Multitude Monday - Sept. 13

I'm thankful this week for:

#111: Containment. The majority of Cale's job on his football team is containment. His position, cornerback, is there to keep the other team inside where they can be tackled and stopped. I think sometimes my job is containment....keeping it all together. Contained. Not so that I look like I have it altogether. But so that I bring it all to the one who can take care of it.

#112: First day of school. I love, love, love the routine of school. I love knowing where my kids are all day long. I love knowing that they're learning and loving where they are. I love knowing that they're safe and protected. And I love not having to plan every minute of the day (I tip my hat to the teachers that plan my kids' days for them!). These pictures are actually 2nd day of school pictures. D'oh. And once again, I made them look straight into the sun.

#113. September 11th. Am I thankful for the horrible events of 9 years ago? No way. Even now I can remember watching it on TV with a house full of pre-schoolers and trying to explain what they were seeing in their language. But...on a day that has the potential to be a BAD day forever....these 2 little blessings landed in Canada in the home of good friends of ours. Now THAT is how you make a day good again!

#114. Neighbours. I say it all the time but I have the best neighbours. The other night one of them called me at 4:30 am to see if I was OK....something was out of place at my house and they were concerned. Wow. I feel Very, Very blessed to live where I do.

#115. Neighbours with Bibles. The aforementioned neighbour, in a recent visit, showed me this scripture (the whole passage of Psalm 77 is amazing but this part especially when the author is remembering all God's amazing works and how he brought salvation and redemption).

Psalm 77:
¹¹ But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;

I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
¹² They are constantly in my thoughts.
I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.

¹³ O God, your ways are holy.
Is there any god as mighty as you?
¹⁴ You are the God of great wonders!
You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.
¹⁵ By your strong arm, you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

¹⁶ When the Red Sea saw you, O God,
its waters looked and trembled!
The sea quaked to its very depths.
¹⁷ The clouds poured down rain;
the thunder rumbled in the sky.
Your arrows of lightning flashed.
¹⁸ Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;
the lightning lit up the world!
The earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your road led through the sea,
your pathway through the mighty waters—
a pathway no one knew was there!
²⁰ You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,
with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.

I love that bold part...a.) the path he's leading me on is through the waters (not around and avoiding them but straight through and b.) the path he's leading me to/on...is a path that no one even knew was there. He can do more than I can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20); do things in my day that I wouldn't believe even if he told me (Hab. 1:5). That's my God!

#116. Lawn Mowing. I know....there are 100 other things I'd rather do but I couldn't help notice that I got just as much a work out dragging my lawnmower through my jungle of a backyard as I do when I walk on the treadmill so tonight I've used it as a justification for skipping exercise :)

#117. Motion-sensor security lights. Without them, I wouldn't have gotten my lawn mowed this evening. Fortunately for me, the light that comes on when I step close to my house, lasts long enough for me to mow to the far end of the yard and back! I needed a miner's hat with a light tonight.

#118. Chiropractors. I love mine. Not love-love...but love as in, trust him with my kids-love. He's worked on professional athletes all over the world including Olympic teams and Blue Bombers. He knows sports injuries. He tells it like it is, goes the extra mile with my kids and makes sure they're healthy enough to go play football again after whiplash and possible concussion. I'm just saying....I love my chiropractor.

#119. I'm thankful that the place I have to go tomorrow has a Starbucks next door. I'm not sure if I'll need it beforehand to bolster my courage or after as a reward for making it through but either way - I think it might come in handy tomorrow :)

#120: My job. I'm back at school. I'm working with an amazing teacher, with a great bunch of kids, along with a very fun student teacher (gone temporarily but back later this fall), and I'm having So. Much. Fun. I love my job.