You can live your life "gripped" or held by many attitudes. You can be gripped by fear or gripped by panic. You can be gripped by grace or gripped by God's love. For me today I was gripped or held by the notion of gratitude.
Often times, I have to check and double check that I am using a concept in its correct context. I looked up "gripped" in the dictionary online and Webster says: 1 : to seize or hold firmly 2 : to hold the interest of strongly . I looked up "gratitude": the state of being grateful : thankfulness (grateful) -1 a: appreciative of benefits received b: expressing gratitude
So depending on how you look at it, you could say I was gripped or held by the attitude of thankfulness. I was in the "state of being grateful". I looked around me and saw all kinds of things for which to be thankful.
First of all, I got out of bed this morning. That means I was alive and well. I could stand on my own two feet and walk with ease to my kitchen laden with food (albeit, not the best kind of food, but we can talk about that later). I was thankful that I had two boys to ready for the day and that meant getting them out of my warm cozy bed. Yeah, they made their way into our bed last night as they often do. I used to let that bother me, but I am so thankful to have boys that want to be with their mom and dad, I'll take the cramped quarters. (Who would think it would be cramped since we now have a King sized bed, but it seems the more room you give them especially Ephraim the more room they take).
I am thankful too that I have a husband that is the spiritual leader of our household and looks out for the spiritual, emotional, and physical well being of our family. I was thankful that all my family had their health this morning. I was thankful for our time to pray together before Carson and Troy headed off to school and work.
As I approached my somewhat regular Thursday shopping at Aldi, I was grateful for the man who gave me his shopping cart when he saw me fumbling for the quarter I was certain I had ready to secure my cart. I was especially grateful, because this man looked as if he could really use that quarter and yet he was giving it up for me. God used that man to teach me a lesson.
I was grateful as I perused the aisles at Aldi because I could do it without my children. Not that I don't love my boys, but I was grateful that Carson was at a school that teaches about Jesus and is a safe haven for him and that Ephraim was at a Children's Morning Out program where they too love Jesus and teach Ephraim about it. My boys were well taken care of and I was able to shop unfettered.
I was grateful that I had money to buy the groceries and a few Christmas toys. And all of you will be glad to know and probably thankful that I even put a loaf of 100% Whole Wheat bread in my cart. Not only did I put it in my cart, but my children asked for it later in the day and ate it happily.
Well, my post has already exceeded the length that my sister will read, so you too may have tired of my gratitude, but I know that the Lord is always glad to hear me recount how thankful I am to Him for all that He has given.
By the way sissy, I am also thankful I was able to go to Texas Roadhouse tonight. Mmmm... good and that you listen to me no matter how verbose I can be. And virtual farmgirl, I am thankful for your encouragement to try a more healthful approach at my house. The 100% Whole Wheat bread is a start. Though I don't know if dear husband is convinced of that yet.
Look for pictures soon of the boys enjoying the wheat bread bounty. Maybe a video if I can get it figured out.
2 comments:
LOL. Don't take what I say as Gospel. I just ate a serving and a half of Ghost Peeps after a late-night snack of salsa and chips. I do think my hubby used heart-healthy ham in my panini.
Baby steps.
Yes, baby steps. I failed to mention that I had a slice too and it was quite tasty. Soft enough and perhaps a hint of molasses. Maybe I was dreaming though. Hope you enjoyed your peeps and the late night snack of chips and salsa. I could go to the kitchen myself, but I am stuffed from supper. My snack was a handful of tums. Good for the calcium intake anyway.
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