In EVERYTHING Give Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

In one of my favorite books, The Hiding Place, two sisters are sent to a concentration camp for hiding and helping Jews. Upon arriving in Barracks #28 at Ravensbruck they found that it was filthy, rancid, soiled, gloomy, crowded, and infested with fleas. Corrie and Betsie remembered this scripture:

"That's it, Corrie! That's His answer. 'Give thanks in all circumstances!' That's what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!"

I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room.

"Such as?" I said

"Such as being assigned here together."

I bet my lip. "Oh yes, Lord Jesus!"

"Such as what you're holding in your hands."

I looked down at the Bible. "Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages."

"Yes," said Betsie. "Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we're packed so close, that many more will hear!" She looked at me expectantly. "Corrie!" she prodded.

"Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds."

"Thank You," Betsie went on serenely, "for the fleas and for___"

The fleas! This was too much. "Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."

" 'Give thanks in all circumstances.' " she quoted. "It doesn't say, 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are part of this place where God has put us."

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

The fleas were indeed a gift. It was because of the fleas the guards never came inside the infested barracks. These two sisters found a rainbow within a terrible storm by being grateful for everything. 

I know that I need to be more grateful...not only for my blessings, but also for my trials!

Thanksgiving Bouquet

I love this story...it is about being thankful for the thorns as well as the roses in life:

Thanksgiving Bouquet

Author Unknown

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door.  Her life had been easy, like a Spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole that from her. During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened to transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying that she would not come for the holiday. Then Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting that her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. She has no idea what I'm feeling, thought Sandra with a shudder. Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? She wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her. "I..I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra. "For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful or ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?" "Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you." Just then the shop door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi Barbara...let me get you order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped; there were no flowers.

"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers? She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by it's significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." She said as she gently taped her chest, as she left with her order.

"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with uh...she just left with no flowers!" "Right" said the clerk, "I cut off the flowers. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet." "Oh come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra. "Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much like you feel today," exclaimed the clerk. She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery. That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk, "and for the first time in my life, had spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family near by, and too great a debt to allow any travel."

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra. " I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and never questioned the good things that happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others." Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."

Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding rotund man. "My wife sent me to get our usual Thanksgiving Special...12 thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator. "Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?"

"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from 'thorny' times, and that was good enough for me. I took some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific problem and give thanks for what that problem taught us." As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special."

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said. "It's all too...fresh." "Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns please," she managed to choke out. "I hoped you could," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute." "Thank you, what do I owe you?" "Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attack this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."

It read: "My God, I have never thanked you for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

Praise Him for your roses, thank Him for your thorns!

Swiss Round Steak

This is not the most healthy meal...but it sure is good. My mom made this for us when I growing up for Sunday dinners. I tried making it for one of our Sunday dinners and it was really easy and really good!

Swiss Round Steak in Mushroom Gravy

• 2 lb round steak
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 Tbsp shortening
• 1 dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Tenderize round steak by pounding it with a meat tenderizer or a knife on both sides. Coat in flour and brown in the shortening on both sides (I used canola oil for a healthier option). Put the meat in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle onion soup mix over meat. Pour soup diluted with water over top. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours at 350.

Enjoy!

Future Firefighter

 am so grateful for the men and women who protect us and keep us safe...in hostile countries and right here in my own community.

Nathan, Izy, and I went and visited our local fire station with some of our friends. Nathan was fascinated with the big fire engines...he even got to climb up into one and pretend to drive.

I think that it is really important to expose our kids to things like this...especially if they are stuck in a fire and a "scary" looking man comes looking for them wearing funny clothes and a mask covering his face. I hope that this made Nathan a little more comfortable with people who may have to rescue him.

Or it may have "sparked" an interest in becoming a future firefighter.

If....

This month I am going to try to focus most of my posts around gratitude. I received this a few years ago so I don't know if the stats are 100% accurate...but it still makes me think of how truly blessed I am.

*  If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world.

*  If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

*  If you get to own a computer, you are part of the 1% who have that opportunity.

*  If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the many who will not survive this day.

*  If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 700 million people.

*  If you can attend a church meeting without fear, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people.

Tooth Fairy Jackpot

Last night the Tooth Fairy hit the jackpot. Under Kaylee's pillow were 4 freshly pulled teeth. The Tooth Fairy took the teeth and left behind $10...a great reward for what Kaylee had to go through yesterday. Here is the letter that Kaylee wrote to the Tooth Fairy (she gets her wonderful spelling ability from yours truly):

Translation: "Dear Tooth Fairy,

These teeth hurt very much. I got them pulled!

I think I should get extra money!

Please do NOT take the case. 

I want to put my other teeth in it.

Love! Kaylee

P.S. extra money!

Yesterday Kaylee had to have her 4 canine teeth pulled to make room in her overcrowded mouth. She was SO NERVOUS! I was very scared that we would have a repeat of her flu shot fiasco a couple of years ago...she FREAKED OUT. I had to hold her arms down in a tight bear hug and hold her legs down by wrapping my legs around her...it was awful! 

But Kaylee really came through. She was so brave! I could see in her eyes that she was terrified. She was smiling but there were tears in her eyes. She did exactly as the dentist said and now she has 4 fewer teeth and 10 more dollars.

Here she is trying to smile while her entire mouth was numb.

All done!

Smile :)

Handy Candy

Halloween night + 12 bags of Halloween candy to pass out + 3 kids who went trick-or-treating + RAIN = A LOT of extra candy and cold, soggy kids with bags full of sweets.

All of this candy that is so handy is driving me nuts for two reasons:

1. My kids are constantly asking me if they can have some.

2. My head is constantly thinking about all of the good stuff stashed away in the pantry...wanting some of the chocolatey goodness. 

Oh, little chocolate bars...I love you and want to eat you...but I hate the side effects - hyper kids, belly aches, and a bigger bum. This love-hate relationship has got to end!