It all starts with a mug of hot tea.

Mornings are busy times for moms. Between getting me ready, getting Cade ready, making sure Jody gets out the door on time, stopping for prayer gets planned in where it can.

Every morning I start the morning with hot tea. I have always loved hot tea, the various smells and tastes and it is just calming. I am an herbal tea person, unless it is chai. Here lately, green tea has been the flavor of choice.

But this is not a blog about the yumminess that is tea, this is about calming, peaceful prayer time in the midst of a mommy schedule. Hot tea warms the senses, wakes up the taste buds and just envelopes the mind. Yeah, coffee can do the same thing but coffee happens later.

This morning as I was sitting with my big mug of green tea in my recliner, I started thinking about life. Life is good. My life is for the most part exactly where I want it to be. That is a beautiful thing. It is a wonderful feeling to have a beautiful son that teaches me new things everyday. It is wonderful to have a supportive husband who lives life to take care of me and Cade.

My youth -- they are crazy people. They are happy, sad, moody, excited, gripey big ol balls of emotional roller coasters but I really wouldn't change them for the world. They challenge me and teach me that even when I look like I have it all together, sometimes I need to show my vulnerable side and be real with them.

My church -- since some of them read this... THEY ARE AWESOME. Ok, again being real. CTK has taught me so much about my ministry. They understand that I am not going to change the world but I am gonna love the socks off of the youth of our church.

My friends -- I have interesting friends. I have friends who teach me about their prayer life and show me their soul to help me better understand me. I have friends who I can call and cry to when things just aren't going right. I have friends that I can laugh with and at when they don't know what (baking) soda is. And, I have a whole bunch of crazy knitting friends that we can laugh and be crazy and have no holding back. We are an estrogen packed group of crazy and I love it.

So what are you thankful for in life? Do you thank God for all of the blessings you have? That is hard sometimes. Sometimes in the midst of our stress and crazy lives, we forget to stop, listen and give thanks.

We take for granted the beautiful things that life gives us in the valleys of pain. When we are lost in a sea of doubts and uncertainty - we don't want to look at the good things of life.

Dear God, Life is good. Help us to be more understanding of our need for thanksgiving. Help us to say thank you, but more importantly to be grateful for the gifts and blessings that we have around every corner. Help me to take time to stop and smell the flowers even in a sea of weeds.
AMEN

It all started with a mug of hot tea.