Many Thanks: The beginning of Gratitude

Many of my friends post weekly editions of thankfulness. I am going to give it a shot. We all need to be more thankful for what we have, me especially. After a rough two weeks, I need to remind myself that I am so blessed.

Thankful thoughts:

1. My computer at work being fixed. Yesterday morning, it wouldn't work.. IT took my computer and it was gone all day. I walked into work this morning, and to my surprise, my computer is back and fully updated. As an Apple user, it is neat to explore the new Windows system.
2. My car is fixed. Yes, it cost me almost $700... money I don't have. But, it was great to wake up this morning and go outside not having to worry about how I was going to make it through the day. Welcome back, car!
3. My friend Mary-Anne, who is part of the inspiration for this posting. Without chatting with her daily.. I probably wouldn't make it.
4. Hunter, through it all he drove me around, fussed with me when I fussed and truly cares. He hugs me tight when I cry, he apologizes and will tell me everything is all right.
5. Thank you notes - have you ever been called irreplacable? Friday morning one of my bosses handed me a thank you card for doing a spreadsheet for him. In there was the sweetest note... and he called me irreplaceable. What a feeling!

Luke 10:38-42
 ³⁸ Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with ^[q]all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”


The Lord is teaching me to lean on Him, not to worry through the woes of life and the pains of every day. This is not our home, and in that fact we can REJOICE! Things are tough... times are hard... but through it all we can be thankful in the blessings of the Lord!

A stroke of bad luck

Last week was, in a word... rough. The days went slowly and due to a certain situation, things at work were very tense, and at times unbearable.

I hate to say I caught myself shedding tears at my desk, more than once.

Tuesday night I worked tirelessly to get my final homework set of the semester finished. I pushed myself long and hard and only took a break to make dinner and watch the airing of Rudolph. There was one problem I just had no clue where to begin... and this deeply troubled me.

If you know me, you know I do not believe in leaving an answer blank... so I did my best, researched a bit and put down what I could.. with little to no confidence in my answer. I arrived in class on Wednesday only to find out our homework assignment had been postponed and that the professor would be going over the one problem I didn't understand that day in class. What a relief!  (or so I thought).

With my schedule this semester it works in my favor to have homework due on Wednesday, as I spend Thursday nights in group meetings for my other classes and then help Hunter with his homework. This is a very set schedule that I live by daily, and if something changes, it is hard to recover... however, by the grace of God, I somehow do.

So, after staying up till midnight working on group projects and helping Hunter with his work, I was too incoherent to do my homework. I set my alarm for 3am, after a little sleep I could get up and focus just enough to get it done. I work up around 4:15am... what happened to that alarm clock? The world may never know.

I got up and got ready for work and headed out, thankfully I was able to finish my homework before class started, right in time to turn it in.

In the midst of all this, Friday morning my car nearly stalled out in an intersection on my way to work. What a nightmare. I got scared that my car would die again, so I turned off my radio and defroster. Thankfully the ice from my windshield was nearly gone.

I could tell my car wasn't running right. The gears weren't changing and I no longer had headlights. Yes, pitch black 5:45am, and I have no headlights. I literally coasted into work this morning... not sure really what was wrong with my car.

I spoke with some of my guys and described what had happened.. We prayed for a bad battery, but most likely it was my alternator. I finally called Hunter and asked him to pick me up and take me to my class. As my luck would have it, right when it was time to leave for class, the train stops dead in the middle of the tracks.. the train tracks separate my part of town from the University. Thankfully Hunter knows town well enough he was able to get around but, he was a little ill about it.

I made it to class on time, and turned in my homework. And, at 4pm I left work to get my car checked. To make a long story short, I need a new alternator, and through my guys at work, and Hunter's family... I took it to a repair place that would keep it over the weekend and get started Monday.

It is going to be very expensive... and this just added more stress to my plate. Remember this post? As I talked to my mom about the finances of it all and the stress of finding a place, I was just glad that I had somewhere to take it. I know God will provide, and all things will work out.

To top off my weekend, this happened:

And here I was thinking I would put off buying new glasses in order to offset spending even more money... Ahh, what a joyful time of year this is.. however, it is the most expensive time of the year too.. without all my misfortune.

Hunter has been at drill all weekend, so I was unable to use him as my ride.. but thankfully friends from church have been picking me up and taking me to where I need to go. Otherwise.. I am just sitting at home cleaning... but Hey, the apartment needed it.

Hope your weeks are going better than mine! :)

Thankful

I am thankful that when everything else seems to be going wrong in life, I have a job that absolutely blesses my soul. The Lord knows exactly what I need... and while sometimes I get stuck in a pit He blessed me with so many great men to work with. Even in the worst of times, my guys can make me smile.

On my first day back at work and school yesterday, well... let's just say things were less than stellar. And this morning hasn't really started well either. But, I am blessed, beyond my imagination. Being at work reminds me of that. And I am so thankful that today, from 6am to 4pm... I get to be with my guys, working at a job that I love, being surrounded by those who value me and not having to worry about school.

Right now I am a little burnt out... but I know it is just a feeling, and that will surely change. Praise be to God, His love for me isn't based on mere 'feelings'.

Today I am wearing my 'Alabama Facilities' staff shirt. Clint, my Associate manager, was really excited that I was wearing 'team gear' this morning. I just love this job. HAHA!

Thankful

A few of my friends have been trying to write something that they are thankful for every day in November... So... I have a little bit to catch up on, but I thought it was my time to try it.

1. I am thankful for my family... Lord knows they mean the world to me, and some people never truly value their family.
2. I am thankful for Internet... wow, yeah, I know... but I have been able to keep up with so many friends since moving away because of it. Lord knows I couldn't do without mine and Mary-Anne's daily talks.
3. I am thankful for Mary-Anne... when you graduate college you never really know how life will be or what will happen. I am so thankful to be able to keep in touch with such a great girl, and she lives the farthest away of any of my friends!
4. I am thankful for friends... I know I couldn't name every one of you here, but you know who you are.. I couldn't make it through life without friends.
5. I am thankful for Sean.. He is so good to me, (I know you are thinking WHAT?!) But honestly, I am so lucky to have dated such a wonderful Christian guy. So many girls go through terrible relationships and horrible breakups because they are with some selfish guy... I am thankful to know that my life is blessed and better because of Sean.
6. I am thankful for the University of Alabama... It has been a lifelong dream to come here and go to school here. Just being on campus is mesmerizing... what a magical place.
7. I am thankful for my job.... I am so blessed to have such a great job with great benefits and coworkers that I love!!!
8. I am thankful for Christian coworkers... I am reminded of God's faithfulness every day.
9. I am thankful for food to eat... you know... so many people are so needy... we must realize how blessed we are.
10. I am thankful for school... Even when I am tired of studying... I am thankful to have this opportunity
11. I am thankful for math... I am so happy to be able to teach children something I truly love and couldn't be happier doing.
12. I am thankful for joy... No matter what God has a plan for me that will make me truly happy
13. I am thankful for my church... Tuscaloosa is truly God's country.. I am so thankful to have a church up here that I can call my own that is so on fire for God.
14. I am thankful for my apartment... I am blessed to have a wonderful and safe place to live!
15. I am thankful for my roommates... wow... that could have been a disaster! But I am so blessed with great roomies!
16. I am thankful for Troy... I am so blessed to have a wonderful Alma Mater and great family and friends still there.
17. I am thankful for the Sound of the South... I am a proud Alumni and I couldn't have had a better undergraduate experience because of it! The SOTS truly made my undergraduate career!
18. I am thankful for SAI... without my experiences and leadership roles in this organization I couldn't be the woman, or girl, that I am today... I honestly learned so much from the organization and my sisters. I wouldn't trade a second!
19. I am thankful for God and His guidance in my life... even though I don't always listen... I am trying and knowing that no matter what He is always there.. I know that everything will work out for His glory!

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Be careful what you wish for...

A full time job, and full time grad school... I know, I know, we've talked about this before. But last night as I was sitting in my room diligently pounding away at my Numerical Analysis homework I wished that I could live my life on less sleep.

Well, God provides and I have been up since 3am.... Car alarms started going off in a parking lot next to my apartment... and apparently, I am now a light sleeper. Once, a girl who could sleep through a thunderstorm, now a daughter, falling into the footsteps of her mother; waking at the slightest sound.

I know that part of this is because of life's recent happenings and a few other things I don't really share with everyone. But hey, God is working and He will provide.

A memory came to mind after writing yesterday's blog, and I would like to share it with each of you. If you don't remember or didn't read, I talked about following God's will, and how the devil will attack when you are striving to be more like Christ.

Well, since I was 16 years old I have went on the Coffee County Baptist Association Summer Mission Trip. There have only been two separate occasions where I have missed this joyful experience, but that's not the point. In the Summer of 2008 my team was spectacular. We just had a different level of dynamic that year... we were all close and we all jumped deep into our lessons and worked hard to impact the kids who came to our bible club. The week was great, not only did we reach children for Christ but our team grew as individuals and as a team... Friday is always the last day of bible club and our big decision day push. Teams left our base church at varying times from 6am to 7:30am. Our church was rather far from our base church so we left early as usual. And on the way that morning something unexpected happened. Bro. Phil, our team leader of course was driving the Mount Pleasant van with our team scattered throughout the van, some sleeping, and the rest of us just waiting to get to the church.  

Bro Phil protected each of us, when a truck hauling a trailer began to fishtail and overturned, stretching across the road and heading straight for our van full of students. Bro Phil, with only the work of God's hand was able to maneuver the van just far enough off the road not to flip into the ditch and for the truck to only hit the van in the back near the tires.... By God's hand our van didn't overturn, and all us crazy students who were not wearing seat belts were all ok. Thankfully, the couple driving the truck were also ok, and we were able to get one out of the truck, but had to wait for the ambulance and the police because the passenger was trapped.

We were able to call the Pastor of our Bible club church, with whom Bro Phil had a great relationship. And as in all Indian cultures, they new someone who was family that could work on our van in order to get us home. We then, continued on to our Bible club, thankful that parents and volunteers were watching the children until we could get there. As we all piled out of the van we stretched out in pews and in the isles of the church. Our bodies were aching, we were in a state of shock. But we new we had work to be done. So with the work of a team led by God's grace and mercy we got up and finished the bible club with an outstanding finish. That day, they devil tried to stop us from reaching those kids. We could have easily been killed or just went back to the base church after such a traumatic experience and cancel the last day. But we, as a team, pressed on because we knew the kingdom work had to be done.

Now, I pray that something crazy or catastrophic has to happen in your life... but just know, that when you are facing hard times, God's grace and mercy is enough. Keep doing the work, keep the faith, run the race. God won't give you anything you can't handle. Trust Him, and let Him lead, even when times are tough, He is there.

Kindness of a stranger

Today I had to get a few errands run before I could just chill in my apartment. I got the maintenance people to fix my toilet, the "flapper" was broken, and then again after the guy left because my toilet wouldn't stop running. After that I was off to the bank and wal-mart. The bank was uneventful and a got a weird sense of satisfaction for using the bank it Tuscaloosa.. it's like I really live here now. ;) Wal-mart however was a different story...

I quickly grabbed a few things here and there in wal-mart before heading to the grocery side to stock my apartment. I started at the back and continued my way down each isle grabbing what I needed as I went along. Your typical wal-mart trip, right? WRONG! I noticed about 5 isles down that a man in a red shirt and black pants was with me in each isle, yet he didn't have a buggy. He touched a few things on each shelf as he stood rather close behind me. I noticed he was also watching me and kept glancing my way. So I tried to make eye contact thinking, this will scare him away, he will know that I see him. Wrong again. He continued to follow closely behind me at each isle. I made sure to keep my purse at my hands at all times, if he was going to rob me I was going to put up a fight. Then I thought, Keri, stop being so paranoid! But when he continued to follow me up and down each isle I knew I wasn't being paranoid, I was really being followed. I called my mom to let her know what was going on and I found an isle with three wal-mart employees stocking shelves. I stayed there to explain the situation to my mom and then decided to make a new friend, for safety's sake. So, I went up to an employee, explained the situation, and asked him to be my friend. Thankfully, he agreed and walked with me to the front of the store as we tried to find my stalker. We made it to the front of the store without seeing him, and my mind screamed Keri, you are crazy and this man knows it! But praise be to God the man said, I will be in this isle stocking, finish shopping and come back if you see him.

Not a second after the man left my side my follower was back, but this time on the outside of the isle rather than right beside me. I made the turn to go back to the isle with my 'friend' and prayed please God, let him see him. Ok so, like I said he was on the outside of the isle, so I went to the other side to leave and circled back to the isle my 'friend' was on. Thankfully the guy had come down that isle and I temporarily trapped him with my buggy in between me and my 'friend'. I pointed and raised my voice so that I knew he could hear, and said See that guy, he is following me. I was looking almost directly at my followers face and my 'friend' behind him mouthed 'really?' and as I told him yes my followed slipped out of the isle and into another. With that I stayed with my friend and we both watched for the follower to show again, and of course he did. So we both stared at him watching his every moved. He moved into  an isle across from ours. My 'friend' gave me a hug, hoping to make our relationship seem more real. I was glad to have found a perfect stranger who was so willing to help me out in my time of crisis.

My follower ducked into another isle and my 'friend' instructed me to continue shopping and that if he came near to me or spoke to me to get a manager and call security; but if he didn't just come back when I was done and he could walk me to my car. So, a little shaken, I continued my shopping, grabbed two or three more things before I decided I was through pressing my luck. I went back to my 'friend' and he walked me up front, asked me to pick a checkout and get my bags. He stayed outside the checkout, watching for my follower, and I kept my eyes open for him as well. My 'friend' described the man to a few cashiers he knew and then we continued out to my car. There was no one around and I loaded my groceries and thanked my new friend. He said to be safe and that he would help me out anytime. And for him I am truly thankful.

 I took a different way home, just to be safe and carefully observed all cars and their passengers around me. No one followed me home and I am now inside my apartment safe and sound watching the world cup game. :)

I believe that people, especially females, should ALWAYS be careful no matter where they are. Be aware of your surroundings and don't be afraid to ask for help. I looked up a list of steps online for each of you to read, as I know my readers are mostly female. Be careful, no matter what, and especially when alone. I am thankful that God sent His angels to protect me today and I know that He will always be there to protect me.

Steps

1. 
   
   1
   Make sure that they aren't just walking to a place nearby where you are going, or drivingslowly because of an obstruction in the road.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   2
   Cross the road, even if you're not at a crosswalk, being careful of oncoming traffic.
   
   • If the person continues walking on the previous side of the road, there is no need to worry. If they cross over to walk behind you again, be alert.
     
3. 
   
   3
   Walk briskly and look like you know where you're going. If you appear distracted or dawdling, this may make it easier for the possible predator to attack.
   
4. 
   
   4
   Try not to keep looking over your shoulder at them. Use side-mirrors of cars or any otherreflection to check. Speed up, but don't break into a run. (If you must look over your shoulder don't look with the corner of your eye this only makes you look intimidated and weak, instead its better to turn your entire head around until you can see whoever is following you with both eyes.)
   
5. 
   
   5
   Get into a public place as soon as possible if they continue to follow you. Try and find a group of women or dart into a shop. This would put most possible attackers off.
   
6. 
   
   6
   Tell the manager or owner of the shop that you're worried you are being followed. They will most likely contact the police or allow you use of their phone to call someone.
   
7. 
   
   7
   Find a well-lit area near the road where cars are passing by if there isn't a shop nearby. This way you will be easily noticed by people if the stranger attempts to attack.