I Am Not An Island: Seventy-Three through Eighty

"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go." Joshua 1: 7


Monday, November 8th

73) "Yights" - If you couldn't guess, this is one of our daughter's newest and most favorite observations. She is enthralled by "yights." She loves to point every "yight" in the room out to you; she loves to turn them on and off, and when we go to a store, we almost always take time to walk through the Christmas aisle just so we can see all the Christmas "yights." She gets so excited each and every time she sees the lights go on and off. What gets me about the "yights" isn't the cute way our daughter says the word, but the wonder and awe with which she is observing the world around her. It is something we adults can often take for granted, but there is so much in this world that is wondrous and awe-inspiring. I am grateful that I have a beautiful little reminder in our little girl who is experiencing this world for the first time.

74) Accountability- This may step on a few toes, but I suppose that is a part of accountability so I am going to say it anyway. A major problem that I see within our society- individually and as a unit- is the unwillingness to accept responsibility. Excuses and blame seem to reign supreme. Sadly I think that can even be seen within the Church and you can even hear that from some pulpits. Perhaps not throwing blame on someone else, but I know too often we, the Church, soften the truth so people don't have to accept responsibility for their own actions. That shouldn't be. I am blessed to know several men and women who are standing up for the truth. It takes more love to hold someone accountable for their actions than it does to ignore them and it is refreshing to see people who are willing to openly and publicly demonstrate that kind of love.


Tuesday, November 9th

75) Our daughter's hugs in the grocery store- Today I went grocery shopping, but this was no normal grocery shopping trip. I had one specific purpose; I was buying a few items for our daughter. I wanted, at least, one salty cracker and one type of sweet cracker or cookie. I also needed to look for mayonnaise or an alternative and while we were at the store, I figured we would just take in if there were other viable options for a child on a dairy-free, soy-free diet. When it comes to crackers, cookies and other prepared items, the answer quite succinctly is no. There really just isn't. We looked in the organic section, but even there, we often ran into soy. Then I turned to the vegan section and while I had slightly better luck there, soy is still a major player. I did manage to find at least one of each of what I set out for, so the reality should have been... mission accomplished, but I felt discouraged. The options are so limited for our daughter right now (here's hoping these restrictions are temporary and not permanent), and what options we have are so much more costly than what we are used to spending that I felt at a complete loss. At one point, I let out a deflated sigh and slightly hung my head, and do you know what happened next? First our daughter made me laugh by whinnying like a horse (her way of mimicking my sigh). Second she gave me a hug and began to pat me on the back. She hugged me not once, but twice. It was the sweetest, most innocent and loving of gestures. What a kid! What a blessing!

76) Faith of my Grandfathers and Grandmothers- I have been truly blessed to come from such a strong, Godly family- men and women, who not only regularly attended church, participated in the church body and served the Lord in their community, but also lived out their faith every moment of their life even when it seemed no one else was looking. I have had the privilege to see their faith in action at times and have heard or read so many other stories over the years. It is a reminder for me, when times get rough or tough, that you can still have peace, contentment and joy no matter your circumstances for our joy, etc. is not dependent on things of this world but is found in Christ and the knowledge that one day we will be called home. What a wonderful blessing that I can call them Grandma and Grandpa. To all four of them, I love you!

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave,
Lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
("Find Us Faithful"- Steve Green)


Wednesday, November 10th

77) Ministers and teachers along the way- There are some people who were truly blessed with the spiritual gift of preaching and teaching. Of course this is probably not ground breaking news to most people; it does come straight out of the New Testament. However, I feel blessed to have known and listened to the sermons and lessons of several such men and women. Every minister from our home churches has blessed me as have many others I have had the opportunity to hear when visiting their churches. Numerous teachers- from Sunday School, youth group, Bible studies, and at Johnson Bible College- have greatly impacted my life and led through an example of discipline, devotion and love. I am so grateful for their willingness and dedication to serve Christ in this manner, whether by profession or otherwise.

78) Our daughter's incredible obedience today- I have been working on a Christmas present this past week that involves quite a bit of painting. Primarily I only paint while our daughter is napping or has laid down for the night because the paint bottles alone have so peaked her interest that I knew she would only be more curious if she saw me "playing" with the paint. Of course, she would want to join in. Well today, I had to mix a couple of colors together to get the color I needed, but I wasn't finished when our daughter woke from her nap. Now I faced a dilemma. What to do? I knew I still had quite a bit to do with the mixed color and because of where I was painting, I didn't want to chance setting it aside, remixing the color and hoping I got the same color. It would be too obvious if the colors were off even the tiniest bit and would bother me, even if no one else noticed. So I made a decision, I would get our daughter up and once she came into the area where I was painting, I would set some clear boundaries about what she couldn't touch (pretty much anything I had out related to my painting project), then we would see what happened. If it just was too much trouble, I would go to Plan B. She did great. She listened, repeated the items that were "no no's" and obediently did not touch them again. She would watch me for a while and then go off somewhere else to play. When she came back, it only took one little reminder and she would either sit down and watch or head off somewhere else. I was able to paint for over another hour and complete that portion of the project without a single incident related with our daughter. Even though she is extremely curious and loves anything in a bottle (like the paint bottles), she did excellent.


Thursday, November 11th

79) Giving- "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35b I don't really feel like I need to say anything more. This comes straight from the Bible and it's pretty succinct. I will say that this is one verse that I have seen proven true in my life time and time again, whether it be through our giving monetarily to the Church, giving my time as a volunteer, giving for a holiday outreach program, or even giving presents to friends and family. There is something wonderful and joy-filled in doing something for another.

80) Common Budgeting Approaches- So I flipped to "The Fairy Jobmother" tonight just to see what the premise was. I didn't really watch it very intently, but I have been kind of out of it this evening and was looking for any kind of distraction. It was a reminder, though, of how incredibly stressful finances can be on a marriage. I have always been very, very cautious with money, feeling that it never hurts to have a little more money saved . I have relaxed quite a bit from the mindset I had when I was in college and saving every penny to cover the expense of college and preparing to live on my own for the first time, but still, I am frugal (to word it nicely). To many people, this would be an aggravating, irritating and intolerable attribute because of the extent I can go to. I just prefer to pay for everything up front with cash than put it on credit (except for the absolute rare exception or special circumstances). I have been blessed to have found and married a man who shares my opinion. Instead of being upset that I would rather save every extra penny he earns for the next large item we are looking to purchase or just to build our savings, he generally understands. This fact has only solidified and strengthened our marriage and I am so grateful we have continued to approach finances in such a similar manner.