more writing for MOPS, nov. 2007

i haven't had access to my laptop for a while, i need to get my documents and pictures downloaded onto an external drive...this laptop is on it's last leg....

anyway. i wanted to get other stuff on here, so here's something from right before the holidays--sort of follows up on what i'd done the previous year......


Can you believe the holiday season is HERE? (MOPS Nov. 16, 2007)

Thanksgiving is upon us. How are you doing? Are you cheerfully anticipating the idea of gathering with family and/or friends to celebrate the blessings in your life? Or are you dreading the pace that is about to characterize the last weeks of this year?

Your attitude about Thanksgiving and Christmas (and life, really) can be affected by the circumstances of your life and memories of the past. If all is well and you have wonderful memories, you are more likely to enjoy this season. If not, of course, it all becomes a bit more challenging. They key is understanding that you control your attitude. Circumstances are constantly changing, but how we choose to react to those circumstances can keep us afloat and grounded. You won’t drown in the lows or get carried away with the highs.

Years ago I read this in a friend’s office:

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our Attitudes."
--Charles Swindoll

If you were in MOPS last year, you may remember I shared with the group that I was determined not to panic and fret about Christmas—and the decorating and baking and mailing of packages and seeing everyone within a “reasonable” driving distance and getting gifts for people who might get gifts for us and the appearances and the “Joneses” and the perfect tree and on and on.

It went pretty well—there is still room for improvement this year. I am learning that I need to brace myself for a trying season and that I have to chose the attitude of patience for the hurried masses and of gratitude for all our blessings, not just on Thanksgiving Day but all year. During Christmas especially, we are choosing a few deliberate ways to give thanks for the one blessing we treasure most—that thousands of years ago, a baby was born, that God entered His creation to redeem mankind, to redeem me. Does this make sense to you? Ask someone, it can make all the difference in how you’ll go through this holiday season.