Friday November 12, 2010
Happy Friday!Thanks to Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for hosting Friday’s Fave Five. It’s a great opportunity to share our favorites of the week. If you’d like to join in, just visit Susanne and get the details.
Here are the blessings of this past week for me:
1. A gathering of gratefulness. If you’ve been reading here awhile, you know that gratitude is my blog theme this month. I can’t get over how this has affected me – all day, every day. I find myself thinking about what I’m thankful for, big and small. It’s really been neat. I hope it’s blessing someone else out there the way it’s blessing me. Even if not, I’m thankful for the boost to my spirit.
2. An anchor of faith and trust. Things are happening…I just don’t know what! Doors are opening and closing all over the place. I can hear them creaking open and slamming shut as I write this! That’s exciting but a bit unsettling. You find yourself thinking, “But what if…?” I don’t know how I’d deal with the anticipation and the angst if it for weren’t my twin anchors of faith and trust. They keep me from coming unfastened. They hold me secure. I can even enjoy the waves with my anchors in place.
3. Countdown to the holiday. I’m counting down the days to a full house of boys! The pantry is stocked with their favorites and I’ve dug the recipes out. I do love to cook for boys who’ve been away. On the phone this week, I heard several times, “It’ll be good to be home, Mom.” I love it.
4. A husband who’s “into” our marriage. I’ll just say it – we are two busy people. We hit the floor running – always have – and what we do is good stuff. But it’s easy to feel separate, to work side by side but be looking in opposite directions, unless you carve out time for the two of you. This dawned on us (we were hit in the head with it) about a year ago, and I’m so thankful we were. I love that my hubby is conscious of this truth – that he looks for opportunities for us to go and do or just “be” together, knowing how important it is.
5. This quote from John Milton’s writings. I’ve yet to find anything of his I dislike, but this one expresses perfectly how I’m feeling about my November nexus. (nexus (n.): means of connection; a link or a tie)
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”
The connections I’ve found this month in my wanderings through the land of gratefulness have done this for me – they’ve let me encounter everyday epiphanies, transcendent moments of awe. I’m hoping this experience will change forever how I experience life.
Here’s to a wonderful week ahead.
Here are the blessings of this past week for me:
1. A gathering of gratefulness. If you’ve been reading here awhile, you know that gratitude is my blog theme this month. I can’t get over how this has affected me – all day, every day. I find myself thinking about what I’m thankful for, big and small. It’s really been neat. I hope it’s blessing someone else out there the way it’s blessing me. Even if not, I’m thankful for the boost to my spirit.
2. An anchor of faith and trust. Things are happening…I just don’t know what! Doors are opening and closing all over the place. I can hear them creaking open and slamming shut as I write this! That’s exciting but a bit unsettling. You find yourself thinking, “But what if…?” I don’t know how I’d deal with the anticipation and the angst if it for weren’t my twin anchors of faith and trust. They keep me from coming unfastened. They hold me secure. I can even enjoy the waves with my anchors in place.
3. Countdown to the holiday. I’m counting down the days to a full house of boys! The pantry is stocked with their favorites and I’ve dug the recipes out. I do love to cook for boys who’ve been away. On the phone this week, I heard several times, “It’ll be good to be home, Mom.” I love it.
4. A husband who’s “into” our marriage. I’ll just say it – we are two busy people. We hit the floor running – always have – and what we do is good stuff. But it’s easy to feel separate, to work side by side but be looking in opposite directions, unless you carve out time for the two of you. This dawned on us (we were hit in the head with it) about a year ago, and I’m so thankful we were. I love that my hubby is conscious of this truth – that he looks for opportunities for us to go and do or just “be” together, knowing how important it is.
5. This quote from John Milton’s writings. I’ve yet to find anything of his I dislike, but this one expresses perfectly how I’m feeling about my November nexus. (nexus (n.): means of connection; a link or a tie)
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”
The connections I’ve found this month in my wanderings through the land of gratefulness have done this for me – they’ve let me encounter everyday epiphanies, transcendent moments of awe. I’m hoping this experience will change forever how I experience life.
Here’s to a wonderful week ahead.
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17 comments:
Encouraging words Laura! Love the Milton quote - everyday epiphanies - sounds like a good blog name :)
Many blessings,
Kathie
Well said, Laura! So much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to...I love the idea of "everyday epiphanies." Something to contemplate and embrace... enjoy your weekend and thanks for sharing. Oh, and get to cooking for those boys! ;-)
It's amazing how I'm seeing something I sat in gradschool for at work before my eyes - your #4 fave demonstrates a relational communication theory well.
YAY to gratitude!
Hazel
Great list, Laura.
I'm thankful for a husband who is 'into' our marriage too!
An attitude of gratitude really does make a difference in our lives. Love the quote by Milton!
I agree with you that seeking out ways to be grateful can really affect us so positively. I’m being blessed by it, too. What a great husband you have who "gets" it. I am definitely grateful I have one of those too! Have a great weekend.
You are absolutely right about how important it is to make time to spend as a couple! The last two weeks have been so busy I haven't spent any quality time with my hubby, but I hadn't really realized it until just now. Thanks for the reminder that I need to slow down this weekend and spend some time with him!
Your #4 is one that I'm also very, very thankful for. We've had our struggles and our hardships but aside from momentary lapses my husband is very much the same way. I was thinking last night just how thankful I was for him.
You're very right about gratitude. It's spirit-lifting not just for us, but for the people around us that we express these things to. :)
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
A lovely, upbeat post! So great to hear about others who celebrate their marriages. So often that is not the case and I sometimes feel that I'm in the minority, or it's not the popular thing to do among some groups that I'm in.
great list and I love what you shared about your husband....I feel the same way about mine....altho we seem to be running in opposite directions sometimes with work, ministry, the girls, etc, we know we are knit together and must carve out time for "just us"....have a happy weekend....
Again, Laura your list is "right-on." I love your Fridays to remind me to be thankful. Hey, thanks! :)
A very thoughtful fave five this week! I am anticipating the family being all together for the holidays, too.
Laura, I love your FFF this week! What a wonderful anticipation you are experiencing waiting for your boys to be home for Thanksgiving! (wish mine were)
This week in my Bible study we read about Paul's wild ride on the Mediterranean Sea and his shipwreck on Malta. He knew his anchor and it wasn't made of metal! I know you'll weather this storm and be blessed with the outcome.
Glad the boys are coming to your house for Thanksgiving. Love that anchor of faith and trust. We'd be adrift without it. :0)
Love the quote! Have a good weekend.
My gratitude (as a veteren) goes to those in the armed forces that risk their life so I can live mine in a free country.
My gratitude (as a Christian) goes to Jesus who paid the ultimate price for my freedom over the fear of death. May I be salt and light in a world of darkness that He died for.
I have added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit my blog and become a follower also.
Faith and trust. They do allow us to be excited when things are happening even if we not quite sure what will be going on. Sounds like they'll be lots happening for you!
Loved your whole list. You sound so content and very grateful for the blessings God has given you.
Oh, I love this Laura! Can't wait to hear about the new doors that are opening for you! ;0) I just did a Bible Study that talked about how our "self talk" should be focused on praise and gratefulness and how that will transform our lives. Thank you for the reminder of that today! (I've had a rough week, so my 'self talk' hasn't been stellar! ;0)
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