Finding Gratitude Day 9: Cold Mornings

Cold toes that stretch from the bed onto the icy floor. Wet hair that seems to drip frozen water onto my back after my shower. Seeing the imaginary frost seemingly climb up the window panes. With each step down the long hallway, I wonder if I will ever be warm again, my bones almost creaking with every movement.

Then, I enter the kitchen, seeing Mom making tea for the morning, her herself cold and wanting warmth. Zak sits at the kitchen table tying his shoes, with his gloves, mittens, hat, and short-sleeved shirt on, Dad comes in from starting the car, also wanting to warm up the transportation that will carry us for the next hour, James sits in the chair as long as possible to escape his chores as much as he can, and Anna? She prattles on and on about this doll of hers, and this bird she saw, and anything else that comes into her mind, not caring whether anyone is listening or not.

And me? I'm gathered around the space heater, hoping that the heat will not scorch my skirt or catch any of my clothes on fire. I am happy, hearing the little one talk, listening to the teapot whistle, and Dad encouraging James to hop to it. The joys of cold mornings, oh, what we would miss!

Finding Gratitude Day 8: Window to the Soul

 The entrance into the emotions.

The epitome of communication.

The eyes.

Have you ever studied a picture of someone? Have you ever wondered what they were feeling the minute that shutter clicked? Have you considered what they were thinking when that picture was taken?

The eyes tell us so much about what is happening inside someone’s feelings. The eyes seem to sparkle with the emotion of happiness, whereas dullness comes with despair or hopelessness. When a person is expecting something, looking forward to something, many times you can SEE that in their eyes.

Some people, including my mother, can communicate completely and effectively using only her eyes. She can look at me and immediately, I can hear her saying “You need to be quiet right now.” Another look could communicate “Stop doing that.” Or yet another looks says “You’re doing such a great job.” The one no one wants to see, “You’re in so much trouble.” All that without “saying” a single word.

Try it sometime! Look at a picture of that multimillionaire, look at their eyes. Are they excited to  be posing for that magazine? Are they surprised that anyone would want to take their picture? Or are they impatient waiting for the photographer to hurry up and snap their picture because they have more important things to do with their valuable time? Or better yet, are they seemingly lost, feeling that they have everything, but have nothing?

God created us with this effective communication factor. How wonderful that we don’t have to rely only on the words of others to understand what they are feeling, experiencing, and considering. 

Finding Gratitude Day 7: Newness!

Today starts a new week. Gone are the stresses of last week, the chores that seemed to pile up, all the mistakes that crowded our mind. Ahead we see the blank slate of our planners, each part of our time open and ready to be filled. And it is our choice of what we want to make the biggest priority, the main focus, and the greatest thrust of our week. 

What a fresh start! I am so thankful for the next week! Have a great day! :)

~Rachel

Finding Gratitude Day 6: Fall

Rust-colored leaves hold on to the trees with their best effort, but all, in the end, lose their grip in to the branch, and gracefully tumble to the ground below. Their dying wish is to stay on the branch, to live as they've lived for the last months. And yet, leaf history says that each leaf for centuries have fallen. But, to those individual leaves, perhaps they think they can change tradition by clinging on for deal life that gave to the branch them life. 

To us, the dying leaf becomes beauteous in all the colors and variations, the dying leaf to us is a symbol of fall. 

Perhaps, perspective really does matter. When Christ asks us to die, to give up that thread of sin, to move on despite past hurts, to do what we think would change our lives forever, perhaps we need to look at it from Christ's perspective: that death to self isn't the end of the world, that it is beautiful to the Lord.

Enjoying Autumn,

~Rachel

Finding Gratitude Day 5: Rest

Through the week, our bodies are pushed to the limit, whether from work, cleaning, running errands, and so many other things that occupy our time. And through all of the hustle and bustle of daily life, sometimes we forget what it means to rest and take time for nothing.

Playing checkers with the family.

Taking a nap.

Taking a leisure walk.

Snapping some pictures.

Pinterest.

And many other things that allow you to relax and recuperate for the next week.

Have a restful night!
~Rachel

Finding Gratitude Day 4: Milkshakes

Milkshakes

 It is not a very in depth or deep-meaning topic, but today, the milkshake made my day!



The last few days have been crazy for me, with classes, outings, and working. I haven't gotten to bed at the best time, and this morning getting up, I could feel all the hours from the missed sleep haunting every move I made and every thought I attempted to think. The cloudy mind syndrome.

By the end of the day, I was a pretty sad sight, ready to leave work and go to bed.

Then.

I made a milkshake.

And, had a ball of laughs.

When I make milkshakes, I have to be careful to pull the spinner out when it is not connected to the liquid milk-base, because it flings the liquid around.

I wasn't careful.

I looked at one of my coworkers, and saw that I had a line of base on my belt, right at the level of the spinner. And my friend, who was standing next to me, had one too...

Laughter, giggles, and craziness made my day... or perhaps, it was the milkshake!

Finding Gratitude Day 3: Creativity

How much of the day is made exciting and spontaneous because of the creativity of others around you? 

Today was my one day off this week from work. I spent the morning trying to understand and dissect the different poems of others in my poetry class. Each word has its own meaning that when combined with the different connotations of the thoughts surrounding that word, the meaning of the entire poem can take such shape. When I finished studying, I was struck with just how creative authors of poems have to be: they have to evaluate what the reader's first reaction will be and how that first reactiom will or will not affect how they look at the poem as a whole. And, after the author thinks through those initial reactions, the author has to write the poem using the precise words to achieve the complete meaning. 

Creativity

Coming home from a crazy afternoon of shopping and looking through my mom's pictures that she took of my little sister. Seeing how she takes the subject of the picture, changes the colors, and softens the surroundings to represent the personality of the portrait. Each tiny detail must be thought out and changed until it reaches the perfection that the artist has seen from the first snap of the shutter. 

Creativity

Finding Gratitude Day 2: Words

Words convey such meaning and contain so many connotations for one, individual word. Each time we say something, or even think, we use words to describe what we want, how we are feeling, what we want others to do, and so many more things. And yet, one word can me something totally different from one person to the next. Words can also take a truth and convey it in such a concrete way that not one person doesn't understand. 

Imagine what the world would be like today without words: no cell phone chats, no texting, no books, no schools, no quotes from inspirational people, no way of communicating what others cannot see, no Bible, no way of understanding the gospel. And I could list so many more! 

Words link people together, create lasting friendships, and change people's lives. How thankful I am today for the words that I hear, see, and understand. May we try to make good use of the words that God has given to us!

Finding Gratitude Day 1: Long Roads.

Imagine with me a forty-five minute drive to work at seven thirty in the morning. The bright sunshine filters through the slight fog that's holding on to the last of the countryside. The church steeple back-dropped by dark blue mountains. The careless dogs that meander through the road as you sit there tapping your steering wheel wishing they would hurry up and cross the road so you can get to work on time. The best part of the drive? Talking with my Daddy. Talking about work, home, and how I need to start slowing down more than 10 feet from the stop sign. Jabbering about something unimportant, but knowing that he is genuinely listening and trying to understand.

Long Roads

The sun is tired, begins slowly sinking down where it will soon warm another city, another house, another person. But here, the setting of the sun is nature's signal that the day of work is nearing the end. Animals scurry to their nests, windows are shut after the dinner dishes are finished, little siblings crawl into their bed, tired and worn out from their active day.

Down the road, two friends walk, enjoying the scenery, talking about whatever pops into their minds, and knowing that everything is a good topic because both understand the other. They know that their possibilities are almost endless, and they walk down the long road so they can enjoy every footstep as they walk and talk with one another. Once in a while, they step off the road so that a pickup truck can pass by; or stop to watch the Canadian geese glide by. The road holds endless possibilities for each of them, and they are both thankful for the long road.

What do I have NOT to be thankful?

Do my circumstances change the wonderful gifts that God has allowed me to access? How many times do I overlook the big and wonderful blessings that I have? And how many times, dear readers, do we enter into discontentment because we don't think that Christ has fulfilled our "needs" for that exact moment?

My goal for the next month is to post something everyday about everyday living that I have to be thankful for. For me, it will be an eyeopener to the things that many times I look past. For those who read it, I hope it will encourage you to evaluate the wonders that God has given to you in your personal life!

Starting tomorrow, see ya soon!
~Rachel