A sense of belonging

Today was our 3rd Sunday in our new ward at church.  Starting to know a few more names and recognize a few more faces.  I am so grateful for all the friendly smiles, for meeting the sister-in-law of a good friend from our last ward, and for being able to watch Dave joke around with members of the ward.  I am grateful for the knowledge that anywhere I go I have a family.  They are my brothers and sisters and they welcome me with open arms if I will reach out to them.

I saw God today as I felt a sense of belonging to a new ward family.

Successes and Failures

This life is full of success and failure.  I was once counseled that the success or failure of my endeavors would be dependent upon my attitude.  This is a truth that I learn over and over again.  Today I saw both and I think I passed the attitude test:)

My success was tonight as I watched my 6 year old's excitement in reading on his own.  He is not one to want to sit still very long, so it took some doing to get him to the table, but the light in his eyes as he read a little book on his own was priceless.  I'm glad I didn't give up and let him keep on playing and just skip the reading when it was a challenge to get him started.  

My failure was dinner.  I get in ruts and really struggle with dinner preparation.  One of my problems is remembering to pre plan.  When dinner time rolls around and I start thinking "what should I make" I get stuck because a lot of what I have on hand requires prep time, which I no longer have.  Last night I came up with baked potato "chips" and hot dogs.  Tonight I decided on Raman Chicken Noodle Soup and drop baking powder biscuits.   The soup went over okay with 4 out of the 5, but the biscuits were a dismal failure. They turned out beautifully, all soft and flaky.  It just turns out that I am the only person in my family that likes them, even if they are smothered in strawberry freezer jam.  After everyone left the table, I sat there for a while having a pity party and eating biscuits, but then as I got up to clear the table I had another thought.  I am so grateful for the abundance and variety of food we have.  And I am very grateful that even if most of the batch gets thrown out, there is other food to feed my family.  

I saw God today in my emerging reader and a perfect batch up unwanted biscuits.

Gentle Promptings

I saw God today as I stood in the kitchen with my breakfast and had to decide, "do I go in my room and turn on the TV while I eat, or do I go sit at the table with my 3 year old"  even as I type this it seems a no brainer, but there are days and even moments when I just want to be selfish and not be a good mom.  But the thought (prompting) came to me.  "There is nothing you could learn on that tv show that is more important than the time spent with your 3 year old."  So I made the choice to walk to the table, and sit down, and eat as I listened to the chatter of a 3 year old and then after I finished eating, helped him eat, since he was more interested in talking than eating at the moment.  I made a choice, and it has made all the difference throughout the day.

Tender Mercies

I decided it was time to get back to a place in my life where I look for and recognize all the tender mercies that the Lord provides for me every day.  So this post is my first step toward that goal.  Knowing that this may not be read by anyone is okay with me.  This is for me.  

So today I see God in my life through the energy and excitement of my 3 year old.  He is ready to play and ready for adventure.  And with that being said, it is time to sign off, because he is hanging on my arm telling me he is ready to play Dora Memory.  He got it out and set it up all by himself:)