Grateful

When life is easy, being grateful is too.

It's being grateful and thankful for my blessings when life throws me adversities,

that is the challenge.

I have to admit, I've never been labeled an optimistic person.  While I don't think I'm Eeyore, I do struggle with seeing the positive in bad situations. Opposites definitely attracted Steve and I to one another, as he is eternally optimistic and thinks we will always end up on top. 

I was excited when I read my friend, Shanita's, blog post about the book Daniel's Gift and all the wonderful things she learned from it.  I wanted to learn and feel all those great lessons she took from it. She kindly let me borrow her Nook so I could gain all the insight I was dying for.

House cleaning, laundry, my recorded shows on the DVR, and even sleep waited two days while I read.  The book did bring great insight to life and why things happen when they do.  I took comfort in the idea that struggle and adversity will continue to find you until you learn the necessary life lesson God wants you to.  As for me, I am a worrier.  Often I worry about things I have no control over.  It has and continues to be a challenge for me to realize the things I have control over (which I'm learning is very little) and the worry I need to turn over to the Big Guy. As I'm working on this I must admit, it feels good to not feel like I have to fix everything for everyone.

I learned that we all come to our own crossroads and decide to turn right or left.  If you're stubborn, like I tend to be, and you turn the same way you always have, inevitably, in time, you'll end up right back at that same intersection.  Different scenario, but same underlying lesson you haven't learned yet. 


So, have I mastered being grateful when I end up at that same dang intersection faced with the same challenges deciding whether to turn right or left?  To say that one book has turned me around completely would be a lie, but it has helped me try really, really hard to make better decisions that are based on good intentions, a good heart, and a trust that God will ultimately put me on the right path.

If I live my life by that mantra no worry should ever come my way, right??

I'm working on it, always working on it.

Fort Worth Nature Reserve

G-Jo had a great idea for us all to go to the local nature reserve.  Just when I think I have learned of all the fun things to do in this city I learn something new.  The kids were very excited to go hiking in the woods, they thought we were camping! Harrison mostly wanted to find and capture as many bugs as possible and Gavin simply wanted to scale and jump off as many rocks his little legs could climb. 

Harrison was disappointed the bugs just didn't jump into his collection container.  This is him trying to pick up an ant, he had a really hard time getting the ants into the collection container without smushing them to death.  I think the death toll of ants that day was at least ten--not one made it into the container alive!  Gavin, of course, quickly picked out a walking stick to help him with his adventures.

 

 To spend a Sunday afternoon climbing and hiking--a little boy's dream!

 Gavin jumping off a very big little pebble pretending he was the 'king of the world!'

G-Jo schooling Harrison on some land navigation. Who needs boy scouts when you have G-Jo to teach you how to read a map??  **Note- she went hiking on the same trail just the day before and ended up on a 4 1/2 mile detour (a.k.a getting lost.) But, Harrison doesn't need to know that.  He can live a little longer thinking G-Jo always knew exactly where she was going!**

 Our little 2 1/2 mile hike sufficiently wore us all out.  We had pink cheeks and hungry tummies when we made it back to the car.  Nothing like walking out of the wilderness into a nice air conditioned car to make you appreciate technology. 

**One last note** Steve was present for this family outing.  As always, he's behind the camera capturing the family moments.

To Say And What Not To Say

Three times I have gone through the gamut of comments people make to me when I'm pregnant.  Yet, I'm still shocked at what some people have to nerve to say to very vulnerable and sensitive pregnant women.  Especially when it comes from women who have been in that very vulnerable place.  I have compiled a list, from the personal comments that have been told me.  This is to say and what not to say.

No:

• How much time do you have left?!  Gosh, I hope you make it.
• Oh, how cute!  You've got the pregnancy waddle!
• How many babies are in there??
• You look miserable.
•  Were you this big with your last one?
• It's okay that you're eating that....you're eating for two right?
• Hey there, Big Momma.
• Were you this tired/cranky/slow moving (insert any other crappy adjective) with your other pregnancies?
• Pregnancy makes your face look different.  --What the heck does that even mean?!?

Yes:

 

• Pregnancy agrees with you.
• You were born to be a mother.
• You have such a pregnancy glow.
• Gosh, you're that far along?  You don't look it.
• You can only tell you're pregnant from the front.
• You look beautiful!
• This baby is so lucky, you're a great mother.