Simple Sunday - Molly

~ thankful for our dog Molly, for the simple fact that she's still alive!...two nights ago, she and Jasper got out of the pasture and went wandering who-knows-where...the next morning (yesterday), when Jeff first saw her, it seemed as if Molly didn't see/recognize him until he spoke to her; that was strange, but he put her back in the pasture and went to work...later in the morning, I found her lying on the ground having a severe seizure; I had never seen a dog do that and was caught off-guard completely...we suspect she got into something poisonous during her night escapade, and we hardly knew what to do...even after the seizure stopped, she was not normal...seemed to not be able to see right (or at all), was lethargic, had shaky legs, did not act normal at all...several times throughout the day, I was sure she was going to die--first, when she was having the seizure, and later as I watched her recovery--or lack thereof...amazingly, she seems to be her normal cheerful self this morning which seems rather miraculous to us!...she was even energetic enough this morning to chase our poor rooster who made the mistake of escaping from his pen to the pasture; fortunately for him, he evaded her and is back safe and sound where he belongs...Josiah and David have been encouraged by her recovery, as we all have; and Josiah even shared with the whole congregation this morning during our open-mic time about how God healed Molly...I was so proud of my little man--and so grateful to God for sparing the life of our sweet dog

~ this photo is of Molly on the day we first got her back in January 2006...she was just a few months old and was as curious as can be...she still is, I guess; and that's what almost killed her...we're hoping she's learned her lesson!

Day 8 - Jeff and I had a date last night which we've been doing more consistently recently, due to having a babysitter--the beautiful Kate Sacra--lined up on a regular basis (every other Saturday evening) who is trusted by us and adored by our boys. Back when I was babysitting as a teenager, I don't remember the kids I babysat ever being as eager to see me as my boys are to see Kate. :) Not only am I grateful to her, I'm also extremely grateful to Jeff for allowing this to be a part of our lives even during this time of financial uncertainty. I love the security that comes from knowing that we'll have these special times together every other week, and I absolutely love spending that time with him! He's my best friend, for sure.

Day 9 - I'm grateful to Jeff for embracing a country lifestyle. Jeff was raised in California, but is not the "normal" surfer dude one might think of when recalling that lovely state, particularly because most of his early years were spent in the mountains of California. When he and I met, I was country, and he was mountain. He literally looked like a lumberjack. :) And after we married, we lived in cities. But now that we're here in the country, he has been quick to express his appreciation for the scenery we have, the pace of life we enjoy, the space we relish, and especially the opportunity to have animals. I didn't know when I married him that he would be so excited about having chickens. :) But, Jeff, I love that part of you!

By the way, Sally at Honey Run is also writing a thankful post every day this month. I think she's more consistent than me. :) Check her blog out if you need more inspiring grateful thoughts!