You could say our family is like fudge;
nice and sweet... and full of nuts!!!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

A Funny Thing Happened...

I had a really strange but kinda cool thing happen to me the other day. First of all, let me give you a little history so that it makes sense in the end. Last November, that's 9, count them, 9 months ago, Steve and I spoke in church. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so the theme we talked about was "Gratitude", of course. Well, speaking in church for me is one of those experiences that you want to forget about the second, no, the mili-second that you walk off the stand. So, I have not thought about that talk again since then, and was not planning on thinking about it ever again. I got a phone call a couple of days ago from a lady who was visiting our ward that day. She said: "I came to your ward on November 25 and I heard you speak. I really would like a copy of your talk, if you still have it." I guess I read a poem in my talk (it's all a huge blur to me) and she was really touched by the poem and wanted a copy of it. Soooo, I searched through my "Talks for Church" folder on my laptop and sure enough, there was my talk titled, "Gratitude Talk". So, I read it. I couldn't believe it. I know I wrote that talk 9 months ago, but it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear right now. I have read it over and over and it has really helped me to see the blessings that I have and be more grateful for all that the Lord has given me. I think we focus a lot on gratitude during the Thanksgiving season, but then fail to see the everyday blessings we receive the rest of the year. So, this was really good for me to read in the middle of August! I decided that I would put the poem in this post because it really does remind us that the things in our lives that seem to get under our skin, our really blessings from above!

So, the moral of this story is...the Lord knows what we need. And sometimes He works through strangers, like people we've never met who saw us speak in church 9 months previous and get our phone number from I-don't-even-know-who and call us out of the blue. And through them He gives us a sweet little blessing to remind us of all we've been given!

Here is the poem:

Lord, thank you for this sink of dirty dishes;
We have plenty of food to eat.
Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry;
We have plenty of nice clothes to wear.
And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds;
They were so warm and comfortable last night.
I know that many have no bed.
My thanks to thee, Lord, for this bathroom,
Complete with all the splattered mirrors, soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory;
They are so convenient.
Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs cleaning so badly;
It has served us faithfully.
It is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals.
Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be scrubbed today.
It has baked so many things over the years.
The lawn that needs raking;
For each one of us enjoys the yard.
Thank you, Lord, even for that slamming sliding door.
My kids are healthy and able to run and play.
Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says
You have richly blessed my family.

4 comments:

Ashley McKinnon said...

That's awesome! I think we all needed to hear that. You're fabulous!

Mother of 6 said...

That is a great reminder especially right now. It helps me learn to let go of all the unimportsnt things that I put too much priority in. Thanks for the reminder.

Unknown said...

Hi Wendy this is Alisha Hunter's sister Anjalee. I was looking at Ashley's blog and I found yours and I wanted to look at yours. Your little family is cute. How are things going for you these days? I hope all is well, talk to you later.

The Hills said...

What a great poem! I could picture it all in my own house as I was reading, and it made me see the beauty in the everyday things that don't always seem beautiful. Thansk Wendy!