Friday, October 10, 2014

Friday's Fave Five #302



Hi everyone and welcome to another week of Friday's Fave Five.  Are you ready to look back over this last week and find some blessings in your life.  What uplifted you this week?  Gave you a smile?  Made you feel good?  Or made you feel special?  Did something or someone say just the right thing?  Do something for you?  Make life a bit easier?  Give you pause to stop and be grateful?  Then it fits right in with FFF!  Please join in as we share 5 of our favorite blessings from the last week!

1.  Dinner with our Pastor and his lovely wife.  This is always a pleasure for us.  They are such great people and it's a real blessing to not only have them as our pastors but to call them our friends.  They are such encouragers and such down to earth kind of people and they are a lot of fun.  There is always lots of laughter and yet there is always deep spiritual discussion too.  It's always a blessing when we get to share time with them.

2.  A revelation of my baby girl all grown up.  My youngest who is almost 20 joined us for dinner with our pastors and that night I saw a real maturity and grown-upness (I know it's not a word, but work with me here).  She didn't just sit there but joined in on the conversation and held her own.  She was bright and funny and honest.  It was a joy having her along.  I know in my head she's considered an adult but it just really hit me that evening that yes, she has grown up right before my eyes.  And she just made us all laugh out loud when she commented:  "I must be getting older 'cause I'm enjoying your conversation".    We were quick to point out that it's because we ourselves were so young.  LOL.

3.  A blessing of time.  At this time of year, I am in charge of two different areas in my church:  Operation Christmas Child and Ladies Christmas party door prize and silent auction donations co-ordinator.  The second job has grown huge and it takes up large chunks of time.  I was getting a little behind in getting letters out to various businesses and was really starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with it all (the same as I do every year at this time).  Then on Wednesday only 1 child showed up for dayhome.  It happened to be one of the babies.  And he has a short nap in the morning and a longer one in the afternoon so I was able to get all my letters done and then we even took the stroller and walked to the mailbox to mail them all when he was awake.  What a blessing it is to have that part done.  Now I can relax for a couple weeks until the next busy step in the process.

4.  Self-adhesive envelopes.  When one is doing 40 - 50 letters it is a huge thing not to have to lick all those babies closed, let me tell you!  Or to have wet paper towels to try and get them damp without sopping down the rest of the envelope.  What a blessing whoever came up with that invention is in my life at this time of year.  I will have to make sure to thank the church secretary profusely for getting those envelopes.

5.  The owner/manager/trainer at my gym who took my workout and totally modified it when I came down with major heel pain this week.  In typical modern day fashion, I totally went on line with my symptoms and I think I've plantar fasciitis.  I'm going to have to make an appointment with the doctor to see if I'm right, but whatever the case, I was absolutely bummed because I have been on a great role with my fitness goals.  I do not want to be laid up with an injury and then have to fight my way back like a couple of years ago.  I was very grateful she took the time to change the workouts the gym is doing with Jillian Michaels and modified them or totally changed them up to take the pressure off my feet and heels and still let me come and do something to work out.  It's a blessing to have someone with some knowledge and the willingness to take the time without extra appointments or expense.

What were your favorites from the last week?



12 comments:

Gattina said...

I can't even remember when I wrote my last letter or card and send them per snail mail ! I do everything per email !

Faith said...

Oh Susanne!!! I feel your pain!! As you know I've been dealing with fasciitis since the end of June but!!!! The chiro I go to uses all the more progressive techniques( he avoids surgery and thinks doctors are too quick to jump with it and half the time it doesn't work). If you can, I highly recommend the ultrasound and point massage therapy. My chiro has done wonders for me and I am back to hiking.....for now I use Rock tape to wrap my arch while hiking. I will pray for you! That's great about your dinner out and your insights of your daughter. Time goes by too fast!!! Happy weekend!

Mia said...

I used to coordinate auctions for non profits and I'll vouch for what a huge task that is. Self sticking envelopes are a huge blessing! ;)

What a wonderful evening with your pastor's family and seeing your daughter hold her own. Glad you were able to enjoy the fruits of your labors as a faithful parent.

Ann said...

I LOVE Operation Christmas Child. We have a big project for that here also. A friend of mine (former student) is trying to get 500 boxes filled at her church, so several of us are trying to do all we can to help her reach her goal, as well as a large group of her own church ladies. What a worthy project!!

nikkipolani said...

So good to read about the blessing of people and help and encouragement in your week, Susanne. I do hope you get some relief for your foot pain.

Love that you had the experience first hand of seeing your daughter as an emerging adult.

Monica said...

It is "a moment" when we realize just how grown up they are. Makes your heart sing :)
I hope your heel pain subsides and you can continue your "new" workout plan. It's hard to get back into it if you are set back due to an injury. :(
Hope you have a great weekend where you are!

Jerralea said...

It sounds like your dinner party was quite the success! Nothing like visiting with people you love. I'm glad your daughter enjoyed it, too. It's great when the whole family is friends with the pastor's family.

Yes, I am so thankful for self-sealing envelopes. Wonderful invention!

Kathie said...

Aww Susanne - I hope your heel injury recovers quickly. No fun. And especially when you're doing so well with your exercise.

Your daughter's comment sounds so much like one our daughter would make :) It's a joy to watch them grow, isn't it!

Good for you with your work in OCC. We are gearing up for it too.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
xo

Barbara H. said...

The dinner with your pastor sounds like such fun. I know what you mean about those sudden realizations that our kids are true adults.

Self-adhesive envelopes are wonderful. I had to smile at how you described trying to use a wet paper towel on envelopes - I have done that before, LOL! Glad that part of that job is done and that things worked out so well in your schedule to have time to finish it.

I'm so sorry about your foot! Hope it heals well and quickly. That is wonderful that your trainer was able to find out ways for you to work out around it. That's making me think twice about the gym. I prefer to exercise at home, but was thinking today that some time at a gym would give me the opportunity to try some different machinery to see if I could use it - because of balance and other issues I can't always just jump in there. I hate to spend the money and take the extra time to drive there, but it might be worth it in the long run.

Willow said...

Isn't it wonderful when you see your children with new eyes and realize they are truly grown up? I love seeing my kids 'holding their own' in an adult world.

Wow, you are a busy woman, in charge of both the Christmas Party and Operation Christmas Child.

I hope your foot heals quickly--hurray for a thoughtful and knowledgeable trainer!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great week filled with a great variety of good things happening in your life. I love self sealing envelopes! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Karen said...

I like your list, containing big things and little things (like envelopes!). Blessings come in all sizes. My heart swelled for you when you talked about your daughter.

I had a bout with plantar fasciitis this year (surprised?!) Just want to encourage you, that I'm now back to my regular walking routine and feel great. My foot doc is my hero:)