I Choose Thankfulness.....

What an absolutely beautiful weekend we have been blessed with!

This kind of weather makes it easy to look out the window and see the many wonderful things surrounding us to be thankful for.

Around noon yesterday we struck out with the children to find a beach!    It was 24 degrees out and last year on the same weekend we went to Kincardine to play.    So.....we set the GPS and headed northwest in hopes of seeing some beautiful colours and eventually hit water!    We ended up in Goderich where we first spent time viewing the still visible devastation from the tornado that ripped through this town on August 21, 2011.   The children were shocked to see houses with the rooves blown off and many, many homes missing several windows.    What was evident as we passed near the downtown "square", which actually better represents a wagon wheel with several streets reaching out from the centre, was that this was truly a "community".    There was a fund raiser with music playing and people milling around.....the money raised was to help refurbish the buildings and return this community structurally to the way it was pre-tornado.  It will never be the same.    More notable though was the number of people out working around their homes....families were working together to restore and in some cases sadly to simply clean up the mess of what was once a home.....even in the midst of strife these people all seemed happy and "thankful" for their friends and their community.   Many homes had spray painted messages on them ....."We love you Goderich" and "we'll be back!!"    This little community represented what unity should look like as their collective outlook on a tough situation shouted a message of determination and a "temporarily down but not out" attitude!    What a fabulous example for our kids as we drew this to their attention.

Thank you for my home...

We found the beach!   



The water was a bit chilly but it didn't stop them!...





lots to do......





searching for the best rocks.....





climbing them.......






and even throwing them......











a great time!



I have so much to be thankful for.....as we enjoy a relaxing day at the beach and a beautiful drive home I can't help but think about the importance of recognizing how to be thankful for the simple things.   The hustle and bustle of life and all the expectations it brings.....a simpler, easier yet more purposeful seeking out of the awesomeness of our God.......

cool eh?

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my family and friends....May you each experience the joy that comes from gratefulness in the small things of life.....

I am so grateful for days like yesterday..... my family, my home, the food we have to eat and the ability to speak openly about my faith...so many in this world have so much less.

We all have the choice.....I choose thankfulness!!

Rear View Mirror Philosophy

What do you see in your rear view mirror?

Life is sometimes about reflecting on the past....the things we've left behind....perhaps the things better forgotten.....or more often hopefully the things of days gone by that fill our life with memories...the positive kind....the stuff that's made us who we are!

My life is full of tons of wonderful memories but you know.....even so.....what the future holds is still far more exciting to me.   I'd rather think on all that might be!   The potential of every experience....who it may impact.....where it might lead.....what I might glean from it and then impact generations to come by my own legacy!!!

Hmmmmmmmm.................

I wonder......they say hindsight is 20/20 but I'd rather count on the perfect vision of my future!

Less is More!

                                              I can't believe today is the first day of October!

School is finally into a nice routine but it is keeping me hopping!    I just noticed it's been two weeks since I posted here.....

Today was an absolutely wonderful day!   The sun was out and it was just a tad "brisk", ok.... it was quite cold!    I think my van temperature said it was 10C and that combined with a swift north wind made for a chilly day.    

The kids spent the morning just hanging out and I finished up my bible study for the week.    This week was on Sabbath and I have to admit I learned alot....What struck me as an historical rule for setting aside one day of no work, I now understand to be so much more than that and most importantly a blessing.... a day of rest......a time to reflect on God's creation and my redemption.   What I did realize was that we have chosen as a family to really decrease the extra curricular activities outside of church and as a result I think we are one step ahead as far as being able to set aside time every week to "rest".    The trick of course is to actually implement this without feeling like we need to be "busy" doing something.    

So.....although today was Saturday....I decided it was too beautiful to not strike out and enjoy.    The kids and I set out on a drive to see if we could find a cool country schoolyard to play in.   The children have come to look forward to these impromptu outings .... well....most of the time and today was no exception. 

 We didn't go too far as it was late in the afternoon already and ended up only about 20 minutes from home at a fairly new playground.   We stopped for some donuts ... for the energy needed to play of course!    After "fueling the tank" all eight were ready to go......

There was climbing....





swinging...





watching...



scooting.....





laughing.......





staying warm!....





and just being plain goofy!!!...

What a great day we had!   

Home for curry chicken on a bun with ice cream for dessert of course  :)  Eight baths, six loads of laundry and I'm off to bed to do a little reading before getting some sleep....

I am so thankful for the simple moments in life.  

Continuing to strive for the new normal......simple.....less... it usually is more!