Day 1-New Year's Eve

I have been rereading the Last Lecture for a while, as a matter of fact, I am on page 93. I decided not to start over for this project, as I want all of my thoughts to be fresh and new. I cannot remember the last time I read this book, but a quick Amazon look will tell you that it was published in 2008 and as of today it is still ranked #294 according to Amazon's Best Sellers ranking. Four years later and still at what I would consider the top of the charts with a database as big as Amazon's. That should tell you something.

The chapter I read today is called, "New Year's Eve." It recaps the birth of the Pausch's first child. Pausch's wife has a 'placenta abrupta' and as a result an emergency c-section. It is his job to coach her through and keep her from going into clinical shock, a state she is approaching. In the end, their 2 pound, 15 ounce baby boy made it. But what I want to take from the story is this reflection by Pausch:

"Dylan's birth was a reminder to me of the roles we play in our destinies. Jai and I could have made things worse by falling to pieces...I don't think we ever said, 'this isn't fair.' We just kept going. We recognized that there were things we could do that might help the outcome in positive ways and we did them."

Today, I will think of how my approach to situations can be different, even for the little things. This morning my oatmeal overflowed in the microwave and my initial reaction was to cuss and get upset. Then I recalled today's reading and I said to myself, "Look, it is just oatmeal. Wipe up the mess and eat the good part that is left. There is still plenty still in the bowl and your kids are alive and healthy. A mess is no big deal."

-Thank you, God today for the life you have passed on through me, my beautiful children who light up my world. May I begin to remember the gifts I have, and not the lusts of my heart. Amen.

*For those who want to know, 'the lusts in my heart' I thought about as I typed were purses. I love a designer bag :)