From The Director, Kathy Irvin:
November Newsletter - Attitude Of Gratitude
Weary! Know that feeling? Ever had one of those overflowing periods of time when you feel like you are always on the run. Days are jam-packed and everyone seems to need you. There doesn't seem to be a moment to catch a breath let alone any "me" time. I felt weary last week and then it hit me while I was taking the long scenic route home to avoid Friday traffic, be grateful, be very grateful. Do we really want empty, uncommitted days? Is life a pain in the neck or is the daily grind a gift? It often feels easier to grumble and feel sorry for our plight. If only we could get off the treadmill. And yes, perhaps our days are too full, too much. But, hidden in our crazy schedules are the gifts. Maybe we need an attitude check. Maybe we need to adjust the way we look at our days. We have children wanting us. Children we prayed for, cried for, waited for. We have jobs; some volunteer and some paid that need us and give meaning to our days. We have friends and partners that need our ears and our arms. We have lists of responsibilities that need our attention. All of these occasionally make us feel anxious or mad or hurried or upset or resentful. The journey can feel heavy, the burden overwhelming. I remember when my sons were little I used to dream that I was just sick enough to require a hospital stay for one night. Ah, to have a full nights sleep and someone to bring me my dinner. But now, I am more inclined to send a thought to God thanking Him for a paw print on the floor, noise in the house, one more errand, a mouth to feed, the garage door closing. It is right in the middle of all this living that we find the little moments of joy. Thank you God! Sometimes when I have nothing left, God taps my shoulder and says, "See! Open your eyes and your heart. Life is good!" Thank you God! And if we can truly believe that the overflowing stuff of our days is good, our children will believe it too. We certainly want them to be grateful. Parents and teachers prod children to say "thank you". But, the gratitude we really want our children to feel and believe is not for the material. Don't we want our children to see the bigger picture? Life as precious! God has given us incredible gifts. Hugs, sunshine, work, colored leaves, laughter, dogs, toes that can dance or kick a ball …. We talk about these gifts at school. "Isn't God amazing! Look what our hands can do!" We sing about them in Chapel. "Thank you God for this fine day right where we are! Thanks you God for families right where we are! Thank you God for friends at play right where we are!" And, for those days when the way seems difficult or long or lost and the gifts hard to see, may we reach deep inside and find gratitude for a God who journeys with us, sometimes even carrying us. Our children need to know this God too!