Grat no 11: "See you at The House Grandpa"

Yesterday I officially said my final goodbye to my Grandpa. It was a beautiful service and I was so proud of my own Dad who had organised the service, written the eulogy and then delivered it with such composure, love and respect for his Dad.

I am grateful for my Grandpa and the life and love that he shared with us. Grandpa has really been the only one of my grandparents whom I can recall sharing such a strong faith and love of God with me. I loved how interested he was when I used to call him up for a random chat and I will always remember these times with a lot of fondness. The last time I saw my Grandpa was last Saturday night. Mum, Dad and I went in to visit him at the hospital. This was a really difficult time - I thought I would not be as emotional as I was, but watching my own Dad say his last goodbye to his Dad really hit me hard. But it was just so precious seeing how excited Grandpa was to be finally going home. "See you at The House son" he said with a cheeky smile to Dad.

My Mum described this visit with Grandpa well, she said He has one foot on earth and one in heaven already" and it was so true. All of his senses were heightened and he could see and hear us without even using his glasses or hearing aids.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to give my Grandpa one last kiss, tell him that I loved him and wish him a 'great trip'. P'haps even more precious was when he told me he loved me and gave me the most beautiful wave as I left the room. No-one else saw that child-like wave that he gave me...I will treasure this beautiful memory forever.

Today I am grateful for my Grandpa. "See you at The House Grandpa"

Love Melinda

xx

Grat No:10 Having coffee with the Sun on my face

Another airport grat from Tammy...I find that the time I sit waiting for the flights give me a chance to reflect on the day; the week; the month...year....that's been. I often do a combination of computer work (yawn) thinking; or people watching- the latter two are much more enjoyable!

This morning Im flying out of Launceston,Tasmania back home. I'm grateful for finding some yummy gluten free toast at a cafe this morning (believe me it can be a challenge!) and enjoying possibily the best coffee I've had! Those of you who know me well, know my love of coffee, so this is a BIG call calling it the best, but...Ahhhh, each mouthful I just savoured. Whatever the girl making it put in it I dont know but man oh man I enjoyed it. Thanks God for having the money to buy a coffee. You provide everything- all our resources and lately I am reminded of that in so many different circumstances. I find it is a lesson that God is teaching me at the moment- Jehovah - my provider- I find its one I forget sometimes as I focus on the customers that give me business and pay my mortgage/rent. I forget that it all comes from God, my provider, and merely comes through their hands...and then mine...and others. Im reminded to be deligent with the funds that come through my hands and be kingdom focused. You rock God!

Number: 9 The Big Red Ripe Strawberry

Well today my little girl just got bigger! She is now officially 4 years old - wow!

This morning we celebrated her beautiful life with a Strawberry Party. If you had wandered through our house today you could be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled into a real strawberry patch...our house has officially been strawberryfied!!

And what a wonderful day it was!! I was so grateful to have had 5 of my closest girlfriends and their kidlets there to make the day really special and memorable. I was also really grateful that I had had the opportunity to do so much party planning with my sister in Thailand...it really helped me feel like part of her was there when I looked at all the things we had hunted out and bought together for the party. Kind of made me feel like she wasn't missing out so much as well. I liked that. This party was also the first time I had really included my Mum in the planning and I really enjoyed sharing this with her, and seeing her get really involved. I am so extremely grateful that my amazing hubby was able to take the time off work and be apart of the day even though it was on a weekday (ahhh the perks of being the boss)!

Finally I am grateful for my beautiful Bella. I am so grateful for the soft hearted, generous, loving, funny, strong willed, determined, self sufficient, fashion conscious, friendly and nurturing little person she has become over the past 4 years. Her inner strength continually amazes me. I am in awe at how her confidence has increased... how her love and understanding of God is growing and deepening. How her ability to seek and show love is blossoming. How her capacity to overcome, learn new skills and excel is developing at such a rapid and exciting rate. Her loving and nurturing spirit for animals and young children brings a tear to my eye. I feel so blessed to have been given this very special child by God to watch over and care for. Words cannot express how much love this precious child.

So my main gratitude is all about you my little strawberry girl...I am so grateful to be your Mummy...to see you grow bigger every day...to show you how to love and nurture...to introduce you to an amazing God who created you and has a plan for your life...to enjoy you and all that is Bella Imogen Hynes.

I love you Boochie-coo, happy birthday sweet girl.

Number 8: Forgiveness

I am grateful for God's forgiveness. When I have to deal with forgiving others I am reminded about how extremely glad I am that he forgives me.

Number 7: Catch me if you can!

I am grateful for the opportunity to run out to the shops today on my own. Although it was only for about half an hour I managed to get about 5 jobs done in that time- yes my productivity was incredible!! I am very grateful for moments like these, when both my kiddies are asleep and my hubby is working from home which allows me to quickly dash out.... ahhhhh so nice:)

Number 6: Communication

I am grateful for the time spent talking on the phone to my mum and sister today. It was so wonderful to hear their voices and get up to date with their news.

I am so thankful for the technology available to me to email, send photos, call someone in another country, Skype and Facebook.

Number 5: Keep Focused

Certain people are put in our lives at particular times by God to help build us up, lift our spirits and keep us focused on living in a God-centered way.

I am grateful for the different people I can see that God has strategically placed in my life for this reason.

I love that he knows exactly what I need to hear and I love seeing the creative way he comes up with to communicate his point.

Sometimes he provides this encouragement or direction straight from the Bible, and other times he hides it in the beauty or complexity of nature.

But so often I find he uses these special friends in my life who have a similar faith to mine, to help empower, challenge and encourage me.I am grateful that I love a God who is bigger than me and my problems.

Number 4: A new friend!

I made a new friend today. A lovely, inspiring lady named Laura. Her and her husband and their 3 young children moved to Chiang Mai about 5 months ago and work in a children's home.

Today I am thankful that we could meet and have coffee. I am grateful for our similar experiences, sense of humor and the opportunity to share. Here's her blog. http://www.lauraleighparker.com/

Number 3: Psalm 65

I am so grateful for the new bible study group I started last week. Ironically this week's study is all about Psalm 65... a psalm of gratitude!

I am starting to feel the 'community' life now and making friends and venturing out... I am glad for these things!

Number 2: Shhhh

I am grateful for a chance to catch up on some jobs while my two little beauty's sleep peacefully.

Ahhhh it's so nice to do this without interruptions:)

O.k so I may be regretting this later on tonight when my eldest can't get to sleep at her normal bedtime LOL

Actually it is usually a lovely opportunity to spend some quality time alone with her, so it really will be a win-win situation I think!

Number 1: Real

Sometimes issues arise which make you laugh, cry, raise your eyebrows in utter confusion or make you a little hot under the collar. But isn't it amazing what you can learn about yourself and others, despite all that flurry of emotion. I feel grateful that I have the ability to learn from the experiences I have had in the past, to better deal with and cope with the more interesting scenarios life sometimes throws at me. I am grateful for a very level headed and wise husband and two very funny, cute girls to keep me real and sane.

1000 Gratitude Challenge

We're thinking about following the lead set by Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience.

But we're going to work together to make a list of 1000 Gratitudes!

Do you want to join us as we reach our goal and begin to feel more joy, less stress, better health and more connected? Email us at:

melhynes@mac.com

Spring Grat

I am grateful for the warm spring weather. I live by the river and with longer hours of daylight I have been really loving going walking and jogging along the river!

Friends Grat

I am very grateful for my friends - in particular today for the friends I have at uni. I often feel surrounded by support and care as I travel through my training and other life experiences. I think that I have grown and developed in my confidence over the years and feel really respected by the people who I go to uni with, despite the fact that we are a very diverse group of people and I am one of the youngest :)

A life worth living...

I was at a training earlier this month and they were talking about the concept of creating a 'life worth living' the term really struck me and connected with some things I have been learning over the past few years about values. I am grateful that as I am 'growing up' I am starting to learn how to identify my own values and how these fit with me to create my own version of a life worth living (for me). I am also grateful that this allows me to respect and honor the values of others and their own version of a life worth living.

I have been really challenged lately with a lot of stuff being thrown my way (not to mention, just how busy life gets) and I think in the midst of that it is easy to lose sight of the things that really matter. I am grateful that I have had a few experiences and opportunities in the last week or two that have helped me to reconnect a bit with what is most important in my life.

Meke

Loss & Memories Grat

I have to say this week I have been rather reflective. One reason is that my grandmother (who passed away early this year) would have been turning 90 this week. I am grateful for happy memories and for all that having in her life taught me about myself, about patience, respect, caring for someone when they may not be able to care back and unconditional love. My grandma was someone who was very unwell for a long time, and I cared for her in various ways since I was 11. I am grateful that I was able to do that. Grateful that I am not left with regrets and grateful that she was able to come to my wedding - to share such a special day with me and to have an outing (her last I think) that I know brought her so much joy.

Punk Pigeoni

Well HI ya' all, It's been a LOOONNNGGG time since I gratted- not to say that I havent been grateful but just often dont make the time to touch on the old keys..

I find myself up early and sitting in one of my God spots with coffee in hand...ahhhh.. I'm struck by nature again this morning. God often speaks to me through it.

For the last few days I've been watching this pigeon build his nest in a tree in my backyard. I've nicknamed him "Punk" cause he's one of those types with the mohawk bit on the top of his head. Pigeoni- well thats my made up word from travelling in Italy some years ago, so when you say it, please do so with an italian accent!! Frankly he is kinda cute for a pigeon!

Anyway Punk is a hard worker. He's up early flying back and forth collecting twigs in his mouth and bringing them back to obviously build his nest. His nest-I can't see- but it is towards the top of the tree, and he's such a clever dude that he goes in through the top and out through the side- front and back door if you like. I marvel at his instinct.

I sit here, chilled with my coffee and think "Man, I'd love to help you and make it easier for you." I could just get some string and ball it up; or I could leave some twigs closer to his nest so he didn't have to fly and hunt for them. When I was thinking this this morning it suddenly dawned on me that I wonder if thats how God feels about me- or us?

Maybe He's watching us going 'Ah, I'd love to help you..but' Now don't get me wrong, He does step in- often- but often too He doesn't. You see, if I helped lil Punk put together his nest then it would have my scent on it, and from what I know of birds (whic frankly is very little!), I think he would either abandon his nest; the chicks (are pigeons babies chicks??) or both. So by helping- or what I think is helping- I'm actually hindering him.

We often talk about the refiner- God molding us and allowing our decisions and experiences to grow us. Just like me with this pigeon, Im sure God wants to intervene all the time, stop us from making mistakes, or help things move quicker- hand over a few twigs to make it easier and quicker..lead us to greener pastures an all that..

Perhaps if He stepped in ALL the time our 'nests' would never be complete?

Just a thought... Tam

Boy or Girl?

Today I wanted to reflect on my gratitude for the beautiful group of girls from my LifeGroup. They are 7 of the most funny, friendly and loving people and I am so appreciative of them. Last night we had a baby shower for three of the girls who are pregnant and due in the next few months. It was such a great night of laughs, yummy food and some funny baby shower games! I personally love new babies...I love the anticipation and celebration of the new life that is growing inside these beautiful women... and I love friends who I can share the ins and outs of life with. This past year has been full of a lot of highs and lows for me and several of these girls have been there with through it. My gratitude is for their love and support and for the inspiration and encouragement that they continue to be to me. I feel very blessed with this group of girls.

Baskets baskets baskets galore

I got the best bargain today. I have been waiting for over 2 years to find really cheap nice brown baskets to match my house and today FINALLY I went to Sam's warehouse and wallaaaah I got the most perfect baskets of various sizes for ultra CHEAP! They were basically giving them away LOL. I am grateful for this bargain that has now become my mothers day present - is it wrong that I am already using them?!

Mel

All in a days work

Today's gratitude focusses on the privilege of working. I feel really grateful that I am able bodied (although maybe bleary eyed a lot of the time) am quite capable of typing, emailing, faxing, creating spreadsheets, downloading and basic account keeping - just to name a few things. Sometimes I sit in my study (like this evening) and I multitask several of these things all at once!!! Gee it feels good lol! So tonight my grat is for the ability to work, be it for our business, our personal family affairs, my admin job or even of a more social nature...it feels good to have these skills and be able to use them:)

Mel

Fairy Party

Today my 3 year got to go to a Fairy Party at a dance school. It was such a great party - very well run and I feel really grateful that she was able to have such an awesome time dressing up, dancing, playing games, eating party food and doing the obstacle course etc. Plus it was lovely to have a chance to see her playing and having a great time with her new kinder friends. I was also really grateful to see how confident she is becoming. She was such a happy and willing participant and while I checked on her from time to time, she was absolutely content to join in and follow the 2 girls who were running the party's instructions. It just really warmed my heart and again reassured me how my quietly confident child is really 'growing up'!

This and that...

On a final note, I am grateful for all the 'little things' that are adding up to such a blessed life for me right now. Although I have faced lots of tough times this year, I have been challenged to grow, learn and to stretch myself in really major ways.

I am grateful for my ongoing studies and the chance to do something I love - learn! Also grateful for my role as a tutor this year, it has been a new and fun experience for me and I have been really proud of my own confidence in taking this on!

I am grateful for our 'new' place. How blessed to be able to set up a little home of our own with so many new things we were given for our wedding. I am loving having candles and fairy lights on, listening to music, sitting on our deck and sipping a glass of wine. Just feels so perfect I almost have to pinch myself.

I am grateful also for my growing sense of self-compassion as I continue to face high levels of stress, loss and being in a position where I am having to actively confront some of the difficult times from the past. I feel confident in my ability to support myself and I also feel confident that I am surrounded my people who are willing to support me (husband, family, counsellors and friends) what a huge blessing!

Now time to go sleep - another thing to be grateful for, the chance to sleep in this morning. A true luxury these days!!

Two wonderful little people...

I am grateful for my two beautiful little nieces who bring so much light into the world and for the chance to go and visit family interstate recently. What a blessing to share in the lives of these little people as they grow and develop their own personalities.

Also always grateful for hot drinks (GJ's), chats and the fact that when gained a brother I also gained another sister too. Woot for me!

Passing Away

Although this is a slightly more sombre grat, I wanted to say that I am grateful for the life of my grandmother (who passed away recently) and for the fact that she is now free of the suffering she experienced in the past few years and particularly the days leading up to her passing.

I am grateful that I was there with her in those final days, as difficult as they were, and that she was not alone. I am also grateful that at the end she was resting peacefully and I was able to say goodbye and take that moment to be with her whether or not she knew I was there.

I am grateful that I decided to stay there with my mother and assist in caring for her the day before she passed away and as a result provided support during a very difficult time for her.

I am also grateful for the relationship I shared with my gradmother and the fact that I feel confident that she knew I loved her and cared for her - and was able to make it to my wedding as her final outing before she passed away.

New Job

I am grateful that my partner got a new job and has been able to transition over from his old one (which he had to leave as his time there was ended). It all happened in good timing, he is loving the new job and he increased his rate of pay! Just feeling very happy for him and blessed that he is enjoying work each day.

Honeymoon

On a related note - am grateful for an amazing time in Bali for our honeymoon. It was such a lovely time of fun and friendship to re-group after the wedding. We had a great time and really valued the opportunity to be there and relaxing.

Wedding Grat (from way back)

Soooo due to very slack gratting I have a few major things to be grateful for that go way back!

First and foremost, I am so grateful for my amazing wedding (a few months ago). It was a perfect day and everything I could have hoped for. I am so grateful and feel so blessed to have married an amazing man - surrounded by family and friends who were all wishing us the best for your future.

In addition, we had perfect weather, the whole day ran like clockwork and all the outfits came together great despite people coming from all over the country! I was able to share the day with my whole family and that was something that was really important to me.

REFRESHING

I am grateful for the rain. How wonderful to finally have a whole stack of rain to make our garden grow, our new plants and vegies thrive and not to mention the fact that we are in a drought and desperately need the water (well in Victoria anyway!) I can't recall the last time we had 3 thunderstorms in the space of a week!! Bring it on I say - I used to think Summer was my favourite season but now I'm not so sure! I am loving Autumn:)

Fly to me

Today my grat is for having my hubby back home safely. He had to travel to Sydney for work and got home very late last night...and it so lovely to have my bestie home to hang out with again!!!!! He has worked so hard for our family over these past 2 weeks and I feel really grateful that it is looong weekend and that he finally grab a little R & R that he so deserves!

Gotta hand it to you - what a bargain!!

I am grateful for a birthday voucher I was given back in Dec. I have been umming and ahhing about what to spend it on and yesterday I got the best bargain on a lovely handbag and wallet - both of which I was in desperate need of new ones as mine were literally falling apart!!!!

It is the first time I have ever spent more than $20 on either of these items and it feel so nice to have ones that look like they might actually last the distance!!!!! Gotta love quality yay.

So I am grateful for my friends generosity, my voucher, the getting a great bargain and my stylish new handbag!!!!

Cool Relief

As I spoke to my sister on an international call this afternoon I could hear a strange noise.

I didn't think much of it as there are a lot of weird and wonderful things that happen here in Thailand but as the afternoon wore on I heard it more.

By the time I was putting my eldest two children to bed, I exclaimed "I think that sounds like thunder but surely not...".

It's the dry- burning off season here and the air quality is currently horrendous. Rain isn't due for another month or so I thought, but sure enough it was thunder!

Standing out on our upstairs balcony, the three of us said a prayer for some rain- despite the odds.

The children have been kept inside at kinder the last three days because the air is so bad so once I explained that the rain would hep clear the air, they started proclaiming rain too ... in faith!

Well, they snuggled down to read some books waiting for my husband to get home, who'd been working late, and as we heard him coming up the driveway we peered out the upstairs windows... low and behold there was spits of rain!!

We were all so excited and the children loved it that God heard their request.

I am so grateful to now be sitting here in my study with the windows all open, a coolish breeze blowing into the house and the sound of rain still hitting the roof and ground.

We have had our curtains closed and windows shut for the past couple of weeks due to the air quality, soaring temperatures and bugs so it's a wonderful, miraculous surprise and I am extremely thankful! Yay!

PS Mel, we cancelled our Thai lesson earlier too so after all that, we can enjoy this beautiful evening! I'm off to dance in the rain...like this picture LOL

Passport grat

I am grateful that today when I went to complete my 'working with children' check at the Post Office that I realised my Passport has actually just run out!!!! I am grateful that I can get onto it now and that I realised before I booked any tickets O.S!!!!! (Yay for being able to fill out the form on line and it was super easy!)

Plus I am grateful that it has made me become more organised with the kids passports and now we are all well underway to having them done:)

Shine!

Since arriving in Thailand, it has been a whirlwind of experiences and emotions.

Discovering where to shop, how to connect mobiles and home phone, get licenses, learn the language... the list goes on.

In particular, deciding on a church is a decision that we are currently making that takes considerable time, planning and energy. It's quite difficult to take 3 small children with us to a different church each week, not knowing what to expect or even if the service will be in English! How I miss those Sundays of familiar surroundings and people.

A time where the children were excited to attend their church program and looked forward to seeing their teachers and friends.

My grat today is for the wonderful, refreshing, challenging women's conference (Shine) I attended last weekend. It was so great to be able to get away by myself and have plenty of time to listen to the messages, sing uninterrupted, "fill up" with lots of encouragement and go back to my family feeling refreshed and ready for the next stint. This was really special for me and a time that I feel particularly grateful to have had.

Kinder Grat

I am so grateful for the beautiful teachers who have made my daughters first experiences of kinder so warm, welcoming and POSITIVE! It's fantastic how much she loves kinder and while I am not saying it will never happen - I have been thoroughly grateful I have not had to battle "I don't want to go Mummy".

I feel thrilled with the way they have integrated the children into a 2 full day per week program. It has been well thought out and very nurturing.

An extra special thing I am grateful for is my Mum who has kindly offered to collect Bella each Thursday afternoon. This routine is just perfect for her and it is with such great anticipation she looks forward to Grandma picking her up... at times I can't tell which one she is more excited about! It is just lovely for me too as I don't have to rush off at 2:45pm either...making it heaps easier for me to do a big stint of work while my little one sleeps!

Definitely lots of gratitude from me when it comes to Thursdays and Fridays!!

I Will

I will smile even when I am discouraged

I will hold my head up while I feel weary

I will remain calm though I feel windswept

I will be peaceful despite the frenzy of problems awaiting

I WILL rest my cares on the shoulder of my heavenly Father

For what else can I possibly do than this?

I WILL wake at the dawn of a new day

And choose be a reflection of the life and love that He is.

A great day!

I'm grateful for a very uplifting day with God, Ash & my church family!

Backspace Button

Have you ever typed a sentence, only to backspace and delete it?

I do this all the time…for many reasons. Sometimes it’s because what I have written has come out the wrong way - it just wasn’t what I was trying to say. Other times it’s because it is worded badly…will anyone even understand what I am getting at? Sometimes it is just because the words are bound up inside and trying to get them out is like scratching and poking at a splinter just hiding beneath the surface of the skin. Whatever the reasons, I backspace a lot!

I wonder if I could backspace in real life…what things would be different. Would I try and backspace the things I have said that were unkind, even cruel at times? I think I’d like to be able to do that. There are even some events in this past year I feel like I would like to ‘backspace’ and delete. The strange thing is however, I know God has allowed these circumstances to occur, and he is using them to help me grow. So I remind myself, does that mean these experiences aren’t painful? Does that mean that I have no emotions attached to them? No of course not. It means that I need to learn to ask God to give me the strength to endure rather than question how can I erase what has just happened to me.

Isn’t that a challenging yet fantastic phrase “God give me the strength to endure” these challenges. This is my prayer at the moment. Each day seems to bring new challenges, new struggles that remind me that I weak, frail, emotional, full of faults and failures. Each day seems to be full of things that I wish I could ‘backspace’ and do again, hoping for a different outcome. But I am confident that as I am reminded of how fragile I am at the moment, that God is my strength, he is my Father and he will help me to ENDURE and overcome. It might not be today or tomorrow but I will begin the see the changes in myself that he is doing. I will begin to see that rather than relying on a backspace to fix my messed up life, I can rely on the real AUTHOR… the one who had plans for me before I was even born. The one who is the beginning and the end and the ONE who doesn’t need a ‘backspace’ button to write the story of my life.

BUG OFF!

It's been a huge week. My hubby and I were furiously racing around getting kids in bed etc on Friday night to finally sit down and spend some time chilling out because we had hardly seen each other this week and low and behold we found a bug infestation in our house! Well it started gradually, first we noticed them in our eldest daughters bed and room. We promptly popped her into our room and began dismantling her room bit by bit. From what we could tell it looked like bedbugs. The more we read about bed bugs the more stressed we became. They nest anywhere and everywhere, you need professional bug killers, you need to HOT wash everything and dry everything in dryer. Often people just burn things or throw them out because they are so extremely difficult to get rid of. So anyway we started doing the hot wash and dry thing to try and begin the clean up process, incredibly one flippin bug made it through alive both the processes!!!!! We were feeling quite discouraged (did I mention tired?) by 2am when we realised they were in most rooms of the house and the piles of clothes and doonas bagged up kept growing. So we fell into bed for 5 hours so I could continue to dream of squishing bugs!! I should mention too that our daughter had bug bites all down her arms which is a common place bed bugs bite. I had them on my feet as I'd been in her bed the night before to settle her. (Prob upset now I think of it, because she was being eaten by those nasty critters!!!)

Anyhoo, we had found a bug inside our pillow so we were pretty worried about the bugs being inside our new mattress (our daughters was very old so we were happy to through it out).

So the next day came around very fast and we soon realised we needed help...Nana came over about lunchtime to take the girls for us and we managed to find a company to come over and spray our house. YAY. You should have seen our house...it looked like a bomb has hit it literally. You could not walk for tripping over massive 60 litre black garbage bags full of clothes, toys, doonas etc.

The bug guys were great. They said they looked very much like bed bugs but didn't think they were big enought to be bed bugs. It took them a while to decide but eventually the verdict was given...they weren't bed bugs BUT of course it was still an infestation so we had them treat the whole house. However it DID mean we didn't have to do all the washing we had originally thought so PRAISE GOD. But since a lot of the stuff was mixed in with dirty clothes, half washed half dried, some still had bugs in it...it still meant for a bit of fun at the good old Luandrette. Now there's a place that I don't frequent very often! So we came home yesterday afternoon to our house that was bug free had very literally been soaked form wall to ceiling! Yep...all the walls, floors, mattresses, couches everything!!! By about 9pm last night after drying out the house it was pretty much all back to normal....what a huge evening it was though putting the clothes away, the rooms back to normal, and thinking man if we were tired Friday night, we are EXHAUSTED now!!!

So how grateful do you think I was when we fell into bed and realised we could have a sleep in this morning because the kids were staying at Nana's house?! YEEHA! Plus, my grat is for the fact they were NOT bedbugs but just very gross bugs that could be killed easily and for the fact that the bug people could come out on the day we called them!

Most of all my grat is that THEY ARE ALL GONE NOW!!!!!

Settling in Thailand

Since arriving in Thailand we have been so wonderfully blessed by those around us.

I am grateful for all the help we've received: things picked up, being driven around for 2 and a half weeks, meals made for us, household items and toys leant to us and just general assistance with getting our family organised.

Today my husband is off securing a car so finally we'll have our own transportation to get around AND on Thursday our shipment of boxes will be delivered to our house. This is so exciting as we've sent over saucepans, towels, children's bedroom items and much more and I am hanging out to properly set up home.

There is a lot to feel thankful for today....

Since

Don't sleep through this grat.

Today my grat goes to the fact that our bed sold on Ebay for a great price!!! Yahooooooo

Splish Splosh Splat Grat

Wow I still get amazed at the small things that happen, that clearly demonstrate a higher power going before me.

Today was the first week back of swimming for the year, for my 3 year old. It was a new day, new time and new class. The previous term she had been going with her cousins so I was wondering how 'different' it would be this week. HOWEVER God in his graciousness had it all sorted. When we arrived, we found that none of the other 3 girls had been able to make the first week, so low and behold, my normally fairly timid (in a group) child, got to have her whole lesson one on one with her teacher!!! This was of course perfect because she hadn't seen her for about 6 weeks and it was just the best way for to feel so comfortable and at home. Plus the lesson was tailored exactly to her needs! On top of that, right at the end of her class, her little friend Charlotte and her Mum walked up and they were in the group after us...this is my friend was playgroup who the girls actually started out in the same class together when they were in the preschool classes! It was only Charlotte and one other little girl in that group and so Hellen the teacher asked if I wanted to swap Bella to the 11am class from the 10:30am class. HOW PERFECT!!! Now I have someone to sit and chat with while I watch the lesson, Isla has a little playmate to keep her entertained and the girls get to be in the same class as well!!!! This is the same lil friend who Bella did dancing with for a term also and they just LOVED seeing each other during the week and at playgroup:)

Man I am so grateful that God is not bound by times or circumstances and that he manages to coordinate everything so perfectly. How great that he sees the big picture unlike me who finds it hard to plan 2 days ahead LOL!!!

My sparks

I am grateful for my beautiful little Island. The way her eyes light up when she looks at me, the cheeky shine that is always there. She warms my heart and I just want to eat her up. She is always looking for ways to make us all laugh and it usually doesn't take long to it either! Her strength of character and posture is remarkable. I am excited to see how God uses her friendliness and strength in years to come. I feel so blessed to have her in my life, especially bringing me such joy at the moment.

And I am grateful for my sweet gorgeous Bella. Her kindness and generosity astounds me. Her thoughtfulness is far beyond her years. God has given her the most compassionate spirit and I feel blessed to have her around me each day, especially as a comfort at the moment.

Milestone

Today my 2 little girls both went to their kids church program together. It was the first time my littlest was old enough to attend. And it was sooooooo adorable to see them 'looking after each other' lol.

My grat is that I was able to sit in church and listen to the message without a billion interruptions from my cute but distracting 18 month old!

Fingerprints

Yesterday I farewelled my big sister, bestfriend and fake twin (as we would joke) as she moved to Thailand with her husband and 3 little children. I can't recall the last time I cried this much. The pain of knowing how much I will miss having her around feels a mixture of 'unbearable' and 'plain disbelief'. But and there is a but...how grateful I am to have had the past 29 years to develop a truly beautiful friendship with her. I feel so blessed to have so many happy and crazy memories of our time hanging out together. In my goodbye letter to her I explained it was like she has left her fingerprints all over my life. Everywhere I look, everywhere I go and everything I touch, I see her. Whether it is the clothes she has given me, the roads I would travel frequently to visit her, the many trips to G.J's for a creme brulee chiller and five hundred babychinos, or simply the endless memories of fun things we have done together. Those fingerprints are everywhere and while they are causing me so much sadness at the moment as I imagine my life here in Australia without her, I am also so very extremely grateful that those fingerprints remain there. They are a constant reminder of how much I love her. How much she has helped to shape me and how much better my life is because she is in it. I am grateful for these fingerprints...and when I eventually stop crying, I will look forward to getting over to Thailand to spend time with my beautiful B.S and bestie.

I now pronounce you...

My grat for today is for the beautiful wedding that we all had the privelege to be apart of on Friday. My sister-in-law married her best friend and boyfriend of 7 years in the most spectacular and glamorous fashion! Everyone looked gorgeous, and the day went off with any blips on the rader. My specific grat however is not for the incredible limbusine we had on the day (a minibus mated with a limo for a very sweet ride) nor is it for the fabulous weather that shone on us all day...but rather my grat is for the fact that this beautiful couple have found love and have committed to loving each other for the rest of their lives. This is the most wonderful gift and I know they will treasure this and protect it. I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to be apart of their lives and now their wedding day... to be able to share in watching them become husband and wife was amazing. I am so thankful for their friendship and for the impact they have on our family. We are truly blessed to have them in our lives especially considering for so long we didn't even know where the other one lived! Yay what a totally fantastic gratitude todays is!!!