Grateful Friday

“A desire to kneel down sometimes pulses through my body, or rather it is as if my body has been meant and made for the act of kneeling. Sometimes, in moments of deep gratitude, kneeling down becomes an overwhelming urge, head deeply bowed, hands before my face.”

~Etty Hilsum

I am grateful for a sunny, quiet day off.

I'm grateful for mercy, grace and forgiveness.

I'm grateful for sleep, although it never seems like I get enough.

I'm grateful for a slower-paced week.

I'm grateful for the self-discipline to do yoga once again.  Feel like I'm starting all over again, though.

I'm so very grateful my son is safe.

[My 15 year old son, Alex, went on an intense camping trip last week. Embarking from Winthrop (WA) weekend before last, they packed up their gear on pack animals and hiked approx. 20 miles into the wilderness. It was a guided hike where the guides "dropped" them at camp, then returned to hike them out at the end of the week. My husband's best friend Scott, Scott's father (Dick) & son (Brian), a college buddy (Greg) and another buddy (Jim) from work accompanied Alex on this camp adventure into the wilderness.

They all had a great time, and Alex said he would do it again, if given the opportunity - which is a good sign. Sometimes it is difficult to discern if a 15 year old really had a good time, if you know what I mean.

As he was telling me about his week of camping, he related an incident to me that has me pretty rattled and praising our LORD profusely. Apparently, they got to camp fine, set up and got one night in camp under their belts. The next day, Alex wanted to do a little exploring (as he does) and hiked off from camp...alone. (Did I mention this is wilderness country?) He neglected to tell anyone in what direction he was heading, nor did he take anything with him, save his pocketknife and a lighter. (OK, at this point Mom is decidedly NOT happy at the hearing of this story.)

He hiked for a bit, enjoying the landscape. It started raining, and he was getting pretty wet (with no coat or rain poncho!), so he decided to loop around and come back into camp. Unfortunately, he took a wrong turn on an intersecting 'trail' and headed in the wrong direction. By this point, it was pouring rain and getting dark. Nope - no light, no weapon and no cell phone service, obviously...

He decided he needed to build a shelter and hunker down for the night, which he did. I'm very proud of him for having the forethought and strength of character not to panic, and keep his wits about him. (I asked him if he was frightened, and he did admit to a bit... *smirk*) At day break, soaking wet and cold, he retraced his steps back to the wrong turn and made his way back to camp. Thankfully, he was able to find his way back to camp! Praise the LORD!

Back at camp, they didn't realize he was gone that afternoon/evening until they were calling out his name to come eat dinner. When he didn't show up to eat...or sleep...they got very worried, as you can imagine. Being men, they didn't decide to do anything until daybreak (not that they could have done much in the dark, anyway); then a couple of them (most likely Scott and Greg) started to hike down to the ranger's cabin (I'm not sure how far away this was...I'm thinkin' the 20 miles.) When Alex stepped back into camp, Scott's dad fired off the rifle to alert the two heading for help that he had resurfaced. (Man, I would have been absolutely beside myself!)

Being Mom, saying that I'm so thankful that tragedy was spared would be a gross understatement. Our LORD is merciful in everything! As a side note; the other guys in camp were a little peeved at my Alex - understandably so! But, he said they were mostly just worried. And yes, they beat him up a bit to take out some of their frustration (!!). I can't even imagine them thinking about how they were gonna break the news to Rob that his son was missing in the wilderness so far from home. And then, how would they break the news to his mother?? And, I could get completely lost and borderline hysterical considering the possibilities, but, since I don't live in the hypothetical, I have only one thing to say...well, actually two:  All's well that ends well!  and PRAISE THE LORD!]

I'm grateful for a new day.

I'm grateful for hot coffee, honey butter and BBQ chicken cooked by my husband, the official chicken-BBQing-expert.

I'm grateful the incredible view of Mt. Rainier I see on clear mornings out my kitchen window.

I'm grateful for portable fans, digital music playlists that can play for days without a repeat and priceless recordings from a good friend.

I'm grateful for personality profiles; I particularly like those from Meyers-Briggs.

I'm grateful for my car - I love Speeder!

I'm grateful for a wonderful conversation with my daughter.

I'm grateful for good attitudes, positive thoughts and thought-provoking quotes.

I'm grateful for the photo department at Costco - they are awesome!

I'm grateful for our day driving around Mount Rainier.

I'm grateful for text messaging.

I'm grateful that my boyz get to sleep in during the summer.

I'm grateful for travel plans.

I'm grateful for today...this is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

What are you grateful for this week?