Good Thing

Sail Away
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas
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Blue Giraffe
Watercolor, Florida
850-231-5221
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So glad you came by! Summer is such a crazy time I never know when I might find a moment to blog so I am glad you're here!

I have decided that complaining is like a bad cold, it's contagious and makes you feel down and yukky.(Is that even a word? Anyway you know what I mean.) You only have to be in a group one time  to hear one person say one negative thing and within seconds everyone in the group has caught the "cold" and is chiming in with a negative comment or story. Just a couple of days ago I was in the gym when I heard a group of women complaining about how hot it is in Alabama and how the grass was brown, the flowers were dying, and the water bill was through the roof. Would you believe not an hour later the bottom dropped out and we had more rain than we knew what to do with and those cute little ladies that complained about too much sunshine were now complaining about getting to their cars in the rain and what it was going to do to their hair.

Complaining really is like a bad cold. It's easy to catch and literally makes you feel miserable.   When my children were little I remember picking my oldest up from school on friday. I love fridays (it's my favorite day of the week.) I had my other four children in the car and Mary Cam (who was six at the time) got in the car with big tears in her eyes. With a brave little face she said one of her friends was having a birthday party that day and she was not invited. Now to some of you that may seem small and insignificant, but to this mama bear, i was ferociously looking for that 'birthday girl" to give her a piece of my mind. However the "carpool line" waits for no one and I was forced to keep moving. As I looked at my sweet baby in my rear view mirror, tears now falling on those precious cheeks I had two options. We could all be sad and complain about not being invited or we could choose to find the good in the situation.

I chose option B and said "okay y'all we need to look for the blessing in this and almost immediately my five year old said "If Mary Cam was gone at the party I would miss her." The other three caught the vision and added sweet things. I called my mom who lived near the school and said get out all your ice cream we're coming for sundaes!  Since "MiMi s" always have ice cream we sat around her island and ate too much, laughed out loud and enjoyed the blessing of just being together. I still get weepy when I think of that day. That day was the start of us learning to look for the good in a situation that did not always go our way.

I realize that life's "rainy days" are sometimes a little bigger than not being invited to a party. And I get that complaining is much easier. But at the end of the day it's that encouraging word or thoughtful smile that inspires us to press forward. So my challenge today is to look for the blessing whatever your day may hold. I admit it's not always easy, but like anything, the more you do it the easier it gets.    Wherever you plant a thankful heart it produces joy every time! I promise!

Rejoice always. In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1Thess.5:16,18

Thanks for stopping by! I loved visiting with you. Please share with me a time when you were thankful on a rainy day! I love hearing from you! love love love Ruthie