A little old-fashioned

Today I am very thankful for my old-fashioned headphones. :) 

My kids make fun of me when I wear these and I keep thinking that I'm going to get the earbud kind...  but honestly, I've tried the earbuds and they won't stay in my ears! (I've decided I have defective ears - ha.)  Anyways, here's what made me thankful today.  I went out to run this morning and it was C*O*L*D and W~I~N~D~Y.   I was wearing all my cold weather gear, so that was OK...  but then I suddenly realized that with my old clunky earphones on, I not only got to listen to my music without fear of them falling off (or out!) but they also doubled as EAR MUFFS!  yay!  And my ears stayed very warm and I was very happy. :)

Handprints on My Heart

Well, I certainly have fallen off the goal of posting every day my thoughts about thankfulness.  I think perhaps I wasn’t committed enough to the idea to really make it happen.  And maybe I will blame being at the Sr. High Retreat over the weekend where I not only didn’t have wi-fi, but didn’t even have cell phone service – what’s a girl to do?   ;-)  But I’m back and wanted to post a thought that’s been brewing over the last few days.

Here are a few lines from the song “For Good” from Wicked:

So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend

Like I said in my last post, this musical is going to be with me for a while…  and the lines from this song have been playing over and over in my mind.   I sat today for a while and went back in time remembering friendships that have changed my life.  There are many.  I actually hate to make a list at the risk of leaving anyone out, but these are the names that came to mind as I ticked through the years... Lise’, KK, Kecia, Lori, Ginger, Sara, Noreen, Kristen, Regina, Toni, Melissa, Laura W., Lilliana, Wendy, Pam, Dorothy, Nancy, Laura M., Judy, Virginia, Colleen, Carol, Amy, Kathryn, Roseanne, Lynn, Cindy, Brenda, Tara, Tanya, Courtney, Misty, Lisa… a vast array of friends from all parts of my life.  Each has impacted me in ways that have forever changed me.  And I love the visual image of the ‘handprint on my heart.’  That’s really what it’s like, isn’t it?  People who touch your lives leave a distinct mark that forever shapes you along life’s journey.  I’m realizing that there have been so many life lessons, happy ones and hard ones, that have been learned in the fiery furnace of friendships over the years and tonight I’m thankful for all of it…  and as the song goes on to say:

Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?

I do believe I have been changed for the better.
Because I knew you,
I have been changed for good.

Wicked!

I am thankful today, for yesterday. :) 

My parents very generously gave me 2 tickets to the musical, Wicked, for my birthday.  So yesterday, I drove up to Nashville with Lisa to see it.  I have to say that it met and very much exceeded every expectation that I had.  Wow, wow, wow...  if you ever have the chance to see this, please do it.  It's a great story...  the music and dancing were phenominal...  the sets were amazing...   and the age old stories of 'good vs evil' and the bonds of friendship will leave me thinking for a long time to come. 

After Wicked, we went to pick up Mackenzie at Lipscomb and got to go worship with her at Ethos.  Again, another wonderful experience.  The couple of times that I have had the opportunity to visit have left me feeling inspired, refreshed and encouraged, knowing that God is near and is relentlessly in pursuit of my heart.  The lesson for the night focused on Hebrews 12 and I was challenged by how much I am (or am not) striving to 'throw off everything that hinders, fix my eyes on Jesus, and remember that no matter how hard I feel it gets, still, I haven't yet resisted to the point of shedding my blood.'  Jesus was willing to do that for me - how willing am I to go there for Him? Oh how I resist the things that start coming to mind that probably should go that I still hold on to...  At one point the question was asked, "If you found out today that Jesus was just a hoax, would your life look all that different?"  You know, while I can say that would put me in all kinds of inward turmoil, I'm not really sure how different my life would look to the outside observer, and that causes me to pause and wonder what I'm really doing with my life?  Something to think about.

My very sweet daughter surprised me with this wreath that she made for my birthday.  She's decided to get 'crafty' and I was very impressed with her creation - right down to the handpainted 'houndstooth' on the "A" --   :)   It was great to be with her and have dinner together - a perfect finish to a perfect day.

So I thought I'd leave you with one of the last songs from Wicked called 'For Good.'  It's hard to choose between this one and 'Defying Gravity' for a favorite, but I love what this last song says about friendship and the kind of effect that friends have on our lives.  It's very profound...


 


"FOR GOOD"

ELPHABA
I'm limited:
Just look at me - I'm limited
And just look at you -
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda
So now it's up to you
(spoken) For both of us
(sung) Now it's up to you:

GLINDA
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you:

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

ELPHABA
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend:
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you:

GLINDA
Because I knew you:

BOTHI have been changed for good

ELPHABA
And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for

GLINDA
But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share

BOTH
And none of it seems to matter anymore

GLINDA ELPHABA
Like a comet pulled Like a ship blown
From orbit as it Off it's mooring
Passes a sun, like By a wind off the
A stream that meets Sea, like a seed
A boulder, half-way Dropped by a
Through the wood Bird in the wood

BOTH
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better?

GLINDA
And because I knew you:
ELPHABA
Because I knew you:

BOTH
Because I knew you:
I have been changed for good.

Husbands and Wool Socks

Today is almost over, so what I'm thankful for right this minute (as I just walked in the door) is my good husband who was willing to take the long way home and go by the church tonight to retrieve Anna's backpack from the church office porch where Rodney left it after she forgot to get it out of his car today.  This will enable her to get her homework done tomorrow. :)  And it kept me and Anna from having to make the trek by the church to get it so we could get home a few minutes faster and she could get in the shower and get to bed so she can get up and get to gym bright and early in the morning!  whew! 

Oh, and I'm thankful for warm wool socks and good boots that kept my feet nice and warm while standing outside on a cold night watching soccer games over in Decatur.

The Library

So the Main Library in Huntsville has become a home-away-from-home for me and Anna after school. (and her friend, Lena, who rides home with us)  So today, as I sit here and listen to her and Lena try to figure out what they are going to write in a prose response to Star Wars:  The Empire Strikes Back, I'm cracking up because we're using Wookeepedia (for real) to define sacred gardens and the planet Dagobah.......   anyways, that's enough of that.  Of course, this conversation is also interspersed with Lena looking up the latest on Justin Bieber's supposed baby...  oh my.  It's never dull.  ;-) 

So, I'm thankful today for the library because it's a great place for us to park ourselves and get some things done between school and gymnastics.  We think we get tired of it every now and then and have tried Starbucks and Books-a-Million.  But we always end up back here because it's really the best place.  If we had to go all the way home, it would just be crazy.  And they have free wi-fi, so I can sit here and amuse myself when my homework expertise isn't needed.  ha

We're not sitting near a window today, but a couple of weeks back when we were, there was a squirrel that decided to come and visit us...  that kept us entertained for quite a while! :)

Chasing the Call

Can I start out by saying that I'm NOT thankful for Halloween candy?  It's just too, too tempting! ;-)

OK, now THAT's out of the way -- what I AM thankful to for is my daughter, Mackenzie.  If you haven't discovered her blog, check it out here:

Chasing the Call

As I read through that from day to day and hear about her experiences, I'm inspired and challenged in my own faith and purpose.  And it's just an amazing feeling to see your kids grow in their own faith and relationship with God!  :)

A Month of Thanksgiving...

I've done this once before, and I'm going to try it again because November gets a little melancholy for me and a 'thankful' post every day is a good way to stay in a positive frame of mind!  So here goes...   

Tonight I am thankful for people who have an amazing, incredible, ridiculous talent for singing. (I'm trying to be thankful and not full of envy!  ha)  I know she's been on the scene for quite some time now, but I'm always a bit behind all the trendy stuff, and so I'm just really discovering Adele.  Wow.  Such a rich and soulful voice and such haunting melodies and lyrics that really stay with you...

So I downloaded a few songs and took a walk with them at sunset tonight.  I love her song, 'Someone Like You.'  But I was listening to 'Make You Feel My Love' and had a moment where I thought you could turn this song around and consider that Jesus could be singing this song to any one of us.  He's the only one I know who has truly 'gone to to the ends of the earth' to make us feel His love...

              For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
        so great is his love for those who fear him; 
              as far as the east is from the west,
        so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 
                                                         Psalm 103:11-12