GladiTuesday!

I don't know about you, but sometimes it's easy for me to get mired down in the have-tos and shoulds of life.  Sometimes, here in Seattle, it seems like one rainy day just runs into another.  So you know what?  I am so deliciously glad that on each Tuesday, I get to pause, reflect, and give thanks--have a glad attitude--for blessings both big and small.  Please feel free to join along on your own blog or in the comments.  Nothing spreads joy like joy.

10.  Glad for books.  I have really enjoyed trying to focus more on reading, and am on my 6th book (The Real Grey's Anatomy, by Andrew Holtz)this year.  When I'm finished, I'll review it here.  Glad for the goal set of 50 books this year. 

9. Glad for prayer.  It's been my privilege to pray for others this week, for:  unexpected or ongoing health issues, for jobs to replace those which were lost, or more satisfaction within current jobs, for pregnancies and births, for Haiti, for safety of loved ones, for peace, strength, comfort, longsuffering.  For joy.  What a privilege it is to place at the throne and KNOW that He hears and answers each prayer.

8.  Glad to witness the courage and perseverance of my child on skis.  2 private lessons later, he is still not able to safely get on/off the lift.  Truth be told, I don't know how the third lesson will play out. But he's trying something new.

7.  Glad to witness growth in confidence in my daughter.  She has struggled with math f.o.r.e.v.e.r., or even longer.  She was so encouraged by her teacher's suggestion that she join the more challenging math group, and we are both encouraged that by 99% her own steam, our prayers, and Big's help, she's holding an 88.6% average. 

6.  While I'm bragging on her, I'll just continue.  She auditioned for a role in our church's children's theater performance for the spring.  Last year she was one of the principal leads.  This year she wanted to try out again, even though she realized that it might not be "her turn" to lead again.  Well, I'm so proud that she tried out, anyway.  Proud also that her drama ministry leader took her aside and offered her a junior director position.  It's as if he knew that she might need a little more to chew on this year, so he offered it to her.  This program in general makes me gladdy.  All kids K-6 learn to act and all the parts of a play--and the best part is, each part of this process, including the play itself, is Christ-honoring.

5.  Glad for American Idol auditions.  Even though I now know they're a bit "fixed."  Yes.I.Am.Naive.

4.  Glad to be in my 2nd month of reading the Bible in a year.  It's so unlike me to follow thru that it MUST be a God thing. :)

3.  Glad for grunt work, sometimes.  Been cleaning out cupboards and desks and crap craft areas.  Oh, how I loathe this.  But puttin' on a little K-Love and/or watching a Hulu episode of Emergency! usually puts me in the cleaning groove.

2.  Like my friend, T., I find that Target makes me all kinds of glad.  Even purchasing laundry soap is more attractive when I can hop over to the make up/new book/furniture sections.  Speaking of T, I get to meet him, his strapping young buck brothers, and some other groovy kids who belong to my favorite coffeegal when I go to NC in TWO WEEKS. 

1. Humility makes me glad.  My grandmother, whom I dearly love, recently watched our Christmas Dessert Theater performance on DVD.  When I asked her how she liked it, she said, "Oh, Honey, I liked it fine.  I think I really liked the second half better, though.".  That's nice.  I'm in the 2nd act for one whole minute.  ;O)