Reality Check.

I cannot believe that the first snow is falling and that this year is almost over! I had a nice "reality check" tonight. Despite the cold and snow, I needed a few things from the grocery store for dinner. So I bundled up Teagan and headed out. As I was going through the isles there was this little old lady who struck me odd. She was bending over and picking things up off of the floor, moving displays in the isle to look behind them, and at one point looked under my cart! We made eye contact, and I smiled and asked how she was doing. Her reply... "I've lost my food stamp card and I have been looking all over for it." I told her I was very sorry and that I would look for it as I finished my shopping. I finished up and never saw it. I re-walked every isle hoping to see it. When I was checking out I saw her putting her groceries back on the shelf and my heart just broke. So in that instant, with out really thinking about it, I asked that cashier for "cash back" and I went and handed it to her. She was SO overwhelmed and all I could say was "Happy Thanksgiving"... I did manage a quiet laugh as I walked away because she had about 10 boxes of toaster strudel's in her cart! In that quick trip to the grocery store it made me remember how much my family has to be thankful for this holiday season. How often I take it for granted and choose to focus on my petty "trials". A few days ago I received an email from a childhood friend. We had been talking about some of these different "trials" and discussing how amazing it is to see how God teaches us things through it all... if we let him. She gave me a few songs that she had been listening to that she felt had really been ministering to her heart. On that same album I found a song called "Be thou near to me" (it is the first song on my play list on this blog). The entire song is amazing, but there are two phrases that have stuck in my head.

Seeking the joy of love unspoken... So often I seek to find joy in things that really cant give it. Jesus' love is just there - without conditions. And it is the only TRUE joy we can find.

As I wander through this life, Be thou near to me... I know there are times where I will feel like I am wandering aimlessly but as a child of God I get to take comfort and know that he is always with me.

So my goal this holiday season, and every season for that matter, is to seek the unspoken love of Jesus and to start every day by asking him to be near to me. By doing that, I think it will keep in perspective ALL the blessing I have been given.

Here are a few of my greatest blessings....

A warm and comforable homeMy 2 boys... Even though I want to kill them sometimes :)

A daddy that adores his daughter.


And of course... Teagan Janae