Monday, November 22, 2010

thankful in ink

I was organizing picture files on my laptop and, out of curiosity, clicked on the folder that said "Palm". Now I remember... David's old phone from 2008, his Palm Treo. I bet there are only pictures of airplanes on it.



I have never been so glad to be so wrong!

I literally *gasped* with surprise. And then smiled that knowing smile. The one you get when you know that someone put special care and thoughtfulness in picking out a gift just for you.

July 17, 2008. I remember this day. This very moment. (I had only forgotten that the moment was captured!)

We had taken the boys to the mall and let them ride the carousel. We went round and round, smiling and waving to daddy on the sidelines, "Hi Daddy!!!" being shouted from our lips with each and every rotation.

How prideful of me to assume that there would be many more rides like the one on this day, many more opportunities for photos, pretzel sticks, carseat buckling, bathtime and tickles.

Pastor preached Sunday from Ruth 4, how Naomi's friends had to tell her she was blessed when Obed was born to Ruth. I pray that if ever I am blind to the blessings around me, my friends would be brave enough to tell me!

I don't ever want to get to the point of ingratitude. I don't ever want to be so wrapped up in my grief and sorrow over the absence of Christian, that I neglect to SEE and savor the presence of the two blessings that still yawn "good morning, mommy" and kiss and hug their goodnights.

I know that life is hard. Jobs are lost, roofs leak, marriages struggle, friends disappoint. It is easy to be distracted by self-pity and a defeatist attitude. There have been times when I would look back on my day and realize that I wasted it. The whole stinkin' day. Wasted it with a downcast heart, worry, anger, or a gloomy attitude.

I am done with wasting away and wasting my day!

{It is time to say this out loud and be accountable.}

I resolve to be thankful. To not complain. To SEE the gifts in each day. If I count them up, I know I could easily reach one thousand!

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. -Psalm 48:1

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: -Psalm 63:3-5

I. AM. THANKFUL.

{{{Today, I am specifically thankful for this picture! Eeeeeeeeeee!!! :-) }}}


I will record my thanks in a notebook every night and read it to remember every morning.

What about YOU? Will you keep track of your thanks and answered prayer?

It's never too late to start counting your blessings!



33 comments:

Darcey K said...

What a blessing!! You both look so happy!!! Thank you for the reminder to be grateful. It is exactly what I needed in the midst of a sleepless fog and a toddler who has been crying for hours. I think you are an amazing person, Marshy! Thank you for always sharing your heart and mind so honestly. -Darcey

Christine said...

I LOVE this post, Marshy! What a wonderful blessing it was for me to see a new image. So glad that you got to experience this. I also needed these words to remind me of what I truly am thankful for.
I love you!!!!!!!

Sisterlisa said...

awwwww ((Marsha))) what a SWEET surprise for you! (huge happy face)

((hugs))

Unknown said...

Oh, what a well timed post, Marsha! It has been one of those weeks and I have been wishing that we could just skip right through the holidays this year. God, however is using my children to keep me in that moment, where I am uncomfortable, and to fully be there. I have sensed a battle for my joy going on; ingratitude; and I don't want to surrender my days so easily. Thanks for the reminder - I too have been meaning to start counting for a while now.

Kathi

Melissa Stover said...

this is awesome. i love it when you share god's gifts with us.

moreofhim said...

Oh, Marsha! What a precious, precious gift! Christian looks so cute on that merry-go-round and how wonderful that you have this picture as a sweet memento of that day.

God is SO good and He blesses us so much. Your post was such a wonderful reminder of that. Thank you, Marsha!

Have a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!

Much love to you - Julie

amy in peru said...

yes. thankfulness has changed me too :)

remembering to treasure the ordinary, since we don't ever know how much ordinary we have left! :)

amy in peru

Milk and Honey Mommy said...

Marsha,

I've been having too many of those; oh tomorrow, oh tomorrow. Nothing is guaranteed. God gives us this day, this moment and we should enjoy it and be thankful for it. I've also been caught in the "muck-a-muck" of when will it get better. I should be thankful because it really isn't that bad, it's just not what I want it to be. God is good and I'm so thankful for the abundance He's already given me.

Thanks for another one of your reminders that we often choose to forget and it happens so easily.

Amy (Dandelion Seeds) said...

I love you... thank you...

Annemarie said...

That is a fabulous picture! Thank you, God for your marvelous, unexpected gifts.

The other day I was thinking that I needed to start writing down all the ways that God has answered my prayers. I am going to do it!

~Annemarie

Beth said...

What a precious memory, and what a blessing that the Lord brought it to you when you needed it!! Wonderful idea with the notebook, too. Thanks for the reminder of everyday thankfulness. Hope you are having a wonderful day.

beth

Sprittibee said...

What a sweet Thanksgiving week gift. You are a wonderful mommy and an inspiration to so many people, Marshie. I heart you!

P.S. I'll be in Houston over the holidays if you have a moment free for coffee! I would love to hug your neck IRL again!

Gwen T said...

Such a precious surprise - I'm so thankful you found this, Marsha. The Lord knew you needed this Thanksgiving gift this week, didn't He?

RaD said...

Awww... What a wonderful surprise! And yes, I do try to count my blessing but I can't honestly say that I do it every day. So thank you for the reminder to be thankful every day, even in the mundane, because it will one day be missed.

Jamie {See Jamie blog} said...

I love this picture! What a lovely surprise gift for you! And thank you for the reminder to cherish every moment. God's been beating me in the head with that reminder lately, so I should actually "get it" sometime soon. ;)

Unknown said...

Marsha! What an amazing post! What a wonderful gift!! Thank you for sharing this with us and for reminding us of how blessed we really are. I think I too will start a journal of Thanks giving.

Katherine said...

I am thankful that your posted reminded me to stop feeling sorry for myself and count my blessings (and there are many). This reminder came at the right time for I was wallowing away last night.

Connie Leon said...

Ah Marsha! Thankfulness on a week when Thanks should be given! How appropriate! I love reading your Blogs was a little behind due to well...LIFE. LOL. But plan to get back on track with my fellow Mommy Bloggers!

I love that you received this picture as a special reminder to GIVE THANKS!!! Praise Him!

Huge hug my friend!!!! :D

Beckypdj said...

So happy you were led to this picture. He loves us so much :)

What we choose to focus on makes all the difference. Sometimes I choose wrong, but I'm getting better all the time. God is good.

Hugs to you and your family Marsha, have the best Thanksgiving possible.

Dawn Camp said...

You have such a wonderful attitude. What a blessing you are to so many. I am thankful that you found that photo, just waiting there for you! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving, friend!

Anonymous said...

I am also so glad you were blessed with such a beautiful picture. I am always incredibly blessed by your blog.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and may God continue to bless you and your family abundantly!

The Happy Housewife said...

Oh Marsha! This post gave me chills! How wonderful you found this picture and that it gave you so much more to be thankful for.

Thinking of you today....

Toni

Unknown said...

Marsha *sigh*, what a great surprise! Just the other day I was leaning over cutting up Stonewall's pancake and I thought, thank you God for letting me cut up his pancakes. Your right, and sometimes it seems hard focus on what I should. Thanks Marsha!

Anonymous said...

Oh, a priceless treasure of the heart. ((Marsha)) you are such an inspiration in your grieving process that I am so humbled and learning from you in the waves that roll in my grief.

Thank you for sharing your grateful and tender heart. Giving Thanks is an important part of my healing and spiritual growth. If you'd like to, I'm continuing my A Month of Thanksgiving into a meme called Counting Our Blessings on Tuesdays. We'd love to have your words of wisdom join us.

ByHISgoodGrace said...

Thank you for sharing this. I love what you shared about Ruth. It's amazing how in the midst of all you've been through, you have such wise insight.

livinginbetween said...

What a great gift!

I've been counting to one thousand for a little while now . . . there are SO many blessings that I've previously ignored. Like you, I don't want to be ungrateful.

Giving thanks with you!

Karen DeBeus said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Karen DeBeus said...

What an awesome post! Thank you for sharing your heart!!

Karen DeBeus said...

What an awesome post! Thank you for sharing your heart!!

Simple Home said...

Thank you for this "Thankful" reminder Marsha. Your ability to find joy in all you do comes through in every post!
Blessings,
Marcia

Karin Katherine said...

It is so hard to get bogged down by life sometimes. It is so easy to cast your eyes upon what is WRONG and take forgranted what is RIGHT. I am working so hard to regain my happiness. To focus on my true treasures and let the other things fall away. It isn't easy, but I know it will be so worth it.

LilTanGurl said...

I love you Marshy! just love you. I'm just getting back into reading blogs and while loading yours this one was the one that had loaded first (weird) but I needed to read this... wouldn't have thought last year at this time I would be so far from my family and looking through pics not knowing I wouldn't be with them doing the everyday things we did.
thank you for this.
love you! <3

Amico Dio said...

I needed to read this tonight. I am so thankful for you and the perspective you have and your willingness to share it.

love you, Marshie!