U-Turns Allowed

The things on my mind today begin as follows:

• I'm tired. Why don't I sleep? Why can't I turn off a show mid program or close the book or leave that last load of laundry until tomorrow? Why?
• Why do people compliment your hair on the days you took the least amount of time to fix it and pretty much hate it yourself? Why do I have curly (read: unruly) hair?
• Teen angst and 5-year-old-cussedness sucks. I don't know how to parent either well.
• On my way into the office I saw a sign for something-or-other that listed things like, 'no heterosexism, no ableism, no racism...' I had to look a few up: heterosexism: discrimination or prejudice against lesbians or gay men by heterosexual people and ableism: discrimination in favor of the able-bodied. I'm sad we even have to have words for these behaviors.
  
• I could go on, and on, and on...

But I'm choosing to do a U-Turn. My camp friends know what this is: after evening chapel, if campers feel like they need to or want to go back to the chapel to talk to a staffer, they can. It's an opportunity to press into whatever God is doing in their lives. So they can do a physical U-Turn and hopefully a spiritual U-Turn as well. It's the definition of repentance, a chance to not just be sorry but to proactively make a change in your life. (Fu-ah, fu-ah ha tu na, fu-ah, fu-ah, ke wa ho [paddle away from Satan, paddle toward God, apologies for my spelling])

So, I repent. Father God, teach me to be thankful today! Help me see You in the big and the small, please show me what You delight in and give me Your joy. Allow me to see what You are up to in the world and people around me. May I participate in whatever it is? Thanks, Papa!

Here's a new version of my complaints above, and a continuation of One Thousand Gifts:

4. Our bed. It' warm and comfy and my hubby is in it, which leads me to,

5. Sleep. Enough said.

6. The opportunity to learn to parent and participate in the lives of two great kids.

7. Everyone is unique. What a boring world it would be if we all thought the same, looked the same and had the same gifts and abilities.

8. Crisp October mornings.

9. Geese in flight as the sun rises over Lake Superior.

10. Sweet text messages from a sweet hubby.

11. Friends, friends who hug you, listen to you, love you, pray for you and let you do the same for them.

12. The ability to recognize things for which to be thankful.

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Here are a couple tools I'm using to practice thankfulness:

1) A little notebook with a study plastic cover and mini pens
that don't take up much room in my bag.
This allows me to write what I'm thankful about before I forget!
It's too easy to forget important things.

2) A correspondence kit, all packed in a little accordion file.
It includes everything I need to tell someone how special they are,
how thankful I am for them
and how I love them.
The great thing about this is I can leave it in my car and
when I have a few minutes to wait while out somewhere
I can just grab this and I'm all set!
(Some of you should watch your mailbox!)

Get your thankfulness on - today!