Grateful For the Hodgepodge

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  What gives you energy? What takes it away?

 

I kind of have to say coffee! I am most definitely fueled by caffeine! Having a goal or something to look forward to gives me energy too. Music, especially making music with others, is something I find energizing. 

What drains my energy . . . dealing with traffic. Negative, bitter, humorless people.  

 

2. How often do you shop for clothes? What accessory do you always wear?

Not often enough, really. And unless I need something specific I don't make a point of clothes shopping. I have favorite jeans that I buy at BJs and when I see them marked down a bit I'll check if they have a color I want in my size. When I'm in Maryland I try to stop in the Boscov's and maybe I'll buy something, maybe I won't. I don't even have a signature accessory that I can think of, other than jewelry or my sunglasses. If I'm not wearing my sunglasses, there's a strong likelihood they're on top of my head doubling as a headband.

 

 3. What's something free that you feel grateful for?

 God's mercy and grace, his forgiveness and love, his wisdom and guidance, and the assurance of eternity with him!

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. ~Ephesians 2:8

Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. ~I Corinthians 2:12

I'm also very grateful for the delicious meal we get almost every Wednesday evening at our church's Dinner + Discipleship gathering. The food is always so good, and it's also a great gift to share a meal with others.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ~James 1:17 

4. Breakfast, lunch, dinner . . . which meal of the day do you enjoy most? What's your go-to comfort food?

 Dinner is the most enjoyable meal on a regular basis, because it's almost always a sit-down meal with my husband, and sometimes with others as well. I don't particularly enjoy that I always have to make dinner though! I don't usually eat breakfast, but I love breakfast foods so that is the meal I truly enjoy when I do have it because it's kind of a special treat. Even more of a treat if we're on vacation and eat breakfast out. So breakfast foods are my comfort foods too - a bowl of cereal, or toast with peanut butter and honey or with marmalade.  

5.  This week the world remembers the tragic events of 9/11. Do you mark the day in any way? How do historical events shape your perspective on your personal challenges?

 

 We don't have a specific way to mark 9/11, and don't attend any memorials or that sort of thing. But we always remember. A moment of silence, and taking some time to think back on what I felt when I saw what was happening, and how the world changed. Obviously in some tragic ways, but it also brought out patriotism, generosity, courage, compassion, and a desire for community in so many people. I'm not sure we've kept the 9/12 spirit alive as well as we should, sadly.

I sometimes reflect on some of the horrific events in history and wonder how people managed to endure through and recover from the great suffering and tragedies. Clearly an event like the sinking of the Titanic would have forever changed the lives of the survivors and those who lost loved ones. And yet it seems like they grieved and mourned, and then picked up the pieces and carried on as best they could, and all without "safe spaces" and grief counsellors and the rest that we deem necessary today when something bad happens. I'm not saying grief counseling isn't necessary - I think it is! - but I do wonder if we wind up calling practically everything "trauma" and fail to develop our resilience and courage. I realize I need to cut short my whining and complaining when life is hard, because my life is actually not hard at all compared to what others have suffered and are suffering. And every time I have gone through something genuinely difficult, God has been faithful and brought me through.

 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I thought I'd be caught up on a lot of things by the time this Hodgepodge rolled around, but I'm not nearly as caught up as I'd hoped! I am super busy at work with some added responsibilities I'm still getting used to. So I'm a little more drained at the end of the workday and don't feel like doing anything around the house. The last week and a bit I've found myself trying to keep up with some tasks related to planning the Scioto Valley Chorus fall show coming up. I need an extra day to nap!

Or maybe I just need chocolate, which is another thing that energizes me. That's sort of a plug for the current Wednesday Quotes link-up which you can find here: WQ - More Chocolate! Stop by and share a few thoughts and quotes! I'm also working on getting my Everyday Images post ready for tomorrow, if you'd like to join me for the photo link-up.

What are you grateful for? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

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