Gladitude, part deux

Psalm 107:1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Indeed, He is good. So good in fact, that I'm adding on to my gladitude list of last week. I dunno, but perhaps this will be a theme for me...it should be anyway.

10. I'm so glad that my dtr is at camp. For HER, people, not for me. :) I know she was at Bible camp last week with her brother, but this is Outdoor Chef camp for Girl Scouts, and she's going with a little friend, and lots of enthusiasm. Yes, I miss her terribly, and her eyes leaked a bit before she left, but seeing her confidence and her excitement is so cool. "Hello, my name is Drama Girl, and I'm 10, and I have the world by the tail! Woo hoo! I'm glad for some 1:1 time with David, and that the weather is going to be unseasonably warm--80s! Wow.

9. Grateful that we now have 2 eagles on Fort Stinky. Big and Drama repaired the fort on Saturday and added some nice "eagle perches". Must've worked. Now we have 2, and they seem so happy to hunt and preen and pose for us to enjoy. I don't know why this tickles me so, but it.just.does. Pictures to come.

8. Glad that I get to see my 82 year old Grum in Iowa in October. I haven't seen her in almost 4 years, so it's time. Drama Girl and I are so ready to show Grum our knitting and receive our due polite criticism praise.

7. Glad for Big's flexible schedule (when he's not in China). This is a biggie for me. I'm usually a stinker not as supportive as I could be because I don't like his travel or his long hours. What I need to keep giving thanks for is: a) he has a job, b) he loves his job, c) I've been able to stay home and home school and otherwise be there for my children, d) this is a refining process for me and my p.a.t.i.e.n.c.e and delay of gratification. Hmph. Okay, okay. I'm glad.

6. Glad that, through generous donations, I've met my fundraising minimum for the Breast Cancer 3 Day in September. $2,200 is a ton of money to raise, IMO, and I was very much doing a walk of faith to gather each dollar. Some others on my team are still gathering funds, so if you feel so led, please consider donating to anyone on our team.

5. Further, I'm glad I went on a 9 mile hilly walk last week, and a 11.7 (let's call it 12) mile training walk last night with some other 3-day walkers. Last night's walk was a hilly-exhausting-butt-burning extravaganza. So, I guess I'm also glad that I simply made it. I make it hard on myself because I try to walk at about 4 mph, but I do that mostly so I can finish and move on to other non-exercise activities. I presume that I'll be walking much slower during the event. Since, you know, I've never walked 60 miles in 3 days before, and am likely to be p.o.o.p.e.d! I'm humbled by the cause, though, and don't tell anyone, but I'm knitting pink scarves from fun fur for all my team mates. :) Better get started!

4. Lest you think that all I can think about is the 3 Day, I can tell you that I'm also glad that I was the first one on the computer this morning! Ha Ha David, you'll have to eat your cereal first, this morning. This sharing thing is for the birds! Okay, shut up only child! ;) Ooops! I mean, I'm happy to share with my son who hogs it as much as he can--I would NEVER do that .

3. Glad for a dog lying right near me. Glad also that her horrendous farts have subsided.

2. Glad for the Taco Bell meal I had in my car, at 9 p.m. after my long walk last night.

1. Glad for the amazing God-painted sunset last night. How I appreciate my sight.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Gladitude

It's been a few days...I guess with the break from kids (four delicious nights a.l.o.n.e. with hubby and 3 1/2 delicious days alone with...me), I haven't had a ton to say. Perhaps I just enjoyed a little break from my talking and enjoyed visiting and lurking at other blogs...

Anyhooo. Gladitude. In my family, for better or for worse, we are highly verbal. One of the things we do is make up words. Constantly. I give you: gladitude. It's gratitude + attitude. I think I probably made it up after one of my famous, constant, "teachable moment" lectures. I think it went something like this: "You know, (insert name/s here), we have so much to be grateful for, and here all I'm hearing about is your wanting more (insert item, experience, or general whine here). Let's try to have an attitude of gratitude, shall we? Gladitude!" Shouts of laughter and praise erupted from the teeming masses, and a word was born. Well, I made up the shouts...part, but still, we use "gladitude" quite often now. So lately, I've been thinking of my gladitude list...

1. My dtr was baptized in the lake at her Bible camp yesterday. I'd post pictures, but her pastor is in the shot, too, and I haven't rec'd permission. What an awesome experience. I got to assist. She was so ready. 10 children were baptized yesterday. What a celebration in heaven. To see her go through the Bible study and really KNOW what she was doing was so cool. So intentional.

2. My son enjoyed Bible camp, too, and for the first time ever, we dropped him off without watching him sob as we skulked away. He's just very sensitive. And...I love that about him, but no one likes to cry in front of peers, and a 12 year old boy is definitely at the top of the list of those who would rather eat live crickets than let his friends and older teen boys see him cry. I was light as air as my hubby and I took off from camp. I know a lot of parents have this experience when their child(ren) is(are) a lot younger. This was a first for us, and we reveled in it.

3. I had a counseling session with my son's counselor while he was at camp, and we talked about faith being the belief in that which isn't seen. Duh. I wish I had thought of that. No, I've been in a state of worry and anxiety about "whatifhedoesn'tfindhappinessgetajobgetmarriedbesomesoretofnormal???". She told me I had to get to a place where I believed David would be fine. And that what he became was neither because or in spite of me, but was controlled by God. Talk about an a-ha moment. And a moment of contrition on my part. I apologized to God for my lack of faith. She told me that David would respond to my truth. Period. Even if I say all the "right" and supportive things, his spirit will respond to my fears of his failure. Gulp. Admittedly, this isn't a total call for gladitude right away. But...it's true. And truth brings me gladitude. Big and I had a talk about this, too, and he shared his fears. It's okay for us to be scared, but we cannot be paralyzed by those fears. We still have to allow God to be God. And so that's what I'm trying to do. Pray for the peace and the trust for myself to allow God to do His work and me to be a witness to it. Another lesson in boundaries, I guess.

4. I saw another eagle on our Fort Stinky (the driftwood fort we made over Memorial Day weekend). He or she wasn't bothered by the rain and wind. Just majestically seated atop the fort, waiting for a delicious bite of fish.

5. I'm glad that it's August 1st. This is not self-promotion--really! But...each August, I send gifts (one or 2 a day) for one week to my Grandma (82) , who lives in Iowa. We call it "The Dog Days of Summer Holiday". My mom started it several years before she passed, and I've been doing it for the last 10. You see, there is no real holiday in August. I think my mom started this as a way to bring cheer to her mom, and after she died, I couldn't just let it end. So...my Grum loves lavender. Each year at least one of the gifts is or has lavender in it. With postage and the cost of gifts, I usually spend between $50 and $75, but I could be so much more economical if I wanted to. Usually, I'm behind the eight ball, truth be told, and I don't want to forget, so I send everything Priority mail. Some examples: a sachet, postage paid notecards/b'day cards, lavender scented hand sanitizer, little sewing gadgets/quilting notions, pictures of the family, bookmarks, restaurant gift cards, and of course a little note from me in each gift. I better wrap this up so I can get the first package off to Iowa! :)

6. Glad for the lovely bloggy goodness I get to read each day. You all lift my spirits, whether through a devotional or through the sameness we share in our lives as women. Praise God for each of you.

Soli Deo Gloria!