from us and her real name is....wait for it...BELLA! Which is why she came running when B said STELLA.
Her owners are overjoyed, but Clan Maxwell is heavy of heart today. We know that this is the right thing to do. We have to return her to her proper home. She came to us for a little while and in the process helped the healing process of our girl. I will love her always for that.
The part that leaves me the most astonished came this morning. I was sitting at the dining room table with my morning coffee and the laptop when Stella came and placed her sweet baby dog face on my lap. Looking into her chocolate eyes mine started to mist over. I was trying so hard not to be sad or show it until the kids left for school, but alas, I just couldn't stop the tears from falling. Lily came out of her room right about then (OF COURSE!) and said "don't make me cry. You'll mess up my make-up!" I apologized only to hear her say, "It's okay, Mom. She has a daddy that misses her. She has a good home. And it's OK." I'm so proud of my girl who has genuinely opened her heart back to love. Only real love can look at what is right and good for others. Only true love can take us past ourselves.
Thank you, Stella Luna. For affection so deep and so pure it busted through heartache to let sunlight in again. For you I am grateful.
Sunday, January 22
Day 22
Today I'm grateful for a clean home. I spent all day Friday scrubbing and scouring and spit-shining and polishing and oh whatever else goes into making a home. It has to last the rest of the week as I am 3 weeks away from graduation and in the final push for hours. I need 1500 to graduate. I'm sitting at 1347.5 at last count. A little over 50 hours a week in order to be done on time. I've already forewarned B and the babies that there won't be time for me to pre-cook dinners this week as it's finals, total look model, written exams, and then mucho grande studying for state boards. So for right now, I'm sitting at my dining room table surveying the loveliness that is cleanliness...while it lasts!
“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” - Eileen Caddy
“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” - Eileen Caddy
Tuesday, January 17
Day 17
The past week and a half has left little to be grateful for....on the surface.
I woke up at 5 am heaving from the depths of my soul into a trash can. Feverish and lethargic. Then 2 & 3 (Brandon lovingly refers to the kids by birth number) weren't too far behind. B had to call in to take care of us after he'd worked all the way through his own bought with it.
Took Ruthie the Wonder Van in to get her oil changed then our first day out and about after dreaded illness, she wonderfully shuts down underneath the overpass on 16th. $605 Smackers later....she dies before we even leave the mechanics parking lot. I was L.I.V.I.D. Too say the absolute very least.
3 days sharing one car with early morning trips back and forth to Lowe's and managing rides home so that I could go to school. We now have two vehicles again.
Did I also mention that in the middle of the car swaps there was some key confusion which resulted with me locking myself out of the house for the entirety of Friday. I wasn't even aware of this until I was rambling home with a truckload full of groceries. But it was very cold and snowy that day. Best part of cold, snowy days during an Indiana winter? It doesn't matter if you lock yourself out. You can get all cozy on the couches at The Earth House and read and read until you have to go pick up the kids and the husband who have keys and your groceries do not spoil :)
The steady hum of the Emergency Broadcast System has been the sound track of my past couple of weeks. This is a test. This is only a test. It is not an emergency. You still have much to be thankful for. It is simply to make sure that this word is penetrating into your heart and not just into your vocabulary.
Laying in bed unable to move without searing pain riping out my entrails, I cried with the gratitude that I wasn't in this by myself anymore. I have a partner. Someone who lets me lay on the couch as he cleans up puke at 2 am. Rolling through the city as it is just waking up in the early morning reminds me that I know call a place I once only dreamed of my home. Paying the mechanic and knowing we had the money to fix a SECOND car. Walking freely out of Kroger with the ingredients to make Eggplant Parmesan and watching a man with a severely deformed club foot make his way slowly inside...with a smile on his face.
My heart still sings. I feel light with the knowledge of all the blessings in my life.
Today I am grateful that last year I learned to be kind to myself. That I don't have a check list of Suppose-To's anymore. This time last year, I wouldn't have given myself the grace to post my gratitudes as I chose to . It would've been one more on a list to check off as accomplished and when I faltered under the weight of all my To-Do's, I would've felt like a failure. I would've read and re-read to make sure I didn't have errors or typos and second guessed my own words. Today, I simply write. If my fingers can't keep up, it's OK. If there is a run-on then I let it run-on. After all, that's really how I talk! So today I am grateful for the mercy I've learned to afford myself. It has given me great freedom.
When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears” - Anthony Robbins
I woke up at 5 am heaving from the depths of my soul into a trash can. Feverish and lethargic. Then 2 & 3 (Brandon lovingly refers to the kids by birth number) weren't too far behind. B had to call in to take care of us after he'd worked all the way through his own bought with it.
Took Ruthie the Wonder Van in to get her oil changed then our first day out and about after dreaded illness, she wonderfully shuts down underneath the overpass on 16th. $605 Smackers later....she dies before we even leave the mechanics parking lot. I was L.I.V.I.D. Too say the absolute very least.
3 days sharing one car with early morning trips back and forth to Lowe's and managing rides home so that I could go to school. We now have two vehicles again.
Did I also mention that in the middle of the car swaps there was some key confusion which resulted with me locking myself out of the house for the entirety of Friday. I wasn't even aware of this until I was rambling home with a truckload full of groceries. But it was very cold and snowy that day. Best part of cold, snowy days during an Indiana winter? It doesn't matter if you lock yourself out. You can get all cozy on the couches at The Earth House and read and read until you have to go pick up the kids and the husband who have keys and your groceries do not spoil :)
The steady hum of the Emergency Broadcast System has been the sound track of my past couple of weeks. This is a test. This is only a test. It is not an emergency. You still have much to be thankful for. It is simply to make sure that this word is penetrating into your heart and not just into your vocabulary.
Laying in bed unable to move without searing pain riping out my entrails, I cried with the gratitude that I wasn't in this by myself anymore. I have a partner. Someone who lets me lay on the couch as he cleans up puke at 2 am. Rolling through the city as it is just waking up in the early morning reminds me that I know call a place I once only dreamed of my home. Paying the mechanic and knowing we had the money to fix a SECOND car. Walking freely out of Kroger with the ingredients to make Eggplant Parmesan and watching a man with a severely deformed club foot make his way slowly inside...with a smile on his face.
My heart still sings. I feel light with the knowledge of all the blessings in my life.
Today I am grateful that last year I learned to be kind to myself. That I don't have a check list of Suppose-To's anymore. This time last year, I wouldn't have given myself the grace to post my gratitudes as I chose to . It would've been one more on a list to check off as accomplished and when I faltered under the weight of all my To-Do's, I would've felt like a failure. I would've read and re-read to make sure I didn't have errors or typos and second guessed my own words. Today, I simply write. If my fingers can't keep up, it's OK. If there is a run-on then I let it run-on. After all, that's really how I talk! So today I am grateful for the mercy I've learned to afford myself. It has given me great freedom.
When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears” - Anthony Robbins
Monday, January 9
Day Nine
Well yesterday I was just being a cry-baby whine-ass. Yes. That's the technical term for how I felt on such a lovely afternoon...or at least it was in my family.
I had plenty of things for which to be grateful...but I was in a no good stinky rotten mood. And I don't really have a good excuse as to why. Except for maybe lack of sleep.
Today, I was blessed with several things to chose from. Number One on that list was the kids new school. Lily was a nervous wreck when we dropped her off. Poor girl is nervous by nature anyway. Her stomach gets upset. She can't sleep. Anxiety really does a number on her. Dropping her off was hard. Em and Belle weren't as nervous...actually, I think Em probably was but doesn't often show her emotions. Picking them up though was something else entirely. Lily was bubbly and talkative in the hallway with her teacher. It was awesome. She fit. She made a new friend right off the bat. Walking across the street Izzy leaped to the window to wave enthusiastically at Lil through the window. Belle was placed in the class with Trinity, our next door neighbor. Only Em is left to find her niche. I know she's nervous, but I'm not. Em knows who she is and Jr. High is a hard place. She'll be wonderful. She's a smart, witty likable girl. What's not to love?
Gratitude is the memory of the heart. ~Jean Baptiste Massieu, translated from French
I had plenty of things for which to be grateful...but I was in a no good stinky rotten mood. And I don't really have a good excuse as to why. Except for maybe lack of sleep.
Today, I was blessed with several things to chose from. Number One on that list was the kids new school. Lily was a nervous wreck when we dropped her off. Poor girl is nervous by nature anyway. Her stomach gets upset. She can't sleep. Anxiety really does a number on her. Dropping her off was hard. Em and Belle weren't as nervous...actually, I think Em probably was but doesn't often show her emotions. Picking them up though was something else entirely. Lily was bubbly and talkative in the hallway with her teacher. It was awesome. She fit. She made a new friend right off the bat. Walking across the street Izzy leaped to the window to wave enthusiastically at Lil through the window. Belle was placed in the class with Trinity, our next door neighbor. Only Em is left to find her niche. I know she's nervous, but I'm not. Em knows who she is and Jr. High is a hard place. She'll be wonderful. She's a smart, witty likable girl. What's not to love?
Gratitude is the memory of the heart. ~Jean Baptiste Massieu, translated from French
Saturday, January 7
Day Seven
Little bit Betty Page. Little bit Joan Jet. That's my new fringe. AKA in American as bangs :)
I've always said that with hair she likes and a fresh tube of lipstick a girl can lick the whole world.
All I need is the lipstick...
What? You should totally be grateful for new hair!
I've always said that with hair she likes and a fresh tube of lipstick a girl can lick the whole world.
All I need is the lipstick...
What? You should totally be grateful for new hair!
Friday, January 6
Day Five and Six
Yesterday I was exHAUSted when I got home after a day with only 2 clients that took me a combined total of 10 HOURS!
First off I was scheduled for 10 hours, but the 2 clients were another matter. Lily was numero uno with a whole new do. II was an African American woman with the tightest coils I've ever seen in ma whole life!!! She goes natural to the point that she hadn't hot pressed her hair in a couple years, but her fella was itchin to see her hair straightened. In she came for a shampoo set and style. It took 2 of us 3 hours to get her hair smoothed out. It was very pretty, but truth be told I preferred her natural look.
Wore out, I walked in the door and bee lined it upstairs peeling off layers of clothes as I went pitching myself onto the Temper.
Yesterday I was thankful for the Temper-Pedic and high thread count sheets ;)
Today was a horse of a different color. The girls are going to a new school Monday. One WITHOUT uniforms. So today was back to school shopping. We had lunch at Paradise Cafe and dinner at Fire by the Monon (one of our family favorites. If you've never been rush rush I say right out and sample all it's goodnesses).
I'm half tempted to list today's gratitude as the Sunking Maulus Pi Christmas Ale because it was awesome (in sing song voice) but what I'm most grateful for in this day of treats is that we are in a place to financially provide this day.
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” — Thornton Wilder
First off I was scheduled for 10 hours, but the 2 clients were another matter. Lily was numero uno with a whole new do. II was an African American woman with the tightest coils I've ever seen in ma whole life!!! She goes natural to the point that she hadn't hot pressed her hair in a couple years, but her fella was itchin to see her hair straightened. In she came for a shampoo set and style. It took 2 of us 3 hours to get her hair smoothed out. It was very pretty, but truth be told I preferred her natural look.
Wore out, I walked in the door and bee lined it upstairs peeling off layers of clothes as I went pitching myself onto the Temper.
Yesterday I was thankful for the Temper-Pedic and high thread count sheets ;)
Today was a horse of a different color. The girls are going to a new school Monday. One WITHOUT uniforms. So today was back to school shopping. We had lunch at Paradise Cafe and dinner at Fire by the Monon (one of our family favorites. If you've never been rush rush I say right out and sample all it's goodnesses).
I'm half tempted to list today's gratitude as the Sunking Maulus Pi Christmas Ale because it was awesome (in sing song voice) but what I'm most grateful for in this day of treats is that we are in a place to financially provide this day.
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” — Thornton Wilder
Wednesday, January 4
Day Four
Whelp, it was bound to happen. The honeymoon is over. Only four days in. Today was a struggle finding ANYTHING to be grateful about. Which is quite sad really.
New school is in an old factory that is being redone bit by bit to create a very different type of learning environment. One in which the kids call their teacher Mr/Ms. Their First Name. It's not all spic and span and shiny new. It takes imagination and belief to get projects like this off the ground. My kids and their American eyes are a bit freaked out by this. It reminds me of my 2 grade year in Germany when I went to school in a renovated factory. The classrooms are shared with 2 grades in one room with one teacher. This also reminds me of my third and fourth grade years in Germany after the new school was build and we had LESS room. It worked out quite well. But change is hard...I'm not very good and giving grace for all the changes we've gone through in the past year. Must try to do better at that.
After enrolling them at the new place, unenrolling them at the old place, saying goodbyes to the staff at Paramount, and dropping the kids back home I had precisely one hour to grocery shop for my family of five and dash off to school. Lily was to accompany me tonight to get her hare did before school went back in session. I called and found I had another appointment on the books, so Lily was put of til tomorrow (side blessing: since she had to wait til Thursday and I'm logging extra hours to graduate on time this week I'm saving 50% on her total bill as that's our January promo! Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 9-12 all tickets are half price!!!).
I played Supermarket Sweep dashing about here and there not reading all the labels of the desired contents that made their way into our cart. Miraculously (and with the fairy dust of 7 year old wings) I made it! Coming home the teenagers of course didn't offer to help unload the car. And then we had an ugly roe centered around a champagne flute and a silly lie. I was a screeching harpy. They were blowing me off which in turn lead to a Chernobyl like meltdown on my part. Aaaaand B walks in the door to sheer madness. Welcome to a house with four girls :) Oh and did I mention that somehow I'm gaining weight hand over fist?!?!
Work was not the creatively fulfilling experience it is usually. I'd cried all the way in, so I spent the evening with zero makeup and swollen puffy eyes. My hair looked like I had tried to pull it out. So needless to say, I completely looked like someone you'd trust with your hair. But then I had a pedicure. I put a new color on my toes. I'm not really thrilled with it, but it's good to try new things. Maybe after a day or two it will have grown on me. I came home and had good talks with my daughters about trust and respecting other peoples property. I have groceries that are overflowing my kitchen table where I ran out of time putting them away. My home is warm and there are people here who love each other. Even when we don't behave in lovable ways. So why was it that today the honeymoon on The Gratitude Project seemed to come to a close? Isn't that the point really? To force myself to see what is good in my life?
Now I have an overabundance of things to choose from....
Spinning the Wheel of Fortune, I choose The Gratitude Project itself as it took a crap day and made me search for joy. Followed closely by the fact that in this family we don't hold grudges. We may fight hard, but we love strongly with the sun not going down on our anger.
As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world. ~Terri Guillemets
New school is in an old factory that is being redone bit by bit to create a very different type of learning environment. One in which the kids call their teacher Mr/Ms. Their First Name. It's not all spic and span and shiny new. It takes imagination and belief to get projects like this off the ground. My kids and their American eyes are a bit freaked out by this. It reminds me of my 2 grade year in Germany when I went to school in a renovated factory. The classrooms are shared with 2 grades in one room with one teacher. This also reminds me of my third and fourth grade years in Germany after the new school was build and we had LESS room. It worked out quite well. But change is hard...I'm not very good and giving grace for all the changes we've gone through in the past year. Must try to do better at that.
After enrolling them at the new place, unenrolling them at the old place, saying goodbyes to the staff at Paramount, and dropping the kids back home I had precisely one hour to grocery shop for my family of five and dash off to school. Lily was to accompany me tonight to get her hare did before school went back in session. I called and found I had another appointment on the books, so Lily was put of til tomorrow (side blessing: since she had to wait til Thursday and I'm logging extra hours to graduate on time this week I'm saving 50% on her total bill as that's our January promo! Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 9-12 all tickets are half price!!!).
I played Supermarket Sweep dashing about here and there not reading all the labels of the desired contents that made their way into our cart. Miraculously (and with the fairy dust of 7 year old wings) I made it! Coming home the teenagers of course didn't offer to help unload the car. And then we had an ugly roe centered around a champagne flute and a silly lie. I was a screeching harpy. They were blowing me off which in turn lead to a Chernobyl like meltdown on my part. Aaaaand B walks in the door to sheer madness. Welcome to a house with four girls :) Oh and did I mention that somehow I'm gaining weight hand over fist?!?!
Work was not the creatively fulfilling experience it is usually. I'd cried all the way in, so I spent the evening with zero makeup and swollen puffy eyes. My hair looked like I had tried to pull it out. So needless to say, I completely looked like someone you'd trust with your hair. But then I had a pedicure. I put a new color on my toes. I'm not really thrilled with it, but it's good to try new things. Maybe after a day or two it will have grown on me. I came home and had good talks with my daughters about trust and respecting other peoples property. I have groceries that are overflowing my kitchen table where I ran out of time putting them away. My home is warm and there are people here who love each other. Even when we don't behave in lovable ways. So why was it that today the honeymoon on The Gratitude Project seemed to come to a close? Isn't that the point really? To force myself to see what is good in my life?
Now I have an overabundance of things to choose from....
Spinning the Wheel of Fortune, I choose The Gratitude Project itself as it took a crap day and made me search for joy. Followed closely by the fact that in this family we don't hold grudges. We may fight hard, but we love strongly with the sun not going down on our anger.
As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world. ~Terri Guillemets
Tuesday, January 3
Day 3
Today was one of those days where my cup runneth over. We found the kids a new school to go to where we're hoping that Emma will be more academically challenged and Lily will keep with her current levels at Greenfield.
Upon finding that there isn't a uniform at the new school the kids whooped with joy and off to shop we went. We have to finish up on Friday and maybe Sunday after church.
I'm in my last 6 weeks of school and tonight I finished my besties final hair appointment with me at TSPA. And I must say it was by far her best color to date! After her appointment, we went to OG and had drinks and a late dinner. My heart is full with memories of being young and dinners at the east side location before movies at Cherry Tree plaza. Who knew then that someday we'd both be calling the eastside home?
Dinner brought with it some tough corrections. I'm usually the deliverer of a hard word to the people in my life. Being the one called to bring correction to the one who usually has that role is not an easy one, but after 17 years NiNi knows me and my heart well guiding me with love....and firmness if I push back to much. That's a good friend.
So today I'm grateful for the people who know and love you best....warts and all.
The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. ~John E. Southard
Upon finding that there isn't a uniform at the new school the kids whooped with joy and off to shop we went. We have to finish up on Friday and maybe Sunday after church.
I'm in my last 6 weeks of school and tonight I finished my besties final hair appointment with me at TSPA. And I must say it was by far her best color to date! After her appointment, we went to OG and had drinks and a late dinner. My heart is full with memories of being young and dinners at the east side location before movies at Cherry Tree plaza. Who knew then that someday we'd both be calling the eastside home?
Dinner brought with it some tough corrections. I'm usually the deliverer of a hard word to the people in my life. Being the one called to bring correction to the one who usually has that role is not an easy one, but after 17 years NiNi knows me and my heart well guiding me with love....and firmness if I push back to much. That's a good friend.
So today I'm grateful for the people who know and love you best....warts and all.
The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. ~John E. Southard
Monday, January 2
Day Two
This morning I woke up to a Belley-Girl crawling in bed with me. Snuggling in we had a few quiet moments to start the day. Em and Lily were with Jeremy so the entire day was spent with just me and the littlest one. Individual one on one time with each kid is rare, so when it happens it's like receiving a gift.
We had breakfast. Belle played a computer game while I did my bible study. We played war. She won. We didn't go out and do anything special. Mainly since it was the week after Christmas and January is typically a tight month as we all are rebounding. We didn't need to. Having uninterrupted time to laugh and talk and play was special enough.
In the middle of our card War, my cell phone chimed in with a text. Minding the fact that being present is my resolution, I let it sit. I figured if it was important they would call. It sat on the table for close to 45 minutes. I wish I could say it was easy. It wasn't. The curiosity was quite nagging actually. But leave it I did. This is what I discovered: pure, unadulterated joy in the face of my little girl as she solely held all of her mother's attention.
I don't know that any of my children can tell you a time they held every bit of my attention. 1) I suspect that I am ADD and often ping pong around. 2) I'm a mother of THREE! Multi-tasking comes out of sheer necessity! But I can tell you this...it was beautiful...that look she gave me. I want to see it again and again on the faces of all my children as they discover their mother wants nothing more than to be fully aware of their presence in her life.
Today I am thankful for the hard things. The places in our lives where the curtains are pulled back and areas of correction are exposed. Out of these hard places come renewal and new strengths. For that, I am grateful.
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart
We had breakfast. Belle played a computer game while I did my bible study. We played war. She won. We didn't go out and do anything special. Mainly since it was the week after Christmas and January is typically a tight month as we all are rebounding. We didn't need to. Having uninterrupted time to laugh and talk and play was special enough.
In the middle of our card War, my cell phone chimed in with a text. Minding the fact that being present is my resolution, I let it sit. I figured if it was important they would call. It sat on the table for close to 45 minutes. I wish I could say it was easy. It wasn't. The curiosity was quite nagging actually. But leave it I did. This is what I discovered: pure, unadulterated joy in the face of my little girl as she solely held all of her mother's attention.
I don't know that any of my children can tell you a time they held every bit of my attention. 1) I suspect that I am ADD and often ping pong around. 2) I'm a mother of THREE! Multi-tasking comes out of sheer necessity! But I can tell you this...it was beautiful...that look she gave me. I want to see it again and again on the faces of all my children as they discover their mother wants nothing more than to be fully aware of their presence in her life.
Today I am thankful for the hard things. The places in our lives where the curtains are pulled back and areas of correction are exposed. Out of these hard places come renewal and new strengths. For that, I am grateful.
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart
Sunday, January 1
Day One
A year ago, I was turned onto a blog written by a woman who picked one word every year. That word was her focus for the year to come. Now for some this may be the same thing as a resolution. For me it is not. My resolution is to try to be present. Not to over commit myself. Not to multi-task to the point of simply checking off a list and calling it my life. But to be focused and committed to what I am doing or who I am with at that very moment.
My word, however, is gratitude.
Lat year, I chose the word shine. Shine last year did. I was engaged. Married. We bought a house. I excelled at school making it possible for me to help other women shine. There were songs that seemed to sing that word to me over and over. Yet even in the midst of all that glitters darkness can creep into our hearts if we are not careful to guard it. With all my blessings, I was still harboring...AM still harboring some serious hurts. Not truly knowing how to let them go...possibly unwilling to let them go.
I was reading a book that caused me to chew on a couple of different things. It wasn't even a book that intended to do that. I wasn't trying to help myself. I was just reading for the sheer joy and pleasure of it. I kept putting it down at intervals and thinking: 'I wonder....' What I stumbled upon was my word for the next year.
It's hard to be hurt or angry or even pessimistic if your focus is on the fullness and blessings in your life. So begins The Gratitude Project. My attempt to focus on all there is to be thankful for.
Today I am thankful for a husband who encourages me to slow down and take days off. Not caring if that means the dishes are left unwashed or if he has to do a load of laundry. A man who is patient to teach me that life is not balls to the wall all the time. I am only able to learn this because he doesn't get angry or frustrated when I do take a day and do whatever I want :)
-What if the only thing you have tomorrow is what you thanked God for today?-
My word, however, is gratitude.
Lat year, I chose the word shine. Shine last year did. I was engaged. Married. We bought a house. I excelled at school making it possible for me to help other women shine. There were songs that seemed to sing that word to me over and over. Yet even in the midst of all that glitters darkness can creep into our hearts if we are not careful to guard it. With all my blessings, I was still harboring...AM still harboring some serious hurts. Not truly knowing how to let them go...possibly unwilling to let them go.
I was reading a book that caused me to chew on a couple of different things. It wasn't even a book that intended to do that. I wasn't trying to help myself. I was just reading for the sheer joy and pleasure of it. I kept putting it down at intervals and thinking: 'I wonder....' What I stumbled upon was my word for the next year.
It's hard to be hurt or angry or even pessimistic if your focus is on the fullness and blessings in your life. So begins The Gratitude Project. My attempt to focus on all there is to be thankful for.
Today I am thankful for a husband who encourages me to slow down and take days off. Not caring if that means the dishes are left unwashed or if he has to do a load of laundry. A man who is patient to teach me that life is not balls to the wall all the time. I am only able to learn this because he doesn't get angry or frustrated when I do take a day and do whatever I want :)
-What if the only thing you have tomorrow is what you thanked God for today?-
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