Gratitude Friday...

True Confession:  Kind Granola Peanut Butter Clusters is OWNING ME.

Today was a normal Friday.  Rush, rush, argue, rush, rush, STOP IT, rush, out the door.  

Sigh.

Homeboy and I drop Aubrey Kate off at school and then we head to the "kid's park."  The gym.  He's had a bit of an adjustment going without Sister.  He spent the first day of school crying. All. Day.  

"Where Sister is?" 

My heart broke for him.  But my arms were full of sad, snuggly little man and that was NOT AT ALL BAD.  After that first day though, he seems to have gotten better and better with each day.

Until today.

Bless.

I picked up a very unhappy, swollen face, blood-shot eyed little man from the kid's park.  He wouldn't talk to me at first.  He just laid his head down and nuzzled in.  Really, I was thinking he might be getting sick again.  

Then as I was putting him in the car, he says, "Pick up Sissy now, Momma?"  

Que more Homeboy crying.

Ah.  

So instead of the gym, we went to the new Whole Foods in town.  

It's like a Gluten-Free Paradise. 

And it makes the THIRD gourmet, organic, specialty grocery store within three miles of my driveway.

We're just a little spoiled in our world.  For sure.  

It opened on Wednesday.  We drove by opening day and could not find a parking spot.  In the entire city.  So we drove right on through the chaos and decided it was a fight for another day.  Today was that day.  

I'm trying a new, higher protein diet to see if that doesn't help my lingering whatever-this-is-weirdness.  All the tests come back normal.  And yet, I've spent three days this week fighting muscle weakness.  

Insert high protein diet.  Non-dairy, gluten-free, high protein diet.  Dairy makes my stomach not happy.  For most of the meals during the day, that diet is completely doable.  Bbbbuuuuuttttt...breakfast?  

Thanks to an unhappy Homeboy and our unscheduled trip to Whole Foods, I am now completely hooked on this granola.  And I bought some high protein, gluten and dairy-free bars too.  The granola isn't THAT high but it's higher than cereal.  The bars will likely be the best answer.  Add a glass of Almond Milk and some fruit, I should hit my protein goal.

For his enjoyment, Rhys got to eat all the fabulous samples they were offering.  He was in heaven.  

(SIDENOTE:  They actually had some "gluten-lite" pasta.  Wait.  What?  Is that a thing?)

All that leads me to my gratitude post.  

The third sermon in the series I mentioned Wednesday is "Renew Your Mind."  Our pastor spoke about transforming our thinking.  When something comes our way (like, all the time), we have thought pattens we fall in to.  

For example, a student studies hard for a tough test but still doesn't achieve the score they were hoping for, the thought pattern can be one of "I'm not smart enough;  I'll never get that degree;  I'll never have the career I've dreamed of."  Or someone trying to live a healthier lifestyle takes that dreaded drive-through route and their mind loops into, "Why do I even try?  I'll never win this battle.  Why didn't I plan better?  Things will never change."

Pastor John called them "loops."  

As I was sitting there, I could literally hear my "loops" starting to turn.  

Practically, how we turn off the loops is everything we already know we should be doing.  Be in The Word, hearing God's word spoken in church, small groups and in our daily relationships.  Worship, both corporately and privately.  And turn off the things of the world.  

He actually said, paraphrasing here, to stop listening and watching things about money and booties.  There was a long pause and he said, Yeah, I just said "booties" in church.  Why do you want to fill your mind with that?  

Thankfully, I don't listen to a whole bunch of bootie music.  

So for me, I need to make the conscious choice to stop the loop.  And my loop, at least for the past almost two years, has been about my health.  If I have a good day, I immediately feel healed.  Like whatever THAT was is gone.  Because good days are oh so good.  I can run.  I can clean.  I can decorate.  I can cook.  I can write.  I can pray.  I can worship.  I can engage the scriptures.  

But on bad days....

My loop is full of fear and apprehension and uncertainty and exhaustion.  I can't run.  I can't clean.  I can't cook.  No decorating or writing.  Praying turns to pleading.  Worship turns to worry.  And reading The Word doesn't happen.  

Outwardly, most people wouldn't "see" the loop in my head.  I put up a pretty good front.  My worry and fear isn't really about me.  I could care less about me.  But in what would happen to my family.  I hate being a sick mom.  I hate sitting and WATCHING my kids run in circles instead of running with them.  I hate that my husband cleaned the bathroom last week.  I mean, I love it, but not the reason it wasn't already done.

So this week, I had to make a choice.  Continue to allow the loop to run or allow my heart, mind and body rest in the truth of the Overcomer.  

And I chose the new loop.  

Researching some diet changes, starting some new vitamins, resting even on days when I feel good instead of pushing myself to DO MORE.  All that added to more gratitude for Christ, for what He's already done for me, what He IS DOING, and what HE WILL DO.  

It's been good, y'all.  

Yes, I've had some bad days this week.  But I didn't jump on the loop.  So even in the bad, God showed me His Goodness.  

And I found some rock-star-awesome granola to snack on.

Grateful, Lord.  I.Am.Grateful.