Friday, November 23, 2012

Day 23

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas has officially arrived with Black Friday.  Crazy how at the stroke of midnight, the Christmas frenzy settles in as people do whatever it takes to get the great deals they scouted out on the Internet or in the newspaper ads.  Did any of you brave the Black Friday frenzy?  My mom and I did, however, it's not what you think.  We started our Black Friday shopping extravaganza about 10:45 AM.  Yep, we slept in, ate breakfast and took our time.  What did we miss?  Long lines, traffic jams, and lots of frustrated customers.  What did we get?  Everything on our list.  Isn't that amazing?  God was so good to us today!  We may have gotten the LAST of some items we were looking for, but we got them nonetheless.  We even got the special Bath & Body Works Bonus bag at 11:30 AM (which is amazing because the associate up front said they were out).  But they found one more box of the special bags right when we were checking out.  Pretty cool stuff! 

Believe it or not, my hubby decided a few years back that he was in... he was going to take the Black Friday plunge.  This was quite shocking to me because my hubby hates crowds AND long lines.  But he was determined to experience it once.  He got up before dawn, took a picture of the car clock, and drove to his destination. He got out of the car, saw the line, got back in the car and drove home.  With a final picture of the car clock when he arrived home less than an hour later, his Black Friday experience ended.  He got back in bed and caught some more zzz's. 

It's pretty incredible to think about what people go through to get those "good deals" on Black Friday.  Getting a good deal feels great and can be worth all the effort, especially if the recipient of the gift shows great delight after opening the present.  Doesn't it bring you so much joy to know that you gave someone the perfect gift? 

I think God experiences great delight when we take the time to thank Him for all the "good deals" He gives us each day.  The "good deals" He gives us are everywhere if we just take the time to notice. I'm noticing a lot more "good deals" from God since we started this experiment 23 days ago.  Are you? 

Zephaniah 3:17 says:  The Lord your God is with you.  He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.  God takes great delight in our thanksgiving.   Let's keep "...giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Ephesians 5:20

Today, I am thankful for...

1.  Prayers and snuggling that comforted my son after a bad dream
2.  Compassion of my son
3.  Gangman style dance re-enactment and the giggle fest that followed
4.  My three year old's great delight and mischievous laugh because he was wearing his favorite beach shirt for the third day in a row
5.  Black Friday shopping with my mom
6.  Thanksgiving leftovers at my parent's house - even yummy on day two!
7.  Cracking up over the mashed potato mishap... you've never seen flying butter like this!
8.  Fresh Balsam Candle making the house smell like Christmas - even though we don't have decorations up yet
9.  Steven Curtis Chapman's Joy CD
10.  My hubby sewing up my shirt for me - I'm one lucky gal!!

Here's to 10,000 reasons... Only  7,371 to go...



16 comments:

  1. 1. For a nice lazy day after all the wonderful chaos yesterday
    2. For the wonderful chaos yesterday, it meant there was lots of fun with lots of family
    3. That my children had a great day with their cousins
    4. For the game Apples to Apples
    5. That my mom likes to sneak turkey to the dogs under the table

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  2. Oops forgot to put who I am

    LisaD

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  3. 1. Children understanding my "oops, that tea I was drinking all evening wasn't decaf" mishap and being extra good.
    2. Today was only Friday even though it seemed like Saturday.
    3. A request to watch Snow White. It's been so long it brought back memories of when they were little.
    4. God keep B. safe on the roof while cleaning the gutters.
    5. They show Duck Dynasty ending with a prayer on every episode. Good to know that's still allowed.

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  4. (1) I am thankful that Black Friday started early so the crowds were gone by the time we went out.
    (2) I am thankful for my daughter that listens to me and is
    there for me when I need to talk out things.
    (3) I am thankful for all the deals we found at Black Friday.
    (4) I am thankful for leftovers.
    (5) I am thankful that I have things to be thankful for.
    Gina

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  5. I am thankful:
    1. for pancakes w/ Nutella this morning before work.
    2. for seeing my kids' imaginations at work.
    3. for the sunny day even if it is cold outside.
    4. my kids got their clean clothes put away...while I was at work. Thanks dear.
    5. I don't have to cook tonight.

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  6. I am thankful:
    1. that my son got to come home for a whole week!
    2. Jazzercise - especially after a three day eating fest
    3. a friend of my daughter's getting to stay with us the last 5 days
    4. food from different nations of the world
    5. a silly penguin stamp for my Christmas letters
    6. how hard-working my daughter is when it comes to her school work
    7. meaningful Christmas ornaments
    8. my husband going shopping with me this afternoon
    9. allergy medicine

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  7. 1. I'm thankful for a wonderful day yesterday with family.
    2. I'm thankful that I avoided sugar (my nemesis)!
    3 I'm thankful that I got to love on my sweet 3 year old niece, in town for the holiday.
    4. I'm thankful that I got to hang out with my girls making gingerbread houses tonight.
    5. I'm thankful for turkey leftovers!

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  8. 1. a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family
    2. going on a walk yesterday with my mom and dad
    3. Thanksgiving leftovers
    4. going to a new Vietnamese restaurant tonight
    5. movie night with the family
    6. fun board games
    7. Christmas decorations
    8. apple pie
    9. my parents paying for my car gas
    10. exercise after eating too much food

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  9. I am very thankful for...
    1. A wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with my family,
    2. My daughter being able to experience the magic of holidays at her Grandparents' house in the country with her cousins like the holidays from my childhhood which are such special memories for me,
    3. All the work and love my grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles put into making those holidays so magical when I was a kid (I can now appreciate all the work that went into those magical holidays),
    4. My nieces and nephew who are sweet, fun, and smart and who are wonderful with my daughter,
    5. The gentleness with which my husband cares for my daughter.
    6. Going out to eat on Thanksgiving so we didn't spend the day doing dishes,
    7. A gorgous Thanksgiving day and a family hike to soak it in,
    8. The comfort and shared fun that comes with enjoying family traditions, one for us is making gingerbread houses,
    9. An abundence of work, and
    10. The gifts and abilities God has given me so I can do said work and help create magical holidays for my nieces, nephew, and daughter.
    Catherine A.

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  10. AmandaL.
    I'm thankful for going to el nopal .
    I'm thankful for my brother Jimmy calling me.
    I'm thankful for my brother Darrell going to thanksgiving with us to my brother in law Dennis house.
    I'm thankful for the Louisville zoo


    I'm thankful for Megan singing in the car.

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  11. I am thankful for...
    1. Time with my mom shopping at 6PM without people, lines or craziness.
    2. A 10 week old that experienced his first Black Friday shopping without a care in the world.
    3. The first snow of the season-yeah Ohio!!!
    4. A husband that encourages me to spend time with my mom.
    5. A dad that has always loves me unconditionally and will never stop doing so.

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  12. 1) I am thankful for Thanksgiving celebration with cousins on Friday
    2) I am thankful that my daughter was able to come home for 1 week
    3) I am thankful that my daughter asked for my help on her paper.
    4) I am thankful for my son's hug
    5) I am thankful for time together with family watching the UofL basketball team (big win:)

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  13. AmandaL.
    I'm thankful for prayer from pastor buddy.
    I'm thankful for talking to Melissa.
    I'm thankful for having thanksgiving again.
    I'm thankful for pumpkin pie.
    I'm thankful for psalm 39.

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  14. I am thankful for a great week with my family.
    I am thankful for kids that make my life so much fun
    I am thankful for an amazing wife
    I am thankful that we had 22 people come to our house and everything went great
    I am thankful that my mom's surgery went well

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  15. Amanda L.
    I'm thankful for getting a Christmas present today .
    I'm thankful I had a minute with a friend .
    I'm thankful for meijers .
    I'm thankful for peppermint chocolate bar.
    I'm thankful for having time with Steve today.

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  16. 1. Dinner and a movie
    2. Long workouts
    3. Water!!
    4. Drs to make you better
    5. Various opportunities

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