I hope you whistle this all day long:

Gene Kelly puts a smile on my face and a song in my internal jukebox.

I am grateful for a baked sweet potato last night. I’d never had a sweet potato other than sweet potato fries. A sliver of butter and a little cinnamon, and it was wonderful. Still love the fries better, but after going 25 days without potatoes, it was so good.

I am grateful for my umbrella.

I am grateful for texted pictures of my Texas grandkids this morning.

I am grateful for the privilege of taking a walk at the beginning of the rain this morning.

I am grateful that my children are grown and raised and I am not responsible for raising them in this culture we find ourselves in. Parents of young ones need so much support and prayer. God, please protect my grandchildren from this world.

I am grateful for a McDonald’s vanilla ice cream cone during an evening walk.

And I am grateful for the sound of thunder and the patter of raindrops.

I am grateful for Bob Goff and his message to do love. If you haven’t read the book yet, how many times are you going to read me imploring you to read the book? If you want a copy, I will send one to you. You just have to promise to read it and pass it on to someone else when you are done. You will NOT REGRET reading his book.

I am grateful for the loss of 12 pounds!

Most people need love and acceptance a lot more than they need advice. – Bob Goff 

I am grateful for my cousin Sheri.

I am grateful for a video of Anjalie rolling over for the first time.

 Anjalie Rolls Over

I am grateful for indoor plumbing.

I am grateful for anticipation of finally getting to eat a potato again! 

I wonder if this works with squirrels:

Chicken Hypnosis with Bob Goff

I am grateful for beautiful flowers that Moira brought to me this morning.

I am grateful for beautiful lilacs that Joyce brought to work this morning from her yard. The whole office smells heavenly today. Mom would approve.

I am grateful to have co-workers who blessed me with kind words, gift certificates to the movies, and a gift bag of wonderful smelling soaps, just because.

I used to want to fix people, but now I just want to be with them. – Bob Goff

And I am grateful for the birth of a little guy named Gabriel, arriving on Tuesday afternoon weighing 5 lbs, 12 oz. You’ve got a wonderful Mommy, little one.

I am grateful for a text message from my daughter on Sunday that said, “Happy Resurrection Day!”

I am grateful for another part of the Easter message on Sunday about our “defining story.”  What or whom we choose to focus our attention, with whom we associate, what fills our mind and thoughts, the shows we watch, the music we listen to, the material we read, our experiences and how we allow those experiences to affect us – it all plays a part in our defining story. Adam spoke of the man who filled his mind with hate and associated with people who also filled their minds with hate, and after so many years, that hate defined this man, until he acted out on the hate and killed three people on Palm Sunday. He didn’t begin life this way. But his story began to change course when he invited hatred/evil/Satan into his daily life.

From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. – Philippians 4:8

I am grateful for memories of Mom’s “Easter Story in an Egg” project that she would always do for her Children’s Church kids and for my girls. She would collect those enormous pantyhose eggs, L’eggs eggs, and fill them with a dime or nickel, a hard piece of bread, a piece of fabric that was ripped, a thorny stick, a nail, two toothpicks tied together to form a cross, a white piece of cloth, a smooth stone, etc., and then she would always want to sit with the girls and teach them the whole Easter story and ask them to tell her what every item meant. I loved this about Mom’s Easter. Part of her defining story… 

I am grateful for the softness of a baby blanket.

I am grateful for the cool, crisp mornings. Too soon they will be warm and sticky.

I am grateful for the invention of cooking spray. It’s a pretty convenient item to have. Especially when needing to coat a bird feeder pole right before leaving for work in the mornings so that the squirrels can have a slide to play on during the day.

I am grateful for the yellow bird that blessed us with its presence on the bird feeder on Saturday. 

This day, I choose to speak thankfulness, not bitterness. I choose to speak blessing, not complaint.

And I am grateful that my church is named “Church of the Resurrection.” I am grateful that I am a part of a group known as “Resurrection people,” followers of Jesus.  I am grateful that my story is daily being re-defined and I am one step closer to Christ-likeness and heaven.

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from His perspective. – Colossians 3:1-2 (The Message)

I am grateful to have learned a very valuable lesson about treating parents with respect and honor, about appreciating time spent while there is still time. So many that I love are dealing with the heartache of their children making choices to sever ties, to distance themselves from their parents and extended family, treating them with either polite detachment, or even worse, with obvious disrespect… and my heart hurts for them all. I am grateful to have had the time to spend with my Mom, to see the fragile person she was and get a glimpse of the brokenness in her life that made her even more beautiful as she aged. I am grateful to have the time now to spend with my Dad and get to know him and share life with him – those times will become more and more precious as we age. I am so sad to see children who say they love God and are followers of Jesus treat their parents and families with distance, silence, and a lack of respect, not caring to take an interest in their lives, only concerned about their own.  I am grateful to have two parents who are/were far from perfect but taught me to love unconditionally and accept one another, regardless of behavior/beliefs/status, who taught me that family is important and should be a priority. I am grateful that I learned early on that making those visits to see grandparents is important in the life of a child. I am grateful that through the heartache of so many loved ones all around me right now, I am learning for myself how important it is to be a good example and share love, share Christ’s love, because people watch how we treat our loved ones.

I am grateful for a beautiful, challenging Easter message about Mary Magdalene, the tragedy of the past week, and this scripture…

…and for a variety of music to listen to during the services.

Easter Song – Keith Green

I am grateful that my Dad drives, doesn’t mind making the trip to Kansas City, and chose to spend Easter with us this year. It was such an enjoyable weekend, and I love spending time with him.

I am grateful for time spent with Angela and Rachel.

I am grateful for the privilege of playing for Abbie, Heather, and Tara at their middle school vocal contest on Saturday morning.

I am grateful for a picture of Anjalie on her dedication day yesterday.

I am grateful for pictures of Parker/Reilly this morning in my inbox.

I am grateful for memories of Easter egg hunts with my girls and with Parker. Some of my favorite memories ever are of creating Easter baskets for the girls and putting them at the foot of their beds on Saturday nights after they were fast asleep, and then hearing them wake up in the morning and discover their baskets, complete with whispers and giggles. Oh, to experience that sound again…

I am grateful that my church has a sunrise service, even if it is indoors. We got to watch the sun rise on our way, so early in the morning. I am glad that Sam is an early riser and doesn’t mind beginning the day this way, rather than sleeping in.

I am grateful for a wonderful Saturday afternoon attending a Royals game with family.

I am grateful for peanuts in the shell.

I am grateful for pictures of the two Ferguson graduates, Adam and Jarod, and for a graduation announcement poem from their parents, straight out of the “Grace’s Guide to Writing a Family Poem” book.

I am grateful for time spent working in the yard, pulling weeds. It’s good therapy.

I am grateful for a long walk that resulted in some sore muscles this morning.

I am grateful for Pink Lady apples. And for an abundance of blessings falling from the trees all around me.

I am grateful for a very pleasant drive, looking at trees and houses on Saturday evening with Sam and Dad.

I am grateful for a freshly painted, very sunny yellow room, and grateful for Orlando, the fastest room painter ever.

I am grateful for un-manicured fingers that show evidence of hard work. They’re not pretty, but they aren’t afraid of getting dirty, either.

I am grateful for the smell of Mexican food that wafts through the air, almost as good as tasting the food.

I am grateful for the taste of fresh pineapple.

I am grateful that Sam’s Club had big boxes of watermelons in April, and grateful that we decided to chance it and get one – it was so good.

I am grateful for relaxing conversation on the patio during lunch yesterday. A warm breeze and the music of birds added a beautiful touch to the Easter afternoon.

I am grateful for the smell of flowering trees.

I am grateful for friendly people to sit by at the Royals game.

I am grateful for a new mixer. Thank you, Sam.

And I am grateful for friends and family who share their heartaches with me. It’s true that we go through our own heartaches in life so that we are able to listen and support others in their time of heartache. I want to be a good listener.

I went to a concert this morning. Talk about an awesome venue. The backdrop on the stage was so gorgeous, perfect for a Great Friday. It was this massive screen that had been designed by the Artist, with brilliant splashes of grays, blues, oranges and pinks, and as the music played, the screen changed, going from a pale dim to a brilliance that took my breath away. 

The musicians sat on a stunning stage, too. The chairs were a variety of styles, some draped in florals, some in delicate greenery, others showing the bare beauty of the craftmanship of their Creator, each chair designed to be unique, showing off its lovely individuality against the glowing backdrop I was so privileged to view.

And the music. Oh, the music was the sound of Heaven, I am sure. The instruments were expertly tuned to the precise specifications of the Conductor. And the songs those musicians played took my breath away. I am absolutely sure if words had been added to the music, would have gone something like this:

At the Cross

Alas! and did my Savior bleed and did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?

Thus might I hide my blushing face while His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt my eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’tis all that I can do.

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

But this is what I actually heard:  

Great Friday Music

I am grateful that I am not a mattress mover. I would hate my job. Someone needs to invent handles on the sides of mattresses, or a mattress sling or something like that for average people when we have to move mattresses. There’s nothing to hold onto, they are heavy and awkward and in the way of our feet, and if I never had to move another one, that would be okay with me. Wait. I just looked it up on the internet. THERE ARE SLINGS MADE TO MOVE MATTRESSES!! But how often does the average person move a mattress in order to justify purchasing a mattress sling. Oh, the dilemma.

I am grateful for yesterday’s devotion in Dad’s book from Charlie and Patsy. What a great story and message for me today:

Thomas Carlyle labored with intensity on the first volume of a three-part study of the French Revolution. He felt it could be his greatest work. He loaned the manuscript to his friend John Stuart Mill to read, and Mill read it by the fire. One morning, the maid, cleaning the room and seeing the scattered pages on the floor, threw them in the fire. When Carlyle learned his manuscript was burned to ash, he sank into abysmal depression. Sometime later, still desolate, he saw a brick mason through the window. The man was standing on a scaffold, singing and whistling to himself as he built the wall of a house one brick at a time. Watching him, Carlyle decided he would write his book again, one page at a time. His history of the revolution became famous, and he is remembered as one of Scotland’s literary giants.

Perhaps you’ve lost something very valuable to you. Don’t give up. Tomorrow still holds a bright promise, and the Lord blesses faithful, plodding work. Let’s take it step-by-step, day-by-day, and moment-by-moment.

I am grateful for Windex and Comet.

I am grateful for the wisdom in the following sentence. When I first read this, my reactive thought was, “Oh, Angela needs this one. And Sam. And Dwight. And Michelle:”

Learn to say no, so your yes has some oomph.

And then the Holy Spirit’s conviction kicked in.

Now, to follow through and DO IT, in not just my activities and commitments, but my spending, my eating habits, and my relationships…

I am grateful for the space heater at my feet.

At this point in life, I am grateful for time to just sit and relax. Life is too short to be busy all of the time. I know in a new season of life, I will be grateful for things to do, because life is too short to waste it just sitting with nothing to do. But for now, I am grateful for that time when I don’t have to fill it with busy-ness. It’s okay to relax and enjoy a book, or a movie, or a ballgame, or a bike ride, or a pleasant afternoon on the patio listening to nature. The projects and work and cleaning will still be there. For another day. 

And I am grateful for the conviction of the Holy Spirit when I make the choice to complain, when I say something totally worthless, hurtful, and unnecessary, and when I am less than Christ-like. Like last night. I am grateful God forgives and loves me in spite of my ugly.

I am grateful that I will see my counselor this evening.

I am grateful for Mom’s pastel-colored deviled eggs, although I have never eaten one. They were always a tradition on the Easter table, and they will be on the table on Sunday, too, just for my Dad (and anyone else in the family who likes deviled eggs.)

I think I need to make these, too:

I am grateful for a daughter who sounds happy and for random, “nothing in general” phone conversations with her once again.

I am grateful for people who send handwritten notes and cards in the mail.

I am calling you to a life of thankfulness. I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving. The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and Controller of the universe. Heaven and earth are filled with My glorious Presence.

When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you could run the world better than I do. From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I’m mismanaging things. But you don’t know what I know or see what I see. If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view heavenly realms, you would understand much more. However, I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight. I lovingly shield you from knowing the future or seeing into the spirit world. Acknowledge My sovereignty by giving thanks in all circumstances.

I am so grateful for my Dad today.  This morning, I was reminded of our conversation we had this past weekend that began with him wanting to remember how difficult it was for my Mom to breathe in her last two years here. The way he remembers? He climbs all nine flights of stairs leading up to the apartment.  He has begun to do this on a daily basis again, not only to remember her pain, but it’s wonderful exercise for him, as well. And the added benefit was revealed at his doctor appointment last week – a normal blood pressure reading. I am so grateful my Dad is physically active, still works full time, wants to remember Mom in this way, and shares his stories with us. And I am grateful for a normal blood pressure reading.

I am grateful for my pastor.

I am grateful for a little girl named Sienna who now helps me at Bingo on Tuesday evenings.

I am grateful for pay day.

I am grateful for an abundance of awesome devotions today – so I am including two of them in my grateful so that I do not forget their message. This one is from my church devotions, as we read through Luke, this morning from chapter 22, when Peter denied Christ and failed as His follower and disciple:

…Peter failed.  The man who many consider the head disciple failed in being a disciple.    This is one of a select few stories that appear in all Four Gospels.   Each Gospel was written between 70 and 95 AD, years after Peter was a legend as the rock upon which Jesus will build his church.  Each church that received a copy of the Gospels would have known the “Peter the Brave” and the “Peter the Foundation” version.  They would have been shocked by this Scripture showing Peter’s weakness.

How would anyone ever have learned about what happened in that dark area outside of Jesus’ prison that night?    Peter must have told them.  Peter must have told others about this specific failing for it to be picked up by all the Gospel writers.

Peter failed, then he told the story of his failure as the event where he found God’s forgiveness.

So, what do we do with this particular Scripture?

We fail like Peter.   When we fail, we tell others about it.

As a personal example, I fail as a disciple of Jesus.   I fail to always read Scripture primarily for my soul and instead tend to read it for how it applies to others’ souls.  I struggle loving people who remind me of certain high school friends.  I draw healthy boundaries, but sometimes what I perceive as a “healthy boundary” was simply an excuse not to do something.  I fail, more than you might want a pastor to admit.  Reading this Scripture, I decided to fail like Peter and share it with you.

This week, I suggest you try failing like Peter too.  See if you have an easier time talking to someone about Faith if you begin with a specific example of a time when you failed.   Announce how you are in need of grace like everyone else and see how that changes the conversation.

You don’t have to be perfect to be a disciple of Jesus. – Rev. Steven Blair

I am grateful that I am a failure, saved by Grace. My sins have been shared with the world, and I survived the shame and guilt. I am “one of those people” now, and I can tell you confidently, I would MUCH rather be on this side of that line. Because this is where I find Jesus. He loves me as I am, right here, dirt, grime, sins and all. He thinks I was worth dying for. I may have lost some friends and family in the process of failure, but I gained my life and a relationship with my Lord, my Savior, my God. And for that, I am imperfect and grateful.

I am grateful for a nice mattress.

I am grateful for time spent with Cindy and Keith on Saturday.

I am grateful for memories of the little house.

I am grateful that not every day is like this.

I am grateful that computers and Microsoft Word include a delete button.

I am also grateful that Word has an undo button.

I am grateful for an email from Geri.

I am grateful for a piano to play when I am alone.

I am grateful for the beauty of the daffodils outside the building that were soaking up the sunshine this morning.

I am grateful for a car to drive.

I am grateful that Sam took care of tax day.

And I am especially grateful today for this short clip from Sunday’s message:

Into Thy hands, I commit my spirit.

I don’t understand.  It is hard for me to fathom that as I sit at the piano in the rehearsal room, I can look out at the 60+ kids holding their music and practicing and think that one of them will be shot and killed by a former KKK Grand Dragon at the young age of 14. That isn’t in my realm of reality. That is a scene from a movie, a chapter from a book of fiction, a nightmare that should be forgotten at daybreak.

But it isn’t a scene from a movie or a chapter of fiction. It IS in this realm of reality, because we live in a broken world. It DID happen to one of those who sat in that rehearsal room. No one is immune to violence and evil.

I am grateful for my devotions this morning from Luke 21 and grateful for this message included:

…Holy Week is not a perfunctory set of days on a calendar. Holy Week is living testimony. It prepares us with the assurance that in the middle of our darkness, the light of the world is at work.

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28. 

The testimony of Holy Week is that darkness does fall – but we must turn our eyes to the light that is coming on Sunday. Jesus is the LIGHT that wins out over darkness forever and ever. Amen.

I am grateful for the reminder today of the skit my choir kids used to do with candles and the song, “This Little Light of Mine.” Four or five students would stand side-by-side on the stage, each holding a lit candle, singing the song. One at a time, they would be overcome with temptation, or doubt, or shame…and they would blow their candle out and bow their heads. When the last student was left with a lit candle and was in danger of being affected by the “world,” he/she would begin to sing louder and louder, and then lit the candle of the next classmate, who would then join back in and sing, sharing the light with the next classmate, until they were all letting their light shine once again, singing loudly and without shame. It always gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. A very effective message…

I am grateful, that in the midst of tragedy, there is reason to hope.

I am grateful, that in the midst of tragedy, there is good to be found. It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.

I am grateful for tragic events like this that slap me in the face and make me realize how much more I should be grateful, that life is too short, and I never know how much time I have, so I cannot hold back in telling those I love how much I love them.

I am grateful to have a relationship with Jesus. I cannot imagine facing tragedy with no hope.

And I am once again grateful for the message my pastor brings every year at this time:  The worst thing is never the last thing.

I am grateful for ice cubes.

I am grateful for doors on bathroom stalls in women’s restrooms. These are a luxury I take for granted on a daily basis. However, even though they provide wonderful privacy among sane and respectful adults, a door on a stall does not prevent children from curiosity. I will never forget being in a public restroom with Amanda and Nanette, and a not-so-little boy about 6-7 years old decided to peek into the stalls. I was MORTIFIED. And his less-than-strict Mom just nonchalantly said, “Stop it, Joey.” I wanted to SCREAM. Amanda and I got the biggest kick out of the incident for so long afterwards and would “peek” into the spaces of the doors every time either of us happened to be on the other side, just so we could hear the other one say, “Stop it, Joey!” I miss Amanda and Nanette.

I am grateful for flannel pajama pants.

This is the day that I have made. Rejoice and be glad in it. Begin the day with open hands of faith, ready to receive all that I am pouring into this brief portion on your life. Be careful not to complain about anything, even the weather, since I am the Author of your circumstances. The best way to handle unwanted situations is to thank Me for them. This act of faith frees you from resentment and frees Me to work My ways into the situation, so that good emerges from it.

To find Joy in this day, you must live within its boundaries. I knew what I was doing when I divided time into twenty-four hour segments. I understand human frailty, and I know that you can bear the weight of only one day at a time. Do not worry about tomorrow or get stuck in the past. There is abundant Life in My Presence today.

I am grateful for my mid-morning snack  and the unexpected pleasure of unsalted peanuts and celery, together, that gives just a hint of celery/peanut butter taste, which spurred wonderful memories of lunchtime at CBA.

And I am grateful (allow me one of these to just childishly imagine this), that Mom now has a squirrel from our backyard to play with in Heaven.