Count Your Blessings Not Your Problems

What am I thankful for this week? EVERYTHING! I am thankful for my family, my friends, my life even if it is messy sometimes. I am thankful for all my high school friends I have reconneted with on Facebook. I am thankful for all the art I have done and I know you are thankful I FINALLY uploaded some of it! LOL

I am thankful we got to spend time with Steph and Amanda last week at the Olive Garden.

I am thankful for Rhett's Bible class I teach on Wednesday nights. Those crafty little girls in his class blow me away and make me laugh. I try to make them feel like I am one of them and hope that I do. After our lessons, I show them what I have discovered artwise during the week. Last week Savannah asked me, "How come you have all the cool stuff?" She meant my paint markers. It was fun to have the cool stuff. She also told me I need to be an art teacher. Hmmmm. I showed them what to do with a black crayon and it got good to them. This week I had them make a paper weave which was supposed to be represent a basket to place a baby Moses upon. I drew their Moses for them. Casey got so carried away with her's. She grabbed blue netting material, made straps to carry him, even added his name in different colored letters! I told her she went way beyond Martha Stewart! Each time I ask them if they liked the activity and they do! I have gotten some from a Christian resource email I receive. One day I hope we can have an art show at the church. I have taken pics of their works so they can sell them.

This week had it's moments of ups and downs as everyone's life does. I had to remind myself of a church marquee I have passed daily for awhile that said, "Count your blessings - not your problems." That is something I need to do rather than tell you about the latest upset in the probation process of my aunt's will. I will just say I was livid yesterday and only calming down somewhat today. All I can do is shake my head now, stand my ground and not let anyone run over me due to someone else's mistake!

I am thankful for my handsomely rugged husband who is my calm in life's storms. He is calm, cool and collect which can be maddening in the midst of my ire. He is always the voice of reason. My best friend I got to for advice. I may not always heed his advice, but I do listen. I am thankful he is going with me on this journey especially dealing with the lawyer of my aunt's estate.

I am thankful for the fun opportunities my son will have that I did not experience til later on in life. Next Saturday he is going to a birthday party to be held at the local airport. He will get to go up in a plane for 15 mins if he can get up his nerve. He is afraid of heights. If he goes up, I am giving him my camera to take pictures from the sky because I have none with my digital camera. I will tell him to turn it on himself so I can see his expression. I have a good feeling about this, but still will ask for your prayer for his safety. My friend Cheryl told me when her son was 10, he flew for the 1st time, was scared but survived and kissed the ground when he landed! All my friends say this will be a wonderful experience for him. It may even make him want to be a pilot instead of a lawyer/welder.

I had written a poem entitled "Be Thankful" last Sunday. I sent it out as an email to all my friends. Well, most of them. Some I had never sent my poetry to before. Today I received a response from my friend and author of "Place of Sage", Lyn Nielsen that blew me away. I still cannot believe a published author emails me such encouraging words. Thank you, Lyn for that email. In the email, Lyn thanked me for writing the poem and being brave enough to send it out. To quote her, she said, "It is a risk we take as authors and artists: we create, and then step out onto a limb with our creations." She said she was proud of ME and will support me anyway she can. How awesome is that? So cool. Just further proving that I am meant to be where I am today.

I know you are going to ask for the poem. I will post it following this post.

Then surrendipitiously I discovered a not much older lady I went to high school with Karen Spears Zacharias who has written religious books. I have not checked out any of her books yet. Just wondering if any of you have read her books? Two religious authors in the same day. What are the odds? Yep it has been a good week thus far. Hope you have had a good one filled with many blessings you remembered to count and not your problems. Care to share them with us at the following....
http://womentakingastand.blogspot.com/