Now, here's a hard list...naming just seven things to be thankful for. I could list 7,000 things and still not be anywhere near finished.
1. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ--the salvation I have because of Him, the blessings I have because of him, the gift of the Holy Spirit in my life.
2. The letter that I have from my Father that I get to read every day and remember how much He loves me...The Bible.
3. My family--I am the youngest of 5 "kids" (the oldest kid is now 56 years old...), and, while my Dad passed away almost 3 years ago, my mother is still here and in good health and we have LOADS of extended family...and we all enjoy each others' company. Today we had about 25 for Thanksgiving, not even that big a crowd for us.
4. My kids...I have two teenage boys, and they are just about the most awesome kids on the planet!
5. Health...though I have had some health struggles this year, still I am grateful that I can still get up and make it to work every day (well, MOST days), I can still take the stairs instead of the elevator, I can still take care of myself and my kids.
6. Books...I love to read, lots of different things, and I think we too often take for granted all the great literature we have at our disposal.
7. Music...although I can't sing well, I love music and I love to sing, and I am glad that we have a choir director that loves having even the untalented because he knows it's not about the quality of the choir voices, it's about the quality of the worship....
oh, and also: pie; clothes; a warm, cozy bed; laughter; FOOTBALL, basketball, soccer, baseball, and other sports; friends; teachers; American soldiers, past and present; missionaries; photography; computers (except when I get the BSOD, I'm hardly ever thankful for that); dishes and silverware (cause if I had to eat off the floor with my hands, well, I just don't know how grateful I'd really be about that); cats and dogs and marmosets and lemurs and tigers and giraffes and even monkeys, although NOT the evil flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz...I am definitely NOT thankful for them, because they scare the bejeebers out of me; VeggieTales; great movies, like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the Sting, Citizen Kane, even "newer" ones like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc; COLORS (just think, God could've made everything in halftone, or only produced Web Safe colors, and THAT would be borrriinnngggg; feet and lips, because where would you be without those (except NOT feet touching lips, that's just GROSS); bananas, CHERRIES, and blackberries; spinach and artichokes, even if they're together (unless there's like, a whole artichoke in your spinach, don't think that would be very tasty); Diet Dr. Pepper, IBC Cherry Limeade; Fire; Lights (can you imagine still having to do everything by candlelight or lantern? although we would probably all get to bed earlier at night...), candy corn, potato chips, cell phones, except for when people call me and I don't want to talk right then, or when I WANT to call someone and the thing won't work, or when I get the bill for the stupid thing; my JOB and almost all of the people I work for (if you work with me and you're reading this, YOU figure out which ones I mean...); the awesome little toys that I always get in my stocking...
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Seven Places I've Never Gone...in my own Hometown
We go on vacation to see all the exciting things in other places, and we wonder aloud when our friends or family who live there say they've never been to some of the places the tourists all flock to. Then someone comes to visit US, and we find that we are just as guilty of ignoring the vacation in our own backyard.
So, the next time you need a break but can't quite afford the time or expense of a vacation, just take a day and pretend you've taken a trip, then go visit the sites that are all around you. What would some of those sites be for you?
My list of possible hometown vacation destinations:
1) Gatlinburg Ski resort--I've been to Gatlinburg for other things (only when I have no choice), but two major things keep me from skiing there: The Crowds, and the fact that I can't ski.
2) Three Rivers Rambler--this is a riverboat that travels down the Tennessee and has several "special" outings throughout the year, including a Christmas river ride. I think it also includes a meal on board. This is actually high on my list of things to do.
3) Downtown haunted walking tour--don't remember the name for this event, but it happens, of course, around Halloween every year. It is a walking tour around some of the more historic sites around the downtown area, replete with the tales about the spirits that allegedly haunt the area.
4) James White's Fort--at one point, I worked within easy walking distance of this site; it's still just a 5 minute bus ride away...but somehow I just never make it. James White was one of the city founders.
5) The Dogwood Trails--each Spring, the city hosts a Dogwood Festival which includes a number of trails in each area of town. The trails are all marked with painted dogwoods along the road, so you can drive the route without even a map. The nice thing is that these trails don't just take you to the great big, expensive "Home Beautiful" kind of homes--there are a variety of different areas, some are older neighborhoods and some are newer, but they are all beautiful at that time of year. I HAVE driven down some of the trails, but would like to visit every trail one year.
6) Hiking trails and waterfalls--We live close to the Great Smoky Mountains, where thousands of folks come just to hike and see some of the beautiful waterfalls...again, I HAVE done some of these but I'd love to add some new ones to my "completed" list (although I'll have to get the knees working a bit better...former soccer goalies don't make good old people!)
7) The Sunsphere--remnant of the World's Fair, the Sunsphere is one of the more popular landmarks downtown. I was there during the Fair, but in recent years it had been closed and in a bit of disrepair; it was re-opened to the public not long ago, and I keep meaning to go but just haven't made it yet.
So, the next time you need a break but can't quite afford the time or expense of a vacation, just take a day and pretend you've taken a trip, then go visit the sites that are all around you. What would some of those sites be for you?
My list of possible hometown vacation destinations:
1) Gatlinburg Ski resort--I've been to Gatlinburg for other things (only when I have no choice), but two major things keep me from skiing there: The Crowds, and the fact that I can't ski.
2) Three Rivers Rambler--this is a riverboat that travels down the Tennessee and has several "special" outings throughout the year, including a Christmas river ride. I think it also includes a meal on board. This is actually high on my list of things to do.
3) Downtown haunted walking tour--don't remember the name for this event, but it happens, of course, around Halloween every year. It is a walking tour around some of the more historic sites around the downtown area, replete with the tales about the spirits that allegedly haunt the area.
4) James White's Fort--at one point, I worked within easy walking distance of this site; it's still just a 5 minute bus ride away...but somehow I just never make it. James White was one of the city founders.
5) The Dogwood Trails--each Spring, the city hosts a Dogwood Festival which includes a number of trails in each area of town. The trails are all marked with painted dogwoods along the road, so you can drive the route without even a map. The nice thing is that these trails don't just take you to the great big, expensive "Home Beautiful" kind of homes--there are a variety of different areas, some are older neighborhoods and some are newer, but they are all beautiful at that time of year. I HAVE driven down some of the trails, but would like to visit every trail one year.
6) Hiking trails and waterfalls--We live close to the Great Smoky Mountains, where thousands of folks come just to hike and see some of the beautiful waterfalls...again, I HAVE done some of these but I'd love to add some new ones to my "completed" list (although I'll have to get the knees working a bit better...former soccer goalies don't make good old people!)
7) The Sunsphere--remnant of the World's Fair, the Sunsphere is one of the more popular landmarks downtown. I was there during the Fair, but in recent years it had been closed and in a bit of disrepair; it was re-opened to the public not long ago, and I keep meaning to go but just haven't made it yet.
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