Crazy Aunt Purl is a little sad and introspective in this post, but she ends with a great line that I (and maybe you) really needed today:

Work with what I’ve got. Exercise the grateful muscles. Stop waiting. Conditions are right now, and that is what I have to work with.

Exercise the grateful muscles – how cool!  I’ve been really annoyed with my whiny self, and tell myself constantly how I should be grateful, but right now I just can’t seem to feel that way.  I have a long-held belief that while you are in full control of your actions, you are not in full control of your feelings – you feel like you do, and you can try to change it, but it’s not often possible.  I feel like the way I feel is un-Christian, and that God doesn’t want to hear my whining.  Then I read this the other night:

I cry aloud to the Lord;
I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
I pour out my complaint before him:
Before him I tell my trouble.

When my spirit grows faint within me,
It is you who know my way.
Ps. 142:1-3

And then I realize that God understands when we’re down, and wants to share it with us.  And I feel a little bit better.

I’m also tremendously grateful to friends and family who have listened patiently while I whined, soothed me when they could, and put me in my place when needed.  I’m grateful for my home, my wonderful husband and daughters, the rest of my crazy family, my job (regardless of how much I might whine about it, it’s a great job with great people), my Knit Night crew.  Oh, and peanut butter cookies.  And homemade macaroni and cheese (thanks Sarah, it was great!).  And of course I’m grateful to all the sheep who gave up their wool so that I could be happy.

Oldest daughter had her wisdom teeth out today, and she’s doing great.  Yet another thing to be grateful for!  Knitting is slow but steady – should have progress pics on the Bigfoot shawl soon.  Life, home improvement, and sleep have gotten in the way a good bit these last few weeks – I can’t wait for school to start and life to calm down, but with a 3rd teenager in the mix this fall, we’ll have to see if it really does.

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