hats & jewels: November 2012

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Thanksliving

Thanksliving...not a typo. I know that Thanksgiving is the time of year that we all focus on being thankful. And while that's a wonderful thing to do, I am challenging myself to be thankful as often as possible - to live a thankful life = thanksliving.

So what is "Thanksliving"? For me, it's taking time to be thankful for the little things and the big things. It's choosing to focus on what is good and not what is bad (which is my habit). I am being challenged by this verse:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NAS) in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus

Giving thanks in "everything" is not for the faint of heart. This is a challenge - to be thankful in good times and bad = everything.

We recently had to get our mini van fixed (yes, I'm a mini-van-mom). It was still under warranty, but we were required to pay $100. My first reaction was to be irritated, upset, and negative. Thoughts such as, "If this is under warranty, why am I paying for it?" and "That's ridiculous! I'm not paying a dime!" ran through my head...until I stopped myself. Couldn't I just be thankful that I'm only having to pay $100 vs. over $1,000 worth of work that needed to be done? And couldn't I just be thankful that we had the $100 to pay it, even if we were scraping the bottom of the barrel? It wasn't easy for me, but I chose thanksliving. To live out thankfulness in my actions...to be thankful we even have a vehicle, to be thankful that we were able to get it fixed, to be thankful that we could pay the $100...

AND GUESS WHAT??? My husband and I received a $100 bill from someone in our church the same day we went to pick up the van.

I truly believe that God blesses us when we live out our thanks! Take the Thanksliving challenge with me and see what happens!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Why not? My Election Soapbox.

Obama. Romney. Biden. Ryan. Democrat. Republican. Libertarian. Green. I agree. I don't agree. I'm not sure. Pro-life. Pro-choice. ObamaCare. No to ObamaCare. Crumbling Economy. Improving Economy. Taxes. More taxes. Money. Money. Money.

These are just a smidgen of the thoughts that are bombarding us today. And since politicians are using their soapboxes, just this once, so will I. I'm not a "stand-on-my-soapbox-and-scream-until-I'm-heard" kind of girl, but I am going to take a small step onto my soapbox today.

I'm not going to get into the whole issue of parties, platforms, or politics. But I AM going to say: IF YOU ARE OF AGE, GO VOTE! This is a much-coveted freedom that many in the world do not have, and many Americans are so apathetic, indifferent, or undisciplined that they will not exercise this freedom, this right.

It's sad to say that we live in a country where if you don't completely agree with any candidate, you simply don't vote. When my husband and I were buying a house, I'll admit, we were pretty picky. Finally, our realtor told us that it's very unusual to find EVERYTHING, 100% the way you want it. She told us to find a house we could live with (and in), to hold on to our "must-haves" and be willing to compromise in other areas. If we weren't able to see it that way, we would still be living in a place we were un-happy in. I apply this same logic to my voting. I'm not going to 100% agree with anyone. I have to look at which candidate I could "live with" being in the White House.

I will also give fair warning: If you are able to vote and choose not to, please do not bombard me with your complaints, negativity, and/or propaganda. I understand that it's your right (freedom of speech), but this is my request. You had your chance to let your voice be heard. You didn't. Your choice, I get it. But it's somewhat ironic that the people you choose not to vote for are the ones upholding your right to "not vote".

Stepping down from the soapbox now.