Depraved Indifference

If you only have a few minutes for the internet, spend them watching this!!

I found this from a post by Ann Voskamp.

Saying No to the Oh-Nos

When something unexpected happens, from dropping a treasured breakable on hardwood to having your house burn down, do you have a tendency to respond with an oh-no!, whether you actually speak it or just think it? I know I do. Sometimes, it is out of anxiety or grief or frustration or just being startled.

I decided that I am saying no to oh-nos.

How? No surprise here. By giving thanks. This is just another reason why I put numbers to my heart's joys.

Stand firm. Refuse to panic. Pray. And give thanks.

The eternal perspective will come. Joy will come. By giving thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving, America!

How It's Done

“You only know how to give thanks always when you know how to give thanks anyway.” ~ Ann Voskamp

"I can give without love — and I have done it — but can anyone say they love and not give?" ~ Amy Carmichael

Our Superabundance

"We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it." ~ Donald Horban

"In most [Third World] countries… a good wage is $1 to $3 a day. While much of the world is concerned mainly about where its next meal is coming from, affluent North Americans spend most of their wages and waking moments planning unnecessary purchases… In light of the superabundance you enjoy here, what do you think is your minimal responsibility to the untold millions of lost and suffering in the Two-Thirds World?" ~ K.P. Yohannan

Truth is, if you own a home and have a variety of clothes, you are in the top 5% of the richest people in the world.

What is my minimal responsibility?? The haunting question that MUST be asked. Of myself.

Active Little Servant

• I just cannot get over the gorgeous weather right now! Fall is my favorite season. Yesterday, we took advantage of it and played Boccé Ball together in the backyard. Boccé Ball (pronounced Botch-ee) is one of the few games I can play outside. It's been a great gift! However, I have resorted to wearing rubber gloves while I play, so that I can get a better grip - is that cheating? ;)
• I meant to acknowledge this earlier, but Aolani can sit up by herself quite well.
• So, Aolani doesn't really like food or water (baths, swimming). I think most babies do. I sure did and do still. Not quite sure what this oddity means, maybe nothing.
• Just like her daddy, she would much rather play than eat or sleep. Not me! She is ready to forgo having these basic needs met if it means play time. And, she associates Ricky with play and Mommy with the "boring" stuff. No wonder she's a Daddy's girl!
• We let Aolani feed herself all week, hoping that was the answer. Did it work? Nope :(
• There is a website that you can go to and make clicks with your mouse to help the poor and needy. It is free and takes 20-30 seconds! I do it everyday. Check it out and don't forget the tabs at the top of the page: www.thehungersite.com
• I can't stop thinking about how thankful I am that my firstborn is a girl. Because our firstborn is going to have to be Mommy's Little Helper with a servant's heart! She will have to help me with all the household chores and future children. More so than other families (with my being in a wheelchair). No offense to the male race, but girls are (usually) more attentive, sacrificial, and overall sweet. Thank You, my Provider. This is just one drop in my ocean of gratitude.
• It is time for some videos. The first one is of her getting ready to crawl. Seriously, she rocks the crib so hard that I am just waiting for it to break! [Don't you just love how she rocks so hard that she sets off the musical bear in her crib ;)] The second video is of her jumping in the Johnny Jump Up. Her legs are definitely getting stronger.

• Verse to memorize this week: Hebrews 4:13 ~ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.