“For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.” (Jeremiah 7:5-7, ESV)
I finally posted some photos taken after a Sunday morning church service in Alabama. These are taken in Papa Mike’s and Mama Lynn’s front yard.
Click here to see the photos in the Lombardi Spot galleries
Click here to see the photos in the Flickr Galleries
I sent an email out to all the registered members, giving some things to be thankful for. I also meant to close by stressing the importance of being thankful. I talked with a woman at the dentist office the other day who said that her kids are just not thankful for what they have. There is always something else that they want and they always seem to find something wrong with what they currently have. She was frustrated with her situation and even gave me a sarcastic “good luck” as I left.
Her struggle is not uncommon for we live in a society of consumers who are continually unsatisfied with what we currently have. I can really identify with that kind of thinking because that is very much the way I have behaved for many years and I still struggle to be content and thankful for what I have. The nationwide pastime of shopping and accumulating credit card debt is a testimony to this reality. Sometimes, we can say we are thankful, but our actions show that we are restless with what we have. Compassion International started selling shirts that have a little wisdom printed on each one. The front of one of the shirts said, “the opposite of poverty isn’t wealth” and the back side said “the opposite of poverty is enough”. Sometimes we have to realize that we have more than enough in order to truly be thankful both in our thoughts and our actions.
I suppose what better way to express thankfulness than to share our abundance with those that have little to nothing. Compassion International is a great way to do this. I’ve been sponsoring a child through Compassion who is in India. Our neighbor down the street had commented that we are wasting our money on these charities because they spend it all on fancy, expensive conferences and hotel bills. I think his position is more of an excuse to neglect giving to people in need. I haven’t found this to be that case at all. Recently I sent a $25 birthday gift and a $200 family gift through Compassion International and I received a thankful letter in return where my “loving daughter” (she addresses herself as that), explained that with the birthday gift she purchased a dress, aluminum vessels, a steel can, steel glasses, cake, and chocolates. With the family gift she purchased sand and bricks to replace the house walls that were previously made of coconut leaves. I still get all choked up that she was living with just coconut leaves as walls for the years that I’ve been sending letters back and forth. I had no clue what everyday living was like. And that’s partially the point of getting in touch with people in poverty. Through people in poverty, we become acutely aware of our abundance and luxurious living, realizing we truly have more than enough and more than enough to share with those in need.
One of my favorite local coffee shops was featured on the news. I found the news clip featured on La Marzocco’s international site.
Click Here and go to USA Barista Championship Clip
This latest information makes me wonder how we every began to think spraying chemicals in the air we breath is “freshening” the air. It just sounds ridiculous. 
Now some of your favorite air fresheners can actually be causing more harm than good. So throw away those air fresheners, especially if they are on the list of hazardous products and open the windows. Some stores actually pulled the bad products from the shelves already.
While on the subject of air freshness, it’s also a good idea not to light scented candles, especially if you have allergy and asthma sensitivities. I’ve read from a number of expert sources that the best way to improve indoor air quality is to simply open up the windows and let the fresh air in. Sure, you might let some heat in or the cold air out, but it really doesn’t change the heating bill much to replace the indoor air with fresh outdoor air. On hot days we make it a habit to open the windows during the cooler evening. During the cold days of winter, we open the windows during the warmest part of the day. Last year was one of the first years that we really started opening the windows regularly and we tracked our heating bill. I couldn’t see any noticeable difference in the monthly bill. But I bet our bodies appreciate having a little fresh air.
Claire loved this stroll down to the park in the Baby Bjorn.
She’s so funny. She was kicking and smiling with excitement. I joked that she looks like she’s saying, “I’m from HIckory”. That’s a famous line from the latest Last Comic Standing winner John Reep. Check out this clip from Comedy Central where he does a little of his Hickory head shaking.
