the side of love // a thankful heart leaves room

Back when I met with Sister Kathleen (Met once a week for over two years.), gratitude was the pinnacle of our conversations. Prayer and grace were also big contenders, but thankful hearts were mentioned in each visit because they lend to prayer and grace and all the things of virtue that would be kind of awesome to acquire.

Scriptures that rang of His Love for us because she wanted me to recognize how He loves me. Scripture of Trusting in Him, because she wanted to challenge me to love Him in a way that trusted Him with my whole self. All of this and more always led back to hopefully inspiring a thankful heart in me.

With Christmas just around the corner, so many things come to heart while anticipating the celebration of the birth of Our Lord. The child that was and is Our Savior. The One who came to save us. Our King! It's His birthday!

Slowly but surely we are drawn into this time, every year. A time that is meant to draw us into the reality of His Flesh. The same Flesh that was nourished and nurtured in the perfect womb of Our beautiful Lady. The same Flesh that walked this earth sharing miracles and love beyond comprehension. So so much to take in, and all a midst so. much. crazy!

As we all gear up to fight our urges to let the stream of our present culture of materialism and all. the. things. I am reminded of Sister and a story she once shared as well as some scripture we spent some time on. 

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

-Colossians 3:16 

See, I need this reminder every time this season rolls around. It's so tempting for me to receive a gift and think that I don't need it. Or, if only they had gotten me this other thing that I could use, or whatever other thought of ingratitude you could fathom. This just happens sometimes. Call it sleep-deprived neurosis or call it just a moment that happens because. sin. Regardless, all of this comes from a place of selfishness, pride, and not having a thankful heart. 

Which leads me to that story Sister shared with me once.

I forget what the occasion was (or if there even was an occasion) but I remember that Sister had a friend that brought a box of goods - mostly clothing - to the convent. This woman brought the box of goods specifically to Sister and encouraged her to sift through the items because surely there would be something Sister could put to good use. 

Sister began rummaging through all of the items and found that all the sizes were size Large and up. Now if you know Sister, you know that she is a tiny, frail, lovely Irish woman that maybe touches 100 lbs but packs a punch of Jesus that makes you want to stay with her forever and ever just so you can feel His Goodness. She left the box in frustration. Sister felt it incredulous that this friend would think that she could use any item in the box and was frustrated at the time spent sifting through it. Surely she could have been off praying or tending to another chore, while another who would be able to use the items sifted.

After leaving the box and spending time in prayer, she felt disappointed with herself. Her friend had nothing but kind and good intentions for Sister, even if the items were twice to big for her. In turn, Sister sifted again and found a beautiful knit sweater. One that fit her largely but perfectly. It turned into her most cozy and worn item, especially because she was always cold in the building where she spent a lot of her time. A gift she found because of her change of heart. 

She later told me that, had she approached the box with a thankful heart, she wouldn't have had the temptation to react the way she originally did. She told me, had she only opened the box with grateful eyes and a grateful heart, she would have known to be thankful for the gift before even opening the box, because it was a gift given in love from a friend, and that was more than enough (Her friend really did want her to find something for herself, so she told me).

At the end of Sister sharing her story, she told me that because she did not have gratitude in her heart upon receiving her gift, she ultimately did not leave room for Him.

Thereafter, so many times she would remind me that a thankful heart leaves room for Our Lord to work in us. In our hearts. For Him to surprise us in ways that we never would have anticipated. For Him to prepare us to respond in love.

And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 

-Colossians 3:15

This season, I pray that we all can open our gifts with thankful hearts and eyes. Pray that we open our gifts with gratitude in our heart so that we can be open and ready to receive goodness from our loved ones and in turn from the One who first loved us. Pray that we be able to carry the hymn of gratitude this Christmas so that we can leave room for Him to be born into this world. His gift. The beginning of His ultimate gift for us! Pray that we can welcome Him into a little manger of gratitude gathered in our hearts.

Because in receiving with a thankful heart, we truly are not only receiving but also gifting our loved ones, friends, and in turn Our Lord, with love, goodness, and joy.

Pray you and your families have a Merry Christmas! I'll be over here hoping and praying for the grace to be gracious and thankful this season for all that is to come! What are your prayers this season?

I'll be over on Instagram till after Christmas. Hope you'll join me, but either way, till then, Merry Christmas to you and yours!

{7in7} 7QT: Lo siento

--- 1 ---

Okay, I got nothing. The week has been loooong, and I haven't had enough chocolate or ice-cream to compensate the length. Honestly, thinking back I am amazed that I have managed to put up five posts. Not because I can't ramble or click publish, but because my mush brain really is having trouble recalling it. So, these quick-takes will not only be quick, but they will be mushy-brained random.

My apologies!

--- 2 ---

Ha. After typing the last quick take I really got nothing. Gee-whiz! I'm trying to search my brain in hopes that something will flow but I'm struggling. So, we'll just skip this quick-take and try again.

--- 3 ---

...

...I know! How about a gratitude recap?

I'm still so very thankful for our new home! And, I know I'll be even more excited once we are actually moved in. For now, though, I'm just thankful we have a house to move in to. We're homeowners! That aren't living in the home we own... Haha.

As much as I dislike moving, I'm so happy we are moving in to a home that will be our home for years to come. I'm also thankful that we don't have to rush to move in. After getting hit with mastitis and being on antibiotics for 10 days (yuck!)!! I'm glad that we can take our time to pack, to unpack, and to make our new home, home-y. 

--- 4 ---

Speaking of gratitude, I spoke to Sister Kathleen (You know, Special K, the sweetest, most Christ-like spiritual director I had the privilege to meet with regularly while I lived in Houston.). I always love talking to her but this time just broke my heart. Since last year she has been having some health issues that took a turn for the worse in January. Ultimately she said her back is slowly breaking and even with some PT, she is still very immobile.

I know how much she loved her independence and walking from place to place so I can't imagine how trying this has been for her. I also know that she typically tries to keep a strong front, but the weakness I heard in her voice made me cry. You can tell her strength is failing her. 

So, if you all wouldn't mind, please pray for sweet Sister. Read more about her here and here. 

--- 5 ---

Okay, back to the blah. Still struggling. I have no flow right now. No flow of thoughts. Nothing coherent. It's been a long and busy week that has me physically weary. And, usually if I'm physically tired my brain decides to sleep without me. Any others out there get the same way? No? Yes? Maybe? 

Either way, my apologies!

--- 6 ---

In fact, I need to make up for the majority of this post. If you've read up to this point, God bless you! If not, I definitely don't blame you! But, as an apology I'll share something with you that always makes me laugh. If ever in need for a giggle, this photo is what does it for me. Every. Time.

Before I get to the photo, I'll just ask if you all have kiddos that actually play with the abundance of toys they have in their room or play room? I know mine don't. They tend to find anything and everything that is non-toy and play with it until they get caught or I give up. I'm talking about spoons that they ate a meal with, cups that they are drinking, trash cans, my glasses, piles of clothes that I have folded, laundry bins, cabinets, candle holders, boxes, diapers, vicks tub, socks, the wall, the floor, carpet fuzzies, random leaf that blew in while the door was open, shoes....oh, I could go on with the non-toys that consume the interest of my boys. It amazes me. We have a room full of toys. Toy bins with toys in it. Toys that they seemed to be excited about when they first received it only to forget that it even exists within days. Even with prompting! 

--- 7 ---

Well friends, this photo right here is a gem that I stumbled upon. I connected with it so much that I imagined myself as Russell Crowe standing there. Same pose. Same face. Same words. This is me. Multiple times a day. Everyday.

Maybe I should invest in the sword. Surely the boys would play with that one, right? Or maybe a sword would be asking for too many boy fights that would inevitably result in injury or a need for mama to help keep the peace?

Nah. No more toys. Amazon boxes and random leafs forever. And ever. Amen.

***

Thanks for hanging in there on probably the most blahhhh (minus the requested prayers for Sister!) quick-takes ever. ever. ever.

For more fun and entertaining Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

2013 in 13: Thankful

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28

January: Waiting on our Sweet Pea, date night for our 3 year anniversary, Texas winter, time outside, a boy, and his sticks.

February: Our little Lovebug/Sweet P/Linus was born.

March: The boy has personality

April: My baby isn't a baby anymore.

June: Lots of traveling, toddler turns two, and lots of lovely family time.

July: Lots more family time, traveling, and our youngest was baptized.

August: Brothers, time at the beach, lots of family love, lots of traveling, and growing.

September: Birthdays, Beach, Family, food for all, and lots of fun.

October: Home, time with friends, and memories.

November: Brewery fun, Bible Study Family Vacation, Christmas cards, Thanksgiving family fun, and so little time.

December: Colds and allergies that rocked any plans I had for December, Icepocalypse 2013, no Christmas tree this year due to the craziness, lots of traveling, lots of gifts, lots of smiles and hugs, and Flu for all four of us that completely wiped out the later end of our  December into the new year.

Bonus: 

Seeing Sister Kathleen this year was definitely one of my highlights. I've missed her terribly since we moved from College Station to Dallas and I could not be more happy that she was able to meet our boys! Praying that the good Lord bless us with another reunion in 2014. Either way I will look forward to our phone conversations in the new year. She will be in my prayers and I know our little family is always in hers.

So very thankful for another beautiful year filled with everything that it needed to be filled with. His Goodness, Mercy, and amazing Love abounding as always.

Thankful.

(Head on over to Dwija's to see more fun 2013 in 13 fun!)

FF: Little Bit of This & a Little Bit of That

Alright family and friends, I'm linking up with Hallie via Grace over at Camp Patton for Five Favorites! There are a couple of other link-ups in the five so enjoy! Feeling a little link-up happy over here.

1.

My crock-pot is a new favorite of mine. Or at least it's getting there. Some pretty delicious meals come from this big hunk of ceramic and stuff.

I say, getting there only because I loathe washing this big hunk of stuff. The food cooking is AWESOME!! The cleaning, not so much. It's heavy, food can get crusted after cooking for hours, and the heaviness of it makes for a clumsy clean on my part leaving other areas of my kitchen needing additional cleaning because my cleaning of the hunk got dirty else where. Boo!

All that aside, the crock-pot has served us up some of our favorite meals. 

2.
In light of sharing, my kind-of-sort-of favorite I'm moving on to sharing a couple awesome Pinterest finds. One crock-pot related and the other Rice Krispie related (yes, get excited!). I'll be linking up these awesome finds with the Pinterest party over at Revolution of Love.

Now, I know I've mentioned our Bible Study before. It is filled with beautiful, faithful, families that are such God-sends and amazing blessings for our little family. As much as I've shared about our lovely friends, I have not shared about how we do what we do, which will help lead into my crock-pot recipe.

Every week we meet up on Thursdays. All families are on a rotation to host/lead. Since we all have kiddos, we have some trusty and amazing babysitters that come watch all 20-24 kiddos (mind you some are nurslings who stay with Mama/Dada and some are toddler who also hang around, and we don't always all show up.). Total, we are 9 families who are in and out given our season in life (new babies, start of school years, hectic schedules, etc). All in all, our little family has been abundantly blessed by this group and by this Bible Study (Love y'all!).

With that, when it comes time for our little family to host, I get excited! I love hosting, even if I'm overwhelmed or tired or whatever - hosting makes me happy. I like feeding people and sharing new foods that are yummy. It's a good time.

So, for my most recent yummy find, that my husband hearts, is a crockpot balsamic chicken. It has a rustic Italian taste to it. I put it on top of salad with a side of veggies and garlic bread, but it can be served so many different ways. For instance, we recently had it on whole grain tortillas with spring mix salad and some ranch dressing (SO GOOD!), and I've also served it with some buttered-garlic noodles. 

If you are a crock-pot-er, check out this beautiful website and recipe and give this meal a go. Your tastebuds and family will thank you for it!

3.

Now, this next Pinterest find is my all-time most favorite and awesome find yet!!! It's Rice Krispie Treats done oh-so-perfectly! You may be wondering how these yummy treats can be spruced up any more than they already are - but let me tell you, they can!

This is my new go-to dessert always & forever! I found this recipe at Smitten Kitchen awhile back via Pinterest. Friends, try this and you will never go back to the box recipe. As yummy as the good ole box recipe is, this one is subtly wonderful and EASY! The difference is nothing complicated. Honestly, it's just a bit more TLC in the treat making process. Now, go check it out!

4.

AGGIE FOOTBALL!

WH05P!!!

5.

And last, I'm linking up with WWRW for the first time! I haven't been good about reading much of anything aside from blogs lately, but have definitely missed my books!

Below are the books that I pick up throughout the day, depending on the mood and time I have to spare to catch a glimpse of wisdom or two. This little link-up is going up as a favorite because one of my most favorite spiritual reads is in this stack.

Aside from Holy Scripture, The Fulfillment of All Desire by Ralph Martin is pretty incredible. He has managed to combine the lives of number of beautiful saints. Martin explores and plots out their amazing journeys to Heaven by sharing and expanding on their wisdom at different stages of spiritual union with our Lord. It's beautiful, fruitful, and has been one of the most encouraging/inspiring/nourishing books I've read. I shared a few excerpts while writing about Sister Kathleen - the one who encouraged me to read this in the first place.

Thank you, Grace, for hosting Five Favorites! Looking forward to linking up next week!

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Till Next Time

I haven't wanted to write this post. Or rather, I've struggled to write it. Probably for a few reasons. First off, who wants to wrap up allowing your mind to take you back to re-think/experience such a wonderful, family-filled beach vacation? Second, I hate saying good-bye to my grandma. Ever since I moved, our visits are always so brief. She holds a very special place in my heart. Lastly, I'm going to share about our brief visit we had with Sister Kathleen (Special K, as close friends refer to her as). I've been wanting to see her for quite some time. The last time I saw her was a few weeks before moving away from College Station - a good three months after GeekMan and I were first married. I've been wanting to see her for a number of reasons, but mainly because she has been in and out of the hospital since January for a broken ankle and hip.

Despite my struggle to write this post, today, I will finish it and I'll probably spend most of it sharing about our time with Special K. So, sit down, relax, and bear with me as I hash out this post that may will be lengthy.

~~~

Sunday morning, we woke up fairly early and loaded up the van, again. We said our good-bye's to my parents, my brother, and Erin and rushed over to my grandma's house. I say rush because any morning that you wake up knowing you have to drive 10-12 hours with two kiddos under two makes you feel like you are in a constant state of frantic rush that makes your head spin (or at least it makes mine feel that way).

We arrived at my grandma's and hugged, chatted, and loved. She offered food as she always does (It's one of the ways she loves us grand-kids. She fed us. Good stuff!) and I tried my best to be present rather than worry about the drive ahead. The boys were sweet. But, time was not. It refused to slow down and I could feel it nudging at me to get started on our long drive ahead that consisted of one planned stop to see Special K.

There's never enough time. But, we can't help but be thankful for the path our Lord shares with us (as Special K reminded me of). So, even though it was rushed, I couldn't be more thankful for the time we had with my grandma, aunts, and cousin. Saying till next time to my grandma is always the hardest. Like I said, we have a special something. It's hard to describe, but I know it, and she knows it, and it is good.

All the family hugged, kissed, and said till next time. Then it was back on the road.

~~~

The boys did pretty awesome the first stretch. We almost made it to Houston without stopping! Mind you, once Linus realized that this miracle was about to happen he decided he had to do something about it. Trust me when I say, he did something about it. We made a good two stops within an hour before arriving at this beautiful destination:

This convent feels like home to me. I spent a good hour, every Friday, for about two and half years here. Special K provided my husband and I a retreat here weeks before our wedding day. The retreat was perfect and beautiful and such a gift! I've been to Mass here. I've prayed here. I've cried here. I've shared here. I've laughed and experienced such joy here. I've met Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration here. I spent so much time with Christ here. So many beautiful moments that my heart will be forever grateful for. 

While I'm grateful for all things I just mentioned, Bigfoot was pretty grateful for the lions at the entrance. Pretty sure that was the first thing he talked to Special K about when we arrived to her room.

"Everything that exists is a gift from God. When the soul wraps itself around the things and the people of this world, looking for a satisfaction or fulfillment that only God can give, it produces a distortion in itself and in others as well. 

The process of unwinding this possessive, self-centered, clinging and disordered seeking of things and persons is sometimes called detachment. The goal of the process of detachment is not to stop loving the things and the people of this world, but to love them even more truly in God, under the reign of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Wisdom 13:3, 4, 7b-9)" 

-The Fullfillment of All Desire, 205 by Ralph Martin

Family and friends, meet Special K (Sister Kathleen). She is beautiful and amazing. She is so in love with our Savior. She is honest and real about her journey with our Lord. Honest and real with a spirit that is always trusting and loving and filled with Joy and Gratitude for Him, even when times are trying.

When I mentioned that we were going to try and stop by to see her, she responded with, "Yes! Our Lord is good and loving and will make a path for us if He wills it. If He wills it, it will happen and we'll be grateful, but if not, then we shall also be thankful for He has plans for us."

Sweet Sister, in her heart, wanted so much for this visit to happen. I could hear it in her voice when I first told her. The Joy that she had could knock you over! Not only because she loves our little family, but she has had some trying months. Being in and out of the hospital is difficult, even moreso when all your immediate family is in Ireland, but thankfully the family you've come to know most your life are all as present as they can be. Hospital stays can feel lonely and try the best of us, even with loved ones near. But, she put all that aside, and quickly responded to me with a beautiful detachment that allowed Our Lord to bless her no matter the outcome.

To say that I am so happy that Our Lord set it in our hearts to come see her (even if it was only for 45-minutes), is no where near accurate. My heart felt a peace and joy that only He can understand. He did bless us and we were all so thankful. Below are some of the sweet moments I captured. Enjoy!

Here, Sweet Linus and Sister are just taking each other in. It was precious to see him explore her face and to hear the constant joy in her voice to be holding such a beautiful gift from God. 

Then came Bigfoot. He called her "Sithter" and talked to her about the lions.

Sister was so captivated by Bigfoot. She had such excitement when he told her "God bwess you" after she told him the very same thing. She told him how Jesus loved him very much and he responded with, "Jethus, yethh.". I wish I had been video recording to capture her excitement upon hearing those words come from my little toddler's mouth!

His words gave a joy to her heart that was so evident in her voice and face it made me teary.

Bigfoot, our affectionate child, gave her a little toddler kiss. She then reached over for a little token. She looked at me and said, "This is all I have for him, is it okay?". How could we turn her down? Bigfoot was so excited, as was she, that she gave him this little token. In and out of his pocket it went throughout the rest of our visit.

Now, every time he sees it, he proclaims, "Sithter!"

Sister and I embraced and loved all the precious moments we were given. Like with my grandmother, Sister and I have something special. She knows it. I know it. We were kindred from the start. I love her very much and am so thankful to Our Lord's Divine Providence that placed all the right people in our lives to allow us to share the time we did, growing and learning how to love and know Him more. I learned so much from the time I spent with her.

When describing her to others, I always liken it to being in the presence of Christ (If you ask my husband, he'd say the same.). There is Joy. Peace. Goodness. Love. There is a handmaid, embracing her fiat daily. I miss her already just writing this. And, by missing her, I know what I really miss is the very Savior who brought our paths together - for all things point back to He who is Love (another Special K tidbit). The Savior who shared his beautiful servant with me so that I could know Him more. The same Savior who shared a beautiful family of grandparents, parents, brothers, and sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins, friends of old and new, with little me, so that I could know His Goodness so intimately.

"Return, O my soul, to your rest;for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you."

Psalm 116:7

Getting back to our visit, time began to nudge me again and make my head spin. Always too fast when you want it to be slow and always to slow when you want it to be fast! Calling us to get back on the road. Understandably though, since we had quite a bit of road still to cover. And, I had a feeling Linus was not going to be happy about any of it (He was satisfied with the bout of awesomeness he gave us the first hours of our drive).

So, we said till next time, again. Our drive the rest of the way was filled with stops thanks to both of our monkeys, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I was still honeymooning over a wonderful trip.

Since being back, I've pulled out my copy of Fulfillment of All Desires by Ralph Martin. My old roomie, Nic  (Miss you, friend!), gave me this copy. This is the book that Sister asked me to get during our first meeting for spiritual direction. I remember Sister being so thrilled that Nic had already blessed me with a copy! This book has been a go-to since then. The excerpt below could not be more fitting for the very person that walked through a good part of this book with me:

"Certainly there are within the Church of God spiritual persons who serve him faithfully and with confidence, speaking with him as a man speaks with his friend, and whos consciences bear witness to his glory. But who these are is known only to God, and if you desire to be among them, then hear what sort of people you should be. I say this, not as one who knows it by experience, but as one who desires to do so. Show me a soul which loves nothing but God and what is to be loved for God's sake, to whom to live is Christ, and of whom this has been true for a long time now; who in work and leisure alike endeavors to keep God before his eyes, and walks humbly with the Lord his God, who desires that his will may be one with the will of God, and who has been given the grace to do these things." 

-St. Bernard from Fulfillment of all Desires, 206 by Ralph Martin

Thank you Lord for the gifts you blessed us with throughout our little vacation. Thank you for bringing one of your spiritual persons that St. Bernard speaks of into our lives. We are grateful. Grateful for everything. 

3-2-1: Thankful

Joining the 3-2-1 fun over at Suscipio. It's one of those days, refocusing on things I'm thankful for along with some fun is needed!

3 things I am thankful for…

::I'm thankful for Sister Kathleen. Dear Sister has had a very rough 2013. She broke her ankle back in January and had to have surgery and recovery for that only to fall and break her hip in March. I spoke with her yesterday to find out that she had been back in the hospital battling an infection for about three weeks. I'm thankful for her beautiful and Christ-like presence even in the midst of struggle. She has been an amazing blessing to me and my family. The two years of spiritual direction with her were a gift that I am forever grateful for.

Praying she recovers quickly and that our Precious Savior holds her close during these trying days of recovery.

::I'm thankful for coffee. Coffee is my friend.

::And, lastly, I'm thankful for opportunity. The opportunity that knocks on my face every morning to start new. All I need to do is greet it with a thankful heart. Lord, help me! Because my daily opportunities are typically greeted with a disheveled, sleepy, groan that says, "Please come back in an hour...or two."

Thank goodness opportunity is persistent, forgiving, and knocks on my husbands face too. He's been responding amazingly to it, and for that I am so incredibly thankful and proud. I hope to follow in his footsteps with God's grace and Eli sleeping better.

2 of my favorite  songs (1 secular, 1 religious)…

 ::Free by Zac Brown Band

::A Mother's Song by Danielle Rose

1 thing I wish were in my fridge right now…

::Steak! A frozen margarita made just right! And some fixings! nom-nom!

Well, I suppose that is more than one thing, but they all go together. So we'll just say they are my one thing.

Thanks for the perspective and fun, Jenni!

Ice cream, home videos, lots of tissue/meds, and missing our families

First of all, Happy New Years’s Eve to everyone! The start of a new year is always such a great time, normally spent with family and/or friends. Bringing in the new year with special loved ones has always been important to GeekMan and I and we fondly can look back on all the wonderful NYE get togethers we’ve been blessed with.

But this year is turning out to be a little different.

I am curled up under a blanket, in bed, with a low grade fever, a cough/itchy throat, sinus pressure along with a mild headache that refuses to go away, and a runny/stuffed nose. Yes, thank you sinus infection. It has been awhile since we met but as you would have it you are here with me now.

Meanwhile, I am listening to my wonderful Husband sing, dance, and play with our sweet Bigfoot. I love hearing them interact and listening to them while in bed is definitely making my soul happy.

This NYE is a bit different from many that we have had previous. First off, I’m sick (boo!); secondly, we are away from family and friends; and thirdly, we have the sweetest new addition to our family - fresh from my womb just a little over 6 months ago.  All of the above just means we have to get creative. GeekMan and I decided a perfect way to bring in the new year would be to watch old home videos from 2011, which I am so excited about. We’re talking family trip videos, many of Bigfoots firsts, Bigfoots arrival and all that led up to it, holidays, family, friends and more! I can’t think of a more perfect way to spend our time tonight given my health isn’t up to par for anything else.

I guess, the point in getting this post out is that, while in bed, I remember Sister K (Special K) and how she always encouraged me to see the blessings in all times and to be thankful. Without being sick the idea of reflecting on our year via all the videos we took may not have happened at all. And now we have this to hopefully do every year (whether that be a few days after the NY since we’ll be with family+friends or on NYE like today). As much as we’ll miss bringing in the New Year with family we love, I’m thankful that we get to have this special time to do so with our little family - not to mention, dear husband got me a pint of some delicious looking Blue Bell ice cream! Yes, our NYE plans had to be changed a bit last minute. But, thank you Lord for the wonderful family that you have given us that always have a place ready for our little family come the holidays.

I admit, I was pretty bummed and really missing that we wouldn’t be celebrating the new year with family. And, I really don’t like being sick! But, after some bed time and listening to my amazing husband and wonderful little boy I think I have things in better perspective. All it took was opening my eyes, ears, heart, and soul to our God who is always loving us and desires good things for those who love Him. How a thankful heart can change everything!

Family, we miss you, love you and are so grateful for you! Holy Family, pray for us all, near and far, those we know and those we don’t.

Any others out there doing something different this year? Prayers for a wonderful time bringing in the new year as well as a blessed 2012!

Thankful hearts...

When I was living in Houston I would meet with my spiritual director every week. And that continued up until our wedding. However, after our wedding we moved away and now I only talk to Sister K (or Special K as my roomie named her) once or twice a month over the phone.

I miss meeting with her. She truly is so special. She’s touched so many lives with her Christ-like presence. Just sitting and talking with her I could feel His warmth and for that I am forever grateful.

Since moving I carry our conversations with me in my heart because they taught me so much. One specifically has been running through my mind quite a bit lately and I wanted to share.

Gratitude

Special K always talked about having a grateful heart. A heart that is always thanking the Lord in all times. Times of joy, times of sorrow, times of confusion, times of blessing, times of anger, times of peace, times of certainty and uncertainty - and for all in intensive purposes, every possible time under the sun. She would always remind me to try and keep my heart thanking the Lord and through this my heart would leave room for God to work to occupy the space that is His in the first place. Through my heart being filled with gratitude in good times and in bad, my eyes, heart, and soul would be more open and ready to see God’s gracious Hand ever so gently leading the way. All because I would be thanking Him each step of the way. An act that ultimately helps me focus on His Perfect Will instead of my own ideas of what would be “perfect”. A thankful heart keeps me looking outward rather than getting stuck in my own head of what I think He should give me or do for me in my life.

Everything works together for good for those who love the Lord. -Romans 8:28

Special K would then remind me of the scripture quoted above. Remind me that no matter what is going on in my life, He loves me and therefore all things would come together for good in my life in His Perfect Time (which is usually where I get into trouble because I have my time stuck in my head lol).

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. -Psalm 118:24

My family has again been reminded of this special message today. God has perfectly orchestrated something so sweet and kind. We almost missed it because we had our hearts set on something else, but we felt Him tugging, telling us to wait and be patient. Thankfully we did - just not with a thankful heart because we got stuck on what we thought would be just great. But, now we see. We see what He had in mind. And while talking and reflecting on the last week or so, we kind of chuckle to ourselves. We laugh only because we are grateful. We laugh because we are in awe at how much He loves us and how patient He is with us (again!)! We laugh because we know we didn’t start off in perfect obedience to His Will but he nudged us ever so clearly when we most needed it. And I think we mostly laugh out of relief. Relief that He is our God. Our God who makes loving promises and keeps them. Our God who has infinite Mercy. Our God who is Perfect Love and shares that with us through such amazing grace.

So now, our hearts are filled with gratitude again. We are in that place where we feel so much peace. Peace that only He can share.

Thank you, Special K

I thank Sister for reminding me to try and keep a thankful heart at all times. Literally, almost every meeting we had, we would talk about what I could be thankful for. And that reality filled with gratitude would ultimately have me leaving her a much more peaceful and excited child of God. A child of God with a thankful heart that drives her to trust The God who He keeps His promises rather than forget that He ever made them in the first place (which I so easily do in my own self absorbed way of thinking).

Thank you, God

So, thank you God for loving this family. Thank you, dear Lord, for sharing the Grace that we needed to follow your Will. Thank you Lord, for your handmaid, Special K. And lastly, thank you for everything under the sun - always.

note: this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing about Special K ;)