Why I am Thankful For The Singer

On Friday night after work I went to the Fish Head Cantina in Halethorpe MD and watched the musicians play in the Pavilion at the back of the restaurant. One of the bands was a group called Archangel, a rock band of talented teens. They were invited to perform after they posted an audio of their music on the web. The vocalist is my daughter.

I watched her come on the stage and wait behind the microphone while the guitarist were tuning and setting things up. She looked at the crowd of maybe 200 people and smiled. She looked beautiful and as a father I was proud of her.

I was afraid she would have an attack of stage fright and leave the stage, or forget the words, or sing flat; but she was confident and sang without a sign of nerves. She was good and the audience appreciated her and enjoyed her singing. She had a sweet stage presence with an innocence that was mixed with an edge of passion for social justice. I thought she was endearing. It was a great performance and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself.

     * I am thankful that God had blessed us with a talented daughter.
     * I am thankful that I was able to see her perform.
     * I was thankful that she is experiencing success in things like singing.
     * I am thankful that she is enjoying her youth.
     * I am thankful for the support of the other musicians in the band and that they are a good bunch of kids.

I pray that she is aware of the blessings these things are.

Thankful for My Son's Generosity

It has been my my practice to take a chapter of Proverbs from the Bible and to pray it through for my kids. I would read each verse and pray the topic of that verse for them and nowadays for friends too. The exciting thing about this approach is that in Proverbs every concern in life is dealt with, so I am able to consistently pray about their attitude to work, friends, folly, alcohol and many other things.

Recently while visiting my son who is away in college I observed his reaction to the homeless where he lives. I was surprised and full of admiration at the respect, kindness, and generosity he showed each that came to us asking for money. Every time he had a kind word, a gentle manner and a dollar or more.

A verse I often pray for him is "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD, and his good deed will he pay him again." Proverbs 19:17.  I feel that God has answered the prayers I have offered up for my son that he would be a kind and generous person.

It is ironic that I am his parent and I am supposed to set the example for my son but his example put me to shame, since I talk Christian virtues but he showed me what it is to live them.

I am thankful that God has blessed my son with character and with values that reflects a Christ likeness in his heart.

I am grateful to have seen the results of prayers prayed for him, and I feel more resolved to pray diligently for him.

Why It Is A Responsibility To Be Thankful For Good Health.

I have been riding my bicycle to work for the past few weeks since my son is using the car for college. I enjoy riding my bicycle; it keeps my waistline slim, heart beating, and helps me in many ways.

I know many people my age are not able to ride a bicycle twelve miles a day because many are struggling with various health issues.  It is not just about age since people young and old can suffer affliction in their health.

Because I have good health (I do have a few minor problems), I feel it is a responsibility to take care of myself. Many people wish they were in good shape, and it is insulting to them if I let myself go. It would be a statement that I do not value what they long for when I have it and neglect it.

Good health is a gift. God could take that gift away. If I do not cherish the gifts he has given me, I can't expect The Lord to just give me another gift after I have squandered His earlier gifts.

By God's grace, I enjoy good health; I could have a stroke tomorrow or come down with a chronic condition like some of my friends. I am grateful that God in His mercy has spared me that test. If I come to that ordeal, I pray that I may face it with the nobility that respects those who have gone through such trials with grace and confidence in their Maker.

I am thankful for my good health, and I pray for my friends to enjoy the same blessing.

(c) Adron  9/18/14

Thankful For An Honest Mechanic

My car, which is an old Volkswagen Passat, suddenly started to make a loud noise and it seemed the muffler had gone bad. The car ran fine so I put off dealing with the noisy muffler until it was convenient to have someone fix it; and I didn't look forward to spending a thousand dollars on a car repair since the muffler alone would cost about $600.00, and that is just part of the exhaust system.

There was no opportunity to have it looked at until a holiday weekend. I thought most auto shops would be opened since the holiday wasn't one of the big ones like Christmas; I was wrong, my first choice was a national muffler repair chain but they were closed. I drove all over town trying to find an auto repair shop. At last Merchant's Tire and Auto was open. I was not keen on using them because I thought it would be better to have the muffler replaced by a muffler specialist who had experience and parts on hand, but they were open and the job needed to be done.

After the mechanic had the car up on the lift he called me out to look at it. "It doesn't need a muffler," He said, "See here," and he pointed to a rusty cracked metal thing that was wrapped around the pipe leading to the muffler, "This coupling has gone bad and has come away. I have one that we can use."

"Great that will be cheaper," I said.

He laughed, "Yes a lot!"

I waited a little while and he came for me. "It worked perfectly," he said.

The bill was only two hundred dollars.  If he had not been honest he could have just put in a new muffler and exhaust system and charged me over a thousand dollars.

I am grateful God worked out the circumstances for me to find an honest mechanic.

(c) Adron 9/2/14

Why I am Thankful to be used of God

It is common to be thankful for the blessings we get in life such as health, home, food and the many basic needs we all have. Someone told me a bit of news today that caused me to feel very grateful- thankful not for something the Lord has given me but something that He has allowed me to do.

It starts with my other blog, (Coloring Pages For Kids By Mr Adron), where I post pictures that I draw which people can print off and give to kids that they may color. Many of the pictures are generic themes of dogs and cats, Aesop's fables, flowers, Bible verses and stories that I did for my church's kids club. I often wonder if anybody actually prints them and if my poor drawings are ever colored by kids.

A woman came up to me at church today and told me she had found my blog. She said she had been printing out the coloring pages and bringing them to an after school homework club that she is involved in. It is at a low rent housing complex and many of the children are from low income and struggling families. These children are coloring pictures that are telling them of God's love and the hope of the Gospel. These children do not get to go to church but they are getting God's Word.

I started blogging because I had hoped it would be a financial benefit, but I am grateful that it is used of the Almighty to do more than I ever thought it would. I am excited to think that God is using my humble efforts to plant eternal seeds in the hearts of His lambs.

You can see my blog at coloringpagesbymradron.blogspot.com. Print some and give them to the kids.

Thankful that God Provided Extra Work On My Job

Yesterday I was scheduled to work only four hours at my grocery store job. I had been aware of this since the schedule was posted a few days before. I was discouraged to see the reduced hours since times are tough and cashier's wages are slim to begin with. I asked if more hours were available but the answer was vague, it seems everybody in the store has been given fewer hours.

In the morning the ground had over an inch of fluffy white snow. Since there was no need to pack a lunch for a four-hour shift I used the extra minutes to get an early start. Good thing too, the roads were slushy and mixed with icy slippery patches.

I arrived at work a minute or two early and began my shift. A few minutes later the phone rang at the customer service counter, moments later it rang again, and then a third time. The customer service manager was becoming more upset with each call. It seems that some of the other cashiers had phoned to say they were not able to come to work because of the snow or illness.

I went to the service counter to look at the schedule. The person who was supposed to take over my register at the end of my shift was crossed off.

"I can work that shift if it helps out," I said.

"That would be great!" The manager exclaimed, "In fact, I'll buy lunch for you!"

The combined shifts were an hour and a half more than I would have normally gotten, and a free lunch besides made it a good day.

God had plans all along.

(c)Adron Dozat 3/4/14

Thankful That God Caught My Mistake For Me

Yesterday on my job at the department store I did a major goof up.

The cash register computer has a screen that tells several things at the end of each transaction. One is the amount a customer saved with the discount program given to members of the store, shown in blue in the middle of the screen. Another is the change to be given back and it is shown in red. My mistake was to read the wrong set of numbers as the change. The customer saved twelve dollars but his change was supposed to be two dollars. I gave him twelve dollars instead of the two.

I began to ring up the next customer and the man I gave too much money came back and told me my mistake.

If he didn't I am sure the till audit would be ten dollars off and I would be in trouble. It all comes from being too much in a hurry and not paying attention; not to mention it was the second job since I already worked eight hours at the grocery store earlier that day.

I thank God that this man was honest and had the integrity to come and give the money back. I am sure it saved my job.  It just reminds me what a gracious God we have who is always watching out for us.

(c) Adron

Thankful for Another Person's Kindness.

The other day I was trying to get my art studio in order so I could make progress on some new projects and designs I am working on. I decided it would be helpful to stack some crates to make some shelves. I had a few and after about an hour got them arranged and things put in their places. It was not perfect- I needed about two or three more to make my design functional.

On my way home from my "honest job" at the grocery store I made the decision that I would bite the bullet and buy another crate. I normally would wait for a sale or a coupon but I was feeling if I didn't finish the organizing of my studio it would never be workable.

I reluctantly went to the store which sells the crafty stuff and found the unfinished crate used for folk art. It was not on sale and I didn't have a coupon so I was not happy about paying full price. I got in line and said a silent halfhearted prayer, something like, "Lord should I buy this or not?"

A moment later a woman came up the line asking people if they wanted a coupon for 40% off of one idem. I thought she worked there but she was a customer and had too many because the store would only let her use one on a purchase, so she was giving the rest away. "You are an answer to prayer," I told her as she gave me the coupon.

It was a little thing but I am grateful for it and that our God is the God of the little as well as the big. I am thankful that God hears my prayer no matter how weakly muttered. I am thankful that I can be confident of God being with me wherever I go.

Why I Am Thankful For An Indian Restaurant.

Today I had a morning off, and since my son was home from university, I wanted to spend a little time with him before I went to my evening job. I always feel that I do not get to spend much time with my kids. It is easy to say I'll get to it later, but if you keep waiting, later never comes, and the time is lost.

I was working at my desk, and he asked if he could borrow the car. I thought that he would be gone all day, and the hoped-for time together would be lost. He wanted to go to a hobby shop to get something of interest.

"OK." I said, I just need to get to work tonight at five."

"I'll just go now," he said, and I gave him the car key feeling sad at another missed opportunity to be together.

A minute later, I got an idea.

"Hey..." I called down, "The Taste of India restaurant is next to the store, why don't we go together and then we could have lunch at the restaurant."

"Sure," he said, "I haven't eaten, yet I could go for some lunch. Let's all go." and he went to get the other boys.

I have never been to that particular restaurant, but I know he likes vegan food, and I am open to eating anything that doesn't move too much on the plate.

The hobby shop was a quick stop. We went inside the restaurant and had a delicious meal together and talked about a lot of things. The Indian food was delicious and was an all-you-can-eat buffet which my boys kept visiting. It was just the time together I was hoping for.

I believe that God put the idea in my head to suggest the restaurant; I think he had it planned all along.

I am grateful that he is still open to spending time, and I am thankful to have had a "guy" meal with my boys.

(c) Adron 12/17/13

How I Became Thankful For Other People That Inspire Me

These days I am working a second job at a department store as a cashier to help with extra expenses of the Christmas season. I work there after my shift at the grocery store and finish at 11PM.

You can tell when a customer is going to be a problem. Cashiers get this sense and then avoid the ones that are going to have a lot of needs and request, like for checking prices, argue about coupons or want everything bagged in some special way, meanwhile, the line backs up and the next customer blames you for making them wait.

Late last night a man and his wife in modest clothing were slowly pushing a cart loaded with toys past the registers. I suspect other cashiers began to busy themselves so they didn't make eye contact, which is a sure invitation to come to their line. I am paid to do my job, so I waved them over to my check out station.

The cart was over full with every kind of toy; dolls, books, arts and crafts, building blocks, sports equipment, balls, action figures of superheroes, games, and more than I can remember. As the total ran into the hundreds I began to look at the couple wondering what kind of family they had since the toys were all ages and interest.

"You must have a lot of kids and grandkids," I said.

"No, these are not for our family."

"Oh," I looked at them.

"Every year we give to 'Toys For Tots.' We drop the toys off at the fire station where they collect the toys and give them to needy children. For some children, it is the only toy they get.

I was amazed- they were spending hundreds!  They did not wear fine clothes, the wedding rings were modest, his shoes were falling apart and his shirt was frayed at the sleeves, this couple was not upper income, possibly not even middle income.

I gave the total with the expectation that they would say it was too much and then begin the frustrating process of taking things off the purchase so they could afford it all.

"We will be splitting the payment up." He said as he held out some cash in his callous worn hand. I counted the twenties and tens and told them the remaining balance. Next, he gave some gift cards for small sums.

I felt for this couple, I have observed as a cashier that when people are having money problems they split the payment in different ways to draw from multiple meager sources.

"Put $150.00 on this card." He said swiping a credit card through the card reader. "And the rest on her debit card."

They spent more on kids that they do not know and will never meet than I earn in two weeks on both of my jobs.

"I hope you don't spend all year paying this off." I offered sympathy for what I thought was sure to be a burden on their income.

"No, we plan for it; we set money aside and sometimes I get extra work and put a little away."

As they left carefully pushing a shopping cart that had toys piled three feet high, I had a feeling as if the angles above were looking down as a witness to their act of gracious giving.

I felt humbled by their generosity. I am thankful to have met them and inspired by their act of sacrificial kindness. I pray that our Heavenly Father blesses their kindness and rewards them liberally for their sacrifice. I hope in some small way to follow their example of giving.