Thankful Thursday

"...I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."--Abraham Lincoln

It has been a long time since I've done a Thankful Thursday! I don't even remember the last time. I am emerging back into blogging kind of slowly, so I am not committing to doing them on a weekly basis but here goes for this week...

1. I am thankful for Abraham Lincoln. Today is his birthday and I think our country is a much better place because of his leadership and wise decisions. I wish all leaders would adhere to the quote above.

2. I am thankful for my pancake breakfast date on Monday with Elissa. Adoption brought us together but we share much more than that in common.

3. I am thankful for the hard work Don put in this past weekend installing a new fence on one side of our house. I truly don't acknowledge him enough for the hard work he does outside of the home and then at home.

4. I am thankful for the RAIN we got on Tuesday night. It wasn't much but it was wonderful and OH SO NEEDED.

5. I am thankful for Jaime. Her birthday was on Monday and we got to celebrate a bit earlier last Thursday. You may remember reading about her last year when she turned 30.

6. I am thankful my parents will be here in eleven days! Yikes, eleven days. I better get moving!

7. I am thankful for renewed hope.

What are you thankful for today?

A love letter

It's that time of year when love is in the air. If you're a romantic, then you love the notion of a love letter. Perhaps you've received some in the past, or perhaps you've written them. They do seem to be a thing of long ago when words were actually lovingly written on paper and not typed in emails or abbreviated in cryptic text messages.

Not all love letters, however, are from a romantic love. I've received beautiful letters of love from my parents, family, and dear friends. I've also received beautiful letters of love from God, my heavenly father. Sometimes I'm just too lazy to read them and I don't always cherish them like I should. I ran across a compilation several years ago and received it again last week at MOPS. I hope you will take a few minutes to read the beautiful love letter here. After you read it, I hope you will remember how truly loved you are EVERY single day and dwell on the words and its meaning.

Blessings!

It's a giveaway...

Lindy during our visit to an assisted living home in September 2007.

Well, as I posted on Friday, this week is Random Acts of Kindness week. Last year I asked you to tell me how you had been blessed by an act of kindness. I really loved reading those posts. In turn, I awarded two people with a little token of kindness for sharing your experiences.

This year, I'm asking you to brag on yourself. NOT an easy task for many of you, I know. Tell me what acts of kindness you do, try to do, aspire to do, do with your family, etc. I know you're nice people, so it shouldn't be that hard...

To say thank you for sharing, at noon (CST) Monday, February 16th, Lindy will randomly choose someone to bless with a little kindness.

Thanks in advance for your participation and bless and be blessed!

It's coming, it's coming...

Next week is Random Acts of Kindess Week. Most of the people I know are really good people. Many of them routinely practice kindness--both of an intentional nature and random nature--on an ongoing basis. It is who they are. They don't do it for praise or for something in return. They just do it because it is the right thing to do.

As with many things in my life, I am not operating at the level I'd like to be when it comes to being kind. My good intentions don't come to fruition nearly as often as they should.

Next week will serve as a great reminder for me to get in gear and be a kinder person to everyone. Being kind doesn't have to be a really big thing. It can be a smile or letting someone in a lane of traffic when everyone else is whizzing by.

I hope you'll join me in this effort to make the world a kinder place. If you have kids, have them join along, too. There are tons of ideas and ways to incorporate this with kids here. Check it out!

"Today, make an investment in someone else's happiness."--Unknown