365 Days of Blessings - Day 48

365 Days of Blessings, Day 48

1. God is the author of life, salvation, creativity, and imagination. He is real, and he is amazing.

2. A day between. We've been blessed by full, rich, busy lives from sometime in June until today. Today is the first day in which we don't have: dance recital, dance practice, dance competition, travel prep, travel, church softball, zoo camp, Sunday School meetings, dentist and doctor appointments, or anything other than our household stuff to do. I am thankful for a day to clean house, do yardwork, hang out in my own home, maybe run an errand to the grocery store, and take time to prepare for our next adventure without packing or that "hurry, hurry" feeling involved.

3. Movies made from cartoon series and books. Even though we may not always love the way the directors choose to take the storyline, it is a great base for discussion, especially when it is a movie based on a book.

4. The Last Airbender: Avatar movie. I know it's based on a cartoon series. I know the base in Eastern mysticism in the show is a dilemma for Christians. However, that cartoon series has been a family favorite for a few years now.

We've enjoyed the humor, the characterization, the action, the storyline, the redemption of "bad" charcters, and the fun nature of the show that seems to understand exactly where kids are at. The movie didn't capture all of that of course, and even included a few jarring moments (how did they decide to pronounce three main character names wrong?), but we are still glad that it was made into a movie, and we enjoyed going to see it last night.

We've also had plenty of time to discuss our faith with our kids, and how faith in Christ differs from other religious faiths from around the world. We like being able to read, watch, and listen to Christ-based books, movies, and music. However, we also like being able to watch the "worldly" stuff and talk about it with our kids. It's a tightwire challenge that all parents have to face, and we hope and pray we're managing it well.

5. A week of zoo camp for my kids at Pt Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. An amazing week full of animal encounters, crafts, and behind the scenes special moments for my kids. They were able to see the animal hospital at the zoo, and the food prep areas. They prepared special snacks for the elephants, and the polar bears. They made "enrichment" toys for some of the animals. They designed zoo habitat plans, and my oldest daughter's class did presentations. Happily, she got to do a presentation on one of her favorites: sharks. My youngest worked with a team to create a drawing of a "new" habitat enclosure for the Red Wolf exhibit. Currently, the Red Wolf habitat is under construction to celebrate the Red Wolf Species Survival, made possible in part by Pt. Defiance zoo.

6. My kids love of animals, great and small. I have many friends who are somewhat dismayed by my encouragement of my daughters' love of wildlife. I am often told that I should encourage them to serve God's people first, and there is a point in that. However, I feel that by saving God's creatures, even the ones that aren't human, we are serving Him. I don't think it has to be an "either, or" type passion. William Wilberforce, who fought against the slave trade in the United Kingdom, also fought for the humane treatment of animals.

7. Being able to be a part of a zoo that supports species survival of many creatures around the world.

8. Looking forward to completing projects today around my house.

9. Re-submitting my poem, "My Mother's Compost" in the hopes that it will get published, even though I still have some "hmm" moments about it.

10. Another cool morning break before the sun comes out in force for the afternoon.

The following scripture just captured my imagination this morning:
"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?'
I said, 'O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.'
Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones; I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.'" Ezekiel 37:1-5