Tuesday, November 10, 2015

G.I.G.-Day 10

   When it rains, it pours. My maternal grandmother, the one that lives nearby, has been enduring chemotherapy and radiation for brain cancer the last few months. She completed her treatments and we were hoping she was on the way to recovery. However, it was determined that she now has cancer in her lungs. My niece is still in the hospital and my heart is just breaking for my family. I am so glad that we have each other. I definitely think that my faithfulness to be grateful is being tested!

     I kind of just want to crawl under my covers right now, and wake up like a bear when it is spring. However, this is an opportunity to "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18) so I will do my best!

Today I am thankful for:

1. Our choice to move to Washington. Being close to family during this difficult time has been so sweet.

2. Memories that have been made. My kids have gotten to see their great-grandmother more in the past year than they had in their lives up to us moving here. We have had the privilege of taking lots of photos, little trips, and creating lots of sweet remembrances.

3. Knowing I am not alone. Texts, comments, prayers. I am always awed by how people, believers, rise up when you have a need. It is very sweet.

4. Photos. My kids are young, and my memory is fragile. I am thankful that I can look back and see these little glimpses into the past and be reminded of all the love.

5. Daily life. Growing up, my mom always told us that the remedy for sadness was work. It sounds a little heartless, but in reality it is the truth. The pull of everyday living keeps me tethered to the here and now, when I just want to sit and weep. It is a good reminder that life that goes on-not that there is not time for grief, but just that it can't rule me.

6. My blog. I am no literary genius. But it is such catharsis to put this "down on paper" as it were. It helps me to process.

7. Sleep. "He giveth His beloved sleep." The sweetest release on earth from a heavy heart, and I am thankful that for those few hours, I can leave it all behind. I know that sleep seems often denied to those with heavy hearts, so I am thankful that I haven't been.

8. Television. I am not going to lie: also a very convenient way to escape reality for a little while.

9. All the verses my mom made me memorize as a child. I didn't attend Awana, so the majority of the Scripture I learned as a kid was all thanks to my mom. And it daily comes back to me, to comfort me and remind me that this is not the end.

10. Prayer. "Take it to the Lord in prayer..." Oh, is there anything better to do with a burden that to leave it at the throne of Grace? No, there absolutely is not. He knows, but better yet, He *cares*. I am so, so thankful that I serve the Lord of lords, and He is willing to listen to me...

   Gratitude does have a way of helping you find a little perspective, doesn't it? What makes you thankful even when skies are gray?

1 comment:

  1. Clare, I love reading your blog and it is very cathartic for me! My heart is heavy with all of you as we wait on the Lord. Praise God He is still King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He sustains us through every day. God bless you and keep the words flowing! I love reading them! They are truly a blessing!

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails