A Life of Gratitude

We walk on these tiny treasures! I recently read a very interesting article about sand. It has been discovered that grains of sand, when viewed with magnification of over 250 times real life, are delicate, beautiful structures. They are all unique. To the human eye they are bland and colorless but when magnified, they are gorgeous. Who would have thought?? This reminds me of how we see one another. We often look at other human beings and see bland, ordinary folks with nothing special to offer. We judge one another and are critical of each other. We don't see the value in one another but God is different. He sees us with a magnification of over 250 times real life. He looks past our failures and mistakes and sees our uniqueness, our colorful beauty, and our value. He knows to look for it because He made us. To God we are each delicate, original, and gorgeous! Today I am thankful that God sees value in each human being that He created. Just like a simple grain of sand, we are eac...

 " We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.   In him our hearts rejoice,  for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:20-22 Recently during my quiet time I was reading Psalm 33. When I came to verses 20-22, I had to reread and reread. What amazing verses of scripture! It felt as though God was speaking directly to me through that passage. My interpretation: If I wait, not impatiently or with worry, but in HOPE for the Lord I will have  assurance that He will help me and be my shield. My heart rejoices, not because of the things of this world, but in HIM and I can always trust His Holy Name. The Lord's unfailing (did you hear that?? UNFAILING!!!) love will rest upon or reside with me even as I am placing my hope in Him.  This passage means so much to me. The past few years have been full of waiting and hoping for me. I feel as if God is telling me... if I place m...

Today I am thankful for good sleepers! Both of my sweet boys started sleeping all night long at 12 weeks old. I know that we are blessed because I read that only 1/3 of babies sleep for 6 hours straight at 6 months (so that must mean way less sleep all night at 12 weeks!) Dylan and Evan both take nice long afternoon naps too, which gives me a break each day so I can lay on my heating pad. Our boys are terrific sleepers which causes them to very well rested and usually a joy to be around! Thank you Lord, for great sleepers!

This afternoon Evan and I were sitting on the couch together when Dylan zooms by in his Superman costume. He pretends to fly onto the couch and lands close to Evan. He quickly took off Evan's socks and played with his feet and then looked at me and said "I love hanging out with you!" Then of course, as is typical of Superman, he rushed off. I loved hearing Dylan say that! He has no idea how much I love hanging out with him! When Dylan was only 3 months old I had to start taking him to daycare because I had to go back to work. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. A year and a half later, I took him out of daycare because I was taken out of work due to my back injury. I have been home with him since and I absolutely love spending this precious time with him. Now that I have another little guy that is 3 months old, I am so glad that I don't have to take him to daycare right now. I can't imagine doing that again. Today I am thankful that I am able to b...

This was part of  Dylan's bedtime prayer tonight: "...thank you for my baby Evan, thank you for my family, thank you for my church, thank you for our house that is already built, thank you that our house has food in it, thank you that we can eat, and thank you for my brother." That sweet little prayer warmed my heart! Today I am thankful that Dylan is learning that God is Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider. Dylan realizes that God made his little brother, that God has given us our home, our church and our food to eat, and that family is a gift from God. Although we have ups and downs just like every family, we are truly blessed! I pray that Dylan and Evan will always be grateful to God for their many blessings.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 I had a big meeting today that I have been dreading for weeks. It wasn't really that big of a deal but I just don't enjoy being put on the spot and having to talk in front of a lot of people. So, of course, I have spent lots of time worrying about this meeting. Last night, while making sure I had everything ready, I started to feel worried and I immediately thought of Matthew 6:34. This has been one of my favorite verses for years because I have always been a worrier. After reading this verse and several others about worrying, I felt as if God was reminding me that there is NO NEED TO WORRY! God is in control and worrying doesn't do any good anyway!  When I left the meeting today I couldn't help but say to myself, "Wow, there really wasn't any reason to worry!" The meeting went very well and didn't last nearly ...

Our church held a Ministry Expo this morning.  The expo allowed all the members to see the different ministry opportunities available at Green Street. It was amazing to see all of the ways our church reaches out on a local level and globally.  Matthew 28:19-20 says "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Today I am thankful to be a member of a church that is striving to make disciples of all nations. Its awesome to know that Jesus is with us, helping us as we reach out to the world! I am grateful for a church that wants to do something great for God by providing numerous ways of reaching out to others!

I haven't been able to go to the YMCA for a while because Evan had to be 3 months old before he could go into the nursery. So, today was my first day back. I would normally do water aerobics but because my back has been hurting so badly, I decided to soak in the jacuzzi instead. I love hot tubs!! Although it wasn't the miracle cure to my back pain, the jacuzzi did feel nice while I was in it. Today I am thankful for some peaceful moments in the jacuzzi. It was nice to have a few minutes of relief from the pain. I think I'll enjoy the hot tub again next week too! 

Living with chronic back pain is very difficult at times. I've learned to deal with it most of the time but I have days that are really rough. Its those days...the days when the pain is consuming, when new symptoms arise, when I can't take care of my family because I am in so much pain...its those days that get me down.   Today was one of those days. In fact, the past two weeks have been full of those days. When these days and weeks come up, I have learned to call out to my Heavenly Father. He is the only one that can provide peace in my storm. Today while playing with my boys and listening to music, I heard a song that I haven't heard in a long time. As I listened, I was reminded that no matter what, God still holds the world in His hands and He STILL holds me in His hands. Today I am thankful that regardless of how bad the pain is and how far off treatment seems, God knows and He is STILL in control.   "Through many dangers, toils, and snares  you have already c...

My sweet little munchkin, Evan, is three months old today! I cannot believe its been 3 months since I met this precious baby boy! He has changed so much too! He is now smiling, cooing, interacting with us, following things with eyes, clasping his hands together, sleeping all night, loving his bath time, recognizing our faces, squealing, and swatting at things on his baby mat. He has also doubled in size! Today I am thankful for my sweet baby Evan. He has been an amazing addition to our family. He fits in perfectly and has added so much joy to our home. God has done it again...what a blessing this 3 month old lil' monkey is!!

Those of you that know my sweet boy Dylan would probably agree that he is pretty noisy. I believe his baby brother is going to be just as loud, if not louder! Evan has realized that he can squeal and he has been practicing all day. Its adorable to hear him using his vocal cords but it sure is getting loud in here! Today I am thankful to have a noisy home. I've heard lots of empty-nesters say that once their children leave home, its just too quiet. So, for now, I will enjoy the noise that my babies are making!

Tonight while Dylan was saying his bedtime prayers he said "Thank you for my baby brother, Evan." It warms my heart to hear him thanking God for his brother! Lately he has been talking to him, helping change his diaper, helping feed him, giving him his pacifier, making him smile, playing with him, taking baths with him and being very protective over him. It is clear that he loves "his baby."  Today I am thankful that my big boy has adjusted so well to another family member. I am so grateful that he has fallen in love with Evan just like Bryan and I have. Being a family of four is so much fun!

My 12 week old angel slept through the night last night! YAY Evan! He went to bed at 8:30pm and I had to wake him up at 8:15am. He was the happiest little booger when he woke up too!  Today I am thankful for a full night of sleep for everyone in the Shaw family. We are a little happier when we get a full night of rest! 

My back has been hurting very badly for the past few weeks. I can't seem to do anything or take anything that relieves the pain. It has been so bad that I'm actually looking forward to the horrible tests I have to have in February.  This evening Bryan gave me a really nice back massage (he used some of the techniques from his recent professional birthday massage) and after the boys went to bed, he ran a hot bath for me. So, I'm now sitting with my heating pad and for the first time in weeks, my back feels a little better. Even though the massage and bath were supposed to relieve my back pain, they made me feel pretty special too! I could use to this!  Today I am thankful for this "special" treatment. Not only did it give some temporary relief for my back pain, it made me feel loved too. Thanks Honey!

This evening Dylan and I made homemade bathtub paints. He really enjoyed making the paint and loved using it in the bathtub! While in the tub he painted a rainbow. He chose to paint a rainbow because of the Bible story (Noah's Ark) we had just discussed during our family devotion time. He had so much fun in the tub tonight!  Today I am thankful for these simple things we do as a family that bring such joy to my little boy. I know when he gets older it will take much more elaborate things to excite him but for now, some shaving cream and food coloring do the trick!

Thirty-One years ago today the man of my dreams was born. Before he was even conceived God knew that Bryan and I would one day fall in love, become man and wife, and have precious babies together. When God created Bryan, He was thinking of me. How awesome is that?  Today I am thankful for my husband and best friend. Bryan is the most amazing man I know. He is a wonderful husband and an even better father. My boys and I are so blessed to spend our lives with him.  Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for giving life to my precious husband. I thank You for putting us together as husband and wife. Please hold Bryan in the palm of Your hand, protect him, and guide him. Please allow my boys and me to be a daily blessing to him. Amen. Happy Birthday Bryan! I love you!

This morning Dylan climbed into my bed at 7:08 (he is like a little alarm clock, always up at 7:08). He snuggled up to me and  put his little hand on my face to rub my cheek. We talked for a while, he told me he loved me and then he jumped up to go eat breakfast begging me to follow him. It only lasted a few minutes but I truly enjoyed the snuggle time with my sweet little boy. He is growing up so fast so I cherish those moments. He is growing up so fast!!!! Today I am thankful that my little boy likes to snuggle occasionally. He is a very busy little boy so these quiet, calm moments are priceless. Plus, I love just talking with him. He is quite the talker these days!

I came across the quote above earlier today on Pinterest (which I love by the way!)  Reading this sweet quote brought tears to my eyes. I've never thought about it before but I guess I was Dylan's first kiss, first love, and first friend. I'll be all of those things for Baby Evan too. And of course, they are my whole world; my little boys.   As I watch other people succeed in so many different, admirable ways I sometimes feel like I am inferior because I haven't accomplished as many things but then, I look at these sweet boys. I ponder the great responsibility God has given me in being their mother and I realize that there is no better way to succeed than to raise loving, kind, God-fearing young gentlemen. I will pour my heart and soul into this task. I may not have tons of money or a high profile job but I have a wonderful husband and my 2 precious boys! Today I am thankful for the privilege of being a Mommy. Motherhood is such an amazing gift. I am so grateful fo...

Since I have been dealing with this horrible back pain for so long now, worker's comp no longer allows me to go to physical therapy. So, at my last appointment my Physical Therapist taught me some ways that Bryan could help me deal with the pain. It probably looks pretty crazy but its really neat. This therapy uses muscle energy techniques. Since my pelvis is unstable, Bryan holds my legs and I am able to re-position my pelvis by pushing or pulling my legs. I wasn't able to do this therapy while pregnant but we have been able to start back again.  Tonight Bryan helped me with the therapy and Dylan decided that he wanted to help also. He was so cute!! He held my legs while I pushed and pulled. He said, "I want to help Mommy when her back hurts!" He is my little Physical Therapist! Today I am thankful that Bryan and Dylan are able to help me with my back pain. I am also grateful that my little boy has a compassionate heart. He sees me hurting and desires to help me. H...

I really love Christmas trees, lights, and tinsel but there is something wonderful about getting the house back to "normal." We put all of our Christmas decorations up in the attic today (with Jordan's help since my back has been so bad lately...thanks Jordan!) It feels so spacious and organized in here!  Today I am thankful that Bryan was off work and we were able to get all of our decorations put away and the house clean. I love the holiday hustle and bustle and all beautiful Christmas decor but getting back to reality feels good too!

Happy 2012!! I can't believe its 2012! That just sounds crazy! Me and my boys, starting the new year off right! I tried to start the year off right today. We went to church, went grocery shopping and bought only healthy foods, ate a healthy dinner together as a family, did family devotions, got the kiddos bathed and in bed, and now I'm relaxing with my hubby on the couch. You might be able to tell that one of my new year's "resolutions" is to eat healthy. While eating healthy is very important, I have also have another "resolution" for the new year. This year I will strive to make every area of my life one that pleases my Heavenly Father! While I know perfection is impossible, I want my life to bring glory and honor to my Lord. By doing this, I believe that great things will happen in all areas of my life. I will most likely become a better wife, mother, friend, family member, etc.   Today I am thankful for fresh starts! Each new year brings an oppo...