Praying for thanks

Dear Lord,
When I try to pray in the morning I get distracted.
The dog wants to go out for a walk.
The grand kids want to eat breakfast.
My son is in the shower and calling for a clean towel to dry off with.
My spouse can't find his car keys and he's running late for work. Again.
I've not yet had a sip of coffee nor have I read any of my devotionals
but I have folded an entire basket of clean towels, found his car keys,
fed the grand kids and walked the dog.

It also dawns on me that I have not yet thanked You for any of this.
So without further ado, Lord, I'd like to thank You for...

*A healthy dog who wants to eat and then eats without throwing up and for a dog who wants to go out walking and for a dog that finally poops like a normal dog. Gross, I know, but she has been sick off and on every two weeks since Christmas with vomiting and bloody diarrhea. As soon as she would finish the medicine from the Vet, her symptoms would start back up again.
Imagine the Vet bills if you can....And Thank You Lord for the ability to pay said Vet bills.
Thank You for our Vet and her stick-to-it-ive-ness for finally, FINALLY finding a diagnosis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and a solution (prescription grade dog food AND NOTHING ELSE EVER) for this little dog of ours.

*Two healthy, boisterous, loud, cartoon watching grandchildren who come in my front door 5 days a week smiling and shoving each other; flinging shoes and coats in their wake, and settling their tiny little fannys in front of the TV to watch those cartoons while they inhale cereal and toast. My cousin works at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Believe me when I say that I am so grateful that these two (and the other two grandchildren I have) can eat and sleep and fight and laugh and watch cartoons and run and misbehave. We love them. They are gifts, Dear Lord, and I thank You for them.

*My son, living back at home after a heartbreaking split with is girlfriend. It is so hard to go back home, Lord. Once a body has been out on their own, living with parents again can be a little stifling. Thank You Lord for helping me help him and also for helping me keep my mouth shut when it comes to his business and his friends and his lifestyle and the late nights out at bars and for nights when he doesn't come home at all, but he does text me. He didn't used to. Thank You Lord for that.

*My husband and his ability to lose anything and everything all the damn time. Especially his keys.
Thank You Lord for helping me to help him find them, when it is 7:00am and he is frantically tearing up my house in his panic and haste so he can drive to his job that is slowing sucking the life out of him. Or so he says.
Thank You Lord for the spark that still ignites between us...sometimes it glows like a candle, warm and soothing and other times it's a raging forest fire consuming everybody in its path including us.
Thank You Lord that a simple kiss can have a thousand different meanings from Hiya Handsome, to I'm sorry but you're still a jerk.
Thank You that we have each other Lord, even on the bad days.
Thank You for this house we share and repair together. For appliances that work, for yards that need to be mowed for gardens that need to be planted.

*Thank You Lord for that clean load of towels I found in the dryer and folded at 6:00am this morning.

*The pen and paper that I scratched out this prayer on before I typed it on this blog.

*The candle I just lit and my devotionals that I will open up in a few minutes.

*I'm going to go get me that cup of coffee now Lord.
And I thank You for that too.

Thanks for reading,
Love, Lolly

Bibliophile*

I've got a rare free day to do nothing.
By nothing I mean there is no shopping or cooking or laundry or dishes or cleaning that needs doing.
I made a huge pot of Veggie Chili yesterday; enough for us and also enough to share so I gave dinner to my mom and my daughter and son-in-law.
Guess what's for dinner tonight? I did say I made a huge pot of chili, right? ;)
Took my grandson to school this morning and I will pick him up afterwards but that is the extent of my To-Do list today.

If you're interested, my Seamless Bible study is moving along at a snails pace.
It is very ho-hum.
I am not engaged in it, with it, at all. Truthfully I'll be glad when it is done.
One more week to go.
The next Bible study this church is offering has been written by one of the ladies who has led us through this study.
Pardon me for saying this, but her announcement made me want to run screaming from the room.
I've not found her to be inspiring or uplifting at all. In fact half way through this study I've wanted to chuck the workbook and the "homework" that came along with it right into the trash.
I am a lover of books. I read them, I buy them, I covet them, I search Amazon for them, I borrow them, I keep them. As in like forever. Books are my jam. They tuck me into bed at night and they are the reason I get out of bed in the morning. Reading is equal to breathing in my world.*

This book will be tossed into the recycle bin next week Thursday at 9:00pm, right after class ends with no regrets. THUNK!!(and I paid $20 bucks for this book too)

Maybe it's just me but so far I haven't found any Bible study that is a good fit.
At my good ol' Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, the Bible studies are free of charge and you can tell. Nothing but older materials, used for decades.
The elder population doesn't want to pay a dime for new materials and they make up 90 % of the Bible study population.
They are fine with a printed worksheet and their King James Bibles.
They don't ask questions. They are there for the fellowship and the coffee.
They are fine with the status quo.
Me on the other hand...I've got numerous Bibles that I can reference and Google at my fingertips to search out any questions that come up... and the questions DO come up.
Is it just me? Nobody else seems to be asking the questions that I am.
Who did Cain marry? Who did Seth marry?
Who were the Nephilim? (Genesis 6:4)
Really Noah? Two of everything??
Doesn't anybody else know that Mary Magdalene was NOT a prostitute??
What happened to Joseph? (Jesus's step-dad) Why doesn't anybody mention what happens to Joseph?

Now don't get me wrong...I am not a Bible scholar. Not a theologian either.
But these questions and more nag at me.
I believe in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
I've seen things that make it impossible NOT to believe.
I want more though. More knowledge, more questions, more answers.

I feel like I am being led to perhaps..maybe..possibly..oh geez..I don't know....
lead a study myself?
YIKES!!
I cannot believe I just typed that out loud.
But I keep getting this feeling, this sense that I should speak up at our church and inquire about Women's Bible study courses.
I keep getting a little nudge that maybe I am the one who could bring the type of Bible study I am looking for into our church. That  maybe there are other younger-ish women who are starving for more of Gods word like I am.
Not young moms or the geriatric population. I am talking about women 40-65.
Why that demographic?? I don't know. But that's part of the nudge too.
I'll be honest and say that it sort of scares me. I am an introvert. I don't do public speaking.
What in the world is God doing here?? What is He thinking?
Think I will ponder this for a bit...and I'll keep you posted on the nudges.

Thanks for reading,
Love, Lolly



* definiton of Bibliophile