No, I am not starting to blog about Christmas quite yet, though I did see a house last night that had a huge Christmas tree in their window while they had illuminated jack-o-lanterns and were handing out candy on their porch to trick-or-treaters. Crazy.
November is here, and I have this welcomed sense of calm today. The hubbub of Halloween is over. Football season is done for us. The "newness" of the school year is gone and the kids are settled in to their new school routines. Mid-term exams are taken and graded, and my courses are smoothly sailing toward conclusion. November, to me, is this four weeks tucked into the fall that often gets glossed over on the way to December.
But, let's stop. Let's not get caught up in racing toward Christmas, in buying into retailers' desire to have us frantically shop and spend money over the next 8 weeks in preparation for Christmas. I have been really convicted about this during the past couple of years........we have this amazing holiday celebrating the bravery and fortitude of our forefathers. Celebrating their willingness to do whatever it took to secure religious freedom. Embracing a new land. Reaching out is kinship to people who were very different from them. Thankful for God's faithfulness in bringing safety and pouring forth a bountiful harvest. Now if that isn't something to reflect upon and celebrate, I don't know what is.
Last year, I started a tradition here on my blog of taking one thing or one person that I am thankful for, and writing about them here, a different one for each day of November. And I want to continue that this year. For one, I think that an attitude of gratitude needs to be intentionally cultivated, especially in the me-focused society in which we live today. For another, it just forces me to stop and take inventory of the many, many ways that God blesses me......that I often overlook and take advantage of and just don't actively appreciate.
For today, this first day of November, I am thankful for Barb. Barb is the principal at my kids' school. She is a wonderful principal, the kind of woman who meets every child at the front door every morning, greets them and their parents by name, and exudes this warmth and caring about her in every interaction. Not only is she a skilled and exceptional leader for our school, but she is an outstanding personal role model for the children. And I count her as a personal friend whom I admire. Today, Barb is culminating years of hard work and is defending her doctoral dissertation. She has already raised her own children, but she continues to learn and challenge herself and set new goals. And she is willing and always searching for ways to use her experiences to challenge and model for those children in her care. Barb, thank you for your tireless optimism and the energy you devote to loving and nurturing Kennedy and Hayden, as well as all of the children at Brown. I am praying that all is going well for you today--that God is granting you quiet confidence and clarity of thought and word--and that we will soon be able to say "Congratulations, Dr. Barb." And it takes a special woman to dress up as a life-size red crayon one day and stand before a committee to defend her doctoral research the next.....you go, Lady!
November is here, and I have this welcomed sense of calm today. The hubbub of Halloween is over. Football season is done for us. The "newness" of the school year is gone and the kids are settled in to their new school routines. Mid-term exams are taken and graded, and my courses are smoothly sailing toward conclusion. November, to me, is this four weeks tucked into the fall that often gets glossed over on the way to December.
But, let's stop. Let's not get caught up in racing toward Christmas, in buying into retailers' desire to have us frantically shop and spend money over the next 8 weeks in preparation for Christmas. I have been really convicted about this during the past couple of years........we have this amazing holiday celebrating the bravery and fortitude of our forefathers. Celebrating their willingness to do whatever it took to secure religious freedom. Embracing a new land. Reaching out is kinship to people who were very different from them. Thankful for God's faithfulness in bringing safety and pouring forth a bountiful harvest. Now if that isn't something to reflect upon and celebrate, I don't know what is.
Last year, I started a tradition here on my blog of taking one thing or one person that I am thankful for, and writing about them here, a different one for each day of November. And I want to continue that this year. For one, I think that an attitude of gratitude needs to be intentionally cultivated, especially in the me-focused society in which we live today. For another, it just forces me to stop and take inventory of the many, many ways that God blesses me......that I often overlook and take advantage of and just don't actively appreciate.
For today, this first day of November, I am thankful for Barb. Barb is the principal at my kids' school. She is a wonderful principal, the kind of woman who meets every child at the front door every morning, greets them and their parents by name, and exudes this warmth and caring about her in every interaction. Not only is she a skilled and exceptional leader for our school, but she is an outstanding personal role model for the children. And I count her as a personal friend whom I admire. Today, Barb is culminating years of hard work and is defending her doctoral dissertation. She has already raised her own children, but she continues to learn and challenge herself and set new goals. And she is willing and always searching for ways to use her experiences to challenge and model for those children in her care. Barb, thank you for your tireless optimism and the energy you devote to loving and nurturing Kennedy and Hayden, as well as all of the children at Brown. I am praying that all is going well for you today--that God is granting you quiet confidence and clarity of thought and word--and that we will soon be able to say "Congratulations, Dr. Barb." And it takes a special woman to dress up as a life-size red crayon one day and stand before a committee to defend her doctoral research the next.....you go, Lady!
1 comment:
Thanks for not rushing into December without truly celebrating November. Having lived in Plymouth MA for many years, Thanksgiving is a special time for our family.
Always a good time to take time to thank the people who make a difference in our lives.
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