Counting some blessings

I could make a long list of things for which I am grateful. 

Instead, I'll hit just a few highlights:

Hope that springs eternal. Great is God's faithfulness. 

Oh yes, faith that connects to hope. 

And, of course, love. The greatest of these is love. 

My cup runneth over. God has been so good to me. Is he wasteful? No. He expects me to share the overflow. (This thought is courtesy of the Rev. Jim Goodwin, whom I knew when he was pastor of Whaley Memorial United Methodist Church.) I often fail to do share the overflow. 

Which leads me to something else for which I am grateful: second and third and additional chances to get it right. 

A healthy change of attitude

I've been trying to decide whether to do the #Healthy65 Challenge coordinated by a co-worker this year. And the answer, finally, is yes. It starts Monday. 

My #Healthy65 Challenge: attitude of gratitude. 

Here are some of  my starting thoughts:

I'm pretty good physically. I've continued to adhere to last year's #Healthy65 Challenge to reduce my gum consumption significantly (which saved me a very conservative minimum of $365 for the year).

 

I couldn't think of a physical challenge worth taking on this year.

 

But I think this challenge regarding my attitude will have positive results extending well beyond my bodily health.

 

Quit complaining. In all things, be thankful. 

 

I've been convicted by so many people sharing daily thanks in November. I had hoped to. I have not.

 

And I realize that often when I do give thanks and express gratitude, it comes after working through a complaint or problem.

 

For 65 days, or at least a day or two a week for 65 days, I want to abstain from complaining.

 

Instead of complain, I will strive to say (or at least think): what can I do?  how can I help?

 

(I may have a lot to get out of my system before that starts!!)

Just because

I can't resist posting this, but I also hate to. Everyone makes mistakes. But four times????? (OK, it may have just been three, but I'll err on the grand side.) I almost delivered it to the right house myself the second time it came, but instead just put it back in the mail slot. (An embarrassing aside is that the first time it came, I opened it, not realizing it wasn't addressed to me! It's a thank-you, apparently from possibly a college student to his grandmother. That was actually heartwarming. I want Meme to get her card!!!)

Update: On Thursday, this showed up one more time. I guess what friends said on Facebook is true; it will keep coming back unless I black out the code on the bottom. So I've done that now. Maybe it will get there. I hope so. 

More right choices, one at a time.

Surprisingly and thankfully, November started with a week of right (or at least much better than usual) choices. 

Prayer. 

Answered prayer. 

Gratitude. 

Sunday: quick Texas trip. 

Monday: praying in faith about work and time with Gene. 

Tuesday: more faith and action; making the most of Gene's trip to my office for a meeting that wasn't. 

Wednesday: gratitude as things worked out despite my lack of planning. 

Thursday: selfie fun and more. 

Friday: work so much better than I could ever have dreamed, for the week and Friday. 

Saturday: stepping out for something new. 

One small, right choice

I really want to close out October with one more post. But what would I say? God is at work. 

The part of me that wants to be a writer just won't die. I guess it's why I keep trying to chronicle events on Facebook and here. Most recently was Becky's birthday and the fourth anniversary of Daddy's death. May we never forget our loved ones. 

I often fall short, but one thing I did intentionally this year, for which I am grateful, was to keep the public focus Oct. 30 on Becky's birthday and to wait until the next day to focus on Daddy, an anniversary that also occurred Oct. 30. It was a small, right choice. I strive to make more of those as I go forward. 

What's next?

The only shows I follow on TV are "Nashville" and "my" sports teams, basically the Aggies, Rangers, Mavericks, Cowboys and sometimes the Thunder. And it's looking like even that is too much for me. I'm pretty sure my life would be better if I just left the TV off. So why is it so hard to do??

Still searching

Now it's Oct. 27, and I still can't find the spirit for a good blog post. Changes are going on in my life, and I guess taking the time to flesh out thoughts for the blog is not a priority. I miss doing it but can't justify taking the time. I wish blogging came easily, but part of the change is that I'm trying to be more honest and realistic in my approach to life. And the truth is that writing has never been easy for me. It is a passion and a desire, but it is not easy. It comes down to the same thing that is most difficult about life in general for me: deciding or knowing what I want .... to do, to be, to say, to have. I'm still searching for those answers.