As I was shopping this morning, I saw and heard so much. Some kids were holding on to their mom’s shopping cart asking “are you going to fix the pie that grandpa likes?” Another woman, leaving the register area smiled at a man at the door and said, “It’s a lot, but we really 4 turkeys to feed our clan.”

In the parking lot, middle school boys in baseball uniforms shook plastic buckets and asked for donations. Little girls in cheerleading uniforms played on the frame surrounding the shopping carts, using it like a jungle gym. 

Signs outside a church announced that a family reunion was taking place inside. I could see people walking in, carrying what looked to me like casserole dishes and thermos jugs of iced tea or lemonade. 

Signs along the road cautioned that construction workers were busy ahead. Men operating big equipment dragged dirt out of a pit while other workers watched and measured.

Football games are on the television and radio. Fans are celebrating scores and moaning about fumbled balls and missed opportunities. 

It is a very normal day. 

Let’s spend a moment and just be thankful for any “normal-ness” of our day. Let’s listen to the sounds around us. Things like:

• A car engine starting at the first turn of the key
• Water running in the shower
• Ice cracking as we add water to our glass
• Phones ringing

We don’t have to get fancy to find things for which we are grateful. All we need to do is to listen to the world around us to realize that we have so much. 

Love,

Jill (just one of God’s kids)

“Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”” (Nehemiah 8:10)