Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground! - Psalm 43:10
Welcome to Friday!
Early this morning, before the heat became oppressive, I ventured out and felt the cool breeze blow across my face, heard the morning beginning to come alive, felt the wet grass under my feet, looked up at the billowy clouds and I smiled - today is going to be a great day!
Welcome to Friday! How are you doing today? What's going on with you and what were you up to this week? Did everything go well in your area and with the plans that you made? What was the biggest bright spot of your week, the moment you want to tell someone about, or brag on? What did you do to have fun this week, or to relax? What did you do to challenge and push yourself a little further than last week? What moment did you want to do over?
I had a lot of bright spots this week, a couple of interesting opportunities disguised as hard challenges, and a whole host of blessings. Truly, the blessings that we all have are numerous and countless. My list began with taking the youth to Salkehatchie on Saturday. The kids were excited, arrived mostly on time for us to leave, got along well, made conversation during the ride, and helped unload once we got there. They all were excited to see old friends from last summer, to get away and meet new people, and to serve and worship. Plus, I got to drive the new Ford Transit van and it was a blast. It rides really well, and when we were all done, I loaded up the little people to drop it back off at the rental place. You would have thought they were riding in a limo. Emma was propped up and smiling, looking out the massive window. Ava was very giddy as we made our way out of the yard and down the road. I took the long way so they could enjoy a few extra moments. I teased that I liked the big van so much that I was going to buy one for our next family car... no one laughed.
Of course, after Saturday I enjoyed going to visit Georgetown, eating hotdogs off the grill, grilled chicken that Vincent made to perfection, and some squash that turned out really good when grilled. Spending time at mom's, talking with the family, and eating... life is good! On top of all the good food Vincent grilled, and other prepared, I managed to get a second helping of what my sister-in-law fixed. Her pork chops were really good. I just wished I wasn't so full when I finally made it over, and I wished I would have taken one or two home.
The bright spots continued all week with Trish surprising me with dinner twice. She made salmon one night, and then treated me to take out from one of my favorite places. We had lots of late night chats, a couple of decaf cups of coffee, some dessert runs, and copious amounts of laughter. We had everything from Ava and Emma opening the front door and declaring that they were going to camp with their sisters - (even though camp is about 45 minutes away by car), too Sydney and Paige having an epic race to down the most fudge brownie. Paige is still, by far, the most skilled person with a fork. It looks like we still have work to do in the sharing department. Last night, I took the four girls out for a late night treat. We went to Denny's around 10:40pm. The trip was supposed to be between Sydney and Paige, but Ava and Emma snuck in naps late in the evening, so they were wide awake. It was really fun.
If I had the time to keep going, I'd tell you about test driving a new car, riding in a super nice ("free") rental while the car was in the shop, winning 5 out of 7 basketball games this week, lots of laughter, the dinner celebration for the end of the school year, stories from the camp, leisure afternoons, new opportunities at work, and the special Father's day gifts. But as I said, the joy and bright spots, blessings and gifts of God to each of us are always more numerous than we can count or fully recall. Let me end with one last bright spot. I am thankful for you and for your thoughts, prayers, kindness, and love. I hope that you are doing wonderful, well, and are having a fantastic day. Take care, enjoy your weekend, count your blessings, and as always...
Welcome to Friday!
--- Cassius Rhue
"Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'" (Job 28:28)Love is irresistible, irrefutable, undeniable. Nothing rises to it. The dark side of our character has no weapon against it. It's our trump card. - Jim Daly
Gracious Lord, open our eyes that we may see your steadfast love
and the stunning wonders that await us at every turn.
Turn our trials into triumph by the working of your grace and mercy.
Give us peace, guidance on our trail and a better understanding of you
as we enjoy the plans you have made for us, now and eternally.
I am thankful for
- Vincent grilling the chicken, hamburgers and hotdogs
- Deatrice grilling porkchops and hotdogs
- Spending time with my nephew on the way back from Aiken
- Father's day and father's day wishes
- Special cards, text messages, and notes
- The delay in the car repair that let me drive a nice, snazzy new car for several days
- The girls and their laughter
- Sydney stepping up and helping out in the absence of bigger sisters
- Pictures from the trip to the zoo
- gorgeous sunsets and wonders
- Unexpected surprises
- At home dates (coffee, dinner, dessert)
- The youth at camp
- Facetime with the older two while at camp
- Hugs from Ava and Emma
- Spending time with Sydney and Paige
- Working out this week at home
- Sleeping late a couple of days this week
- Upcoming vacation (not mine, but other co-workers :) )
- Listening to other people's stories and life's funny moments
- Seeing a man who once visited our church during a tough time, now smiling and working on a construction site
- Having him recognize me and being able to recognize him was neat
- Seeing him doing well, and smiling
- Working on my writing this week
