Being Thankful in the Midst of Pandemic

 bob-maclafferty  No Responses »
Apr 112020
 


ThankfulAre you weary of the negativity, the fear, the accusations, the conspiracy theories, the profiteering? While the fight rages on and we lose family members and friends to COVID-19, our focus drags us down, down, down to defeat. Have you thought of being thankful?

I am thankful that Danielle, a family member, has conquered the virus and is back home with her family, all in the span of a week from home to ICU and back. Thank God!
I am thankful that no other family members are ill.
I am thankful that the number of those who have recovered from this virus is growing day by day!
I am thankful for Memorial Hospital’s wonder women of 7North, still on the front lines screening all who enter there.
I am thankful for all those in healthcare just now, from physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists to clinical laboratory scientists, environmental service team members, and patient access folks.
I am thankful for law enforcement officers, store checkout staff, gas station operators.
I am thankful for my phlebotomist who served me with a painless blood draw through my car window outside my physician’s office. She did it will a happy mix of sass and service! (Thank you, Dr. Moody and crew!)

I thank my God every time I remember you. -Philippians 1:3 NIV.

I am thankful for the team members at Lowe’s who keep a stash of wiped down shopping carts close to the entrance and package orders in advance for curbside pickup.
I am thankful for the growing numbers who are following our Do Your Part. Stay Apart. program.
I am thankful for the companies in our area who are finding ways to re-purpose team members rather than letting them go.
I am thankful for companies who have melded creativity and spirit to find new and safe ways to serve their customers.
I am thankful for the strength and peace my Heavenly Father gives to all who ask, especially powering up those who struggle with isolation.

As we come to the close of another week, I challenge you to join me in being thankful for so many things around us. And then, take it one step further and express that thanks to someone every day. It could be a quick text or email to your pastor, a heartfelt thank you to the pickup person at Walmart, appreciation expressed to the pharmacy assistant who fills your prescription.  Yes, these are trying times. But regardless of your faith choice, there is wisdom in the advice to be thankful always!

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV.

First Rain and Lotion Bottles

 bob-maclafferty  1 Response »
Oct 022016
 

rainLotion bottles. The ones with a pump. They always leave an inch of lotion in the bottom. My habit for years, when sweetheart requests, I cut the bottom off the bottle so she can use the last of the lotion. This morning? my last slice around the bottle slips, I make an unplanned incision in the base of my thumb, I drop the bottle and lotion splashes everywhere! Large globs adorn the mirror, the counter, the wall. An oilslick of lotion soaks into the rug.  As I start to clean up, blood still dripping from my thumb, another finger runs into sweetheart’s still hot curling iron for a nice tissue-sizzling burn! As I chill one finger and bandage the other, I’m thinking, this is a small scale version of my life right now!

Someone asked me at church last weekend how I was doing. I pondered how to answer. This year hasn’t been perfect. I have experienced betrayal and falsehood and weakness that have caused me pain. I have felt discouraged, disillusioned, disheartened, distrust.  And yet that is not all of the picture!

Early this morning, before the sun, I enjoyed the sound of the first rain of the season as it gently descended on our valley. The smell of the dust being washed from the air, the sound of a million rain drops touching a thirsty earth, the view of the cloud-enshrouded mountains from my office window, these things reminded me of one simple truth- God’s unfailing and all-covering love for me. No matter what drought I experience, no matter what trials I suffer, His love covers me.

I have been reminded of a few things this year. That [profit] Margin without a nonnegotiable Mission that drives all decisions and actions, is dead. That valuing people above all else is the example my Jesus expects me to follow. That life is not at all about position and power.

So, what is my answer to, “How are you doing, Bob?” Not everything is just right in my life, but I have so much to be thankful for.  I have a God who loves me no matter what. I have a sweetheart who thinks the best part of her day is meeting me at home after work,. Daughters who still need and love me. Men in their lives who treat them with God-blessed love and respect. Friends and family, close and far, whom I can truly trust when the chips are down. The clarity to be able to enjoy a good cup of coffee during an early morning rain. And world peace? LOL? Not in my lifetime.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  -Phillipians 4:7 NIV.

Peace that others can’t understand. Peace that makes no sense. This is the gift God gives when we learn to lean on him no matter the circumstances.

So right now, with two bandages on my left hand, I look from my window and see a stray beam of sunlight that, in spite of air still in the 40’s, is powerful enough to steam the rain from my roof. Yeah, maybe everything isn’t the way I want it to be, but I’m ready to keep taking blind steps forward in the journey my God calls faith.

A Thousand Little Things [I’m Thankful For]

 bob-maclafferty  No Responses »
Jul 252015
 
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One of my favorite songs. It’s so easy to be distracted by junk around us and forget to celebrate and be thankful for a thousand little things that grace our lives. Today, this song reminded me of a thousand little things I am thankful for in Ruth, my girlfriend, my wife x32.

I’m thankful that when I get up far earlier than the sun, she knows it’s my quiet time and lets it be. I’m thankful when she squeals in delight when I bring her coffee in bed.

When she eats the burned part without me even getting a chance to split it. When she irons my shirt for the next day before I can get to it. When she brushes the dogs because she knows I ha…I mean, it’s not my favorite thing to do. When she installs the toilet paper rolling off the front of the roll…yessss.

I’m thankful that she is a tireless and uncomplaining roofing partner! I’m thankful she’s not scared of sawdust and dirt and getting her shoes and hands dirty. I’m thankful she knows the value of high quality leather, in work gloves, shoes, and yes, purses!

I’m thankful we can hold hands in public, even crossing the hospital campus. And that she enjoys pretending we are on a date when we grab a quick lunch at work. And that she laughs when I tell the girls at work that I’m off to each lunch with my girlfriend.

I always thank my God for you… -1 Corinthians 1:4 NIV.

I am thankful when I hear her laugh and laugh at something silly on TV! And for the fact that she finds my antics amusing… at least most of the time. And that neighborhood kids respond to her friendliness and interest.

I am thankful that she creates fans wherever she works. I am thankful that she is as happy to see me as I am to see her after a challenging day at work. I am thankful she finds rest in a good book.

These are things, yes mostly little things, that make my days joyful. Homework for you? Revel in little thankful things today. Don’t sweat the big stuff. Find ways to share your thankfulness for small things with those around you, a coworker, a boss,  a friend at church, a child of yours, a child of someone elses, your wife.