The little things ...

You slowly open your eyes, the room is just starting to lighten as the sun slowly shows its face to the world. For some reason you've awakened five or so minutes before your alarm goes off. You feel fresh, revived, ready, eager to get up. Much different from the night before (when, due to pouring rain and rushing winds and for some uncertain reason, you didn't actually fall to sleep until around 2:30 or 3:00 am and when you did fall asleep it was anything but sound and peaceful) your night was restful and you feel quite rested. As you lay, you've closed your eyes again, just taking in the feeling of being rested. Your window is open because the rain came again last night and you love the sound of rain. As you snuggle down in your blankets your ear is caught by a little voice outside, "Glory to God in the highest. Praise the Lord, for He is good. His mercies are new every morning! Let the earth sing of His praise. ... God loves you! He honestly and truly loves you, much more than you can imagine."

Who, do you wonder, is walking around at five to 7:00am in the morning singing such truths? Would you believe me if I told you a little birdie told me? Because it did. Lying there in bed the bird's song filled my ears and my heart filled with love and praise. My mind went to this post and in shame I realized that I do not look for Christ in the little things, I do not joy in the little things He shows and gives.

I'm not going to lie and say my heart is perfectly at peace, my spiritual walk is just dandy ... because, in fact, it isn't. Truth be told, I've really been struggling with peace in Christ, for a love for Him that doesn't ask why, but loves because He loves me. I've been struggling with trusting, with not knowing why, but trusting anyway. Struggling with walking the path that is lit only enough for me to see where to put my foot next and nothing beyond that. It's hard, I'm not going to make it "short and sweet" for you. The Bible says it will be hard. And in this hard time I've been really struggling with making myself stay focused on Christ. But do not think I'm complaining, I'm simply giving background, because when that little bird sang this morning, knowing what I've been struggling with and knowing what that bird's song meant, it made it all the more precious to me. Precious enough to share with you. :)

So, coming from someone who is struggling desperately to love, trust, obey, follow, etc. ... going to someone who is struggling just as much, don't lose heart! God does love you. Sometimes it's hard to feel His love. It's hard to make your heart believe what your mind knows about Him. But pray, grasp and cling, fight the good fight. He's there, He'll not let you go, He'll not let you fall so far that He can't reach down and pick you back up!

Do you take the time?

How many of us pray for safety while driving, healing from sickness, guidance while shopping, for the right words to say at the right time, for salvation for an unsaved acquaintance? The list goes on and on, some "major" some "mundane". Prayer is, or should be, a normal part of a Christian's life. It should be as easy as breathing. Maybe we could say it should be done as often as breathing.

But how many times do we stop and truly thank the Lord for answered prayers? Oh, we give glory and praise to God when a soul is saved and give their life to Christ. We thank Him and praise Him when He does "great and mighty" things (because it seems easier to spot how He works in the "big" things), but do we thank the Lord when we step out of our car after a drive (long or short) for the safety He gave us on the road? Do we thank the Lord for giving us the wisdom to buy the things we needed (and sometimes the things we wanted) while out shopping? Do we take the time to thank Him, and truly mean it, for the "small and insignificant" things?

God loves to hear our prayers, our praise ... our thankfulness! No matter how small the request seemed when prayed did you take the time to thank Him for how He answered it? And not just if He answered the prayer the way we thought it should be answered. Do we thank Him when things don't work out the way we thought they should? Are we giving thanks for everything at all times?

What about those times when He does things that we never prayed for? What about when He lovingly grants those desires that we never dared to pray? What about when He does something that we never would have even thought of? Do we thank Him for those things, too?

A little assignment ... I don't expect reports back ... just for yourself ... how often do you find yourself thanking God throughout the day? Do you thank Him when things turn out "right"? Do you thank Him when things don't go as planned? Do you thank Him for the "little" things as well as the "big" things? Do you thank Him for those things you never thought of, or prayed for? Just a little something to think on.

Ta-da

I'm baaack. :) I bet you didn't even notice I was gone ... aahhh aside from the fact that I haven't been posting, commenting or answering e-mails from all you wonderful peeps ... other then that, I bet you didn't notice my absence.

Truth be told it wasn't my fault ... completely. The Internet on my laptop just decided it wasn't going to work ... I could have used Dad's desktop ... but that would involve Walking. Down. All. Twelve. Of. The. Stairs. (never mind the fact that my bedroom is in the basement (yes, down said stairs) and that in order to get my laptop I have to walk down the same stairs) and then actually HAVING something to say.

So, ta-da ... the Internet is fixed and what do I have to say that is worth posting about? .... Nothing.

That's it peeps. Nothing. In spite of the fact that is has been 10 days since my last post I still have nothing to say.

My days really aren't that exciting, as far as something new and "exciting" each day. Don't get my wrong, I love what I do, honest and truly I really do ... but I get up, go to work, come home from work, teach piano, eat supper, spend some quality time with my family in the evenings (yes, I can hear them gigging and smirking as they read that) and then go to bed. Then wake up, go to work, come home from work ... yeah. To make it a little more exciting I could say something like, my alarm goes off at 7:00am. I get out of bed (my cellphone/alarm clock is on my dresser, forcing me to emerge from the warmth of my blankets), hit the snooze button, crawl back in bed, and bring the phone to the nightstand so that next time it goes off I don't have to get out of bed, but simply stretch my arm from beneath the protective blanket mountain and stop the unwanted noise. Between 7:30 and 8:00 am (these days it's getting closer to 8:00 am each morning) I finally and LITERALLY PUSH myself from my bed as I realize that I need to be in my car no later then 8:25am. The dog also helps in the morning, attacking my head because she has to go outside. I grab my clothes and up the stairs I go. Sometimes I actually shower, but most of the time I just wash my hair over the side of the tub. Then I dry it with the dryer (Hurrah!! *Thinks back to frozen hair*) and look at my watch. If I got up around 7:30 it should be around 7:50-ish now. However, as I mentioned it's getting later and later each morning. This morning, as an example, I pushed myself from bed at 8:00 am. After washing my hair I realized it was 8:15 am. Ten minutes to do my make-up, grab some water, Kombucha tea, and vinegar water before rushing out the door. I made it this morning! Yes. Then off to work ... about a thirty-five minute drive. With the weather like it was this morning I avoid icy spots and snowdrifts as I drive (that always makes driving so much more interesting). As I drive I literally sing AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS, to what ever C.D. is in the playing. Arrive at work around 9:00am. Then hold M. all morning. Then back in the car, drive (singing resumes as I drive) home and teach piano all afternoon. And well ... you know the rest. :)

This week we add in recital preparations (the one I was thinking was still weeks and weeks off, but is, in fact, this Sunday ... ahhhhh!). I have 14 kids playing 2 (some 3) songs each. I'm so excited, they are all working so hard for this recital!

Aaaaanyway. As I really, as you can plainly see, having nothing to say please, tell me how you are, what are you doing? I haven't heard from ya'll in sometime ... humm due to lack of posting on my part? ;)

~''*''~Sunday Evening~''*''~

~Warming up water on the stove for hot tea~

~Grandma S.'s letter box, I got it after she died ... I just love it~

~Said hot tea~
~Adding more recipes to my cookbooks~
~One of the homemade candles for Mama's birthday~
~All of the homemade candles (the two pink ones are for Mama)~
~Leah finishing up sewing with her new material~
~Need I explain this one?~
~Or this one? :)~
~My new stamps, aren't they just cute?~
~Reading a friend's book~
~Blogging ... of course~~Letter writing~
~Letter writing material stash in Grandma's box~
~Listening to music on the computer~