Gratitude...

Can you believe that this is the last week of November?!

I was struck by a few incidents this past week and the glorious realization that Bolivia has a great lack of Christmas commercialization!

The things that struck me this week were seeing a young boy no older than probably 12or 13, having either a drug overdose reaction or withdrawl symptoms by the side of a busy road. He is only 2 or 3 years older than my own children.(insert tears here)
The next thing was worshipping in church on Sunday and the whole row in front of me was full of cute little girls all dressed up in beautiful sun dresses. Now that in and of itself is just plain fun, however all these girls and one little boy all do not have forever families. (insert tears again)

My heart is all over the map these days, I want to prepare it for Christmas so I am preparing to observe advent daily as a family. While preparing for advent and thinking of Christmas I look out the window and the weather is glorious and the temp soars into the mid 30's, so my internal clock is in shock and does not know what time of year it is. I was struck with a thought the other day though, that when Jesus was born, he would have been born into the heat so maybe this is closer to the reality he would have faced?

I am trying to plan how to provide at least some of our normal Christmas traditions without the usually available ingredients, so re-invention is in abundance at our
house.

I think this week we will pick items out of the gift catalogue as our gifts to others, I always look forward to that.


Here I continue counting the gratitude:

171. honest chats in the evening hours.

172. giggles and smiles.

173. welcoming my husband home after a trip.

174. encouraging words.

175. giving scripture to my daughter.

176. sleeping in with no interuptions.

177.watching y kids cross the finish line at the cross-country race.

178. hot pancakes with syrup.

179. saturday mornings.

180. a group of encouraging, fun-loving and committed missionaries coming alongside some newbies.

Please spend some time counting gratitude this week. You won't regret it, I promise.

Blessings,
Carin

foto friday...

Blessings,
Carin

Gratitude...

I know it is not Monday, but better late than never right?
Duane is off to Potosi with a group from Cornwall Ontario today, he will be gone until Saturday.
Would you pray for travelling mercies for him and the group.
Would you pray that this first solo experience for me and the kids will be a good one, I feel nervous...I am out of my element.
I would like to say a word of praise and Thanksgiving, yesterday my Dad heard from the doctor that the tumor was low grade and non-invasive. He needs no chemo and he is free to fly off to New Zealand as planned on Sunday! Praise God.

I continue to count God's blessings to 1000 here:

152. jokes told by nine year old's :0)

153. good news from doctors

154. exciting adventures

155. teams from Canada

156. my language teachers

157. the spark of adventure in my husbands eyes...

Be blessed today and think on gratitude.

Carin

Remember....

Her hair was up in a pony tail,
Her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
And she couldn't wait to go.


But her mommy tried to tell her,
That she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
If she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;
She knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
Of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,
For her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
She tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school
Eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
A dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back,
For everyone to meet..
Children squirming impatiently,
Anxious in their seats

One by one the teacher called
A student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
As seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,
Every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
A man who wasn't there.

'Where's her daddy at?'
She heard a boy call out.
'She probably doesn't have one,'
Another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,
She heard a daddy say,
'Looks like another deadbeat dad,
Too busy to waste his day.'

The words did not offend her,
As she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
Who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
Slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
Came words incredibly unique.

'My Daddy couldn't be here,
Because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
Since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
And how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories
He taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
And taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,
And ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.

'Cause my daddy's always with me,
Even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
He'll forever be in my heart'

With that, her little hand reached up,
And lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
Beneath her favorite dress.
And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
Her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
Who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love
Of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,
Staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
But its message clear and loud.

'I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
But heaven's just too far.

You see he is a Canadian soldier
And died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
And taught us all to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away.'
And then she closed her eyes,
And saw him there that day.

And to her mothers amazement,
She witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
All starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,
Who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
They saw him at her side.

'I know you're with me Daddy,'
To the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
Of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,
For each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
Was a fragrant long-stemmed rose.


And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
By the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
That heaven is never too far.

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada.
May we take a minute of silence to remember those who have paid with their very lives for the freedom we often take for granted.
I would like to extend my heart-felt gratitude to those who are serving in the armed forces today, who sacrifice time with their loved ones and their own safety to go and serve in places that most of us would never dream of going and doing things that we would never dream of doing, so we can live and have peace where we love being with the people we love.

Thank-you!

Please say a prayer for our Armed Forces, our service men and women, their families and for our government today. They need it.

Blessings,
Carin

foto friday...

Blessings,
Carin

Lovely Lady, Lovely Blog Award

Angie has bestowed on me a lovely blog award. Thanks, Angie! I am humbled!

Isn’t it pretty? Below are the 5 recipients that I am extending this award to because I think they are lovely ladies!



Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience is a beautiful Canadian sister in Christ who lives on the prairies. She blogs about the experiences of a simple/crazy life, farming Canadian dirt, raising half a dozen exuberant kids, stringing sheets out on the line....
Daily I am inspired by her honesty and her journey. Just a bit of listening,laundry, liturgy... life.

Erica and Aaron Kenny at the Five Kenny's, eventhough Erica blogs with her husband Aaron I wanted to bring recognition to their blog. I think they have an amazing ministry in Nairobi, Kenya. You will be inspired by what God is doing through them and their ministry. They are an inspiration to Duane and myself, they are also running with us for the cause of Christ. So thankful for them!

Kristi at Kristiapplesauce is a missionary gal in South Africa. She is with Oceans of Mercy and her ministry is to feed kids. She is passionate, she is honest and she is inspiring. I am truly inspired by her ministry and her dedication.

Katie at The Journey started a mission called Amazima Ministries, in Uganda. This woman is passionate about children and about what it truly means to live out the Great commission and the Great commandment. I always fight back a lump in my throat everytime I read her stories.

Rebecca at AlwardBound because she truly is a lovely ladie. Her blog is brand spanking new, but she has a beautiful spirit, an intriguing ministry and she is inspirational to me. I know you will feel the same, stay tuned for her adventure, it is sure to inspire you too :0)

You will not be disappointed if you click through on those links. They really are a lovely bunch of gals.

- o -

To accept this award, recipients should do the following things:


1) Save the IMAGE and upload it to display in your sidebar.


2) Present the award to five lady bloggers.


3) Publish a post presenting the award which names your 5 recipients and tells what you like about each of their blogs/websites

Gratitude...

I have so much to be grateful for, even when I feel unwilling to count, collect, recount or give thanks for them...I have much to be grateful for non-the-less.
This week I have the joy of a week off classes with my kids, the goal is REST!
Here I continue the gratitude list, the goal.... 1000 and beyond, I am grateful for:

135. my children are doing well in school.

136. my dad is healing well since his surgery (thanks for all your prayers).

137. that my brother has picked up more work.

138. team building.

139. Sunday night dinner's with family and friends.

140. country drives to places never seen before.

May God inspire you to count and give thanks for the blessings in your life.
Please drop us a line if you need prayer, we would love to pray for you and with you.

Blessings,
Carin.