SUMMER DAY 34, Thurs July 2

Ok, first & foremost, THANK YOU for the prayers. A couple of you emailed or commented to me on Facebook about having prayed. I really appreciate it!!! Today went soooooooooo much smoother than Tuesday. Don't stop praying....I still have to survive the rest of this summer!

Outside of work/school, it was a good day. Today marked Larry's last day in 'school' for his new job. When he began the job on April 6th, he started rotating back & forth between time in the office and time in school to train for different aspects of the job. He'd go to school for 2 weeks, then spend 2 weeks on the job...back & forth til now. Today was the last day of being a trainee. As of tomorrow morning when he goes back to his office, he's official. All done! WooHoo! To mark the occasion, the kids & I took him to LaHacienda for supper tonight. (hey...any excuse for me to eat vegetarian/spinach quesadillas and chips/hot sauce!!!)

I've been pondering something the last few days. For our LIFE group at church, we're working on a marriage study. We only meet for the study once a month, but in between, our leader is sending us assignments via email. She challenged us to write out a list of our husband's strengths & then share it with him to encourage him. I forgot about it for a few days (oops...sorry honey!). A few days ago, I finally pulled out a blank journal style book I have and started writing. As I hit page 2 or 3, I realized something. I wasn't listing Larry's strengths. I was listing things that I like about him...things he does for me or our kids. It struck me how selfish my list was -- not things that Larry is good at or strong in, not character qualities or traits that people admire about him....but things he can do for me. I guess in the long run, if we're talking about a marriage study, those things are important too, but that wasn't the assignment. So I'd like to challenge you to sit down & consider your spouse's strengths. Consider what people see in him/her that they admire, not just what you can get from them. And when you're done, show them your list! I promise it'll bless their socks off!