Is Anyone Cheerful?

Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  

Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing praise.  James 5:13

Well, I'm cheerful but NO ONE wants me to actually sing (trust me)... 

This has been a fun week that, as I look back, was just chock full of wonderful blessings!

Blessing #1 – It is mid-February and we are all HEALTHY!  This is a first for us.  In years past, C has kept us busy going back and forth to the doctor’s office with ear infections, snotty noses, allergies, and wheezing/asthma attacks!

Blessing #2 – The temps have been in the mid-60’s to mid-70’s since Monday, and since we are all HEALTHY we’ve been able to spend LOTS of good quality time outdoors!  I find that SOOOOOO therapeutic after being cooped up in the house with two very energetic kiddos for the last several COLD months!  I swear before this week, you could literally SEE the pent-up energy radiating from their little bodies.

Blessing #3 – I met Mrs. Delores.  A little background…for awhile now, I’ve been praying that the Lord would open up the door for our family to minister to/serve an elderly or “shut-in” person.  I contacted a local a ministry that focuses on connecting people who are elderly or disabled that need help to folks who are in a position to assist them.  I was getting a little discouraged because the ministry contacted me several times in the past few months, but for one reason or the other I was never able to help.  But in the Lord’s perfect timing, He connected us with Mrs. Delores.  She is a real delight to be around and I’m super excited that we are able to help her!

Blessing #4 – We were FINALLY able to visit with Leah and Grant (my cousin and her 3 year old son)!  She’s like a sister to me, but we don’t hang out nearly enough for my taste because we live about 1 hour and 15 minutes apart.  As always, our visit was lots of fun for the kids and encouraging for the adults (well, at least this adult :)

Blessing #5 – I’m part of wonderful women’s Bible study and couples’ Bible study groups – and was able to attend both this week because we are all HEALTHY!

Blessing #6 – Enjoyed playtime with our best friends and neighbors!  I’ll admit, there is part of my “country girl” nature that can become discontent with living in a neighborhood.  The next time that happens, I need to just tell her to “ZIP IT!” ‘cause having great neighbors (of which I have in abundance) is pretty darn cool!

Blessing #7 – Received our Costco American Express Rebate Check in the mail – SWEEEET!!!!  Now, if I can just refrain from spending it all in Costco when I go to redeem it for cash :)

Blessing #8 – Somehow we had enough spare time at the end of this busy, crazy, fun week to spend the morning with the kids at a really neat local park that we had never been to before.  Here’s some pictures (the color is a little off in some of the pictures because my camera is smarter than I am :) …

The kids were excited that I FINALLY (as if Valentine's Day was 10 years ago) let them eat their "Dip-n-Lick" candy...