Youth Group

 

I can hardly believe my daughter went on her first youth group concert trip tonight.  I am thrilled she has found a group that she loves and can't wait to spend time with.  What I can't believe is that I could possibly be old enough to have a kid in youth group.  After years of being in youth and then living life married to a youth pastor, it is strange to begin a season of sending my child off to youth events.  I'm used to being the one going not the one sending. 

It got me thinking about my own experience with youth growing up.  I want that for my children.  I grew up with a smaller youth group, but we were close and they were the ones I wanted to spend my free time with.  With them, I never felt pressed to be anyone other than myself and I never got made fun of for sticking to my morals.  We were small, but we loved, supported, and encouraged each other.  I always knew that I could probably get my curfew extended if I was out with those friends.  :)
I want this kind of community for my children.  I am so thankful for the excitement I see in her every time she gets to spend time with this community.
http://angel-searchingforthetruth.blogspot.com/2013/01/balance.html

We were a small group, but we were a part of a larger District, and State events.  My whole teenage life revolved around these events.  They were always put on my calendar first and then other events in my life had to work around them.  Church camp, State Youth Convention, District Campmeeting, and District Rallies always came first.  Some of my best friends came from district and state events.  Some of them remain friends to this day.  I am thankful to all of you for the impact you had on my life.  I'm going to make a partial list of my found memories from youth events.  For those of you who share those memories, please share which were your favorites and add more that may not be on there. 

Here they are in random order as they popped into my brain:
1.  Never wanting youth events to end so heading over to someones house when church was over
2.  Biscuits and gravy breakfast before school
3.  Road trips to SYC
4.  IYC in San Antonio with the Amys
5.  The State officers hotel room on the second floor with security (Eric) climbing up to our window
6.  Visiting MBC over Halloween
7.  Piling as many as possible into the car
8.  Water fights at District Campmeeting
9.  "Honey If You Love Me, Please, Please, Smile"
10. Picking up a friend and heading to the Town and Country for Breakfast before school

There are so many more, but these are the first 10 that popped into my brain.  Help me out by posting yours and sending this on whoever else might have some great memories.


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Thanksgiving for today
451.  Working together
452.  Recliner seat on couch
453.  Clothesline
454.  Movie Room
455.  Text

Gratitiude Turns What We Have Into Enough

I hope you are all enjoying the quotes and thoughts about gratitude.  There will be posts that require more time and thought from me after I get everyone feeling well.  I thought we were almost on the way there because both kiddos were back in school and on antibiotics.  I was all settled down for my long afternoon nap when the phone rang.  It was the school nurse saying that my daughter was running a slight fever and needed to come home and spend this afternoon and all of tomorrow home from school.  Apparently there were over 50 kids that either stayed home or went home sick today along with 6 teachers.  Maybe having her home will keep us all well.  Maybe I should keep our son home too.  :)  

Let us all stay well.  Sickness stay away.  We've had our fill this year. 

What is your favorite quote so far?

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Thanksgiving for today
438.   Having kids home away from worse germs
439.  Movie room
440.  Stock pile
441.  Finding lost objects
442.  Finding great deals on things I can share
443.  Kiddos making their own lunches without complaint
444.  Adults taking steps to help prevent spread of illness

Highest Form of Gratitude

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. 
John F. Kennedy 

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/gratitude.html#Y0CIXAb1IOKhc6RI.99 

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Thanksgiving for today
427.  PIcs that express the reality of every day
428.  Wonder Woman
429.  Warm quilt
430.  Watching "our show" with my kiddos
431.  Salt

Definition of Happiness

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. 
Denis Waitley 

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/gratitude.html#BRjpS86umstBu08C.99 

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Thanksgiving for today
421.  LeadHer
422.  Women with same vision
423.  Lifewater
424.  Sharing treats with friends
425.  Kids Eat Free
426.  Random Acts of Kindness

Place of Training and Correction

"If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad." 
                                                                                                              C.S. Lewis


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Thanksgiving for today
415.  Having shoes my daughter wants to borrow
416.  Doctors being in the office the day you need them
417.  School teachers and nurses being on top of things
418.  Excitement about AR parties
419.  Routines
420.  Helpers so you don't have to do something alone

Everywhere I Look

Is it just me or when something enters your mind, is it everywhere you look?  I have felt impressed by God to study the concept of counting your blessings and giving thanks ever since I saw Ann  Voscamp talk about her book 1000 Gifts at the Women of Faith event this fall.  I have been making that an intentional part of my life since then.  I have been reading and studying things on gratitude and even plan to make that my platform for Ms. Wheelchair Kansas this year.  What I didn't expect was to see it everywhere.  I'm finding it in other readings I am doing and even in magazine articles from magazines I have read for years.  How did I miss this?  Has it always been there and I'm just now seeing it?  Or, is this a concept that everyone is discovering at this point?  Does this ever happen to you?  I know when you think about a certain color car for example, you start seeing it everywhere you go.

http://angel-memoriesforgotten.blogspot.com/2012/11/1000-gifts-book-review.html

My Thanksgiving for each day will be bouncing back and forth between blogs, depending on which one I post on.

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Thanksgiving for today:

398.  Rest
399.  Dayquil/Nyquil
400.  Days with nothing pressing to do
401.  Google
402.  Help with fine motor skill activities
403.  Libraries

Thankful Heart

""The thankful heart sees the best part of every situation.  It sees problems and weaknesses as opportunities, struggle as refining tools, and sinners as saints in progress."
                                                                                                   Francis Frangipane

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Thanksgiving for today
391.  Bulletin board ideas
392.  Smell of chili cooking
393.  Sunshine
394.  Sounds of singing
395.  Giggles
396.  "Yeahs" about dinner
397.  Family time