Twice this past week God has blessed me out of a grumpy state.

Last Friday a group from my office went to the nursing home to sing Christmas carols to the people living there and to deliver presents. I woke up from a nap grumpy and needing to leave. I had my Shakespeare test the next day, and I needed to study but I'd already committed to this. I was grumpy with my roommates about it and not looking forward to it all. I went with a bad attitude, but God blessed me anyway. Seeing the look on those people's faces when we sang and their eyes lighting up when they got presents filled me with joy. One lady in particular captured my heart. She is a very alert old lady who's family lives in New York. She doesn't get many visitors or Christmas presents. We asked if she'd like us to help her open her presents. She said no, she just wanted to look at them for a while. My heart broke for her as well as welled up with love. I left feeling so happy that I'd gone and feeling such joy for lighting up a few lonely lives.

The next morning I had to wake up at 5:30 for my final. (See a few posts down for picture.) I was so grumpy and mad that the snow hadn't canceled school and that I had to go take this test I was not ready for. I found it appalling that I had to be out and about at such an early hour. But again, God blessed me. Driving through the snow at the break of dawn was the most beautiful thing I'd experienced in a long time. The sky was the lightest gray as the sun slowly came over the horizon. Everything was white. It felt holy. I listen to hymns a lot in my car and one particular hymn was playing as I drove to school. Morning has broken like the first morning. Blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing, praise for the morning, praise for them springing fresh from the Word... I felt so at peace with the Lord and so blessed for all the beauty of the world he made for us, thankful for snow, thankful for Him, thankful for this early morning drive through creation. Praise with elation, praise every morning God's recreation of a new day.