Thanksgiving Praise

For home and hearth
And family

For fowl and fur
And every tree

For gardens dormant
And verdant

For loves earthly
And Heaven-sent

Thanks go to Thee.

© 2004 Kimberley Broyles,
Gardenwife.com

Today, write down a list of ten things you’re thankful for. It will lift your spirits and reaffirm that there is much to be thankful for, even in the midst of uncertainties and trials.

By the way, you can sing this to the tune of the doxology. Just sing the last line to the typical “aaaaaaamen”: Thanks go to theeeeeeee. Play the Doxology Accompaniment.

I had one of those moments where I saw myself as a stranger would if he could see my thoughts. Ouch. I’ve let myself become bitter, critical, someone I wouldn’t want to be around. I’ve always said of people who act bitter or nasty that they must be terribly unhappy to act the way they do. It’s a way people distance themselves from hurts and worries, because it’s easier to find fault with everything around us than it is to admit our own shortcomings and make changes in our lives.

I’ve been one of those people recently, and I don’t like her. That’s not me, not the GW who seeks to live a godly life and treat people as God would have her treat them. I saw this bitterness and anger coming out in destructive ways.

Most people might not have noticed this. We all have different faces we present in different situations. And no single part of our personality defines us as a whole. Even as the apostle Paul said of how he adapted to various situations, “I have become all things to all men” (1 Cor. 1:9). Often, it’s only family or very close friends who see the undesirable parts of us because we hide it so well from others.

Still, even if no one else knows, I do.

So, I cried. A lot. It’s been months since I’ve cried and I know even that alone would have been cathartic. But I also asked God’s forgiveness for my attitude and asked Him to help me be the person He wants me to be.

I know it isn’t going to happen overnight. Oh, how I wish it would! It involves daily choices. Sometimes it means taking things by the hour or even by the minute.

It means thinking things through before I say them, asking the Lord to be my inner censor. I don’t want to be that person who makes the light go out of someone’s eyes with words rashly spoken, even if I’m right.  Why do I need to show I’m right about something? Why is this important to me and, really, does it even really matter in the grand scheme of things? Why do I need to defend my actions?

Are my words, be they spoken or written, going to build up or tear down? Is my critique legitimate? Is it really necessary to voice it? What are my motives for what I’m about to do? That’s a biggie. What do I hope to accomplish with these words or this action? Will this make me a better person? Will it bruise or will it heal? Will it draw others to God, or only serve as ammunition against Him and His people?I must ask myself these when I feel a need to prove a point:

You get the idea. It’s hard! But it’s worth it.

It’s also something I need to do not only for myself, but for everyone around me. As Dennis Prager writes in Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual, it behooves us to make our own happiness our personal goal. It’s not shallow or selfish to want to be happy. Anyone who’s spent a lot of time with an unhappy spouse, parent, child, friend or coworker knows how unhappy people make those around them miserable.It’s an excellent book - I highly recommend it

This brings me to today.This morning, I read a post on the Fiskateers message board that made me stop and think. It was a call for people to list 5 things they’re thankful for. This was my post:

What a great idea. Thanks for starting this thread! I am thankful

1. that God knows us from the inside out, and loves us in spite of our baggage

2. for my husband who, like God, is long on grace and is my best friend

3. for the big family I married into; as a “lonely only” it’s nice having siblings

4. for the technology that lets me photograph and instantly see the pictures, connect with friends from around the world, and learn new things with such ease

5. for this time of year, when I can put my garden to bed without guilt and turn my thoughts more toward scrapbooking and other indoors hobbies

I have one more to add: I am thankful that my future is not etched in stone just because I have a propensity toward something. We do not have to stay the people that we have become. As the saying goes, “God loves you just the way we are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way”.

So here’s to change, whether it be noticeable only to us or to many.

41

As a 1930s wife, I am
Poor

Take the test!

…But in my defense, I think I’m a pretty darned good 2000’s wife. For one, I am one who reacts with pleasure and delight to marital congress. That alone tips the scale in my favor, I think!

Seeing how my age coincides with my score of 41, perhaps by the time I reach my 60’s and 70’s, I will catch up with Tami and Elle on the wife-ometer. By that time, they’ll be quizzing us on what kind of turn-of-the-21st-century wives and husbands we are.

There’s a version for men, too, so don’t be shy fellas. Both my male and female readers can just head on over and see how you measure up to the unrealistic standards of 1930’s society!

He looks like a helmeted bike ninja…Way to go, ninja man! He really ought to write a blog entry about the gear he’s using, especially that hood. He bought it at Iron Pony, a specialty store for motorcyclists. It’s very snug-fitting, so it fits beneath his bike helmet. His knit hood wouldn’t fit, so this is great for him.

Us ladies wouldn’t much want to wear one, though — kiss that makeup goodbye, not to mention your hairstyle. Howie has a buzz cut and isn’t one for makeup, so it suits him fine.

The paperclip bit is icing on the cake.

Interactive Holiday Toy Guide!

Ain’t technology grand?

Conspiracy at Giant Eagle
Originally uploaded by gardenwife

I have to hand it to Giant Eagle, they are shrewd with their product placement. They have the cat litter, treats and food on the left side of the aisle. Right across from all the feline finery are cookies. How brilliant is that? They know us crazy cat ladies will grab a bag of kitty food only to turn around and be faced with a visual wall of all things sweet, chocolaty and delicious. I know it was their intention and the marketing geek in me applauds them even as I curse them for putting temptation in my path.

You only have until tomorrow to request the online offer, that’s by midnight PST Friday, November 14. You must use the coupon by midnight PST Sunday, November 16. All you have to pay is shipping.

I’ve not ordered any photobooks yet, but I’ve gotten prints and photo collages there and been happy with the turnaround time and quality. These will make great gifts!

Note: If you haven’t registered with them yet, let me know so I can send you a referral; you’ll get 20 free prints for signing up and I’ll get 20 free prints for referring you! I’ve been using Snapfish since 2000 and they’re terrific.

My hubby is a programmer for a direct mail company and deals with barcodes a lot. He’s so happy to have found the barcode reader app for our G1 phones.

Then, he decided he wanted to make some QR codes since the postal service codes and UPC codes weren’t enough! So, found a QR code generator and made a QR code for me.

It’s the geeky thing to do, after all.

He e-mailed it to me…Look familiar? They’re great because they are able to contain more data than the standard barcodes we’ve had for years now. And the cool thing about these barcode reading apps is, they’ll even read them off of a monitor!

So, all I had to do was open the barcode reader app and use the phone’s camera to view the code. The app scanned it and decoded the message. This is note passing in the 21st century! Oh, my gosh we are nerds!

So, was his message the equivalent of sweet nothings whispered in my ear?

Mmmm, depends on how you look at it, I guess! It’s a nod to The Princess Bride, so I guess that’s close enough. Click this image to view it full-size.

Passing notes in the 21st century

As you wish, dear. As you wish.