An Attitude of Gratitude

I recently began a Bible study called, "Lord, Change My Attitude", a study that I'm thinking could teach us all something. I mean, how many times a day do we complain about things.......and I'm talking about little things as well as big ones. We complain about the weather; we complain about our bodies; we complain about our hair; we complain about our jobs; we complain about our busyness; we complain about having nothing to do; we complain about our ________; you get the idea. We seem to be complainers by nature, but what if we all started turning our complaints into gratitude? What if we took the time to turn our thoughts to thankfulness everytime we opened our mouths to complain about something? So instead of complaining about the weather, we would be thankful for God's provision; instead of complaining that we're too busy, we would be thankful that we have our health and the ability to BE busy! We could all be such happier people if we made a concerted effort to turn our negative thoughts into opportunities to praise God. (I admit, it's not easy.....I've struggled since we started the study a couple of weeks ago, but I'm prayerful that God will continue to touch my heart in such a way that I will learn to turn my complaints into praises.)

One of our recent assignments was to write a poem, verse, or prayer thanking God for all of the little things we often overlook in our daily lives. Since I like to write rhyming verses, I wrote the following:

1/18/2010

For the dawning of a new day
And for the setting sun
I lift my voice in praise to you
For Lord, you are the one

Who showers me with blessings
Though I don’t always see
How all of my life’s journey
Was created just for me

I thank you for my family
Those near and far-away
And for the friends I’ve made through You
To make it through each day

For things I often overlook—
My home, my health, my all
I thank you for your patience;
Help me always hear your call

I thank you even for the strife,
Because of it I’ve grown
And learned that even in the dark
You always find your own.

Yes, perhaps of all the lessons I've learned in the past few years, it's that even when we feel overcome by the darkness, God is always there waiting to bring us into the light. Oh Lord, please always give me an attitude of gratitude!

You Say It's Your Birthday? It's My Birthday, Too!

So today's my birthday......double nickels, as my brother called it. I was born in 1955, and today I turned 55--seems like there should be some sort of special name for a birthday like that. Whatever it may be called, it's amazing to me how grateful I am to get to celebrate another one. I AM, after all, growing older and definitely showing signs of it, but I am so blessed to just GET to grow older. More about that in another post perhaps.........I have much to say on the subject.

My day started out like most of my birthdays from recent years--I got a beautiful card from my wonderful hubby, the kind that is so unbelievably sweet that it brings tears to my eyes. How blessed I am to be married to that man. At work, I arrived to a gift bag on my desk with a bottle of chardonnay tucked inside and a card about "not being old if you can still bend over and touch your toes". Surprise! I actually CAN still do that, although I don't think that excludes me from the "growing old" club. I just happen to still be pretty flexible...for an old broad, that is. Throughout the day, my friends and family called, brought me cards, and popped in to my office for a chat. The highlight of my workday, however, was being serenaded by no fewer than eight different groups, from co-workers to students, the students all being under the age of six and more precious than I can begin to describe. One by one, several of the kindergarten classes came into my office and proudly sang "Happy Birthday" to me--there is absolutely nothing sweeter than the sound of little voices joined in song. One class even came bearing gifts: each student in the class proudly gave me a paper clip upon entering my office--too cute! This class, in particular, then sang to me, ending each "Happy Birthday to you" with a resounding "cha cha cha" complete with a little booty shaking! I wanted to squeeze each one of them. So adorable.

I came home to a fabulous home-cooked meal, prepared by our favorite girl from Savannah--the one I call my "daughter from another mother". What a lovely surprise! She even baked a red velvet cake from scratch! I didn't know people even did that anymore! Isn't that what Betty Crocker is for? Nevertheless, it was all delish! I felt so pampered watching someone else do the cooking! And now it's after 10:00 and everyone has gone to bed except me. Man, and I thought I was the old one! Haha! Guess I'm not so old after all......although at double nickels, I sometimes don't feel worth a dime! (Ha!)

Cheers to a New Year

and another chance

to get it right.

Christmas Reflections

Another Christmas has come and gone. With great anticipation, the day arrived and all too quickly became history. I love Christmas.......the sights, the sounds, the smells, the last-minute preparations (I seem to ALWAYS have too many last-minutes), the celebrations, and most of all the time spent with family. From the time we were first married, David and I have spent every Christmas day with his family at one home or another--some years at our home, some at his parents', and some at other family members' homes. We begin the day at our home with our immediate family and then travel to the "host" home for lunch and fun. This year we travelled to the home of David's cousin and spent the day with a group of 26 (and that's our count with one family of four missing!) What a glorious blessing it is to celebrate the birthday of Jesus surrounded by our loved ones.

Another of our blessings of the season was having our beautiful daughter, Blair, come into town from New York and stay with us for a whole week. After spending almost a week with us at Thanksgiving, this was such a bonus! I remember when she first arrived, thinking how great it was that we had SO MUCH time to spend together, and now the day has come for her to go back.......and I'm just not ready. I admit; I'm never ready for her to leave. I always have more on my "to do" list that we didn't do, more that we didn't say, more that we just "didn't". I am filled with such a mix of emotions each time she leaves, but the most profound of them all is always a blend of pride and joy--pride in the woman that she has become and joy in knowing that she is living a life she loves and returning to a city she loves and people she loves. So as we leave her at the airport later today, I will cry just as I am now, but I have learned that my tears are just my way of saying, "Goodbye, my sweet girl; I'll be counting the days until we see you again." (And in the meantime, just keep on living your dream!--Oh, and remember who you are!)

Of course, this blog began almost five years ago as a way to celebrate and share Jonathon's recovery with friends and family so I would be remiss not to mention the blessings of his life and the joys we've experienced in watching his progress. He is truly a miracle, and we thank God every day for letting us keep him here with us and using his life as a testimony to others of God's grace and faithfulness. This past semester brought new challenges to Jonathon and forced us to make some painful decisions, but through it all we tried to remain focused on the blessings rather than the difficulties. We decided mid-semester that it was in Jonathon's best interest to withdraw and regroup, so with heavy hearts we moved him back home in October. We are in the process of working out arrangements for another type of therapy, called Cognitive Reorganizational Therapy, to teach him new ways to process and recall what he learns. We are hopeful that this new therapy will help him become more pro-active in identifying and expressing his educational needs to prevent feeling so overwhelmed with the workload. Additionally, we are working with his Vocational Rehabilitation counselor to gain approval for a reduced course load. If and when that all falls into place, Jonathon should be able to return to classes next fall. Please join us in praying for yet another hurdle to be jumped.

This is beginning to look and sound like a "Christmas" update letter so to continue along that path......Jeff moved out about two weeks after Jonathon moved home. As happy as I was (and am) for him to find his own place, I admit that it would be nice for him to be around for Jon's sake. I know that Jonathon gets lonely (and probably bored) being here with David and me most of the time. On the positive side, though, Jeff is really great about taking him over to his place to hang out. Just last week, he bought a new couch and announced that now Jon would have a place to sleep if he wanted to stay over! I'm confident that Jon will take him up on that offer. Jeff is a gem and extremely committed to Jonathon and to seeing him become all that God desires him to be. He clearly loves his twin brother and wants the very best for him. Jeff is a truly unique young man and a blessing to each of us every day.

And finally, in other Clark news.....we have been given the "green light" to share our newest (and smallest at the moment) blessing: Drumroll, please.......We will be welcoming another little Clark into the world next July! Taylor and Portia shared this most wonderful news with us at the beginning of November but asked us to wait to announce it for a few more weeks. For two excited and proud grandparents-to-be, that was a huge request, but we somehow managed to restrain ourselves and wait for the go-ahead. I waited for them to make their announcement at our Christmas family gathering before posting it here, but now I can no longer contain myself--I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMARY! SO EXCITED! God has once again blessed our family. Please join me in lifting Taylor, Portia, and their precious little gift in prayer during this new season of anticipation. Christmas Blessings to you and yours ~ Mary

Christmas Day 2009

(and baby makes eight!)

Thanksgiving '09

It's almost 7:00 p.m., and our Thanksgiving Day is pretty much over. We're already in our "hanging out" clothes (a.k.a. pajamas) and feeling too full (STILL), somewhat sleepy, and ever so blessed. We had the joy of celebrating Thanksgiving with each of our four amazing children and our beautiful daughter-in-law. In addition, David's two sisters, brother-in-law, nephew, and cousin were here as well as one of my brothers, his wife, and son. All in all, we had a group of 16......a small group compared to some of our other family gatherings!

As I reflect on the day, I realize how very much I have to be thankful for......things that I so often take for granted in the chaos of every day life. Of course, I will be forever grateful to my Lord for sparing our sweet Jonathon and giving him a future. I am thankful to have a God who loves me in spite of myself. I think, though, that too often as I recognize the miracle of Jonathon, I sometimes overlook many of the other blessngs of my life. Things like:
1. My amazing husband of over 33 years and the love that has grown stronger through each of our joys, sorrows, and trials.

2. The beauty of living in the same home for over 30 years--a home where we raised our four beautiful children.
3. Our son, Taylor, who is married to his "true companion"--a blessing beyond words--who has grown into a man of honor and integrity and who continues to be a source of immense pride.

4. Our daughter, Blair, who has grown into a beautiful, strong, amazing young woman--someone who makes me incredibly proud to call her my daughter, as well as my friend.

5. Our son, Jonathon, who is alive today purely by the grace of God and who knows that God has a very special purpose for his life.

6. Our son, Jeff, whose strength never ceases to amaze me--whose loyalty to Jonathon and concern for his future is beyond measure, the kind of loyalty that is based on a bond that has only grown stronger over the years.

7. My brothers, David's sisters, and their families--through the years we have become each other's support systems. Through the laughter and the tears, we've "been there" for each other, and I am eternally grateful.

8. My wonderful friends and co-workers who tolerate me and embrace me in spite of my shortcomings.

9. A church family that has grown more precious to us with the passing of time, a group that rallied around us in our greatest time of need and made sure that our needs were met.

10. Parents who left a legacy of love and the importance of family. The lessons they taught and the memories they left impact our lives every day and will, hopefully, carry through to the next generation.

My list seems pitifully short in comparison to the mulitude of blessings in my life. I pray that I never forget to be thankful.

Is Anybody Going Where I'm Driving?

They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. GREAT........At this rate, I'm on a fast track straight to the not-so-divine down under. Why is it that I can't seem to at least occasionally eek enough time out of a day to keep this blog updated? When I first started it well over four years ago, my days were no longer than they are now, and yet I still found time to update almost daily! Maybe I need to stop saying I'm going to update and do like Nike says and, "Just Do It!"

So here goes another attempt at bringing my life up to speed, although I might change lanes and shift gears occasionally.....

• Jonathon and I had a wonderful trip to Savannah a few weekends ago. To those who covered us with prayer, we thank you. I picked Jonathon up on Friday morning and we drove from Athens to Savannah, something I'd never done. If you, too, have never made that trip, let me just say that it is a lovely drive! With our trusty GPS programmed for our destination, we took off into the wild blue yonder, and "yonder" is a perfect word for some of the small towns we travelled through. We drove over half the trip on back roads to get to I-16, but like many back roads, we were often the only car on the road for miles, something that is a bit of a rarity around metro Atlanta. We arrived in time Friday afternoon to get settled at my daughter from another mother's apartment and meet her for dinner. On Saturday, the three of us went to the wedding which was held in one of Savannah's historic squares, and then Jonathon celebrated with friend's at the reception while my daughter and I relaxed at a venue overlooking the Savannah River. When the reception ended, Jonathon met us for dinner and the three of us wandered along River Street, enjoying the sights, sounds, and delicious smells of OctoberFest in Savannah.
• Jonathon's return to school brought several changes to our lives. He is now living in an apartment style dorm which offers him a greater level of independence and quieter study environment. It is on campus so he still has access to campus transportation, but it is also so close to the building where all of his classes are held that he often walks to class. He didn't know his roommate prior to move-in, but has been very fortunate in being assigned one with whom he gets along really well. His roommate has been really helpful in including Jonathon on trips to the grocery store and inviting him along for workout sessions and trips to the dining hall. Without prompting from us, Jonathon has begun some strength exercises to build up his arm and shoulder strength, particularly on the left side. His roommate has been really supportive and encouraging; we feel really blessed.
• As he has transitioned to his new intended major, Jonathon has been faced with several challenges, many stemming from the fact that the Recreation and Leisure Studies program involves a great deal of physical activity in the form of games and exercises. Initially, he was a little hesitant to participate, creating a bit of a gap between the other students and him. One day he seemed to turn the corner when he called me and said, "Mom, I've got some exciting news! I broke into a sprint today in class!" It seems that the class was doing some activities that involved running into and out of a jumprope, and he actually did it! He said he just challenged himself to see if he could do it and was pretty pumped that he actually could! I think the secret with Jonathon is in believing that he can succeed. When he convinces himself that he can't do something, he's almost always right but when he truly believes that he can, he experiences at least some level of success. Isn't that true about each of us, though?
• Since Jonathon's return to school, I have begun working full-time again. The transition from part-time to full-time has been an adjustment for each of us. It seems strange to me to be on a regular schedule again after more than four years of flexibility. I've spent so much of the past few years working my schedule around Jonathon's that it is hard to believe that I no longer need to do that. Of course, when I accepted my position, I wanted it understood that my family would always come first. Each of my children and my husband are so precious to me that no job in the world is worth sacrificing one moment of time with any of them.

So I guess that's enough catching up for now. I'm sure I've omitted things, but the most important thing for me to remember is that no matter how often I slip up or how many times I disappoint myself, God is always there to pick me up when I slip up and love me in spite of my disappointments.

"Yes, the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion,
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him."
Isaiah 30:18

Travel Mercies

Jonathon and I are traveling to Savannah this weekend to attend the wedding of a college friend of his, so this is just a short request to ask for prayer for safe travel. I am picking him up in Athens later this morning, and we'll drive from there. You know he must really like this girl to be missing a Georgia game!

I have much to update (I've been a real slacker!) since he's returned to school, so I'll plan to do that when we return. Go Dawgs!