The Year of the Garden

Mary, Mary quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

Just before the beginning of the year I had dinner with a friend currently living and working in England and we designated 2009 The Year of Optimism.

In other quarters however I had already declared 2009 to be The Year of the Garden. We moved into our home here at the beginning of 2008. It is in a really beautiful setting but the actual garden is, well...

"Garden" is probably a bit generous. "Yard" would be better.

I just couldn't get to it last year. So I decided this year would be the year. Rather rashly (or maybe for reasons of accountability/motivation to actually do something about it) I announced far and wide that I would get working on garden this year. (And I REALLY need to do something about it now that I have mentioned it here! Not that I going to be bullied by my own blog!!)

So here is the baseline.

The yard is an "L" shape. This is the base of the "L" - with the washing line in the corner.


Then, standing halfway along the upright of the "L", looking back down to the corner where the washing line is you have the boys' trampoline.


Turn the other way and you get a wonderful paved area, which currently features, among other things, a stack of empty pots that moved with us from our last house.

I need to confess at this point that I am no gardener. We brought empty pots with us because all the plants that had once been in them were dead...and there was no point shifting dead plants to our new home! You will start to get a picture of the challenges that lay ahead.

And then for the grand finale, the empty patch, just crying out for a garden.


Now there are three major challenges for me. One is to overcome my gardening ineptitude. The second is that I will be working on a tight budget. The third and biggest challenge is that there are lots of gum trees all around the perimeter of the yard and although you can't see it, there is one just to the right of this empty patch. And I would be reasonably confident that there are certain things that will not grow under a gum tree.

So that is the baseline. This is The Year of the Garden. And it is only the end of May. I haven't even missed Spring for 2009. Where there is still Spring to come there is hope.

I'll keep you posted...and no doubt I'll be asking for some advice along the way.

Oh, by the way, the United Nations has actually designated2009 the International Year of Astronomy.

Joy in Job

Yesterday I got up to Job* in my Bible reading plan. In many respects this is a heavy going book of the Bible.

At the very beginning Job is described as, "blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." God allows Satan to test Job's righteousness. And so Job loses all his vast livestock and his servants, his ten children are killed and he is covered from head to toe in painful sores. That is, Job loses his livelihood, the trappings of his wealth, his family and his health - all things we may be tempted to place our security in, rather than in God. That's just the first two chapters!!

But the rub for me is in the following 35 chapters. Job has three friends who come along and try to comfort and help him. This long section of the book records the conversation between the four of them. There is double edged sword for me in these 35 chapters. At one level (from hazy memory - and I may need to retract the next phrase in a week's time when I have finished reading Job) there is a certain degree of whinging - and if you have read other parts of this blog, you will know the extent of my patience with whinging. And then there is the discomfort of having to read what the three friends had to say in trying to comfort Job - words that were not at all comforting or helpful - and wondering if I have spoken similarly unhelpful words that were of no comfort to friends in need. Wondering that must necessarily lead to apology and repentance.

I almost thought of skipping over Job this time around because I didn't think I was up to it. But Job is the Word of God. So I prayed hard before commencing my reading of this section of God's Word that I would learn from it. And how grateful I am that God gave me good courage to read on and not put Job aside for another time - because look what I found only four verses in...

His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of fasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, 'Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.' This was Job's regular custom.

Oh, that in our family we would have this level of concern for the spiritual welfare of our children. And oh, that our boys would grow up blessed by the fruit of our concern, prayer and actions on behalf of their spiritual welfare, just as Job's children clearly did. This is a breathtaking testimony of what it is to be a godly parent.

If the rest of my time in Job is difficult, it will not matter for I have been given a precious reminder and rich encouragement to focus on the one thing that is most important for our two boys - that they be brought up to be blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.

Thankyou heavenly Father for the book of Job.

* The word "Job" rhymes with "robe."

Daylight Saving

Today 1.3 million adults in Western Australia will vote YES or NO to daylight saving between the end of October and the end of March each year.

I took R (who is six) and N (who is approaching four) with me to cast my vote - a good chance for them to see what the election process looks like when the ballot paper isn't too difficult to complete - ie. I could vote and supervise at the same time! On the way we discussed the issue.

M: So R, what do you think of daylight saving? Should I vote yes or no?

R: Vote no. I don't like it.

M: Why?

R: Because it is boring.

OK...moving onto the next boy...

M: So N, what do YOU think of daylight saving?

N: (with joy) I love light sabers Mummy.

Don't think we have fully grasped the issues in our household!

Take Hold and Rejoice!

Recently I did a Bible study on prayer with some friends and the text for the study was dear Philippians 4:4-7. Now, I thought I had pondered and thought over every letter of these verses but something new and wonderful came to light as we studied this passage together.

Rejoice in the Lord always.

I will say it again: Rejoice!

Let your gentleness be evident to all.

The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything,

by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding...

All good up to there.

But I realised that I think I've never taken in what happens after that. Sure I have read it. Probably hundreds of times. But I think my eyes have just run over the top of the next words, happily distracted (the word "reverie" comes to mind) by the prospect of experiencing the peace of God which transcends all understanding. After all, that sounds wonderful.

So if I rejoice in the Lord - because no matter what else is happening in my life I have cause to rejoice in the hope of eternal life with God through Jesus - and then be gentle, living in expectation of the Lord being near and rather than being anxious about the circumstances of my life, pray about them with thanksgiving - thankful that God is sovereign and He hears my prayers - then the peace of God, which transcends all understanding...

What?

What of that peace of God which transcends all understanding?

Well, it isn't given to me to make me feel all warm and comfortable and cosy. Strangely I think this has been my distracted thought while my eyes have read over the next bit with my brain disengaged. But the next bit actually says, when you stop to read it...

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The peace of God actually guards my heart and my mind - that is, my feelings and my thoughts. The peace of God reminds me that I am safe in Jesus, no matter what else may be happening. And if my feelings and my thoughts are under control and even more so, focussed on Jesus, then that should guard my actions - which will hopefully mean responding to any given situation in a way that honours and glorifies God. No wonder God wants us to pray always.

It is important to note in this particular passage that God doesn't take away the circumstance that would otherwise be causing us anxiety. He blesses us with a cool head and a steady heart to persevere. This is echoed beautifully in the first chapter of 2 Thessalonians when Paul prays for the Thessalonians who are clearly being persecuted and are in all sorts of bother. Paul prays not that they would be delivered from their circumstances but that they would be faithful and honour God through them.

Which is not to say that we shouldn't ask God to deliver us from difficult circumstances. Often He will. But at other times God won't because He knows what is best for us. And this is where we need to be observant to His answers to our prayers. Maybe God's answer is to give us a clear head and a steady heart to press on and ultimately to grow in our trust, dependence, knowledge and love of Him.

So, be encouraged. Rejoice in the Lord always.

Humility

I wish I was sufficiently well versed to know that this hymn comes from the pen of Horatio Bonar (1808 -1889). But as it turns out, I have become familiar with these words because of a Colin Buchanan CD. So thanks Colin and thanks Horatio. This is true humility – completely trusting God's sovereign plan for one's life – and a beautiful encouragement.

Thy way, not mine, O Lord, however dark it be,
Lead me by Thine own hand, choose out the path for me.

Smooth let it be or rough, it will still be the best.
Winding or straight, it leads right onward to thy rest.

I dare not choose my lot. I would not if I might,
Choose Thou for me, My God, so I shall walk aright.

The Kingdom that I seek is Thine, so let the way,
That leads to it be Thine, else I must surely stray.

Take Thou my cup, and it with joy or sorrow fill,
As best to Thee may seem, choose Thou my good and ill.

Choose Thou for me my friends, my sickness or my health,
Choose Thou my cares for me, my poverty or wealth.

Not mine, not mine the choice in things all great or small.
Be Thou my Guide, my Strength, my Wisdom and my All.

Another Compelling Case for Reading a Book!

A while ago I stumbled upon the article Is Google Making us Stupid? by Nicholas Carr. It starts like this:

Over the past few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory. My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell—but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy. My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle.

I think I know what’s going on. For more than a decade now, I’ve been spending a lot of time online, searching and surfing and sometimes adding to the great databases of the Internet. The Web has been a godsend to me as a writer. Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes. A few Google searches, some quick clicks on hyperlinks, and I’ve got the telltale fact or pithy quote I was after. Even when I’m not working, I’m as likely as not to be foraging in the Web’s info-thickets’reading and writing e-mails, scanning headlines and blog posts, watching videos and listening to podcasts, or just tripping from link to link to link.

The bottom line? The internet is a wonderful tool however we move around it quickly. We can find what we need with great speed. And if we start reading something and it doesn't meet our need or hold our interest then there is always another website to visit - and off we go! Cage looks at the long term effect of this style of reading/operating and while it is anecdotal at present (there is no hard research on the effect of the constant use of the internet on brain function but wow! - there are a few PhDs there!!) he suggests that at best it is changing the way we think and at worst it is flattening our capacity to think and certainly to concentrate.

Now I know my capacity to concentrate has been seriously deteriorating over the last few years. First there were the pregnancy hormones (although I am not entirely convinced of this as an excuse at least for myself) and then there was the baby fog (that was real!). But in truth a good part of my loss of brain function is simply because I haven't exercised it and it has just become very unfit.

This is one of many reasons why I started this blog - to do something new, to stretch myself, to connect a few new synapses in my brain and reconnect a few that became disconnected along the way.

So now I am going to start reading again. I will start small with a modest reading list both in quantity and content because I know that if I am over ambitious (when it comes to matters of fitness, be that of brain or body) then failure will surely follow. And I will build up slowly. The trick as always will be to approach this in a godly fashion, to set suitable boundaries and to work on not adding more to the agenda to the detriment of the core stuff that needs to be maintained and done well. I will keep you posted!

And the great irony of the "Is Google Making us Stupid?" article? For an article on the internet it was extremely long and took considerable concentration to read. I'd be certain the irony was not lost on Nicholas Carr.

Head and Heart

Earlier this year Jean (her blog "in all honesty" is always worth reading) inspired me to start reading again - something more substantial than parenting and recipe books. I got off to a great start but my good resolve fizzled out.

There are lots of reasons why it all fizzled out:

* not wishing to encroach upon my precious time for reading the Bible,
* a reading list that was too ambitious in length which then overwhelmed me,
* reading choices that were too ambitious in content that overwhelmed my unfit brain,
* being too busy (or is that not enough discipline to make the time to do it??) to fit it in,
* not doing it for 21 days in a row (because apparently it takes 21 uninterrupted days to form a habit).

The centrepiece of my list of excuses includes the admission of an unfit brain. (I have carefully kept it that way to match my unfit body!!) And I am going to think about brain fitness next time (if I can concentrate for long enough!!!)

But on the 23rd March Dr John Piper had this to say on his Desiring God blog:

This is a plea that all of you would build into your lives both personal devotions and purposeful study of God’s word.

Both: Daily prayerful meditation seeking personal application of God’s word to your own heart and life.

And: Regular study in a class or with a book where the (living or dead) teacher has seen more than you have and can give you insight in 30 minutes that might otherwise take you ten years to see.

The reason I plead for both is that without a book or a class about what some part of the Bible means and a teacher who is ahead of you, your devotions will probably flatten out at a low level of insight.

Year after year you will go over the same biblical ground and find it as perplexing as before. There will be little advance in understanding. This will tend to take the heart out of devotional reading, because the lack of growth cannot sustain the joy.

Seek out preaching, books, and classes which take you further in grasping what various books and texts in the Bible mean.

Well, I am encouraged to have another go at doing both - devotional Bible reading and also serious reading about the Bible - which means making a plan to do the purposeful study. Most of the books that were on the previous over ambitious list were about the purposeful study of the Bible. So I think I just need to choose more carefully and keep the list short to begin with.

And there is more encouragement to be had for those who need an extra push. Here are some encouraging ways to get into devotional reading and here is another piece of inspiration to pursue serious reading in a SMALL way - which I was VERY pleased to read - which will ease an unfit brain into tackling print matter again. Because reading IS a joy and I am not actually doing this to punish myself.

Truly Remarkable

How would you spend this evening if you knew it was going to be your last?

Yesterday I had the privilege of teaching 60 children in my scripture classes about the beautiful episode of Jesus washing his disciples' feet on the Thursday night before the events of the Easter weekend started to unfold. To commence the lesson I asked the children this very question of how they would spend the evening if they knew it was their last. Some of the responses included

* Order pizza and play Nintendo DS all night.
* Jump off my roof and see if I actually can fly after all
* Go to McDonalds for one last happy meal
* Finish my homework (oh yeah!!) and spend time with my family
* Get all my friends over for a party

On Jesus' last night before he faced crucifixion he had dinner with his twelve best friends but he didn't spend the evening pleasing himself, seeking out love and comfort or doing that last crazy thing.

Jesus did something remarkable. He washed their feet. This was an enormous gift of love and sacrifice.

Why remarkable?

Because the feet of the disciples would not have looked nice and clean like the ones in this photo. The 24 feet in question would have sweated through the heat of the day, walked along the dusty roads and would not have been "refreshed" before coming to dinner. (It was quite good fun to go into a bit of detail at this point!!!)

Because in those days the task of foot washing would have been relegated to the lowest slave of the household and so for Jesus, their Lord and Teacher, to do this would have been culturally surprising to say the least.

Because this was his last night before he faced crucifixion and instead of focussing on what he was about to face, he looked outward and gave his friends a simple but powerful act of love in the gift of cleansing of their feet. (Now there is more going on here than simple foot washing – but the children are young and I only had 25 minutes!)

Because he then used it, selflessly, to teach his friends one final lesson while they were together.

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."John 13:14,15

He was not suggesting that they literally wash every foot with which they came into contact there after. He was suggesting that they love one another sacrificially, selflessly, taking on acts of service that lack glamour but demonstrate extravagant love - that they show love in a remarkable way.

Maybe remarkable is not the best word to describe what Jesus did because it is entirely in character that Jesus – who came not to be served but to serve – spent his last night with his friends in this way.

But it does paint a remarkable example to us to love one another abundantly, quietly, humbly, sacrificially, selflessly, beautifully.

And the best bit for me yesterday? I think all 60 kids got it. Not necessarily that they need to love one another sacrificially - wouldn't that be nice?? But they did get that Jesus did something truly remarkable the night before He died on the cross. And I praise God for that.

In Pursuit of Gratitude - (5) The recipients of gratitude and what to do when it all just seems too hard

Gratitude travels in two directions - horizontally and vertically.

The horizontal expression of gratitude occurs amongst ourselves. It happens when we say thankyou to someone for a kindness shown to us, when we write a letter of thanks, when we see that someone is congratulated or acknowledged for a job well done. We are a blessing to one another when we express gratitude. Being thankful to one another is a good habit to form.

The vertical expression of thanks is when we say thankyou to God - for all the blessings of this life both tangible and intangible. If forming the habit of horizontal gratitude is a good thing, then forming the habit of vertical gratitude is even better.

But what are we to do if life is tough? How can we have an attitude of thanksgiving and experience the contentment that accompanies it when everything seems to be going wrong? Well, I heard a most wonderful explanation of what to do in this situation at a Christian Women's Conference a few years ago by Greta Gaut.*

She used the analogy of riding on a rollercoaster. She explained that we have our rollercoaster trolley wheels running on parallel tracks. The wheels on the left hand side travel along your classic rollercoaster track. It goes up and down. It twists and turns. Sometimes gently, sometimes wildly. This is the stuff of day to day and year to year life. Sometimes it's smooth (even boring!), sometimes it's exhilirating and sometimes it is gut-wrenchingly awful.

At the same time the wheels on the right hand side travel along a perfectly smooth track. This track represents the constancy of the hope of eternal life with God through the work of Jesus Christ. No matter happens in our day to day lives, for those who believe that Jesus is their Lord and Saviour, there is the hope, peace and constancy found in the prospect of eternal life with God. And therefore, even if there seems little to be thankful for in day to day life - the stuff of the left hand track - there is always the constancy of the right hand track for which to be grateful. Immensely grateful.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" It's that verse from my sidebar again. It doesn't mean that I have to be artificially happy if my life's circumstances are not good at the time. But no matter what happens, I can always rejoice in the Lord because of the hope I have in Him now and into the future for all eternity. Then, even in times of turmoil, I will know the peace of God which transcends all understanding. And for that I can be grateful.

And in the meantime, the correctives listed in the previous post help me not to get sucked into the vortex of unnecessary or unwarranted grizzling and misery.

* If you click on the link at Greta's name you will find her three magnificent talks on Philippians - and you may even find some others worth putting on your iPod as well!!

In Pursuit of Gratitude - (4) Complaining (or rather, not complaining)

As these musings on gratitude start drawing to a conclusion (in the next post or two), I thought I would spend a little bit of time thinking about complaining.

So up front it needs to be said that complaining quells gratitude. Now I know I am prone to complaining and that is one of the reasons I have been doing some work on this topic of gratitude - because I need to hear it myself.

So I was greatly convicted when I read these words a couple of years ago:

* Never allow yourself to complain about anything – not even the weather.
* Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or some place else.
* Never compare your lot with another's.
* Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
* Never dwell on tomorrow – remember that tomorrow is God's, not ours.

Now there is a challenge!!

These words - a prescription for contentment - are not from someone who lives in comfortable circumstances like me. They are the words of a woman who served with her husband while raising their children as a missionary with the pygmies in Africa. She was there for fifty two years. She lived in basic, difficult conditions in the heat of the African bush. She recorded these words in a journal, discovered by her daughter. I think of them often – especially when I catch myself midway through a whinge.

I find this prescription challenging. But I find it encouraging too - in helping me to put aside my attitude of complaining in order to pursue an attitude of thankfulness that brings contentment. Be encouraged.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Philippians 4:4-8

In Pursuit of Gratitude - (3) A Tale of Two Cities

The last school I taught in was built in the early 1900's. It was a classic. When I first arrived at that school in 1995 our electricity consumption was basically lights, heating in winter, overhead fans in summer, a computer in a few lucky classrooms and one in the front office, one photocopier (which was used a lot!) and a microwave and dishwasher in the staffroom. No-one seemed to use the overhead projectors all that much.

About five years later we set up a computer lab with 25 networked computers, every classroom was issued with two computers and thanks to the generous parent body, the entire school was air conditioned. And we got a second photocopier. After that, every time we used the microwave it tripped the entire system (which included shutting down all those computers in unceremonious fashion) and each time the school blacked out. Later that year the school was rewired at great expense because the system couldn't cope.

Three summers ago we had rolling black outs in our city on some of the hottest days as a measure to conserve some energy. The demand for electricity that summer was just too great and the system couldn't cope.

And it is not all that surprising. Our levels of power consumption have escalated enormously over the last decade. The primary school I worked in is one example. What happens in our house is another. We now have two computers that are often both in use. The telephone we now have is plugged into mains electricity to run the answering machine. To turn on the TV we now also turn on the DVD player and the set top box. And we now have air conditioning. That is just a sample and that is just one house on one street in one suburb.

I remember the outrage at these blackouts which lasted for about 40 minutes a time from memory. Many people were utterly indignant. The outrage hit the newspapers. It was truly outrageous. The attitude, that is. Not the fact of the blackouts or the mild inconvenience they caused. *

At that time I remember receiving an email from a friend who was working in the city of a west African country. At the time of our rolling blackouts she was praising God. In her neck of the woods she only got one hour of electricity per day. And that hour could be at any time of day or night. She was praising God because that precious hour seemed to be settling into a predictable part of the day, making it possible to utilise it to maximum benefit due to being prepared and awake for it.

In my first post on gratitude I suggested that one manifestation of ingratitude is a constant demanding of one's perceived rights. This comes in many forms – demanding continuous, 100% reliable electricity. Perfect roads. Instant access to excellent health care with a 100% guarantee of a good outcome. Not having to queue up at the bank or any where else.

I am going out on a limb here. But I want to make a point. Compared with my friend in Africa we have it good. (I speak from the vantage point of living in a capital city of Australia.) We have it really good. And if only our culture promoted regarding all the good things we have as blessings rather than rights I think there would be a greater level of contentment and much less outrage. So I say, in the pursuit of gratitude, let's save the outrage for the things that are truly outrageous (because yes, there is a time and a place for outrage) and work hard at being thankful for the riches we enjoy.

* May I say that don't wish to be insensitive here. I am certain that these power cuts did create some situations of great tragedy and I don't want to be dismissive of that fact. I am generalising because for the most part, it was just a mild inconvenience and a bit hotter when the electric fans and air conditioners were out of action.

In Pursuit of Gratitude - (2) Gratitude and Contentment

For some, being grateful comes easily - in all seasons. For others it can be hard work, a neglected discipline or only pursued when times are good. But what exactly is gratitude?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines it this way:

The quality or condition of being grateful or thankful; the appreciation of and inclination to return kindness.

It seems a good thing to pursue. And it brings benefits - because contentment and gratitude are good friends. If we are truly, sincerely thankful about something then we will experience a measure of contentment because of it. The more we can find to be thankful for, the greater our experience of contentment.

So, for the record, what then is contentment? The OED says,

Pleasure, delight, gratification, a source of satisfaction or pleasure. The fact, condition or quality of being contented; tranquil happiness.

Well, that sounds OK to me. Definitely worth striving for!!

The relationship between gratitude and contentment can be found in the Bible. Take another look (because you have already read it at least once it in my sidebar!) at this small passage from Philippians.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Notice that thanksgiving is flanked by joy and peace. And we are instructed to be thankful even in the anxious moments - thankful for the situations we find ourselves in, thankful that God is sovereign over them, thankful that we are able to pray about these (and all) things and thankful above all else that despite what might be occurring in our day to day lives, we have the assurance in the bigger picture of eternal peace with God because of His work through Jesus.

As I have said before, I have not always been good at this. In fact I have had times when I was downright discontent, grizzling my way through life and finding nothing for which to be grateful. I imagine I am not alone. But developing an attitude of gratefulness is definitely worth pursuing because it does bring contentment – and of course the recipient of your gratitude will be blessed and encouraged too.

In Pursuit of Gratitude - (1) The Pop Quiz

Last year I received an email quiz from a friend – 50 or so questions about yourself. You fill in the answers, return the completed quiz to the sender so that they can find how you're doing and then you forward it to as many friends as bravery allows. It's called "Getting to Know your Friends", it's good fun and last year some of the responses from others were quite illuminating. (Actually a different friend sent me the 2009 edition today!!)

There were lots of light hearted questions like:

Pearls or Diamonds? PEARLS
What was the last movie you saw at the cinema? (Well, at the time of last year's quiz it was the last HARRY POTTER movie but since then, for your information…MADAGASCAR 2)

And then there were deeper questions too, such as:

Name a quality in people you dislike?

My answer? INGRATITUDE.

Ingratitude expresses itself in all sorts of ways.

* Grumbling, grizzling, groaning, complaining and whinging.
* Remaining silent when an articulation of gratitude is due.
* A constant demanding of one's perceived rights. (That one may need fleshing out…but I will get to that down the track.)
* And even if there is no outward expression of it, there are always those feelings of bitterness and/or discontent.

Gratitude and contentment are good friends. So I am going in pursuit of gratitude. Why? Because we have so much for which to be thankful. And living with an attitude of contentment and gratitude is far better than ingratitude and misery.

Stay tuned.