Reality Check

Let me just disband any notions that an event planner has her own life well planned and put together. My tree is finally up, but we can't find the tree topper. I only have enough outdoor lights to light up half of our bushes. And, we have a neighborhood gathering at our house this weekend. Oh, and I still have pumpkins out...lovely, I know.

I think it's funny how sometimes we have these thoughts that "this person" probably has it all together. Or "I bet they already have everything done"...or what have you. But, in reality, what makes us more relatable is the pulling together of strands of life. Not the finished product.

When I helped a client with her son's party this weekend, she asked if she should move the boxes of her grandmother's bookcase that were still unpacked in her dining room. I told her I didn't think it made a bit of difference. She sighed and was grateful to be able to do one less thing. I told her we all had boxes of stuff, and it would help others to feel like they didn't have to have "everything done" in order to have people in their home. She chuckled, and said, "Yea, sometimes if your house looks too good, it makes other people feel bad about theirs." I laughed, because she was so right.

The times when I have felt the most encouraged about my house is not when I go and see an amazing design accomplished at a friend's house...it's when the laundry is piled on their couch just like at my house.

Or when I can help wash some of their dishes and see that their kitchen looks as messy as mine.

When there aren't enough places to store things, and we encourage each other to trust the Lord while we wait for contentment to come to our hearts.

So, today, I am grateful for the tree that we do have. Even if it's going topless for a bit.

And, I'm thankful for the clothes we have, even though they're piled high on the couch waiting to be folded.

I'm thankful for the food in our fridge, though the dishes seem never ending.

I'm grateful for the game pieces out everywhere, because it means we've played.

I'm thankful for being tired today, because I stayed up late listening to a friend's heart.

Choosing to celebrate is not just a suggestion, it's a must for me. Without it, my heart gets focused on the wrong things, and squelches out any grace available. So, today I'm thankful for living...a real life, with those I love.