Being Thankful... For the "I Can"

I love it how different each of my children are.  
You need only ask the question, whilst casually driving in the car, "What are 5 things your grateful for today?" to see how glaringly obvious it really is.
Spencer's answers would be something like this, "I am grateful for cuddles, kisses, wrestling, tickles..." {and anything else that involves physical contact}.
Eliana's would be, "I am grateful for nature, creation, snails, the trees, flowers..." and Tobi's (and this will come as no surprise to those of you who know our Tobi) goes something like this, "I am grateful for pizza, nachos, hot dogs, noodles, ice-cream...." and "...by the way, what's for dinner?"

I had a chuckle last night when Spencer showed me his Thanksgiving craft at the ZOE missionary Thanksgiving dinner.  
I looked down and read the leaves where someone else had scribed what he was grateful for, "Mum and Dad, brother, sister and squid!"

Spencer so often cracks me up.  
He is going through a stage of being really interested in tasting foods deemed as exotic or strange in some way.  I think it all started on our family holiday back in June when he ate a fish eye and LOVED it.  Since then he was asking about having a date-night and eating squid.  
He recently had this dream fulfilled and cooked squid at home with Dave and thoroughly enjoyed the whole process (hence it making it to the Thankfulness Tree).  
So what's next on his list you may be wondering?  
Well, yesterday he was eagerly discussing with us all how on his next date, he wants to eat bugs! Ewww!  At least we live in a country where bugs are a "treat" and readily available LOL!

When it comes to being grateful, we're all different aren't we?  And all our varying life experiences influence what we do or don't feel thankful for.
I know back in Australia if I were to fill up a sink with hot soapy water to wash the dishes (which wasn't often as I had a dishwasher) I would totally take having hot water for granted- it NEVER crossed my mind to give it a second thought.  But, after 2 and half years of not having a dishwater OR hot water in my kitchen, when we moved house a few months ago and our landlord offered to put a water heater in the kitchen, I was seriously almost in tears (with gratitude).  
Now, every time I turn on that tap and hot water comes out and I don't have to go and boil the kettle before washing the dishes, I remember and I feel so thankful... EVERY time!

This is the first house I have ever lived in without an oven.  When we first moved here, this took a bit of getting used to.  Suddenly I could not think of one single thing to make for dinner without an oven.  "What had I done?" I asked myself.  
It didn't take long though to realize that there was heaps of things I could still cook and I moved on with life!  
Well, I thought I had moved on until I had to make something for Tobi's school bake sale and the ZOE Thanksgiving dinner both within a week.
The bake-sale thing wasn't too bad, I managed to remember some non-bake recipes and made some chocolate rum balls (minus the rum) and some chocolate spiders which went well and were apparently all sold out by the time Tobi got there.  
So that issue was okay BUT Thanksgiving was a whole different level.
I found myself madly emailing my American friends for ideas and "googling" Thanksgiving recipes like there was no tomorrow.
All that I could think about was that amazing cinnamon roll pumpkin vanilla sheet cake and yummy pumpkin bread that I'd made last year... in an oven!
I eventually had to pull myself up on my discouraged and panicky state.  Here I was trying to prepare for THANKSgiving and I'd completely lost my perspective.  There are millions of people in the world who don't have ovens.  This was not a major issue.  

And now, the night after, as I reflect back on just what a wonderful time it was, I begin to wonder.  
I wonder how many other times I've almost robbed myself of joy due to focusing on "I can't" and not on the "I can".

Thanksgiving 2012

How often I wish I spoke better Thai.  But instead of fixating on what I don't know and getting down on myself, I should just be grateful that I can sit with my Thai tutor for a two-hour block and communicate. Yes, I might be slow.  Yes I might stumble and make mistakes and have to ask her to repeat herself numerous times but I have made progress over the past few years and, for that, I am thankful.

I am beginning to s l o w l y understand that whilst it is easier to find an excuse as to why I can't, I should make it a priority to find a way to turn it into an I can!

So this Thanksgiving season and heading into Christmas, I want to put away the, "... but I'm too old, too young, not skilled at..., don't have..., don't know..." that stops me from being thankful for all the things I do have and using them!

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. 

If you concentrate on what you don't have, 

you will never, ever have enough. 

~Oprah Winfrey 

Is it just me? Leave a comment below. We love hearing from you!

Delicious~Thanksgiving dinner

Wonderful Wednesday

Ever have those days when things just feel wonderful?

When my alarm went off this morning, I awoke feeling happy and refreshed.  I had two little friends who had quietly sneaked in during the wee early hours of the morning and now snuggled me closely and no real plans for the day (the ZOE kids have school holidays at the moment, so no English teaching for me).  

I tiptoed downstairs to make Dave a coffee and bring it to him in bed followed close behind by Eliana who wanted to make the boys a babycino.

She chatted to me about her dreams and I felt an overwhelming sense of love for this little family that God has placed me in.

When Spencer awoke, he was excited to recap the details of his final doctor's check-up last night for his fractured elbow.  He's been given the all-clear and doesn't even need his sling any more!  We have one excited boy at the moment.  Funnily enough, he started eating his breakfast with his left hand and then soon realized he could go back to using his right hand again.

Here's the results:

The night he broke it.

(Below) Getting the plaster reinforced, to which the doctor was heard muttering "I just don't think we can make it strong enough for Spencer!" Hahaha.

Getting the plaster taken off.  Spencer couldn't stop giggling as he's very ticklish.  The doctor was surprised because he said most children scream just from the noise of the machine.

And... this morning.  No plaster, no bandage, no sling!  Whowhoo!

Another proud achievement recently was Dave getting his motorbike license.  Go Dave!  

FYI I have had a few little rides on the bike, in safe areas, away from the general public, and let's just say... it's going to be a little while yet before I will be confident enough to go on the main roads or go for my license.  I'll keep you posted!

Oh yer, and we finally celebrated Tobi's 7th birthday.  It was a bit overdue but there was pizza, presents and party bags and lots of other things starting with 'P' so it was all good.

BUT, what is it that really makes this Wednesday so wonderful?  

Well, I just gotta say, getting to know God is the most amazing thing.  To be on this journey of seeking Him and getting to understand Him more is so, so humbling but also so incredibly wonderful.  If you don't yet know God, He is so different from any conception you may have of Him, whatever it is. In fact, one of the names God is known by in the Bible is “I AM WHO I AM”. In other words, it is impossible to find any comparison to Him. The strongest, wisest, holiest, most loving and compassionate person on earth does not even come close to comprehending how great God is.

Wednesday is a wonderful day for thanksgiving and praise.

Psalm 28:7 -The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.

Ebenezer... and I'm not referring to Scrooge!

What a wonderful weekend!

I hope that you had one too.

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday with the other ZOE missionary families and had a really fun day.

After church today we enjoyed the only benefit of having a plastic Christmas tree {yes, still grieving} and that is being able to spontaneously decide to get it out and decorate it without any prior planning!

So I've been thinking today about a song we sang in church today, a hymn which I'd never heard before (not unusual) called 'Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing'. 

Well, when it got to verse 2, and the words were "Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come..." I felt a little bit confused. What on earth was it talking about?

I was so glad when the visiting speaker volunteered the information during his sermon and his explanation, combined with me doing some further reading when I got home, had me pondering this really interesting word.

You can read more about it yourself in 1 Samuel 7:12-14 but the word "Ebenezer" comes from Hebrew which literally means a "Stone of Help."

Samuel publicly dedicated the stone as a monument to God's help and faithfulness. And as the people got on with their lives, the stone stood there, visible to all who passed that way, a reminder of judgment and repentance, mercy and restoration.

"Ebenezers" might be something like a cross, a picture, a prayer journal or a song. Things which serve to remind us of God’s love, presence and assistance.

This Thanksgiving I want to give thanks to God for the wonderful "Ebenezers" that God has given me in my life.  I want to continue to share these with my children so that they too will grow up knowing just how much God cares for them too. 

I'm looking forward to my kids being strong enough readers to be able to go back through this blog and relive all the answers to prayers and 'help' God has given our family.  

I know when I get moments to read back through, I am reminded of God's faithfulness, provision and promises every time. 

Have a great week,

Andie :)

Samuel was a wise and godly man with a good idea. He recognized something that's true about human nature—we're forgetful. At Ebenezer, Israel could stand next to that big old rock and remind themselves, "Yes, we serve a living and faithful God, whose mercies are everlasting."  Charles Lehardy 

What "Ebenezers" do you have in place to remind you of God's help and faithfulness?  Have you come through a difficulty recently that has you standing in a place right now where you finally feel hopeful again? 

A Year of Harvest- Reflecting Back

This is just like reading back through my journal and flipping through the pages of memories of months gone by and being reminded of all there is to be thankful for.
Continuing on with my "Thanksgiving" theme from yesterday, here's some highlights from my year just gone... And some of the things that I am grateful for:
Just being loved, even when I'm being {a bit} unlovely.  
The gals from Rockford who made me laugh.
Rainbows after the rain.
Mothers. Moms. Mums. Mae.
Visiting home (our Australian one).
Birthdays! Birthdays! Birthdays! Coffee.... and more birthdays!
And some good old school holiday fun.


What are some of the things you're most grateful for this year? 
Do share!!

thankful for: getting our washing machine fixed!

thankful for: protection during the floods

Celebrating the Harvest

I'm excited!  It's nearly Thanksgiving Day.

Okay, I know it must seem odd.  An Australian living in Thailand and getting excited about an American holiday, right?

But when we moved here, we not only found ourselves landing, smack bang in the middle of the Thai culture and customs but a also a sub-culture of American volunteers who we work closely alongside.

And this is how we end up; with a blend of Australian, Thai and American celebrations sprinkled throughout the year.  What a privilege to have such an interesting and diverse place to live.

I imagine that reaping a harvest is not always easy, especially in conditions where harsh and unpredictable weather affects the outcome.

It is evident from just driving around during the planting and harvesting seasons here in Thailand, just how labor intensive the method and process rice production is.  Rice farmers very carefully plan their harvest and they need to know the exact time to drain the rice field and to harvest the rice. 

But when it comes time to harvest, to gather together and collect what they had spent so much time sowing in to... what had been such hard work...

then, there can be celebration!

And so as Thanksgiving draws nearer, and I am "googling" recipes and wondering what to make, I also begin to question, what is my "harvest"?  

What is it that I look back on from the past 12 months that I have been working on, planting, watering, praying for, putting effort in to, waiting for?

What "harvest" am I celebrating?

And so, my harvest is not wheat, seaweed, grapes or rice.

My harvest is my relationship with God.

My marriage.

My three children.

My family.

My friends.

My contribution to ZOE and stopping child trafficking.

My fitness and health.

These are the areas that I am working on.  

These are the things that I spend my time pouring in to, pursuing, fixing, loving on, supporting, correcting, mending, repairing and improving.

These things are what I want to celebrate this Thanksgiving.  

Is the season of planting easy?

Not all the time.  Sometimes it's back-breaking work to get up early enough to have a quiet time, to set aside time just to listen, to continually correct and discipline, to keep in touch across the seas, to make a difference, to go for that walk or to make a healthy choice... but ...  I will see a harvest.  I may not fully see it yet.  

But it will come.  And I am thankful for that.


What's your harvest?  Leave a comment!

Thanksgiving

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving 

with all the other missionaries.

Check out the photos from our first "Thanksgiving" here!