Get Real Tuesday-Being Thankful

I blogged a few weeks ago about how I feel that God talks to me. Trust me, to say that I think "God talks to me" is a little weird to write. I have always heard people talking about 'hearing the voice of God' or seeing people speaking in tongues and I just never really got it.



Well, I really feel that so often over the past year that I seem to see the same message over and over and over in just a few days and realize that maybe I need to actually PAY ATTENTION.



As you may or may not know, Antonio and I serve at our church every weekend. That means we attend a service and then serve in the next. My place of service??....the 3 and 4 year old class. Let me tell you, this was the last place I thought I would want to serve...in fact, when I agreed to serve, I requested to be in ANY room other than this room...lol...I also know God has quiet a sense of humor.



Anyway, I have loved serving in this class. Sure there are days when I get frustrated with this age, or the fact that Tatum is in my class and doesn't want me giving anyone else any attention, etc....but I love it because the things kids say at this age usually raise my eyebrows. I really enjoy it too because I love to know what Tatum is learning and it is fun to continue the teaching when we get home.



Well this past weekend, our lesson for the 3 and 4 yr old class was about SAYING Thank You.....not just being thankful, but SAYING it. When mommy or daddy cook you dinner, say thank you....when mommy cleans your room, say thank you...when you get a present from your grandmother, say thank you....etc. I even let the kids practice...when we passed out snacks, I made sure they each said thank you.



Well, after church is over and all the kids are picked up, I have to make sure the room is clean, tables are wiped down, supplies are put up, trash is taken out, etc. While I was tending to these things, our kidslife director walked in and gave me a thank you card and this...





...a gift card from Chilli's. She said she knew 3-4 yr olds were the hardest class and just wanted me to know that she appreciated my help. Let me just say that the thank you card was enough, but I did appreciate the gift card too.



Then, yesterday I was going to tutor. When I got to the family's house, my student wasn't there. I figured he would be there soon, so I just sat and talked to his mother who is a friend of mine. About 10 minutes later, my student walked in with these...TWO dozen roses to say thank you to me and tell me he appreciated my time. HELLO!?!?! They are already paying me (very well I might add). He made a 100 on his first test and 96 on his second...I think he has always thought he was horrible at math, but I think he and I learn the same way, so it works. Here are some pics of the roses...

There are so many times that I know I have a thankful heart and I really do appreciate things that people do/say around me, but I also know that I am guilty about not always saying thank you. What is a little ironic in all of this is that I love it when people notice the little things that I do...hard work, putting in extra time, doing little things, etc. yet I am the worst at thank you notes.

So, I guess the point to my blog is this....it's one thing to be thankful, it's another thing to say so.