What a day

Hi all.
I hope you are having day filled with immense blessing and joy! 

My day did not start that way.  Little #2 was grumbly and angry with me after I woke him up to get ready for school.  I left my lunch at home.  Random woman in school parking lot hit my parked car while pulling out and was grumbly with me about it.  All of this before my first cup of coffee.  Ugh!

But...there is a significant but...none of this random problematic stuff has negatively impacted me.  Was I hurt that my sweet little boy was so icky first thing? Yep, you bet.  Was I kicking myself that I left my lunch at home?  Well, ya!  It seems like I have food with me and I'm not hungry but when I don't have my food I am ravenous by 9:30am.  So not fair!  And the parking lot accident that made me not be able to walk my beloved boy to class?  Well she was angry and a bit hostile.  I honked and tried to get her to stop moving.  She didn't stop and rubbed her bumper down the side of my car.  Damage is barely visible.  It should rub out pretty easily.  The part that got me upset over the whole order was her attitude, not apologizing, demanding I write down all my info for her in addition to taking down all hers.  There is no need for it because the damage is less than either of our deductibles (we both have older cars).  But even that didn't put a long term damper on my day.  She was in a bad mood, we all have them.  Accidents happen.  That there wasn't any really damage was a huge blessing. 

Work has it's own special issues but they are no more or no less than usual. 

Today I am choosing to smile in spite of the stuff that comes at me.  The stuff doesn't define my day but my response to the stuff does.  We all have bad days and stinky attitudes but I am trying to be more aware of mine and change it.  I want my attitude to be a reflection of the joy I want in my life.  To have more joy you have to have more praise (less grumbling) and a thankful heart.

That being said, I am very thankful for today.  My sweet boy started heading into the school and comes running back to give me a big hug and kiss.  As I said the damage to the car was minimal.  My coffee, when I finally drank it was fabulous!  Thinking about my coffee I have to be thankful for my husbands sweet friends who gave us a Starbucks home espresso machine.  That thing has been such a blessing in our lives over the years.  I only wish Ken were still alive for us to thank him again for giving us such a special gift. And I am thankful for my job, with all it entails I really enjoy it.  I am thankful for my little space on the blogosphere and for each person that follows it and comments.  God is good to me.  He is kind and compassionate and I want to be more like him. 

Praying for your blessings and for thankful hearts for you.

Choices

Every day we get to choose how we will respond to the things in our lives.  We can choose to react positively or negatively.  We can either use the things that come into our lives to grow or to become bitter and hardened.  We can be either the victor or the victim. 

Today I choose to see the beauty in the day and in what I have been given.    I know I don't always react positively but today I choose to.  I know people are going to push my buttons. I know things are not going to go 100% my way.  I know people are going to try to cut me off in traffic.  How I choose to react to these things are what define me. 

Today I will be thankful for the things and people God has put into my life.  Things I have to be thankful for today...

My beloved husband asked me to lunch with him.

Billy was easy to get ready this morning, getting himself up and ready even.

I have a job I enjoy and am pretty good at if I do say so myself.

Benefits changed at work so I have the option of carrying dental only since we get medical thru Chris's work.

My replacement Kindle should arrive today!  Yippee!!!

Jake has a job interview today!  Good luck, Son.  I'm praying for you!

I have wonderful friends and coworkers.

I have a car that runs and gets me from place to place.  It's cute and sporty.

I have an incredible life when I take the time to look at all the positives.  It is so nice to focus on the good around me.  It is so easy to get sucked into the negative and only look at the bad stuff.  It is all around us.  Sometimes just finding the good and praiseworthy takes work but man is that the stuff that has the best rewards!  Have you ever had to work for something? I mean really work for it.  Whether it's good grades or the job you want or a relationship that you want to make work.  Those are the things that are treasured. 

Thanks God for the treasures you have put in my life and the people you have brought to my path so they can sharpen and strengthen me.  I pray that I can do the same for them with a smile and kind word and that you would be glorified!

What are you thankful for today?