With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to put a post up about something that has been on my mind a lot lately.
We - or at least I - tend to worry a lot about a wide variety of things. While there are a lot of things wrong with this worry in and of itself, I feel like a lot of it tends to come from forgetting how fortunate we as individuals really are. So I would like to propose an activity to help put everyday issues into perspective.
There are two lists to make.
1) Make each list on a sheet of paper that you can put somewhere that you will see it a lot throughout your day, I recommend putting them in two different places. Possible suggestions are on the mirror in your bathroom, a desk where you sit at work or to study, on the side of your computer monitor, etc.
2) On the first sheet, list all of things that you are thankful for. Try to get specific. Small things that bring joy to your days, certain people who help you stay on the straight and narrow and be who you know you ought to be.
3) Then, on the other paper, list all of the people who could use your prayers. Again, be specific. Write down the individual and why they need your prayers. Is it because of a stressful time they are experiencing? Is it because a big decision is ahead of them? Are they starting out in a new place in their life? Do they have health troubles? Does someone they love have health troubles? Include yourself and the things that you are dealing with and need to pray about. Don't forget the rulers of our country, our soldiers, etc.
4) Finally, go back to your first list of things that you are thankful for and read through it again. Looking at the second list, it is easy to pick out some more things for which we might not have realized we need to be thankful.
While the lists are a good way to remember things we need to pray for, in thanks and in requests, I really think that they do a lot more than that. They compare our own struggles with those faced by others and they remind us that we really do have so much that God has blessed us with. All we need to do is continue to pray and draw close to Him and leave it in His hands - He's already done so much for us, we should trust Him to take care of the rest.
Hope this finds you well and looking forward to time with family and friends over the holidays.
David said in Psalm 30:12, "To the end that my glory may sind praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever." Thanks for sending a message to cause me to think of my blessings and others more than I do. That makes you a blessing to me!
haha,we could still win the big 12 south, ou's gotta lose to osu though. but it could still happen. In all fairness we oughta at least go to a BCS bowl, but that may not happen because we looked TERRIBLE
We'd be movin' you off the christmas gift list to the christmas coal list if you didn't stay the night! Looking forward to your family coming for the afternoon. See you soon! Be careful going home tomorrow.
He looks so grown up in those pictures...it must be the ring ;) No really, I was trying to figure out why he looked so different and I think it's that stuff he's growing on his chin... I like it but he is missing the top half :)
What a happy day indeed! I want to thank you for being so awesome this weekend, I appreciate you so much and hope to get more of an opportunity to talk soon.
So...I just finished writing out a voluntary statement for the University Police Department...
Because Josh and I called 911 on a drunk driver we saw on campus on our way back from the Halloween party on Friday night/Saturday morning...
So...yeah...we watched this guy make a super-fast, not-well-planned u-turn and then speed off down Olsen Blvd...which has a speed limit of 20 and multiple 90 degree turns. So then we looked and saw that there is a girl walking on the sidewalk on the other side of the road (from whence he has turned). Then we watch him u-turn again, talk to the girl, and speed off.
So, we made the u-turn, asked her if she needed a ride or if she was ok. She told us she was fine so we kept going. By then, the other driver (who we now figured was drunk because she was walking and his driving was crazy) had made another u-turn and was passing us. When we got to where we could turn around again, we saw that she was running across the street and it looked like he was chasing her! I'm pretty sure Josh had to refrain from speeding up and ramming his SUV but we saw her get into a parking lot and him speed away, so we followed to get his license plate.
We called 911 and told them what was going on. He eventually made another u-turn and we followed him back toward where the girl had been walking. when we caught back up, he had pulled over and was getting in the passenger's side to let her drive.
The police pulled them over a minute later and then an officer came to meet with us to confirm our story since the male wasn't driving when they pulled over the SUV.
FUN STUFF!!!
So...now I get to call Officer Hammond and have him come pick up my statement! :)
AHH!! Crazy night! You have to love Halloween, though....right?
oh my - that rules that you guys were able to help! it's neat to know we are not powerless against dangers like that and that the police want to help us and protect us. I guess it probably helped that Josh is such an avid bird watcher - his eyes are probably very well-trained! :)
Definitely! I could probably arrange to bring the baby with me just about anywhere in DFW while you gals are there and I would just stay for the day and go home that night. Ken's parents can stay with the girls while he's working, but he might be off that week on vacation in which case I wouldn't need a babysitter at all. So yeah, I have no problem traveling with a baby who is a few weeks old. And it's only an hour or so drive into Dallas for me.
im going to san antonio... sorry i shouldve told you sooner. we wouldve had soo much fun in the car but mom and dad knew some people who they wanted to invite/ give some of the tickets to and they needed an immediate answer. and i think it would be fun to leave school early on my birthday. sorry :( but i know you will be coming to visit soon! love you!
yes it is... are you going to come??? i know josh said he might depending on if he is gonna doing anything on friday since thats the day hegets his ring... but im sure you knew that already.
Kevin went home on Monday after a successful night in the hospital with nothing but oral pain medication. They took out his epidural and began reducing his doses on Sunday and then after he did fine throughout the night he was able to come home.
My parents have his bed set up in the family room so that he will be closer to them at night and so that he can stay in his bed throughout the day if he wants. He also has a special wheelchair from the hospital that he can sit in and in which he can be wheeled around.
He has been doing well with pain, he just gets itchy from his half-body cast a lot. He hasn't been asking for much pain medication so we think that is a good sign.
For those of you who have asked, I have been instructed to inform you that Kevin does not need anything, but if you would like to send something he is really enjoying getting mail. He loves having cards for him in the mail. I can give you the address if you need it. :)
awww poor seetheart! I didn't know about this! I'm glad to hear he's doing much better though! Tough kid. :) (pfft nothing at all like his big sis ;) send me the address too please! Lushanyamarie@yahoo.com
oh i wish i could drive with you!!!! but the person has to be 21 so cant even drive w/ Josh.. and you definately have to come see us!! are you planning on going with us to Ashley & Adam's wedding??!!
The surgery went well today. It took about 2 and a half hours per leg to complete and then another hour to get his cast all done. He is in a cast from his toes all the way up to just above his tummy...which means he'll be laying down for the next 6 weeks. The doctor knows he's energetic and doesn't want him attempting to get up and walk on his legs while he's in the first major stages of healing, so he can't move at all...
Momma said he has been doing very well with coming out of the anesthesia, which is a good thing since he has tended to wake up screaming in the past. But he is on a lot of pain medication and sleeping a lot.
He will be in the hospital until at least Sunday and possibly Monday so the whole family will, naturally, be there with him all weekend. I'm hoping to be able to head home on Saturday afternoon to go see him and Momma and Daddy. Plus Grandmother came into town so hooray!
Anyways, thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. I and my family are truly blessed by all of you and your never ending thoughtfulness.
More details on the recovery and such to come later. For now, goodnight, and thank you again.
