Monday?

Today started out…. not so great. I guess every day cannot be as good as every other, so we can learn to really appreciate those great days. It started out with me going in to wake up Grace for school and instead stepping in a pile of wet carpet, from none other than the lovely inherited dog, Gigi. If it is cold, wet, or even too hot outside she thinks she cannot possibly go outside. She and I have had several “chats” regarding her behavior and I am very surprised that she hasn’t caught the drift yet. So, she got sent outside (she hates being outside…she is a people person and to separate her from everyone is close to death for her). She spent the good part of a couple hours outside while I cleaned up the mess, scrubbed the carpet and used the most wonderful product ever designed entitled: Natures Miracle. In case you haven’t heard of it, it IS a miracle. It cleans up all those messy accidents from doggies to kids throw up. It takes the smell away and is amazing. So back to the morning.

A friend of mine drops off her little girl in the morning to get ready for school, have breakfast and scriptures with us so her mom can get to work on time. They arrived and as they were walking up the front lawn to the house, the mom proceeded to step in a giant, fresh pile of dog poop. Ewww! (It was not our dogs, she is always out in the fenced backyard!) I felt so bad for her as she tried to wipe it off and then use clorox wipes to get the rest, so she could get to work. Needless to say the emotion I was feeling at this point was:

Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response. (dictionary)

Seriously people. I do not let my kids run wild and poop on your lawn!! I am tired of doggies who get to run free and poop wherever they please while their owners sit home enjoying their morning coffee. I texted Jeremy to let him know of my frustrations and said something like, “Some neighborhood dog is going to go home one day with a bb in his butt (yes, I was angry!) as soon as I learn how to shoot that thing (the boys have bb guns).” and then I wrote “ps you can borrow it for your non-paying clients”.

Second point of anger. He has worked over 65 hours this week and it is only mid-day Friday. We have 5, yes FIVE, un-paid invoices (not to mention the 6 invoices that NEVER got paid within the past several years…) that are due and payable, and late!! Come on people. He cannot work for free!! So yesterday he let client #1 know that his contract was now suspended (aka, your project will not be worked on at all, sorry if that messes up your construction) until your invoice is PAID IN FULL! It is sooo frustrating that we have to constantly ask to be paid on invoices that are way, way overdue. Please, if you have hired someone to do work for you, pay them! They have families to feed!!

So what good is anger to us? Particularly me? Well in some ways it’s good. It causes my blood to flow a lot faster and makes me be ultra-productive to blow off some steam. (Yes the entire lawn got mowed this morning, laundry done, sheets washed, kitchen clean, etc..). But really it’s not so good. It’s not a good frame of mind to be in. It is a human response and not necessarily a heavenly one.

Which brings in this little quote, "Gratitude is a Spirit‑filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God's love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence." "Gratitude: A Path to Happiness," Ensign, May 2007, 35, Bonnie D. Parkin

After a deep breath (or two), here it goes…. This morning I am very thankful for: a lawn mower that started on the second try, a beautiful green lawn that I could actually mow, a working washing machine (kind of working that is) and a dryer, that although it takes double long to dry, still drys, the sunshine and blue skies, the fluffy blue clouds floating by, the chance I have to re-direct my thoughts, laundry soap, a home to clean, kids to get ready in the morning, the chance we have to read scriptures together every morning, kids who try hard at their school work, family who I can contact at any time, a husband who works and works and works and still comes home ready to play his guts out with us, a married daughter with a fabulous son in law who keep us laughing all the time, diet coke (yes I had one at 9am today), text messaging, the fresh air I am breathing as I type with the windows wide open, the fact that there was just enough White Chicken Chili leftovers for me to have for lunch mmmmm (recipe found here), for a loving Heavenly Father who loves me despite my sometime angry moments and the fact that despite CRAPPY days (ha, ha get it? the dog poop kind) IT IS A GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE.

Happy Friday! :)