Squashed Bugs and Thankfulness

You know how somedays you're the windshield and somedays you're the bug? Well, yesterday was definitely a bug day. In the morning we got the call about Grandpa. Then Garr went to pick up a load of wood (we were completely out and currently only have a fireplace for heat.) When he got home, he checked our septic to find that it was completely backed up. Now when we moved in, our septic did fail inspection. But we really thought it was fine as we've had absolutely no problems with it to date. So after getting the girls to help unload the truckload of wood, Garr headed to the home store to rent a roto-rooter. While he was gone, the girls and I stacked all the wood. After getting the electric roto-rooter set up, we found out that it didn't work. It worked for about 5 minutes and then we couldn't get it turned back on - even though we changed it's position and tried to get it closer to the outlet, etc.

While doing this, all of a sudden I felt like there was a bug up my pantleg, near my knee. I started to carefully pull up the leg of my jeans and WHAM, I got stung. The bee was still in my pantleg, so I was trying to carefully get my jeans up to get the bee out! (I seriously considered for a moment just pulling my jeans right off in the backyard to let that thing lose, but decided I better not - LOL) After pulling the leg of my jeans up, I couldn't find the bee - he was stuck in between the folds. I gave Garr a "help me!" look and he swatted it away. It was still alive at that point and Garr said he was BIG. I had forgotten how bad a bee sting hurts!

So back to the roto-rooter. We wheeled it back out to the septic (me limping along). This time Garr pushed it into the septic lines and I manually rotated the wheel. Can you say gross, disgusting job??? And everytime I thought my job was so gross, I'd look at my poor husband and see him up to his elbows in you-know-what and feel even worse for him! We must have worked those lines for 2 hours or more. And nothing. It still didn't drain.

By now, it's 5 o'clock, so all the septic people are closed. Garr decided to get the sump pump from our crawlspace and see if he can pump some of the liquid out of the tank. So he crawls under there, gets it screwed off, takes it back to the tank, ties a chain to it, lowers it in, and guess what? It barely works!

Meanwhile it is almost 6:30 and I have yet to start dinner. Garr goes to take the malfunctioning rooter back to the store while I get started on dinner. (I love this meal and I'll post the recipe later!) While making dinner, I slice the palm of my hand - a good 1 1/2 inches - not deep, more like a papercut. But boy does that sting! So I can barely use my hand and my knee still hurts like crazy from the sting and then my egg beater breaks. blah.

What a day! And this is where the "thankfulness" comes in...

I've been reading a very interesting blog named "A Place Called Simplicity." And the name really drew me in when I realized that she has 10 kids. 10 kids! A place called SIMPLICITY? Are you kidding me? And many of them are adopted with special needs. And she homeschools. And the more I read her blog, the more I realize she is a real person with a real (loud and crazy, I'm sure) family. I only have 4 very healthy kids and that is the last name I would give a blog about our family! lol So why would she name her blog that? I can't really answer for her, but I think it is because she lets God direct their lives. When you give up the reins to Someone else, there is this peace that overtakes you. Less focus on self and stuff and more focus on others. And she's thankful. Thankful for everything and in everything.

She started this thing called "Thankful Thursday." She plays this game with her children where they have to tell 10 things they are thankful for (and she strategically has them play this game when they are whiny or cranky) It brought back memories of a game I used to play with the girls when they were little, inspired by the movie, Pollyanna. I hadn't played it with the girls in a long time and during a particularily cranky school moment, I decided to start it up again. They loved it. Well, they didn't mind doing it and it did change their attitudes lol. So I've been trying to play it myself whenever I feel cranky or well, "like the bug." So all day yesterday I kept trying to come up with things to be thankful for. And actually (surprisingly!) there were a lot. And since I already told you my complaining list, here's my Thankfulness list (and it happens to be Thursday, sweet!)

1. It was a beautiful warm sunny day - mid 70s - not hot like in the summer (can you imagine doing the septic job in 90 degree heat? gross!) and also it was not raining!!

2. The kids were happy and occupied. Daniel napped (took an extra long one) while we were working with the septic and the girls played.

3. Rocky obeyed and didn't run off :)

4. Our draw hasn't come in yet, but at least we haven't spent it on house needs other than the septic thinking it was fine!

5. Garr controlled his temper! This is a big one! I've been praying for my husband and his temper (which really should be a no-no, I've realized, because God will just give him more opportunities to get mad and practice controlling his temper! lol) But really, he did great and he even mentioned it himself! (And yes, he knows I'm writing this and is fine with it lol)

6. My knee is starting to feel better and hasn't swollen up as stings have in the past.

7. My husband was right there to swat that big bee away from me!

8. The girls and I (and Garr) had a great Bible time during school yesterday morning and everyone took a turn praying. Their requests? Eme - a friend's salvation and the orphans in the world who need homes; Abby - her kitty (badly hurt her foot) and people in the world who don't have Bibles/don't have the Bible in their language and the "weird lady who won't give us money"(our draw lol); and Olivia - a friend's salvation. Oh and Garr and the kids wanted to pray for another puppy... (but that's a whole other story!) I am so proud of my girls!

9. The craft we are doing in school is actually a hit and turning out well! The kids worked on it while I read the Cameron Townsend (founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators) to them and they are loving the story!

10. Abby is psyched about Awana and has learned 3 verses and all the New Testament books this week!

11. The people at the home store DIDN'T charge us for the roto-rooter! YAY - since we did all the work! :)

12. My girls are hard workers! They helped me stack all that wood so that Garr didn't have to!

13. We had a yummy dinner and a warm, beautiful fire tonight and still got to watch 2 episodes of Little House. And they were funny, not sad!

14. I got a call and my Grandpa is doing better!!! They were able to drain some of the fluid off him and put him on O2 and he is responding well!! Praise God!

15. Finally, I'm thankful for "A Place Called Simplicity" and the challenges it has given my heart.



What are you thankful for today?