Counting My Blessings: 406 to 426

Having been offline the past 5 days, I failed to notice that my guest post went live at Growing Home on August 15th. So, if you haven’t read about the birth of our triplets yet, head on over and check it out.

Among all the blessings I continue to count, I’m thanking God today for His grace and protection on our family during our road trip the past week. And here are the other things I’m thankful for…

A Gift in a Ring, Curve, Sphere

406. My husband’s name engraved in my wedding ring.
407. Shin guards for soccer.
408. A dozen brightly colored balls.

3 Gifts Ugly-Beautiful

409. Drowsiness.
410. A forgotten handbag.
411. Chennai’s sweltering heat.

3 Gifts of Family

412. 4 generations under one roof.
413. The first and fourth generation, deep in conversation.
414. Unconditional support.

3 Gifts in the Morning

415. Sons, excited to start their day.
416. Coffee.
417. A fresh start.

A Gift Red, Read, Written

418. A bumper car.
419. The newspaper.
420. Daily expenses.

3 Gifts in Church

421. Praying for India.
422. Flowers.
423. A new CD.

3 Gifts of Serving

424. My mother, packing up frozen food for our family to take back home.
425. Passing chocolate chip cookies to the boys in the back seat.
426. Preparing a health drink for our sons who skipped breakfast.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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Counting My Blessings: 385 to 405

“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” (Psalm 92:1-2)

3 Gifts in His Word

385. Words from the Bible that fuel my prayers for the sons.
386. Comfort for a hurting soul.
387. Guidance at crossroads.

3 Gifts in Summer

388. Ripe mangoes.
389. Vacations.
390. Loose schedules.

A Gift Hole, Whole, Half

391. A pencil stuck in a keyhole, courtesy our boys :).
392. Our washing machine – finally repaired and whole again.
393. A broken toe nail.

3 Hard Eucharisteo

394. Getting out of a warm bed on a cold morning.
395. A broken guitar string.
396. Disappointments.

3 Gifts of Metal

397. A favorite pair of gold earings.
398. Sharp knives.
399. The 5 remaining guitar strings.

3 Gifts Half-Hidden

400. An obstructed view of a baby grand piano in our church.
401. The sun, behind a curtain of clouds.
402. A jumble of shoes, half-hidden behind the bedroom door.

3 Gifts in Green

403. The sons’ Bible.
404. Trees.
405. The remote control of a broken car.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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Five Minute Friday: Connect

Five Minute Friday

Connect

How does an introvert connect with other people? She probably started off dreading it, choosing instead to stick to the few people she had learned to trust over the years. She then married a man who constantly pushed her out of her comfort zone, encouraging her to meet new people and keep in touch with those she was already acquainted with. Taking it a step further, God decided to bless her with triplets; thereby making her the center of attraction wherever she set foot. That which she feared had come upon her :).

She was privileged to have friends who were patient with her; as she took several months, maybe even years to open up with them. Eventually God led her to the blogging world, where she met many kindred spirits who inspired, encouraged and advised her. She soon realized that God wanted to use her to encourage others who where walking the same path she had walked.

God started working in her, and she finally figured out that her husband had a point. How could she reach people with God’s word if she didn’t connect? Thus began the slow unraveling of the cocoon she had secreted herself into. And God shows her everyday that the more she connects, the more she lets God use her to bless those around her.

What comes to your mind, when you think of the word “Connect”?

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Top 3 Thursday – Edition #2

Here are some posts that have inspired me over the past week. Would you click through and check out these lovely blogs?

1. What Are You Feeding Your Mind? @ Roo Mag {Loved this 5 step guide to keep our minds on track}

2. 5 Lessons I’ve Learned About Dreams @ A Little R & R {This post encouraged me a lot, even as I continue to dream and wait on God}

3. Call Out The Greatness @ Allume {A thought provoking post on calling out the greatness in our church, marriage and children}

Did you read or write an encouraging blog post during the week? Share the link in the comments below, I’d love to check it out!

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Counting My Blessings: 364 to 384

“I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.” (Isaiah 61:10)

3 Gifts Difficult

364. A botched surprise.
365. Getting the kids to bed on time.
366. Teaching the sons Hindi rhymes.

3 Gifts White

367. Movie ticket stubs from our first movie date.
368. This printable, on my cupboard.
369. Month at a glance planner on my fridge.

3 Gifts Eaten

370. Chips.
371. Leftover chicken.
372. The last doughnut.

A Gift at 10AM, 1PM, 10PM

373. Gazing out our living room window.
374. Waiting out a long-drawn power outage.
375. Back home after our weekly prayer group meeting.

3 Gifts Sitting

376. At friendship day celebrations at our sons’ school.
377. At a parlour getting a much needed hair cut.
378. The sons, sitting on the carpet doing their homework.

A Gift Outside, Inside, Upside Down

379. My husband, away from home at a Leaders meet.
380. Watching Forrest Gump at home.
381. The sons tumbling on the couch – the effect of watching olympic gymnasts, perhaps?!

3 Gifts in Water

382. Ice cold tap water.
383. Water sloshing around in their water bottles, as the boys walk to the bus.
384. Clean drinking water.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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Top 3 Thursday – Edition #1

One of the reasons I started blogging was to share with my readers, all the other wonderful blogs out there. I’ve subscribed to dozens of blogs over the past year, and God has used them to encourage and comfort me.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to start sharing some blog posts that I find encouraging with you. Every Thursday {hopefully}, I will be featuring three blog posts from around the web that have encouraged me. I hope and pray they will bless you too.

1. 20 Things I Want To Tell Engaged And Newlywed Women {Really All Married Women} @ Grace Full Mama {If you are married, this post is a MUST read}

2. The Real To-Do List  @ Finding Joy {A convicting post on including our families in our to-do lists}

3. Comparisons will kick you in the teeth and hijack your dreams every time @ Lisa-Jo Baker {An honest post about the effect of comparison – both online and offline}

Did you read a good blog post during the week? Share the link in the comments below, I’d love to check it out!

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Monthly Goals: August

Can you believe it’s August already?! At the beginning of each month, I share my goals for the month and share my progress on the previous month’s goals.

My goals for the month of July were:

  1. Stay up to date with the Good Morning Girls Proverbs 31 Bible Study. — Done
  2. Pray God’s Word over my sons everyday, using July’s prayer calendar provided by The MOB Society. — Done
  3. Finish reading A Confident Heart. — Done
  4. Finish reading The Love & Respect Experience. — In Progress {I’ve still got a long way to go}
  5. Teach the kids to recite Matthew 6:12-13 (Second half of the Lord’s prayer). — Done
  6. Teach the kids to write small letters (Letters ‘a’ and ‘b’). — Done
  7. Read at least 4 new Kindle books to the kids. — Done
  8. Finish Weeks 4-6 in the Couch to 5K training plan. — Done
  9. Read through the book of John in the Bible. — Done
  10. Memorize Hebrews 12:1-2 and Philippians 3:13-14. — Done

My goals for the month of August are:

  1. Finish the Good Morning Girls Proverbs 31 Bible Study.
  2. Pray God’s Word over my sons everyday, using August’s prayer calendar provided by The MOB Society.
  3. Finish reading The Love & Respect Experience.
  4. Read The Good Wife’s Guide again.
  5. Read The Power of a Praying Wife.
  6. Revise Psalm 23, John 3:16 and the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) with the kids.
  7. Read at least 8 new Kindle books to the kids.
  8. Finish Weeks 7 & 8 in the Couch to 5K training plan.
  9. Read through the book of Acts in the Bible.
  10. Memorize Psalm 127.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.

Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.”

Are you in the habit of setting weekly/monthly goals? If you do, how did you do last month? If you don’t, how do you keep track of things you need to get done?

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A Habit A Month: July

I kind of dropped the ball on developing a habit this month. Well, I did have a few ideas at the beginning of July – I wanted to start reading to the kids everyday or work on our evening routine. But I didn’t get to blog about it, and without accountability, neither of the habits took hold.

So, before I toss the month away as a complete failure, I thought I’d recollect all the habits I’ve been working on from January this year; and share my progress 7 months down the lane.

January: Positive speech

I’d like to think I’ve mastered the art of being positive, but the truth is that sometimes negativity does rear it’s ugly head. However, counting my blessings helps me put a positive spin on things that could otherwise pull me down.

February: Self Control

This was basically to challenge my control over the words that came out of my mouth, the time I spent online and the food I ate. My words – not too bad, but I could definitely exercise more control over my words; especially when I’m emotional. I’ve finally have a hold on the time I spend online, so that’s good. And food, well I do have some weak moments; but I’m working on it.

March: Health

I’m surprisingly happy with my progress in this department. I drink lots of water, exercise 3-5 times a week and I’ve limited my sugar intake considerably.

April: Being gentle with the kids

I’m not too satisfied with my efforts at being gentle with the kids. I do tend to get annoyed and yell at times. This is something I still need to work on. Maybe going over my notes of  “The 5 Love Languages of Children” and consciously implementing them might help. Oh and prayer; lots of prayer – that definitely helps!

May: Memorizing scripture

Still going strong. I pick out a few verses at the beginning of the month, and memorize them by the end of the month. It has been such a blessing to learn God’s Word by heart.

June: Morning routine

The kids and I are implementing our morning routine pretty well – in fact, we’d be lost without it. Some days, it’s not exactly how I scheduled it; but the basic framework still works for us.

I’ve decided to go ahead and start with August’s habit a bit early. In August, I will be working on an evening routine for me and the kids. I hope to post my progress by the end of the month.

To Read: Welcome to “Life” {An extremely motivating post on starting over after giving up, even if it’s for the hundredth time. If you’re sick of starting over (over and over again), this post is a must read!}

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Counting My Blessings: 343 to 363

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

3 Gifts of Sand

343. Sand crunching under my running shoes.
344. Sons drawing in the sand with their shoes, as we wait for the bus.
345. Fine sand on my husband’s brand new football studs.

3 Gifts of Endings

346. The end of my 13 minute morning run.
347. Finishing up the book of John in the Bible.
348. Struggling to find the right ending for a blog post.

3 Gifts Fresh

349. A crisp morning breeze.
350. The sons after a rare afternoon nap.
351. The trees after a light rain.

A Gift on Vacation, at Home, in Relaxation

352. Catching up on sleep.
353. Routine.
354. Much needed rest.

3 Gifts of Beginnings

355. The beginning of a lovely afternoon with grandparents/great grandparents.
356. First bite of a chocolate truffle cake.
357. Every morning – a new beginning.

3 Gifts Together

358. Worshiping the Lord together as family.
359. Resting together after church service.
360. The sons playing with their new toy cars.

3 Gifts Heard

361. The sound of our water purifier.
362. Jon telling Jason, “I like Dada and Mama”. {Precious}
363. Chatter among the sons, during their afternoon rest time.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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Five Minute Friday: Beyond

Five Minute Friday

Beyond

When I saw the writing prompt “beyond”, this old song by Jim Reeves started playing in my head…

Across the bridge, there’s no more sorrow,
Across the bridge, there’s no more pain;
The sun will shine across the river,
And you’ll never be unhappy again.

All the mindless violence that has been happening around us the past few weeks {the incident in Assam and the shooting in Colorado, just to name a couple}, has left me wondering… Will there ever be a time when such mindless acts cease to be committed? From gory slaughters because of family feuds in south India, to terrorist acts in dozens of countries, our world has ceased to be a place of peace.

What about those of us who believe in Christ? Don’t we too deal with difficulties in our daily lives? We endure pain and hardship and get through it; we grow closer to God and enter a place of rest – only to start climbing the next mountain, or face the next battle. It reminds me of Jesus’ words…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Well, He basically says that in this world we WILL have trouble. Where then, lies our hope? In Christ alone! When we believe that Jesus, the Son of God, gave His own life to pay for our sins, we receive full pardon; when we choose to follow His ways, rather than ours; we have a hope beyond this world.

The hope that one day we will meet Him face to face in heaven. The hope that one day, there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more violence and no more sin. There is a beautiful world God has prepared for us, just beyond this life we’re living.

And that gives us added responsibility. Can we gather as many people as we can, to meet with us on the other side? Do we choose to share our own experience of life in Christ to the millions around us who are lost and hurting? Will we share with them the hope that we’ve found in Christ?

What about our own lives? Do we choose to live in Him now, so we can be with Him in our life beyond?

Five Minute Friday: Beyond Read More »