The Month Of Thankfulness

I'm thankful for this time of year to help me focus in on what I am thankful for in life. It makes me look around me more and appreciate what's there. So here it goes! 

I'm thankful for...

1. Random moments of fun, like sitting on the floor and using the coffee table as the dinner table!! 
   
   
   
   
   
2. My mom- she has a great sense of humor, meaning that there are lots of moments of laughter! Also she has an inquisitive mind, so she is always questioning things. That in turn makes me have to think and be challenged. It's good
3. Fresh pressed apple cider
4. Long walks in the rain.
5. My little brother that brings and makes me EmergenC
6. Being able to help out at Community Service today, it was a lot of fun
7. Crazy ideas and adventures.
8. A candle lit evening and watching "Gospel of Luke" to bring in the Sabbath!
9. Friends like Sharon VanCleave that come and eat with our family
10. A fun crafting afternoon at Michelle Cifuentes place
11. All those family members who are or have served our country!
12. Good ol' southern gospel music like this... :D  http://youtu.be/JhNxXBTIjfk
13. The gift of sight, especially after walking 4+ miles around our neighborhood with an eye mask on!
14. The book, "Tear Soup" by Pat Schwiebert and the chance it gave us to create more of our own tear soup and reminisce.
15. a chance to see friends (and meet new ones) and practice in the large choir at Sunnyside Church
16. a fun Sabbath day of eating over at the Segura's, then going to the Fubon Asian market, eating durian smoothies, going to a Jamie Jorge concert, and then ending with pie at Sharis!
17.  a free haircut by Jennifer Lund
18. all my student missionaries and task force! Their willingness to serve and make a difference where they're at, despite the challenges and uncertainties makes me so proud! Keep up the good work everyone! 
19. my crazy little niece, Sierra, who is 3 years old today! And what better way to celebrate a birthday, then to have some frozen durian!!?!
20. the chance to see an echocardiogram done, it made me re-appreciate the function of our hearts!! It is SO fascinating seeing the blood pumping in and out of our valves and chambers so efficiently and precisely (and in some cases, not so wonderfully) and not having to think about it!! God's pretty smart! 
21. Singing hymns with Rachelle.
22. Listening to Herb Montgomery and David Asscherick sermons
23. Selah concerts and seeing friends like Bethani King and Elissa McMurry! 
24. Spending time with Caleb and Danielle and all their kiddos! 
25. My grandparents Bob Clayville and Peggy who celebrated 68 years of marriage! 
26. Being closer to Christmas and having another song by Pentatonix! 

27. All these crazy people being under one roof and having a movie night! 

28. My family's willingness to do something crazy, like dressing formal for Thanksgiving 

29. The Wilson family's kindness in blowing our leaves, patching our roof, and baking us bread. 

30. Aunt Aimee, who came to visit us for a couple day!

My Dad's Humor

I was going through some of my old stuff in storage and I found a couple things that my dad had sent on to me. I'm thankful for his goofy humor. 

Consider My Work History

My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned: couldn't concentrate. 

Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe. 

After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it. Mainly because it was a so-so job. 

Next I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was exhausting. 

I worked as a pilot, but eventually got grounded for taking off too much. 

Then I tried teaching, but I couldn't make the grade. 

I spent a few years as a Psychiatrist, but everyone's problems drove me crazy. 

I wanted to be a barber, but I couldn't cut it. 

Then I tried to be a chef - figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme. 

I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard. 

My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found it wasn't noteworthy. 

I was a pretty good eye doctor, but I could not stay focused on the job. 

I worked a long time as a doctor. I gave it my best shot, but didn't have the patients. 

Next was a job in a shoe factory, but it never touched my sole. 

The Energizer Battery Company hired me but then expected me to keep going, and going, and going...

I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income. 

Thought about becoming a witch, so I tried that for a spell. 

I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining. 

I got a job at a zoo feeding giraffes, but I was fired because I wasn't up to it. 

So, then I got a job in a gymnasium (work-out-center), but they said I wasn't fit for the job. 

Of course, I tried being a secretary, but it turned out not to be my type of work. 

My years as an exterminator were pretty good, but I got tired of the rat race. 

Next, I found being an electrician interesting, but the work was shocking even though it kind of turned me on. 

I was a gardener for a while, but I didn't grow with the job even though it was raking in the money. 

My career as a comedian was a stand-up success, but the critics thought I was a big joke. 

After many years of trying to find steady work I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it. 

My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind. 

You got any ideas? I'm open for suggestions... maybe you have something that WORKS.... cause I don't! 

If My Nose Was Running Money - Aaron Wilburn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpVhn9ErzDA

Mammogram

I've read several of these funny mammogram stories, but even as a man, this one made me laugh until I cried (literally).

The first mammogram is always the worst. Especially when the machine catches on fire. That's what happened to me. The technician, Gail, positioned me exactly as she wanted me (think a really complicated game of Twister -- right hand on the blue, left shoulder on the yellow, right breast as far away as humanly possible from the rest of your body). Then she clamped the machine down so tight, I think my breast actually turned inside out. I'm pretty sure Victoria's secret doesn't have a bra for that.

Suddenly, there was a loud popping noise. I looked down at my right breast to make sure it hadn't exploded. Nope, it was still flat as a pancake and still attached to my body. "Oh no!" Gail said loudly. These are, perhaps, the words you least want to hear from any health professional. Suddenly, she came flying past me, her lab coat whipping behind her, on her way out the door. She yelled over her shoulder, "The machine's on fire, I'm going to get help!"

Okay, I was wrong, "The machine's on fire," are the worst words you can hear from a health professional. Especially if you're all alone and semi-permanently attached to A MACHINE and don't know if it's THE MACHINE in question.

I struggled for a few seconds trying to get free, but even Houdini couldn't have escaped. I decided to go to plan B: yelling at the top of my lung (the one that was still working). I hadn't seen anything on fire, so my panic hadn't quite reached epic proportions. But then I started to smell smoke coming from behind the partition. This is ridiculous, I thought. I can't die like this. What would they put in my obituary? Cause of death: Breast entrapment? I may have inhaled some fumes because I started to hallucinate. An imaginary fireman rushed in with a fire hose and a hatchet.

"Howdy ma'am," he said. "What happened here?" he asked, averting his eyes. "My breasts were too hot for the machine," I quipped, as my imaginaryfireman ran out of the room again. "This is gonna take the Jaws of Life!" In reality, Gail returned with a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. She gave me a big smile and released me from the machine, "Sorry! That's the first time that's ever happened. Why don't you take a few minutes to relax before we finish up?"

I think that's what she said. I was running across the parking lot in my backless paper gown at the time. After I relax for a few years, I figure I might go back. But I'm to bring my own firefighter.

Homeschool Family - Tim Hawkins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM6uqj0_jQc

Frustrations

1) I'm tired.

2) 5 out of the 13 people in this house are sick with colds.

3) Dad is feeling miserable and didn't sleep very well.

Blessings: 

1) I had time to spend with my dad in the night. 

2) There are ONLY 5 sick, AND we get to have family around. 

3) Dad is still with us! 

Peanut Butter Family, Chaos, and Trust in God

My sister, Chrislyn, put a post on Facebook of some of her thoughts... they are many of the same thoughts I am having as well... I thought I would share what she wrote.

------------------------------------------  

August 31, 2013 

People ask me how I/we are doing, so here are some of my babbling thoughts right now. No real flow. 

Sometimes when I stop and think about what's happening to my dad right now, I get this panicky feeling down inside that starts to well up and I think to myself: This can't really be happening… Not to Dad. Dad is the rock in our family. He never even gets sick. He never gets mad. He always has some good insight, wisdom, or perspective, if we stop to ask him and wait to listen. He has always taken care of us, whether it is fixing things that break around the house, maintaining the vehicles, the yard, keeping the fire going in winter, advising us, providing the income… he's been the sanity, the calming influence, and spiritual guidance amidst this crazy family of now 19 (and counting?). There's probably a host of other things he's provided that we just take for granted and haven't even noticed yet… I wonder, what are we without him??? 

I once had a very real dream when I was an early teen. I dreamed that Dad died. It was real enough to me that I woke myself up sobbing. I was so relieved that it was just a dream and the whole day (and whenever I thought of it afterward), I was so thankful that I still had my Daddy.
And every now and then these past two weeks I have caught myself thinking, "I just need to wake up out of this bad dream and everything will be fine again! DAD CAN'T DIE! It's just not possible!" But then I'm reminded that it IS possible. Very possible. In fact, he pretty much has an eminent death sentence hanging over him right now. And only a miracle from God will save him. 

Now, as much as we all need Dad, and I personally don't want to lose him, I'm especially concerned about my four youngest siblings, who have been a part of our family for about 10 years now. Selena, John, Rachelle, and Joseph joined our family at the ages of 3 months to 5 years old, and are now aged 10, 12, 13, and 15. They are living with the potential reality of what was only a bad dream for me at their age. They in particular are confused, irritable, upset, angry, fearful, withdrawn, etc. right now. 

At a time like this it's truly wonderful to be part of such a big "peanut butter family" (we stick together), yet at the same time it can also be overwhelming. There are so many levels of need, from the nursing baby, screeching toddlers, band of hyper-active youngsters thundering and wrestling through the halls, pre teens and early teens with their insecurities and hormonal stuff goin' on, college kids (one of them far away), young parents, the "out-laws", and of course the great matriarch and patriarch themselves. Everyone is stressing, grieving, accepting, denying, questioning, praying, and processing in different ways and at different times. The child side of ME sometimes just wants to curl up in a ball on the couch in absolute silent solitude and cry. But solitude is not something easy to come by around here. It seems like there are constantly kids either fighting, screaming, hungry, bored, or all of the above. My youngest siblings are all trying to talk at the same time and have all kinds of "solutions" and questions. "What if...?" "What if..." "What if..." they ask, coming up with different potential scenarios "if Dad dies". The phone is ringing, house is dirty, laundry is… you get the picture. It's just kinda chaotic. It's probably hard for anyone, whatever our age or stage to really process anything properly right now! 

------------------------------------------
September 2, 2013 

This morning we all woke up planning to get all of us out of the house to take a trip to the beach. Dad, however, woke up feeling not so great. He was rather emotional, and explained to Mom that his head was not hurting, but that it did not feel right, it felt full or something. He felt like there was a pill stuck in his throat that was making it hard to swallow, and he seemed agitated (which again, is not Dad to be agitated). The kids started swarming and stressing and worrying, as were we adults. Short story even shorter: the wonderful Segura family came to the rescue by taking 6 of our 8 minors to the zoo with them today, so that Dad, Mom, Cherilyn, and I can have a short reprieve here to think through, talk, and try to figure some stuff out together in a bit quieter house. 

After talking with the doctor, some of Dad's latest symptoms are probably due to the medications he's on. We're going to work to cut those back, and potentially go off of them completely. Dad is in the final stages of a most aggressive type of melanoma. There's nothing humanly/medically that can be done to cure him. (Maybe a few things we could try that might extend his life... but not really his QUALITY of life.) This is a huge learning and growing experience for all of us. We believe that God is All Powerful and is also a God of life and healing. We believe that He CAN and WILL heal Dad... for His glory, IF that is His will. Whatever the outcome though, we trust Him to work in and thru this situation for eternal good. God is in control. 

We so much appreciate continued prayers and support for our family: for wisdom as we make multiple decisions (such as school for the kids, hospice support, how long I should stay here with the family, etc., etc.), for peace (my younger siblings are stressed and fearful right now), for God to heal our Dad, for us to surrender and trust Him thru it all

A Game of Hide and Seek

This is me. I feel like I'm playing a game of Hide and Seek and trying to find out just where my playmates are hiding. But this time instead of those playmates being 8 years old, it's life decisions and futures. What should I do this summer? (what should I do each week??) Who will I marry? How many kids will I have? What or how many countries will I end up living in?

What got me going on this topic was the fact that I have had the privilege of babysitting an adorable, little 6-month old boy. Holding him in my arms, makes me want one of my own (this semester of OB hasn't helped that idea any!). To have a little one to raise, love, cry, and worry over .

The problem is that there are other decisions that have got to be made right now, as in:

• How am I supposed to be serving God right now? 
• How am I going to make it thru this semester?
• Where would the best place be for me to be his summer be? 
• Can I depend on God... Not really is He trustworthy, but can I allow myself to lean completely on Him and listen to what He tells me to do?

So, I don't feel like I'm getting answers BUT I do know that they will come in due time!

God is Good!

There are many times I can get so overwhelmed with school,  what's expected of me, planning for the future, and just plain worrying.... then God uses some little thing that reminds me that He's SO good and that he's got it all figured out.

Why do I doubt He'll continue working in my life?!?