Thanksgiving

I finiished up my "alphabet of gratitude" late last week - just in time for the short work week so I will post parts of it over the next couple of days. This weekend was pretty busy. Friday and yesterday I had to go to drill with the National Guard. It is the time of year where we get the safty tests out of the way for the Section Chiefs on up. I didn't go on Saturday for the written portion of the test because my daughter had a birthday party (more on that later), so I had to do both written tests (section chief's and the "Big 3") as well as a hands on test for the aiming circle (a survey like device) as well as the new computerized version of teh circle. I am happy to say that I passed everything with the exception of the "XO's computation of the min. QE (basically the minimum elivation that the howitzer's can fire). I am pretty good with math so this sticks in my craw a tad. But it is mostly that I have had all of one hour of 'familiarization' of what it is and how to come up with the numbers. So I have to retest that portion. My daughter had her 5th birthday party on Saturday. It was a blast but we felt bad. Invariably there are people you want to invite but can't for whatever reason. It came down to who she really plays with - so I am hopeful that some of the friends of the parents (me and my beloved) are not mad at us. The party was pretty nice. My beloved made a horse shapped cake (which was dangerously delicious) and we hired a family to bring a pair of ponies for rides and peting. A good time was had by all. A quick note on the Panthers (of course). I was very happy to see such a defensvie performance yesterday - 7 sacks! 2 interceptions! A safty! And the kept the Rams out from scoring the whole game. That being said... there are still 6 games left to play - four of them on the road. The next two games are against NFC east opponents (Washington and Philadelphia). Just like Dallas proved last night... on any given Sunday. I am looking forward to the game next week. My father is huge redskins fan. He even played for the Redskins band back in the late '50's. We've had some fun going to games together over the years (we won't be in the stadium next week). I know he will be in his living room and me in mine. Good thing that I have unlimited long distance for the phone. :) I'm sure we'll talk some on Thanksgiving day. Which reminds me... Alphabet of Gratitude: A – I am grateful for the United States of America. I am fully aware that the U.S. is not a perfect nation. Lately I have been keenly aware of the statement that “a house divided cannot stand”. And we are a nation divided. But that is for another blog. For this entry I am grateful to be a citizen of the United States of America because I know that I will be allowed to worship my Lord without fear for my life, that I can raise my children in relative safety, and that I can pretty much speak my mind without fear of being killed. B – The Bible. The Word of God is priceless. There is nothing more precious than God’s voice speaking to us. C – My Children. What a blessing they have been. They have been the most challenging in terms of my growth as a person. There is nothing like holding up a mirror to evaluate yourself when you have little ones running around revealing them for all to see. D – My Dog. Well, the dog I had when I was a child. He was a Welch Corgi and we called him Lord Spastic of Grin-Bin – or Spaz for short. I took him with me on my paper route and he was a great dog. Never barked, always came when I called him. Now that I am a parent I’ve wanted to have a dog, but I also remember the time and effort it took to take care of them. E – My beloved’s eyes. I love to gaze into her eyes. They are the most beautiful that I have ever seen. F – My father. We usually do not see eye to eye on things relating to politics or religion, but he has always done the best he could for me and my brother. In many ways he has contributed to the man I am today. G – God’s grace. Without it we cease to exist. Both common and saving grace are amazing and I could spend hours just thinking about them. H – My Home. The Lord has blessed me with a beautiful home and neighborhood to raise my children in. There was a time when I thought I would never own my own home and now I do. I - Q - tomorrow. :) Updates: Yarns, and I've added a guestbook Verse for today: Psalm 96 : 11-13, esv Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.