Disclaimer:

Many stories herein are subject to the faulty, and sometimes creative, memory of the blog owner and should not be taken as factual, although the names and events are real! Kind of.

Friday, January 08, 2010

Happy, Happy, Happy!

I've been given a writing assignment by my sister Andi--tell about ten things that make me happy.  I must confess that I had a bit of trouble with this list at first--where to start?  Where to end?  Which should be number one?  Will my readers make any judgements about the order or what I've chosen?

Am I over-analyzing?  Probably.  So...without further mental trauma--here it is!  In no particular order, please!


 #1.  My husband (you knew I'd start there, didn't you?  Should I have started with my faith?  Ack!)  I'm so thankful for my husband.  He spoils his family, and supports us in all we do.  He's positive and a dreamer for what our family can achieve!  He tells me I'm beautiful   He is the reason I'm in favor of submission!  He keeps the checkbook and pays the bills and makes sure we have money in savings.  He's both frugal and extravagant.  He's a loving, indulgent Dad, but the girls know "when they are skating on thin ice!"  I would never have dreamed so big when I was praying for a husband!  God answered all my prayers in one sweet package named Les!



#2.  My precious daughters.  They are amazing, self-confident girls.  They are considerate, kind, funny, beautiful, artistic and Godly.  Their independence and drive bless and amaze me.  Their desire to be Christlike humbles me.    I'm so proud at the way they love our family and friends!  They get their positive attitude from their dad and their sarcastic sense of humor from me!


#3.  The rest of the fam.  It's a love without end, amen!  Parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, grandparents, cousins.  Everything we are, every thought we have, every action we take is a result of the molding of our family. 

#4.  Words.  They are delicious, delightful, divine.  Serendipity. Vintage.  Brilliant.  Sour.  Onomatopoeia.  Words conjure up images and tastes and sensations. 26 letters, endless possibilities.  Books, magazines, butter wrappers, clothing labels.  I read them all and want another bite!

#5.  Traveling.  And Home.  I love to travel.  I love to plan a trip and plot our course and learn everything there is to know about our destination.  I daydream about future trips and envision us on the Riviera or the Great Wall, or in the Jungle.  Oh, but how I love my home even more.  I love watching the garage door go up.  I love looking into the front window at night.  I love the coziness, the smell, the taste of the water from our faucet.  I love our stuff and the atmosphere we've created and I love coming home.

#6.  Friends.  I had an insight into friendship a few years back.  I used to think that (adult) friends should be like the ones you had as a child.  If you spent time with them, hung out with them, called them on the phone and went to their house, they were your friend.  The rest were just acquaintances, school mates, people you knew.  Then one day a friend was in the emergency room.  I was in with her but worried that it was a 'family only' type occasion.  The nurse asked who I was and I said "a member of her church."  As soon as the words left my mouth, I was ashamed of my shallow view of friendship.  I guess I thought if I was there in a ministerial position, it would be ok to be in the ER, but if I was just there as a friend, they might kick me out in favor of the presence of a family member.  She was my friend!  I felt I had denied her.  I have tons of friends.  I may not hang out with them or visit their homes and I hardly call anyone on the phone.  And I don't even have to like everything they do or be in their social circle.  Those things don't make a friendship.  A relationship makes it.  Caring about someone makes a friendship.  I still have acquaintances.  But mostly, I have friends.

#7.  Creativity.  I love the creative process.  I won't claim to be terrific at anything.  There are so many better ways to write a sentence, paint a picture, sew a seam, create a landscape, or decorate a house than the way I do.  But it is all so fun!  I'm painting a mural of sorts on my bathroom wall.  It won't get featured in any magazine but I like it and it makes me happy to look at as I get ready for school.  My thrifty decorating treasures are probably junky to some, but the spot they have in my home is irreplaceable.  For now!  My garden is weedy, my seams aren't necessarily straight and my sentences are sometimes long and rambling.  But the process is fun, the product is usable and writing is a joy!

#8.  Thrifting, Antiquing, Garage Sales.  Oooh.   What delightful, promising phrases!  You never know what you will find in the treasure hunt through other peoples cast-offs!  My favorite picture in my kitchen cost less than a dollar.  My least favorite in my house cost, well, more than that.  The cheap one, I can discard without regret.  I feel doomed to keep the other one for eternity. 

#9.  Organization.  I was born to organize.  My favorite activity at my grandma's was to clean out drawers and closets.  I remember as a child, arranging books on my shelf in alphabetical order--like a library.  But they looked better arranged by height.  Or was it color?  But just on the shelves any old way?  No way! I love the order created by organizing.  I drool over canvas bins and boxes with lids and color-coded filing folders.  I like to keep all the same kind of stuff together in my closet.  I can spend hours sorting and arranging things to fit more neatly and more pleasing to the eye.  Although I love for students to check out the books I've spent so much time selecting for them to read, I feel complete when they are all on the shelf, nice, neat, and alphabetized at the end of the school year.

#10.  The Lord.  My Rock.  My Redeemer, Rescuer and Friend.  Psalm 18:19 says "He rescued me because He delighted in me."  He delights in me--a shallow, narrow-minded person who wants her way!  He seeks my company--even when I'm cranky, sarcastic, and rude.  He draws me into His presence although I only I want to be alone.  His Word inspires me to be a better person.  His love for me--an undeserving wretch--prompts me to be more loving.  He rescues me from danger that I'm not aware of.  He blesses me in ways I'm too human to conceive.  He is everything and I am nothing.

Ok.  Here's your assignment--List 10 things that make you happy.  You don't have to be as wordy as I!   And there are ten of you special readers who I'm asking to post this stuff on your blog!  Hillary (Hubbard Happenings), Janice (Just Janice), Mary (Marymarysays), Becky (Mimi's Treasured Moments) Jennifer (I Have Something to Say!), Shasta (Eccentric Ramblingz), Keetha (The Eclectic Company), Mom (Perils of the Sand Creek Ranch)....I can't think of anyone else today, sorry!  Now go forth and be happy!

6 comments:

Andi said...

Wasn't that fun!

Keetha Broyles said...

I did it

Marilyn said...

I am not as wordy and creative as YOU so i almost hesitate to do this.

Sarah Kamolz said...

BUT GRANDMA YOU MUST! You don't have to be wordy! Just witty like you already are! :D Just start and it will come to you

The Lumberjack's Wife said...

I enjoyed your list. I like organizing once it is finished, but I hate getting started on organizing. :)

Becky said...

I want you to know. I feel like I have been sent back to school with this assignment, my brain aches.:D But I really enjoyed reading yours so I gave it a go - too me an hour!

One Last Thought.......

Pleasant words are a honeycomb;
sweet to the soul and healing to the body.
Proverbs 16:
24