Last night, I arrived in Jackson, MS right when I was supposed to.  There were no delays, there were no hangups, I didn’t have to sit next to a weirdo…

it was a nice flight.

Now, in all my travels, we can say I’ve had 3 flights without complications.  I’m pushing for 4, but we’ll see how that all goes when I go home tomorrow.  I’d really like to be home at 7, you know, so I can have a life on a Friday night…

But in addition to that, while I was in Charlotte, my youth group called me to say hi.  Typically when I travel, I call the youth pastor and just say hi, let them know that I’m thinking about them, and tell them where I am.  But we have a new youth pastor, and I didn’t know his cell number or if he would be cool with that.

Imagine my surprise when they called.

And then?

I got here and there was a friend request from a 19 year old boy… luckily he had the words Battlecry in his name or I might not have added him.  But I did.  An hour later, I got the nicest email from him.  I’ll share that with you all later… it deserves a post of it’s own.

Of course, my sleep is all screwed up because of the time change, however, I got up this morning and made some coffee, got a shower and am just enjoying the peace and quiet.  I checked the weather and guess how warm it’s going to be at home?

51…with rain….

guess how warm it’s going to be here?????

84!!!!!  with sunshine!!!!!!

I picked a good day to be here!

Really, it’s all about random blessings for me.  For many, they might not even see these as blessings, but they are…

and for these reasons, this is why I’m thankful this week…

Until next time…

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Wow! It’s been awhile since I did this. I have no excuse really, or even a reason why I haven’t. What I do know is that I was led to post today. Actually all week I’ve had thoughts of “hey, that would be a great TT post.”

So here I am. Thursday morning. Reflecting on what I am thankful for.

…for my daughter and her showings of responsibility with her new glasses. They are always on her face or in her case. She takes care of them. She knows they are important. I’m also thankful that we got them. While she never told us that she was having trouble seeing, we’ve noticed that she now sits on the couch voluntarily to watch tv. While it’s nothing huge, it’s stopped me from having to say “get back from the tv” 5 gazillion times a day.

…for Matthew and the leadership roles that he’s been taking on. While he didn’t make the ballot for the SCA, he did make the “C” Team which is a group of 5th grade students, selected by the teachers to aid with the Character Counts program at school. While I don’t enjoy driving him to school every morning (because the busses get there at the same time) I am impressed with his ability to rationalize that the buses could be delayed and he needs that whole 30 minutes to hang his bricks up… and he continues to take the responsibility even though he’s not received any help from his counterparts.

…for my church and my church family. Just when I think I can’t go on anymore or when I get discouraged, they are right there without me having to say a word. The encouragement that I get from them is amazing and I am grateful.

…for Fields of Faith. Last night I took the teens and what an amazing time. I was in awe of seeing all those high school and middle school kids face down on the football field. (It was estimated to be about 1,500 people. It’s a joy to see anyone worship, but I think with me, I’m so used to seeing the adults that when there are kids en masse it’s amazing. I can’t wait for Set Apart in December.

…for the teens at the church who have allowed me to work with them and be their friend. I don’t think they realize how much I am like them but I enjoy working with them and pray that they know that they can always come to me if they ever need anything.

…for the members of the Virtual Assistant Revolution for the encouragement and faith they put in me in regards to my abilities. Many of you probably don’t know that I run several online websites, this being one of them. No matter what happens in my life, or how many setbacks I have, they cheer me on and continue to lift me up. I wish I had as much confidence in me as they did. And I’m thankful for those that are excited about my new 16 week eBook program. I expected 3 or 4 participants and there are 15 registered! While it’s not a money making gig for me, it is a way for me to give back some of my knowledge in this area!

…for Thanksgiving plans… I have no family here. And while I know that I will get offers at the last minute to join someone else’s family for T-day dinner, I always get bummed this time of year. Yes, I know that Matthew, Samara, and I are a family, but thanksgiving and Christmas are big deals for me. I hate when it feels like just another day. But this year, we’re already making plans for the orphans to get together for food and fellowship. (And in case you’re wondering how I manage on T-day not being able to cook, I can tell you this… the best meals I’ve ever made have been the holiday ones. I amaze them every single year.) And now, I’ll just worry about Christmas. Sad as it sounds, I’ve never not had someone on Christmas. Well, there was a few years, but we were living at home with Mom and Dad and so there were presents under the tree for me Christmas morning. I’ve never lived on my own and not had someone. And I’m kinda bummed about it, but I know that this Christmas will probably be the last one that Samara believes and I’m going to make the most of it. And I know, in my heart of hearts, that everything is going to work out and I’m not going to feel alone on Christmas… even if my kids do go to their Dad’s in the afternoon… (actually, that’s not really a bad thing as I can sit here and play with all their new gadgets)

…for answered prayers. I have a friend in Texas. We met online over 10 years ago. We met on AOL and he IM’d me because we shared a birthday. We met in person about 10 years ago and over time, lost touch. About 4 months ago, he found me on MySpace and I immediately told him about my life change, becoming a Christian and that I wasn’t the same person I was 10 years ago. He started asking me about God and I’ve been witnessing to him ever since. And praying for him. Sunday he accepted Christ. YAY!!! And not that I’m keeping track but I am tickled because this is my first known accomplishment on the orders of the Great Commission.

Whew.. long list… and I probably could go on and on but I’ll stop for now.

Have a blessed day!

Until next time…

Heather

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It’s that time of week again…

Time for me to remember what I am thankful for…

And, I have to tell you… I mentioned in my podcast with Nell about how TT helps cheer me up somedays… I’m hoping today is one of those days….

So here we go…

I am thankful….

…that I can do all things through which Christ gives me strength… because ya know, looking back over the past few weeks, there just NO WAY that I did it all myself…

…for the opportunity for other bloggers to hear my voice through MomsBlogging.com

…for my church family and Christian friends who explained my little attack from the Devil on Sunday… and rejoiced with me for my victory…

…for my desk lamp that has kept me company during these late nights of working

…for not ruining dinner Tuesday night…. because I was worried…

…for my vacation with Becki, Dale, Yvonne, Patty, and Terry and all their significant others and children… only one more wake up!

…for the opportunity to participate in the Dog Days of Summer Giveaway and all those that played along and followed me for the week (I’m mailing that stuff out today!) and for those that are sticking around because they like what I have to say….

…for the start of the football season… because that means school is starting soon! (Unfortunately, not soon enough!)

…for my 1000th comment and my 200th post (this one… ) I never knew that I would enjoy maintaining this blog like I have…

…for being alive…

You can see what others are Thankful for here….

Until next time…

Heather

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I have one hour until Thursday is officially here, but I have to write…

See, I missed last week because I was so wrapped up in my work and out of town on business…

It’s not that I wasn’t thankful for things last week, because I was… I just didn’t get time to post…

but this week? I’m overflowing with thanks…

Every week this summer, I’ve headed to the altar to pray. Three months ago, I would’ve never done that… but desperate times call for desperate measures… I knew that my travels would be difficult for me… the last time I was at any of these places I had no relationship with Jesus….yet, I called myself a Christian. I was scared to go back… my safety net was here and I was there…wherever there was…. whether it be Missouri, Mississippi, Michigan, or any of the numerous states I’ve been in…

I had two prayers… the first being that I would keep my eyes on Him the entire time I was gone and that Satan wouldn’t be my travel companion and the other prayer was that people could see the changes in me and that they would be able to see Christ in me.

My trips weren’t perfect and I slipped a few times… never completely off the mark, but enough that I noticed.

But….

people still saw Christ in me…

This week I’ve had 3 people (non-Church goers) tell me that I light up when I talk about my church or that they’ve seen dramatic changes in my life.

This summer, I’ve shared my testimony with 3 different people…

I’ve got people of different faiths (Catholic, Jewish, etc) say that if they ever get the chance to visit me, they want to come to church with me.

I’ve invited my neighbor to church with me and she’s been coming for a few Sundays…

But that’s not the best part….

I’ve been very involved with VBS this week… and because my kids were gone, I invited two neighborhood boys to go with me…

me…I spoke up and invited people to my church…

And now?

Those two kids want me to take them to church on Sunday…

And I will… gladly…

But not only that, they’ve invited their older siblings to come too… so between my neighbor and I, we’ll be carting 10 people to church Sunday morning… and not just to church, but to Sunday school too…

I said to Pastor Man that I couldn’t fathom it, but that I think people see in me what I saw in my church peeps 5 months ago…

me….

So, I praise Him today and give Him thanks for answered prayer… even if I didn’t see it right away…

But what I’m even more thankful for?

(I know really, what else could I be more thankful for?)

My kids come home tomorrow… they’ve been gone for six whole weeks and I’ve managed, but I’ve missed them. I’ve missed them terribly.

And this is weird for me. Sure, they’ve spent every single summer with my parents…this is nothing new… but I always looked at their time away as a much needed break and I enjoyed a single summer… a chance to be alone and do the stuff that I don’t typically get to do when they are here… or things that I thought that I couldn’t do if they were with me…

I’ve grown in many ways over the past 5 months and one of those ways was as a mother. I truly missed them… and I didn’t spend this week cramming in the last bit of my single summer… I spent this week helping out at my church… ministering to children… some of those children don’t have parents let alone grandparents that take them to really cool places…

I’m giving back…

But I’m ready for my kids to come home… I’m ready for the chaos… I’m ready for the hugs and the kisses and the late nights watching movies in my bed…

I’m ready for the rushed Sunday mornings getting to church and the trips to the grocery store with kids in tow… (I’ve been to the grocery store twice in the last 6 weeks…no, I take that back… three times because I had to get food for the missions team…but it just wasn’t as fun without them….)

I’m ready to cook again… or at least try to…

I’m ready to be a mom again…

(And, yes, please remind me of this in two days when they are getting on my last nerve….)

But I’m ready for them to be home…

And tomorrow afternoon they will be… in time for VBS (sssh…. don’t tell Pastor Man as we’ve decided to surprise him….)

I’m ready to be whole again…

And I’m thankful for my parents for taking them and giving them things that I can’t….

But I’m thankful for the things that I can give them and that I’ll get to do it tomorrow….

Until next time…

Heather

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I’ve not done one of these since the 31st of May… I’m thinking I need it!

In my defense, I’ve been a little busy and not in my own home most of the time. While I do always have my laptop, other things got in the way of this blogging thing most of the time… No excuse!

so here goes…

…despite the crazy travel schedule I have this summer, I am thankful for the opportunities presented to me, the places that I’ve seen and the friends that I get to visit with who happen to be where I need to go…

…for the best church. ever. for keeping me in their prayers as I travel and calling me to tell me they miss me…

…for all the friends that have taken me to and from the airport, whether it be to catch a plane or to pick up and return rental cars…

…for my co-worker who keeps an eye on my email just to make sure that i don’t miss something important…

…for my parents who are entertaining my children this summer so that it’s easier for me to accomodate all this travel stuff with two less distractions…

…for evan, who woke me up at 7:45 this morning to mow my lawn…

…for the opportunity to learn that it’s okay to ask for help…and accept it…

…for strawberry low-fat smoothies from panera bread… finally! something i can have at panera that doesn’t involve wheat or caffeine…

…for my dog, who’s trying very hard to adjust to me not being here all the time…and for being such a good dog at Lisa’s…

…for wireless internet and a laptop (because airports get boring)…

…for a company that believes in sending people places to learn…it’s rare now-a-days… and for a company that allows me to work virtually…

…for the ability to stop today and remember that it was Thursday, and that I do have so much to be thankful for…

…for still being mostly sane with this crazy summer schedule…

…for God… because only with Him are all things possible…

Until next time…

Heather

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Again, I’m late… and to be honest, I wasn’t even going to do one… because yeah… i’m bummy like that… and why not finish the evening entrapped in my little pity party….

but then I decided that I would probably feel better if I did list what I was thankful for, because despite the really crappy week I’m having, I have a lot to be thankful for…

so here goes…

…for the wonderful visit with Becki and Dale last week…i miss them…

…for wonderful friends and neighbor who come to my aid when my daughter breaks the screen door, locking us in the house
(this just happened tonight, so more to come on that later…)

..for my son’s sense of humor and “support” of my blogging endeavors…

…for my wonderful job that allows me the flexibility to take care of my kids, even if things are a little stressful right now…

…for my Wednesday morning Bible Study… we’re learning about the Spirit of Jezebel and how today we honor the World and not the Word… and how we need to stand out more as Christians and not blend in…I’m grateful for the things that are being revealed to me…

…for my mom’s laughter when i tell her of the trials i faced today with my daughter… because i did all that stuff to her and she still talks to me…

…for each and every one of you that visits to see what I have to say, no matter the reason… thank you…

…for all the little blessings bestowed upon me this week…

I really do have a lot to be thankful for… I’m glad I got over myself long enough to discover that…

Until next time…

Heather

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I’ve made it under the deadline as I still have an hour and a half left of Thursday to get my post in…

There are so many things to be thankful for this week…

…for Becki and Dale arriving safely, a wonderful visit, and the gift of their friendship…

…for today being the last daycare payment that I have to make giving me an extra $300 every month…

…for wonderful parents who are active in my kids’ lives even from 5 hours away and for them taking them this summer to help me out …

…for a company that allows me to work from home so that my friends can come and spend the week with me and so that I can spend more time with my children…

…for the courage to step outside of my comfort zone and put myself out there… who knows where it will lead…

…for the beautiful weather that we’re having here in SW VA…

…for my church family who welcomed my friends, just like i knew they would…

…for the continued little blessings that have been happening in my life…

What are you thankful for?

Until next time…

Heather

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My post this week is a little different… not the bulleted list that I normally have…. Sure, I have a bunch to be thankful for this week, but the biggest are the blessings that I’ve received in the financial sense… some I chalked up to coincidence but there have now been enough that I put it all together.

Ok, I didn’t put it all together… Becki so gladly pointed it out to me…

Throughout the month of March, tithing was heavy on my heart… lots of questions…

Should I?

Shouldn’t I?

All 10%?

Can I afford that?

I don’t have that extra money….

It was tough.. a big battle… huge battle…

and when I have questions about this stuff, I go straight Lisa or Becki…

Lisa told me that it’s the only place in the Bible that God says to test him…. (she later wrote a Potty Prayer on it…)

Becki said, “God’s going to get his money one way or another…”

At the time, my car was broken down and I had a small project at the house that I had to pay for… I was strapped…

I decided to go for it…I asked Lisa if I could mail my check or if I needed to drive it over to the church… she said I could wait until I went the next time I went…

I wrote that check and placed it in my purse…

5 minutes later I got a phone call from the mechanic working on my car… when I asked how much it was going to cost he said, “$75… just the cost for the parts….”

Huh? Did I just hear him right?

That Wednesday, with tears in my eyes, I handed my Pastor my check… watching that money go and wondering why I had just given more than I thought I could afford…

A week or so later, I was looking at my checking account… and there was a deposit in there for $100… it was from the state child support people… so I just assumed I had gotten my ex-husband’s income tax check… but I’ll take $100…

Two weeks later, there was another deposit for $100….and last week a deposit for $93…. that’s almost $300 that I wasn’t expecting, folks….

Not to mention the two side projects I got that when I complete will bring me a nice chunk of change….

But here’s the kicker….

Last week I got my car tax bill…$45.87…I looked at the due date and it was the end of the month, so I put it in the “to be paid” pile so that I could pay it with my next check…

Tuesday, in the mail, was a receipt that my taxes have been paid.

Guess who didn’t pay them?

I called this morning and the lady swore that I must have paid them, but I know that I didn’t…. my bank account proves that I didn’t… but she swears that there’s no other way I would get that receipt marked paid….

Thank you, God…

Until next time…

Heather

PS. I don’t want this to go unmentioned. I am very thankful that Becki has been helping me with my wheat/gluten free diet and helping me find meals that I can cook and prepare that aren’t hard… and for physically coaching me on the phone during the preparation… i’ve done some pretty cool things in the kitchen this week and am already feeling better!!!

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I skipped last week. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t. I missed it. I almost forgot about it today, but I didn’t.

And actually, it ties in with what’s been on my mind this morning.

Many people have those Bible Verses on their sites. You know the ones… they update everyday with a new verse. Some people have their life verse as well.

They are nice, and while I will normally read them, I don’t read read them… you know, wholeheartedly.

But today, I was people watching on MySpace and I came across this one:

“If one falls down his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NIV)

I have people that care about me.

Even more profound, I have people that care about me that I don’t know care about me.

Strangers.

Absolutely amazing.

With that being said, here are a few things that I am thankful for this week.

• I am thankful that Lisa and Howard opened their home for me last weekend so that I could attend Whole Woman Day. I am thankful for those that put on the conference and thankful for everything that He revealed to me while I was there. I am thankful that I was able to make it down and back to Raleigh uneventfully. I am thankful for the members of Lisa’s church for making me feel so welcome.
• I am thankful that I do have people praying for me and people that care for me, even if I don’t know that they do. It is my hope that I can one day give back. But I know that in time, that will come.
• I am thankful for my friends. For those that have been praying for me (unbeknowest to me) for two years, TWO YEARS, that I might find a church and begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
• I am thankful for the prayer that Pastor Man said for me yesterday. If others see me that way, I need to see me that way. What a blessing to hear!
• I am thankful for my church. They are like no other. They have become family.
• I am thankful for Keith and Beth for volunteering their time in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and for agreeing to spend their free time with my children. (I apologize in advance for anything either might do!)
• I am thankful for my quiet time in the morning and spring arriving. Together, they have made for a great start to my day.

I could go on, but I won’t…

Today is a good day…I am thankful that I am able to live it!

Until next time…

Heather

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• I am thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with my mom, dad, and grandmother this week and that I decided to come.
• I am thankful that my children have such awesome grandparents that teach them things that I could never.
• I am thankful that despite everything I have done to my parents over the past 30 years, they still want to help the kids and I.
• I am thankful that I have a job that allows me the flexibility to work virtually so that I could come and spend the week and blog work from Mom and Dad’s.
• I am thankful that Dad made sure that I had a nice place to work while I was here.
• I am thankful that my dog was 100x better than Dad thought, ensuring a return invitation for Rhoda.
• I am thankful that my car got us here safely and that it will get us home safely as well.
• I am thankful for my friends who tell me that they miss us when we are gone.

Until next time…

Heather


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