God's gifts... all is from God

I am surrounded with friends and family in difficult situations presently.  How can I tell them, show them gratitude?  It sounds so trite: "Be thankful in all things." When my own contentment is still so tenuous, fragile, how can I say, "Make the choice to be thankful"?  

But it is Life.  This, this acknowledgement that all is from God, all is filtered through His grace.  Life does not all feel like grace, like kindness.  How can we trust God to give us the good and not trust Him when He gives us the bad -- especially because we do not even know whether a thing is good or bad? Job found a way to do it:  "He gives and He takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord."  And his deep, life-wrenching gratitude came after sitting in wretched loneliness, discomfort, and fear.  Is there a way to come to that place before... before we lose it all?

Starting from December 27, there are many of God's gifts to catch up on...

- Abel: "Mom, I wanna play you-ca-carry."  Me: "The what?"  Abel: "The you-ca-carry!"  Me: "The what??"  Abel: "The gi-tar!"  Me: "Oh!  The ukulele!"

 - Bells at Grandma's house

- Adrianna so calmly loosing her first tooth after we put Abel to bed, and Scott and me just getting to read with her while she twisted away on her tooth

- Driving with my sweet family up to see my relatives again

- Adrianna reading Abel's new Thomas the Train easy reader to Grandpa Bob

- The eager anticipation of opening presents

- And the train

- Reading the new books with Grandpa

- Playing Rummikub again

- Enjoying family cuddles before getting ready for the day

- Visiting with my junior high friend Samantha and her family

- Playing trains

- Adrianna helping to cut out postage stamps  for our church's stamp ministry

- Abel taking some bonding time with Uncle Matt

- Watching my nephews open the shirts I made for them

... And Samuel's reaction when he discovered his was Yoda

- Getting to see my extended family again

... And my kids seeing some of their great-grandparents and my aunt and cousins

- Grandpa Bob word searching with Adrianna while waiting for food

 - Adrianna and her cousin Madelene sharing their allergy-free food, and both gobbling down the snap peas and salad greens and veggies ravenously

- Adrianna playing with Grandma Elizabeth while I finished Adrianna's four-year-old photo album in time to make it for the buy one - get one free deal

- Opening presents again

- Finding out my car needs some expensive repairs
... And receiving some clear answers to prayer about what to do
... And the kids playing so nicely while we waited at the car shop

- Taking the kids bowling for the first time

- Enjoying an allergy-free dinner, made by Grandma Debbie

- Surprising Scott with a birthday cake

- Fun reading moments

- Spending time praying for family

- Enjoying our Whole Foods lunch/treats on the drive home

- Fun with Abel's new tractor

...and new tricycle from a thrift store

- No car troubles on the way home, even though we chose to wait on the repairs

- Coming home to a leaking dishwasher

- Scott taking extra time off to be home for his birthday

- Using my new blender to make smoothies

- Abel playing the itty-bitty guitar

- Adrianna learning how to use the magic loom

- The kids spontaneously dancing and singing on the table

- Preparing Scott's birthday breakfast

- Abel coloring every white part of his Cars picture

- Celebrating Scott's birthday with chocolate fondue (even when the fondue cord was missing)

- Sharing the old "Cheaper by the Dozen" with Adrianna after she listened to the book on CD

- Adrianna playing with my childhood Legos
... And her having more fun getting imaginative with them, rather than building with them

- Taking Adrianna ice skating for the first time this season

- Playing "Monster Chase" with the kids, and just getting downright goofy

- Abel and Scott's throwing/jumping game

- Abel checking out the baby's chair

- Abel trying on western attire

- Abel getting creative on the way home from errand-running in the big city

- Borrowing an allergy-free cookbook from a neighbor, and finding oodles of recipes Adrianna can have
... And trying the chocolate chocolate chip muffins and chocolate cake with tasty success

...And the oat waffles, too

- Adrianna and Abel making posters celebrating our state

- Adrianna going to a party with our neighbor Jenny to celebrate

- Finding out the Adrianna and Abel matched, even though we didn't plan it

- Using the new cookbook for oat pizza crust... Mmm.

- Abel stamping

... And the joy in knowing that he likes doing crafts now

- A new chocolate pudding recipe in my new blender (sense a chocolate theme?)

- Abel and Adrianna suddenly finding Birthday Monsters discussion-worthy always
... And the precious way Abel says: "Birthday Mansters"
...And the way he giggles at broccoli stew in Hey!  Wake Up!

- An empty fridge... and the blessing that it isn't always that way

- God's protection over Abel, nearly being backed over while we were on our trip

- A good first week watching the baby

... And Adrianna and Abel helping with him

- Grandma Julie teaching Adrianna to play solitaire

- Abel's love of showers

- Safe travels in the snow

- Abel's leap-run

- Adrianna and Jenny playing beauty parlor 

- Enjoying the beauty of mountain silhouettes on the drives

A reader tell me recently that I have a lot of pictures on my blog.  That might be an understatement.  For a person like me, with a mind that races in ninety different directions every minute, how else am I going to remember all these daily blessings God has granted me?  :)