TJ Hirst

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:12-19

When my children do something wrong, they usually know it is wrong. In the moments that follow the wrong choice, I routinely ask them, “Why did you do such and such?”

I often get  blank looks and no response.

Lately, I’ve been more conscious of how asking the right questions can make all the difference. So, when my daughter was complaining about vacuuming and I asked my “usual” question, a parenting light bulb went on in my head and taught me.

Instead of asking “Why did you . . .”, I should be asking, “What should you or could you be doing instead of such and such?”

What parenting light bulbs are going on in your home?

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States,
a day to remember what we have and give thanks.

Gratitude is deeper than thanks. Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.
(David O. McKay, The Meaning of Thanksgiving).

At our table, we will answer this question:
Have I Seen the Hand of God Reaching Out to Touch Us Today?

We Have. Have You?

Happy Thanksgiving
to my family, friends, and all who reads this.

“He entreated all to follow his example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. . . As Risen Lord, He visited among those he loved in life. He also ministered among His “other sheep” (John 10:16) in ancient America.”

The Living Christ, The Testimony of the Apostles

My salt dough lamb ornaments symbolize the sheep of the Good Shepherd and inspire me to hear his voice and reach out to those in need.

My entry is also part of my photographic holiday series of My Living Christ Christmas Tree. View other photography participants at Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes For Mom.

Try-It With-Me Tuesday, an interactive weekly time and place to foster connections that challenge and encourage the process to become a well-rounded person.

I cannot do it all. I really don’t think I can, but sometimes I pressure myself to try.

On Saturday night I took my kids to a basketball game at our church, carting this book I’ve been trying to finish. I said yes to the missionaries who wanted me teach with them an hour later, even though I was giving a talk the next day, my husband was home sick, and I had spent the afternoon learning how to hang Christmas lights without losing my temper.

Fortunately, a nice friend took my place, and I went home, cozied up in my pajamas to read. I planned to stay up reading all night until I finished it, but I fell asleep before 10 p.m. with 350 pages still to go. I didn’t remember how long it was!

So, I am officially postponing our book discussion on Anna Karenina, which I had intended to do today. I did publish that I was going to do it on Tuesday the 28th, but there is no such Tuesday!

The new book club discussion will be next Tuesday, December 2. If you’re reading it with me and want to write a post about the book, send your permalink by Monday night, December 1 to tj (at) tjhirst (dot) com.  Or, just come back next Tuesday, leave your comments about what you thought and visit the discussion sites of the other book club members.

I may announce a December Book Choice that day. Or a December/January Book Choice. Or just a January Book Choice that you can start on now. I wouldn’t want to make reading a pressure, especially at this time of year!

I’m off to read some more.  . . Want to Try It With Me?