Just a photo

Today I just wanted to share this sweet picture of my parents with you. More Thanksgiving photos are forthcoming.

A moment of serenity

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Photo by me. | More Wordless Wednesday.

The North Pole - virtually

I don't know if he has WI-Fi or what at the North Pole, but I do know Santa Claus is online. You can also follow him and the Mrs. on Twitter.

Guns, viruses & steely hearts

"Bomb" was the first word I heard when the radio alarm clock clicked on this morning. Something about a hotel evacuated, other weapons discovered - and they weren't talking about Mumbai. It was here in Phoenix. Scary!

I was relieved to read it was a smoke bomb, and no one was seriously injured. It actually happened last night. I've been a little slow on the news lately.

In fact, when I posted this and even this, I didn't realize the Mumbai attack was still ongoing.

By the time I reconnected with the world on Friday, I was shocked. There was still fighting in the Taj Mahal Hotel. There was a shooting in a toy store. And a Wal-mart employee was trampled to death by shoppers. Stomach-turning news. Also, I realized today would be World AIDS Day. Such a heavy heart.

What do I tell you on a day like today? Not about the idyllic Thanksgiving Day I had. No, not today.

Do I tell you to be thankful for each day we live and breathe on this earth? To remember the dead and the dying? To support a cause - giving to fight AIDS or help the people of Mumbai? That tragedy could strike anywhere? Maybe. But none of that seems sufficient.

We live in a violent world. And - I hate to say it - we all contribute. If we do not shoot or bomb or hit or yell, anger still smolders silently. We are jealous or disrespectful or bitter or or uncaring or spiteful or feel we deserve to be treated better than someone else. None of us escapes the violence of the heart.

Last night I was angry with my husband - one of those times where all the little stresses, concerns, frustrations that have built up come tumbling out at once for no good reason. I vented, cried, ranted, blamed, cried more, then I was all choked up, but I managed to stop sniffling just long enough to look at him and say, "I'm sorry I'm so mean."

This morning I was still wondering what to say to you. And as I prayed about it, one thought finally resonated: Love one another.

Love your neighbors - the ones next door and the ones inside your house and the ones in/from a country that's not your own. (Yeah, they're our neighbors, too. The planet's not that big.)

After that, what else can I say?

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Photos:
1) By me.
2) By Swami Stream. CCL.
3) By Dystopos. CCL.
4) By heath_bar. CCL.
5) By the Hubs.

Beyond turkey day

Even though this intriguing article by L.L. Barkat is about Thanksgiving Day, it seems equally appropriate - perhaps more so - the day after.

At least there are no calories in food for thought!

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Photo by me.

Thanksgiving

What were you doing at 4:00 this morning? I was thinking of things I'm thankful for while trying to drift back to sleep. My neighbor was yelling at his dog.

"Sit. SIT. Lay DOWN!"

What an interesting Thanksgiving tradition - confusing your dog in the wee hours of the morning. I tried remembering why I was thankful for my neighbors, who I haven't met yet, and their barky dog. Then I moved on.


I started thinking about verses that have to do with thanking and being thankful. Here are some I came up with:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."
- Psalm 107:1

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
- Ephesians 1:3

"Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
- Psalm 100:3-5

"I thank my God every time I remember you."
- Philippians 1:3

Then I started thanking God for you (yes, you!) and the rain that started to fall and so many other things. And I kinda forgot about the dog.



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Photos by me. Taken yesterday.

Verses from NIV.

How to be grateful

How to teach kids about gratitude? Obviously, there's no instant fix. But Suburb Sanity has a great suggestion - for school-age kids and adults. I don't want to spoil it for you, so I'll just say it's a simple way to be purposeful about giving thanks each day.

Oh! That reminds me! (The crud is fogging my brain.) Heather also had a neat idea that would work with younger kids as well. It incorporated gratitude AND a countdown! You adapt the idea using something other than a turkey since Thanksgiving has almost come and gone. Maybe a (Christmas) tree or a flower or....a peacock...you get the idea.

P.S. Sorry I didn't send you to Suburb Sanity in time for the giveaway. It wasn't on purpose.....what's that? Did you just say I can make it up to you by having a Bold Avenue giveaway? Funny you should mention that. I think there's at least one coming up before too long. So stay tuned.

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Photo by the Hubs.