Day 2003 -- New Beginnings

If you've wondered why you haven't heard from me since April 21, then wonder no more.  Not, you see, because I have a legitimate reason for this blog hiatus.  It seems, rather, that there was no reason at all for such a break.  It was just that -- a break.  So, my friend, wonder no more.  Ignorance, in this case, is not so much bliss as it is accurate.

Why did I stop?

I don't know.

Why am I starting today?

I don't know.

It's not that I stopped being thankful and that I once again find myself thankful tonight.  It's just that it's time to start again.  Today I will delve back into the 2000+ day stretch of being grateful and continue the pursuit of thankfulness.  Today this break will end.

I've been thinking lately about what I think about.  Is that weird?  Let me tell you, it's not often pretty.  Proverbs 23:7a says, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..."

So maybe this is exactly what I need to do and was motivated not so much by my Heavenly Father, who always knows what I need. You see, my thinking hasn't exactly been beautiful lately. I'm terrified to go back to school and,  consequently, my thoughts have been full of fear and weakness. Perhaps dwelling instead on the profound number of blessings in my life is the best way to approach this fall. If I don't want to live in fear, stress, and chaos, then I can't think I fear, stress, or chaos either.

This morning, I'm choosing to be obedient. Although I would prefer to wallow in fear and pity, I am going to try to meditate on all of the beautiful things surrounding me and bring this habit with me into the new school year.

This morning, it's the simple pleasures of this air-conditioned Bigggby Coffee and a cup of delicious brew. It's a quiet moment and a chance to reflect. It's the chance of thunderstorms this afternoon and the ache in my legs from completing a 12 mile training run yesterday. It's Phillipians 4:13 and the 3 sweet kids still sleeping at home. It's so many things that when I really begin thinking about them, I become overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness.

And if what I think in my heart is to become what I am, this is what I want to be.

Thank God for a new beginning!

This new beginning coincides with the purchase of two fish: Bubble the guppy is now living in the girls' room and Gus the goldfish is my new classroom pet.

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