A good reminder

I'm stealing this from a friend's blog.  It struck me that I can sing this hymn from memory, but I never really pay attention to the words.  I have much to be thankful for.

Count Your Blessings

Words: Johnson Oatman, Jr., in Songs or Young People, by Edwin Excell (Chicago, IL:1897).

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one, 
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one, 
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Refrain

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Refrain

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

Refrain






Its hard to want to get up in the morning.  We are tired, and we want to stay in bed - and its dark!  So today I am trying to remind myself to be thankful for the heater, to be thankful for kids that I have to wake up, to be thankful for the school.  I can't quite be thankful we are here, but I do know 'God is over all' and all this is but a blip in time.  I still cry when I read emails, or when my kids hearts hurt, too,  (or their friends' hearts in MN hurt) or when I think about the last months, especially the last weeks in MN.  A good cry is a good thing. But I still have much to be thankful for, even when it hurts.  I can be thankful that I have those memories and that we have so many people who mean so much to us still.  And, by getting up, I was rewarded with a gorgeous sunrise.  I love sunrises and sunsets and the colors He creates.  I read on yahoo that the new color for 2012 is Tangerine Tango - God got it down today.  I love that color.


I have struggled with having personal devotions with kids, work.... in general -  life, over the years.  I always find time to exercise, but not to talk with God.  Just this week a friend tipped me off to a devotional that gets emailed to your in box every day.  Its nothing huge, but it gets you to sit back and reflect.  So, I joined up.  I wasn't too impressed the first day, but they have gotten better, and today's was spot on.  I also started a journal on the computer since my hand written journal is still in a box and I was horrible about writing in that, too.  I think I can type faster than I can write, and its definitely more legible.  Anyway, today's devotional was about gifts we give to God - trust, obedience, praise, and sacrifice.  Good stuff.  The quote was ' Praise is a continual choice we must make again and again until it becomes a habit.'  Reminded me of the movie Elf - 'The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loudly for all to hear.'  I have a lot of work to do in these areas, but the reminder was a good one.


Brandon's doctor appointment today was short and sweet.  Doc wants him to practice straightening and bending it as much as possible, so we started tonight.  He got his shirt off all by himself tonight, too.  He and Matt hope to go to a Father/Son dodgeball tournament tomorrow night.  Hopefully he can throw well and dodge even better!


I have received thoughts from some of you on how I am doing. I want you all to know, I am fine.  We laugh and joke and have fun together. I don't stay in bed or crawl in a hole and cry all day.  I do cry from time to time, but I would consider that completely normal.  It wouldn't feel normal to move back to MN right now either - even if everything would be oh so wonderfully familiar again.  I can do laundry and clean the house and sort of keep up on homework and find joy in those things, too.  I'm trying to be real with what is going on inside of me - our family. So, we are fine, and doing quite well.  We just hurt from time to time!  Thanks for caring and praying.  We appreciate it.  This is where God wants us, there have been too many things that just worked out for it to be any other way. 


And I get to go on runs by the lake and listen to the waves.  Good stuff.