Gratitude Friday

Good morning, everyone! I'm back from another week of camp. This morning I got up very early to have a Starbucks latte with my Whitworth friend Polly. We can go back there if you'd like for another cup of coffee or I can make a fresh pot of New Guinea coffee here at the house. You decide, your choice! :)

Here's my gratitude list for the week:

1. wisdom in knowing how to handle different situtations! I had to handle a few things at camp this week that were out of my comfort zone & I'm thankful that I had wisdom to proceed with grace, love and authority.
2. my son Ian! I had a phone call this morning from a dear friend who read in her Vacaville, CA paper that "Ian York, age 21 in Fresno, had committed suicide!" Naturally she was very concerned and checked in with me. My Ian is 22 and is living in Spokane for two more weeks. However, the phone call was a wake up call for me to spend more time with my Ian, tell him he's loved LOTS and encourage him as he headed back to CA for college.
3. the Spokane River! I'm learning to really love it. This week we tubed down it with 30+ kids. Megan (our camp nurse) and I sat in a double tube and felt like we were the Princesses of the Nile. I'm taking our tiaras next week.
4. a very loving vet! The Beagle Boys are at the vet this morning and it's a sad day for them because they're being neutered. It should be a quiet few days around here until they get their spunk back. Perhaps Hans and Gretel will be able to relax, too, with the boys on a quiet schedule.
5. my hairdresser, Melissa! I had coffee with her last Sunday and today she's doing my hair & my eyebrows. No more "Princess Diaries" eyebrow emergency!! I can't wait to see what she has in store for my hair today!
6. These verses from 1 Peter 3:8-9 "Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble spirit. Don't repay evil with evil. don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do and He will bless you for it!" These verses were on a slip of paper on my chair in staff meeting yesterday. I really have been thinking about them. As I go about my weekend and into my next week, that's how I want to live, esp being tenderhearted and keeping a humble spirit.

Thanks for praying for me this coming week. We're jumping back into a camp with high schoolers! They sure help me break down my own walls and take off masks. Here's hoping the same things will be accomplished with them & they will learn to love the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind.