Thinking of being thankful...

Sunday, I went to church for the first time since Emmy was born. I haven't felt comfortable going because I didn't know what I wanted to do with Emmy. I didn't want her to go to a nursery room, and I didn't see how I would pay attention having her in the cry room. Well, I tried the cry room (hospitality room) and it worked out pretty well. I went with my parents and they were able to help. They are always so much help! Maybe next time I will let her go play in the 9 month class..... : / Not sure if I can do it though.

The message was good and thought provoking. The pastor talked about being thankful, and all of the things we have to be thankful for and don't always notice. He used an analogy of the game I Spy. When someone says. " I spy something green", suddenly you begin to see green things that you never saw before. The same goes for being thankful. If you look, you will be bombarded by all that you can be thankful for. This really got me to thinking about everything I have to be thankful for in my life. We, as people, have a tendency to think about all of the things we need instead of stopping to think about the things we already have. The pastor mentioned that 10 million dollars are spent each year to convince us of things we need. It bothered me to think I am manipulated by these advertisement ploys. They generate feelings about all of the things we supposedly need to fit some mold of normal. I realized I needed to take a step back and think about everything God has blessed me with. We tend to live exaggerated lives, filling it with things that are unnecessary, and my hope is to clean out the unnecessary and concentrate on all that God blesses me with each day.

My church is also sending items to Mexico. You can send extras or necessities (toothpaste, soap, ect.) It humbles me to think about sending toothpaste across countries to provide for people. Here we are with are mile-long, hundreds of dollars Christmas lists, while others are unable to obtain simple necessities like toothpaste. I hope to get more involved in helping others and I pray I can teach Emmy to be humble and realize all that she has to be thankful for. I want her to see how people live in various areas and learn how meaningless it is to overstuff your life with "extras". I am excited for us to do things together to help others in the future.