Reflections from the mind of a 16 month-old boy

"What are you shouting about? It makes perfect sense to get Mommy's hairbrush and put it in the fireplace!"
"The leftovers will taste much better if I put my feet in the tupperware before she uses it."
"Dish towels belong on the kitchen floor, NOT on the hanger."
"The dog's water bowl, the dishwasher and the toilet are all acceptable places to play."
"It's not a good day unless I get a huge bruise somewhere on my head. Preferably as close to my eyes as possible."
"Throwing stuffed animals over the gate is fun. It is even more fun to watch Mommy put them away so I can do it all again."
"It is perfectly acceptable to put my shoes on to go somewhere, but NOT my coat."
"All buttons, levers, keyboards, drawer pulls, handles, and cords must be touched early and often."
"Individual packages of cookies and crackers taste much better after they've been crunched in my hands and thrown on the floor several times."
"Mommy's arrangement of knick-knacks is sorely lacking in composition and style. I must help her."
"Daddy's neckties look much more artistic in a jumbled pile on the closet floor."
"Toy remotes, keys, telephones, computers, ipods, etc are not near as much fun to play with as the real thing."
"Mommy and Daddy are starving our poor dog. I will be generous and share all of my food with her."
"Today my favorite game is 'Hide One of Daddy's Shoes.'"
"The scheduled nap time, which heretofore has been set in stone, is now negotiable, and may cease to exist in the near future."

Rings-n-things

Okay, I admit it. At church a couple of Sundays ago, when my eyes were supposed to be closed in holy prayer, mine were open. Not only that, but I wasn't concentrating the slightest bit on what I was supposedly praying about. I was, in fact, staring at my hands. More specifically, I was contemplating the rings on my fingers. I know, I'm a helpless sinner. :)
I was feeling slightly flamboyant that morning and had decided to wear some of my older, sparkly jewelry to church. Way back when I was in high school and rhinestones were "in" I had received a cocktail ring. It's about 3/4" x3/4", silver with 13 small rhinestones set in a flower pattern. It is just this side of gaudy, perfect for an evening dress. I thought it would be fun to wear it to church, you know, where you're not supposed to be gaudy or flamboyant in any way.
So I had my nearly-gaudy cocktail ring on my right hand and my small, delicate wedding ring on my left. The difference in the two rings, to me, was stunning. At first look, the cocktail ring is more flashy, more sparkly, just, well, more. The wedding ring is lovely but it's hardly noticeable against the other. Yet when you really examine them, you see the quantity of the one versus the quality of the other. While the cocktail ring has by far the greater number of stones, the wedding ring has one particular stone of a far superior grade. They are not even the same type of stone -- one is cut glass and the other is cut diamond. A simple reminder to me that sparkle and flash aren't always superior features--in jewelry, in people and in life.
So I did manage to be reminded of something good while I was supposed to be doing, um, something else good. But maybe next time I'll try to close my eyes and pay attention.

Straight lines

I was driving on the interstate recently, listening to my iPod and lamenting the cloudy day it was. In the midst of my lament I began to see some of the clouds ahead breaking apart. It wasn't a dramatic, Hollywood thing where angels sing and streams of descending light beams bathe the earth with a heavenly glow. It was simply a few clouds letting in a few Jacob's Ladders. For some reason this reminded me of something I had heard years ago, that there are no straight lines in Nature.
Even the straightest-looking natural elements bend with the wind or have a slight curve somewhere. Beams of light are the only exception to that rule.
My nature, my human nature, has no straight lines, either. No matter how hard I try to straighten myself out I can't do it.
If I want my human nature to be straight, I need to follow The Light. If I want the best plan, the most direct and most reliable path, I need to follow the straight line of light rather than the bending curves of my very human nature.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5&6 NIV

Tuesday's Thankful List

1. The gorgeous blue of the fall sky. It is a crisp, clear day here in Southern Illinois and while the gorgeously colored leaves are, for the most part, no longer on the trees the blue sky remains. I've heard this sky called "Octember" Blue and I agree. This specific blue color is only seen for a few weeks a year, and it is now. I'm not much of a blue person (I'm more a red girl), but this is by far my favorite blue. :) Thanks, God, for allowing me to see it today of all days.
2. The reminder from the book of Daniel that the way to meet the impossible task is to 1. pray fervently, 2. ask your faithful friends to pray fervently as well, and 3. wait on God's answer.
3. My new nephew, Finnegan Michael Gunther, born today. We now have 9 boys on my side and 5 on Clinton's. Maybe we'll have granddaughters... :)
4. All of the blessings and birthday wishes I've received.
5. My health and the health of my family.
6. My cousin, Susan, who inspired me to start this list.
Okay, so that's 6 and I'm only committed to posting 5. Get over it. ;)
Tomorrow we're off to see my family for Thanksgiving (unfortunately not baby Finn) so I'm finished with this list, for now. I do reserve the right to resume boring you to death with my blessings at some random time in the future. And I challenge you to remember, this Thanksgiving, where it is that "every good and perfect gift" comes from. I pray that you will grow in gratitude to Him as I have done over these past days. The Creator of the Universe Is My Best Friend. I pray He becomes yours as well. Blessings on you, my darling friends. :)

What I'm Thankful For on Monday

1. The sound of Clinton playing his guitar.
2. Got some Christmas shopping done today. Still have a looooooong way to go...
3. Internet shopping! When you live in a rural area and have to drive an hour and a half in any direction to shop... how did I ever do this before? And a shout out for free shipping!
4. The dual-control electric blanket we use as a mattress pad. This is without a doubt one of the top 3 presents I've ever received, and Clinton got it for me for my birthday years and years ago. Now, he is not allowed to buy me anything for a present that has a cord unless I specifically ask for it, but this was a stroke of genius on his part. AND he stripped the bed, put it on and remade the bed so well that I never noticed. I never knew he was capable of making a bed. :)
5. Hot showers with good water pressure. On the eighth day God created the shower (that's the gospel according to Clinton). :)

Sunday's Thankful List

1. Facebook. I'm amazed that so many people I'd managed to lose track of in 30+ years have resurfaced in the few months that I've been on the site. I had thought it was only for "young people", but since 40 is supposedly the new 20 I guess I can qualify...okay, so I'm in a bit of denial about my age... Facebook means never having to say, "Gee, I wonder what happened to so&so?"
2. The nursery at church. I would never get anything out of the services (nor would those around me) if not for a wonderful place to place my wonderful son!
3. Clinton, Matthew, Nathan, my parents, my In-laws, our brother and sisters and their families, and of course friends too numerous to mention (and too dangerous for me to risk leaving anyone out by naming each individually). I truly am one of the most blessed women on the face of the Earth for having them in my life. :)
4. Gloves and thin layering tee shirts that do so well to keep me warm. :)
5. My sister is still pregnant ( 36 weeks is over 4 weeks longer than she's ever gone) and will have her baby Tuesday if not before!

Saturday's Thankful List

1. Matthew thinks my cajun baked chicken is "decent."
2. I got a little time to read today.
3. I MIGHT have some Facebook applications figured out. Maybe. We'll see if it's all still there tomorrow...
4. I got the house "a lick and a promise" clean before Thanksgiving.
5. I'm going to go have a cup of hot chocolate before I bathe Nathan. My current favorite: Land O Lakes Cocoa Classics Supreme. I have to buy it by the packet, but it is yummmmmmmy!