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Thursday Thanks Tank #39

Every week, I try to take a few moments to think about the blessings in my life. It looks a little different each week, but I can always find something to be thankful for in the little, everyday moments of life.

I am thankful for my favorite flower. 

Freshly picked bouquets of dandelions. 

To some they are weed, to this mother, they are the symbol of love. 

I am thankful for wading pools that are open on hot summer days at the park. 

I am thankful my children are forgiving that I did not come prepared with their suits. 

I was not aware the wading pool would be open. 

However, Dakota ran around like this the whole time because I asked her to try not to get her shorts wet. 

I am thankful for the easy, relaxed days of summer. Where most days we do not have any obligations. We get up every morning saying "okay, what do we want to do today?" We talk about it, we decide, and so far, everyone has been happy. *knock on wood*

I am thankful for new business opportunities. More on that later. 

What are you thankful for this week?

Blog Bash~ The High School Years

As you know, I am participating in the Blog Bash this week over at Not Your Average Teen. 

The second challenge is to write a post about your high school years. 

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Ah....the high school years.

What can I say about my high school experience?

There are a lot of people that claim their high school years were the best of their life. I would certainly not say the same thing. Did I have some good times? Yes. Did I have some great friends? Absolutely. Would I want to do it again? No way!

I was the epitome of the girl that got picked on by the "cool" girls. I was short, wore glasses, was in the orchestra, did not have the "best" clothes, and I had a falling out with those girls in elementary school that was never mended. I cannot say that I was ever outright teased or bullied, but I was definitely looked down upon and given the snub.

On the other hand, I did have a really great group of friends that I hung out with and that stuck by me. Friends who encouraged me and prayed for me, friends who picked me up (almost) every single day of our junior year and drove me to school because I did not have my license yet, friends who bunked with me and stayed up all night on orchestra trips, friends who drove me off campus every day for lunch, and friends who were a shoulder to cry on when I was snubbed.

Now that I have gotten older and past that stage, I realize how much of a little blip on my life high school really was. While it seemed like the end of the world way back then and every once in a while I still have some painful memories, I know that high school was just 4 short years that are now hugely overshadowed by the rest of my life.

As I have reconnected and found some of those friends and "cool" girls on Facebook, I also realize that while they do not always know our story, we do not know theirs either. Sometimes those "cool" girls have a lot more going on in their life then they let on. Sometimes they are suffering some of the same things that we are. Sometimes they are suffering even more.

I think a lot of us miss out on some really great connections and friendships in high school because of our own self-conscious and awkwardness. Our own judgmental attitude keeps people at arms length from a potential life-long friend. These are all lessons that I am trying to rectify in my current adult life.

 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us. 

~Isaiah 33:22~