It's been a LONG time since I've done one of these, but it seems like a good focusing tool today.


1. I have a roof over my head. As I watch/read/listen to the news, I realize that we're fortunate to have a place to call home, even we've been temporarily displaced. Let's face it. Four bedrooms, a HUGE kitchen, and a isn't exactly roughing it (especially after a week of living in our home with all of the dryers/dehumidifiers blowing circuits and roaring around the clock).

2. Nothing of true importance was damaged. My daughter took the hardest hit, as her mattress is toast, most of her shoes were ruined, and her backpack full of homework and notes was soaked--but we've been able to replace or dry out most of her stuff. My irreplacables--my photo albums and files--were either high and dry, or we were able to backup.

3.I'm getting new kitchen cabinets. I've always felt my kitchen was cramped and dark...the new cupboards are much more "me".

4. We're getting new flooring. The carpet was toast before we moved in, so this can only be a good thing...and it will eventually only be good for resale (I hope).

5.Our restoration company has thrown in some little fixes here and there that we simply haven't gotten around to in the past year and a half.

6.People have been kind and compassionate. We've had friends from church do our laundry (and we generate a LOT of laundry), lend a hand with the kids, and bring us yummy dinners.

7.My children are resilient and have their priorities straight. Both older children have made the statement that this is pretty much nothing compared to sarcoma!

8.God is using my little book. Just today two people told me that He used it to speak to them, and it really met them right where they were at (oh, and that it sounds just like me talking! Good job, Keith and Libby, looks like you met your goal on that one!).

9. Opportunities to share about the book are slowly starting to come in. Tonight, I was invited to share at the preschool parent association meeting and set up a book table there. Next week, I get to share at my home church service and at our women's meeting.

10. While a bit battered in spirit, there's nothing wrong with my body right now. I'm happy to be able to stress manage at the gym, over the sewing machine, and volunteering at the kids' schools.

11.I'm being given the chance (again!) to practice patience as I wait for the insurance company to respond, wait for our finances to straighten out, wait for the restoration to progress...

12. My husband has cheerfully served his family throughout our ordeal and is wading through forests of red tape for us while still shouldering his full commute/work load.

13. "My circumstances are not my truth". I wrote this in my Bible study notebook just a few days before "Hurricane Kenmore". It remains a valid statement.