gratitude &mdash; Dallineation https://dallincrump.com/tag:gratitude A personal weblog. Tue, 05 May 2026 17:16:06 +0000 https://i.snap.as/Xmr1St6g.ico gratitude &mdash; Dallineation https://dallincrump.com/tag:gratitude Lent 2026 Day 15 - Counting Blessings https://dallincrump.com/lent-2026-day-15-counting-blessings?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I need to do better at recognizing the tremendous blessings in my life and acknowledging God's hand in all of them. !--more-- A favorite hymn among Latter-day Saints is "Count Your Blessings". It's fun to sing and has a good message. (1) When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Chorus Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your blessings; See what God hath done. Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your many blessings; See what God hath done. (2) Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings; ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. Chorus (3) When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold. Count your many blessings; money cannot buy Your reward in heaven nor your home on high. Chorus (4) So amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged; God is over all. Count your many blessings; angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. Chorus It's easy to fixate on what I don't have or on bad things that have happened. But I have everything I need. And good things have happened, too. I'm reminded of a favorite scene from a favorite movie, "Joe Versus the Volcano" - the "moon scene." Joe and Patricia are stranded in the middle of the ocean. The situation is looking pretty grim. Joe, thirsty and exhausted, is awakened from a restless sleep by a most magnificent moonrise. The moon, larger than life, slowly rizes above the horizon. Gazing at the celestial spectacle unfolding before him, Joe struggles to his feet and raises his arms in amazement, basking in the brilliant moonlight. And then Joe says: "Dear God, whose name I do not know, thank You for my life." It's a beautiful scene, and one I reflect on whenever I think about counting blessings, especially during the hard times. I want to be like Joe and thank God for my life, even in the most difficult of circumstances. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/lent-2026-day-15-counting-blessings"Discuss.../a #100DaysToOffload (No. 145) #lent #gratitude #faith #Christianity]]> I need to do better at recognizing the tremendous blessings in my life and acknowledging God's hand in all of them.

A favorite hymn among Latter-day Saints is “Count Your Blessings”. It's fun to sing and has a good message.

(1) When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Chorus Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your blessings; See what God hath done. Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your many blessings; See what God hath done.

(2) Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings; ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by.

Chorus

(3) When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold. Count your many blessings; money cannot buy Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.

Chorus

(4) So amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged; God is over all. Count your many blessings; angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Chorus

It's easy to fixate on what I don't have or on bad things that have happened. But I have everything I need. And good things have happened, too.

I'm reminded of a favorite scene from a favorite movie, “Joe Versus the Volcano” – the “moon scene.”

Joe and Patricia are stranded in the middle of the ocean. The situation is looking pretty grim. Joe, thirsty and exhausted, is awakened from a restless sleep by a most magnificent moonrise.

The moon, larger than life, slowly rizes above the horizon. Gazing at the celestial spectacle unfolding before him, Joe struggles to his feet and raises his arms in amazement, basking in the brilliant moonlight.

And then Joe says: “Dear God, whose name I do not know, thank You for my life.”

It's a beautiful scene, and one I reflect on whenever I think about counting blessings, especially during the hard times.

I want to be like Joe and thank God for my life, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 145) #lent #gratitude #faith #Christianity

]]> https://dallincrump.com/lent-2026-day-15-counting-blessings Thu, 05 Mar 2026 04:05:56 +0000 Thank You for the Fleas https://dallincrump.com/thank-you-for-the-fleas?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I never did fall back asleep last night. My soul was in too much turmoil. So I decided to watch a movie to distract me. I think there was a little divine intervention at work because the movie I picked was exactly what I needed. !--more-- Of all movies on my Amazon Prime watch list, I picked The Hiding Place. It's based on the true story of Corrie ten Boom, who with her sister and father ran a safe house and helped smuggle Jews fleeing the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. They were arrested and imprisoned, Corrie's father dying in a matter of days and she and her sister being sent to concentration camps. It's a difficult, moving film to watch, and it wrecked me, but in the best way. It brought tears, but also clarity and peace. In my last post, I shared frustration about the latest drama on Twitch and was seriously considering quitting as a streamer and viewer. But a line from The Hiding Place hit me hard. I actually had to pause the movie after hearing it and weep for a few minutes as it sunk in. There's a scene where a couple members of the underground are talking to Corrie and her sister Betsy, asking them if they really do want to use their home as a safe house for Jews. Betsy says: Truthfully, I’d rather do anything else. I’d like to close the door and never open it again until this whole hideous thing is over. But that’s me. My Lord Jesus tells me to open the door to whatever comes, to give His love in whatever way I can. And I will listen to His voice, not mine. This is exactly how I feel about what I do on Twitch. My voice is telling me to quit. God's voice is telling me to give His love in whatever way I can. And I cannot deny that Twitch has been a way for me to do just that. Several people have told me that tuning into my stream has helped them out of a dark place or made them feel good or brightened their day. And I have to believe that alone is worth all the trouble and drama that comes with Twitch. So I'll keep trying. Another aspect of the film that moved me was Betsy's unwavering faith in Jesus Christ despite the horrific conditions of Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she eventually died. Their beds are infested with fleas and lice and Corrie says she doesn't think she can give thanks for the pests. But it's soon revealed that the fleas and lice are what keep the Nazis from going any further into their barracks than the doorway, giving them some privacy and freedom at least in that space. So they were thankful for the fleas. There's another line from the film and something Corrie ten Boom often said when telling her story. No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still; with Jesus even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be. And that's from a lady who survived a concentration camp. I aspire to have even a fraction of the faith in Jesus Christ that she and her family did. And it makes my problems seem so manageable by comparison. I believe the very best is yet to be for me and for you - for all of us. And now I need to add the book The Hiding Place to my reading list. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/thank-you-for-the-fleas"Discuss.../a #100DaysToOffload (No. 114) #faith #gratitude #life #movies #books #Twitch #Christianity]]> I never did fall back asleep last night. My soul was in too much turmoil. So I decided to watch a movie to distract me. I think there was a little divine intervention at work because the movie I picked was exactly what I needed.

Of all movies on my Amazon Prime watch list, I picked The Hiding Place. It's based on the true story of Corrie ten Boom, who with her sister and father ran a safe house and helped smuggle Jews fleeing the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. They were arrested and imprisoned, Corrie's father dying in a matter of days and she and her sister being sent to concentration camps.

It's a difficult, moving film to watch, and it wrecked me, but in the best way. It brought tears, but also clarity and peace.

In my last post, I shared frustration about the latest drama on Twitch and was seriously considering quitting as a streamer and viewer. But a line from The Hiding Place hit me hard. I actually had to pause the movie after hearing it and weep for a few minutes as it sunk in.

There's a scene where a couple members of the underground are talking to Corrie and her sister Betsy, asking them if they really do want to use their home as a safe house for Jews. Betsy says:

Truthfully, I’d rather do anything else. I’d like to close the door and never open it again until this whole hideous thing is over. But that’s me. My Lord Jesus tells me to open the door to whatever comes, to give His love in whatever way I can. And I will listen to His voice, not mine.

This is exactly how I feel about what I do on Twitch. My voice is telling me to quit. God's voice is telling me to give His love in whatever way I can. And I cannot deny that Twitch has been a way for me to do just that.

Several people have told me that tuning into my stream has helped them out of a dark place or made them feel good or brightened their day. And I have to believe that alone is worth all the trouble and drama that comes with Twitch. So I'll keep trying.

Another aspect of the film that moved me was Betsy's unwavering faith in Jesus Christ despite the horrific conditions of Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she eventually died. Their beds are infested with fleas and lice and Corrie says she doesn't think she can give thanks for the pests. But it's soon revealed that the fleas and lice are what keep the Nazis from going any further into their barracks than the doorway, giving them some privacy and freedom at least in that space. So they were thankful for the fleas.

There's another line from the film and something Corrie ten Boom often said when telling her story.

No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still; with Jesus even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be.

And that's from a lady who survived a concentration camp. I aspire to have even a fraction of the faith in Jesus Christ that she and her family did. And it makes my problems seem so manageable by comparison.

I believe the very best is yet to be for me and for you – for all of us.

And now I need to add the book The Hiding Place to my reading list.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 114) #faith #gratitude #life #movies #books #Twitch #Christianity

]]> https://dallincrump.com/thank-you-for-the-fleas Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:59:26 +0000 Sunday Morning Window https://dallincrump.com/sunday-morning-window?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I like to sit in the living room every morning while eating breakfast and looking east out the window. Weekday mornings this time of year I don't see much. It's still dark. But on weekends, when I can stay in bed and eat breakfast later, I see more. !--more-- Breakfast is almost always a bowl of cereal. The cereal is almost always high-fiber - I'm so middle-age. Cracklin' Oat Bran, Raisin Bran, anything bran. And unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I actually like the taste better than cow's milk but my wife can't stand it. My cat, Oreo, jumps up on the sectional sofa next to me and lays on or next to my lap. She always hopes I have the kind of milk she likes and that I'll share. Depending where I sit on the sofa I see different houses. But I'm usually more interested in the trees and mountains behind them. The houses are boring. We're in a modest neighborhood of homes with vinyl siding and half-brick facades in front, built in the 1990s. They all look similar and are not extravagant or very large, but nice. Yet so...artificial. Our 1,600 square foot house is the smallest on our street - probably the smallest single family home in our neighborhood, as I haven't seen another like it. We wanted it that way. Our family is small, and we don't need anything larger. I'm very thankful to have a place to live and to be in a nice, safe neighborhood in a good location. But the way we build things here just seems out of place. Today the trees are way past Autumn peak colors. But most of them still have leaves. Muted dark orange and brown now, but still a bit of yellow. I should have raked the yard yesterday when it was unseasonably warm, but I read somewhere that leaving the leaves can actually be good for your lawn and for the environment as long as they aren't completely covering it. Yeah, that sounds like a good excuse. And then there are the mountains. So majestic. So dependable. So unmovable. This morning is cloudy. Sunshine illuminates the edges of breaks in the canopy accented by light blue sky. The mountains quietly observe the march of human "progress" here. The sprawl of strip malls and parking lots and schools and churches and subdivisions full of houses and town homes and apartments in the valley below them. To them, a couple hundred years is the blink of an eye. The mountains were here first. They'll be here long after we're gone. The clouds are clearing a bit. Occasional rays of sunshine stream through the window. I feel the warmth on my skin. I can see our windows are dirty and need a good cleaning. I should take a shower and get ready for church. But I'll wait a bit longer and enjoy my Sunday morning window. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/sunday-morning-window"Discuss.../a #100DaysToOffload (No. 105) #gratitude #life #Utah]]> I like to sit in the living room every morning while eating breakfast and looking east out the window. Weekday mornings this time of year I don't see much. It's still dark. But on weekends, when I can stay in bed and eat breakfast later, I see more.

Breakfast is almost always a bowl of cereal. The cereal is almost always high-fiber – I'm so middle-age. Cracklin' Oat Bran, Raisin Bran, anything bran. And unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I actually like the taste better than cow's milk but my wife can't stand it.

My cat, Oreo, jumps up on the sectional sofa next to me and lays on or next to my lap. She always hopes I have the kind of milk she likes and that I'll share.

Depending where I sit on the sofa I see different houses. But I'm usually more interested in the trees and mountains behind them.

The houses are boring. We're in a modest neighborhood of homes with vinyl siding and half-brick facades in front, built in the 1990s. They all look similar and are not extravagant or very large, but nice. Yet so...artificial. Our 1,600 square foot house is the smallest on our street – probably the smallest single family home in our neighborhood, as I haven't seen another like it. We wanted it that way. Our family is small, and we don't need anything larger. I'm very thankful to have a place to live and to be in a nice, safe neighborhood in a good location. But the way we build things here just seems out of place.

Today the trees are way past Autumn peak colors. But most of them still have leaves. Muted dark orange and brown now, but still a bit of yellow. I should have raked the yard yesterday when it was unseasonably warm, but I read somewhere that leaving the leaves can actually be good for your lawn and for the environment as long as they aren't completely covering it. Yeah, that sounds like a good excuse.

And then there are the mountains. So majestic. So dependable. So unmovable.

This morning is cloudy. Sunshine illuminates the edges of breaks in the canopy accented by light blue sky.

The mountains quietly observe the march of human “progress” here. The sprawl of strip malls and parking lots and schools and churches and subdivisions full of houses and town homes and apartments in the valley below them. To them, a couple hundred years is the blink of an eye.

The mountains were here first. They'll be here long after we're gone.

The clouds are clearing a bit. Occasional rays of sunshine stream through the window. I feel the warmth on my skin. I can see our windows are dirty and need a good cleaning.

I should take a shower and get ready for church. But I'll wait a bit longer and enjoy my Sunday morning window.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 105) #gratitude #life #Utah

]]> https://dallincrump.com/sunday-morning-window Sun, 16 Nov 2025 15:18:27 +0000 An Almost Ordinary Thanksgiving https://dallincrump.com/an-almost-ordinary-thanksgiving?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[Another Thanksgiving in the books. Except for one thing, it was a pretty ordinary holiday. !--more-- I enjoyed sleeping in a whole 2 minutes (my body usually gets me up, alarm or not). We had the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on while my wife bustled in the kitchen getting the food prepared (I made the stuffing and gravy - just add water). By early afternoon everything was ready, we loaded it all up into the SUV and drove over to my in-law's home 15 minutes away. There we met my wife's family and her aunt and uncle and who were also visiting and enjoyed a lovely meal and good company for several hours. We came home happy and well-fed. The out-of-the-ordinary thing happened this morning. I got a text message from a good friend I've known for over 20 years. His wife has been battling cancer for a little over a year. After a valiant fight, she entered hospice care a couple months ago. Today he informed me she had slipped into a coma from which she will not wake. They are preparing for her passing. Despite the heaviness of heart for my friend and his family, today's festivities with my family were that much sweeter. I held my wife a little closer, sat next to my son a little longer, enjoyed my interactions with extended family, enjoyed delicious and plentiful food a little more than I otherwise might have done. I have so much to be thankful for on this almost ordinary Thanksgiving. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/an-almost-ordinary-thanksgiving"Discuss.../a --- 100DaysToOffload (No. 59) #life #family #gratitude]]> Another Thanksgiving in the books. Except for one thing, it was a pretty ordinary holiday.

I enjoyed sleeping in a whole 2 minutes (my body usually gets me up, alarm or not). We had the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on while my wife bustled in the kitchen getting the food prepared (I made the stuffing and gravy – just add water).

By early afternoon everything was ready, we loaded it all up into the SUV and drove over to my in-law's home 15 minutes away. There we met my wife's family and her aunt and uncle and who were also visiting and enjoyed a lovely meal and good company for several hours. We came home happy and well-fed.

The out-of-the-ordinary thing happened this morning. I got a text message from a good friend I've known for over 20 years. His wife has been battling cancer for a little over a year. After a valiant fight, she entered hospice care a couple months ago. Today he informed me she had slipped into a coma from which she will not wake. They are preparing for her passing.

Despite the heaviness of heart for my friend and his family, today's festivities with my family were that much sweeter. I held my wife a little closer, sat next to my son a little longer, enjoyed my interactions with extended family, enjoyed delicious and plentiful food a little more than I otherwise might have done.

I have so much to be thankful for on this almost ordinary Thanksgiving.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 59) #life #family #gratitude

]]> https://dallincrump.com/an-almost-ordinary-thanksgiving Fri, 25 Nov 2022 03:06:17 +0000 Topics https://dallincrump.com/topics?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[To see posts related to a topic, just click on a hashtag below. You can subscribe to specific topics using an RSS reader. Topics of Focus faith - thoughts related to my religion tech - self explanatory Other Topics 100DaysToOffload accessories AI automobiles Bandcamp books business cassette charity Christianity Christmas ChurchOfJesusChrist climate community compactDisc contention COVID19 decentralization DigitalMinimalism economy electronicMusic EveryDayCarry eWaste family FOSS (free-as-in-freedom and open source software) friends gratitude haiku health hobbies HomeOffice humor intentionism internet laptop LessConvenient libraryMusic life Linux loneliness media meditation mentalHealth misc movies music news nostalgia physicalMedia planning poetry politics privacy prophets retro smartphones SocialMedia synthwave travel TV Twitch unity (not the game engine) Utah vaporwave writing]]> To see posts related to a topic, just click on a hashtag below. You can subscribe to specific topics using an RSS reader.

Topics of Focus

#faith – thoughts related to my religion #tech – self explanatory

Other Topics

#100DaysToOffload #accessories #AI #automobiles #Bandcamp #books #business #cassette #charity #Christianity #Christmas #ChurchOfJesusChrist #climate #community #compactDisc #contention #COVID19 #decentralization #DigitalMinimalism #economy #electronicMusic #EveryDayCarry #eWaste #family #FOSS (free-as-in-freedom and open source software) #friends #gratitude #haiku #health #hobbies #HomeOffice #humor #intentionism #internet #laptop #LessConvenient #libraryMusic #life #Linux #loneliness #media #meditation #mentalHealth #misc #movies #music #news #nostalgia #physicalMedia #planning #poetry #politics #privacy #prophets #retro #smartphones #SocialMedia #synthwave #travel #TV #Twitch #unity (not the game engine) #Utah #vaporwave #writing

]]> https://dallincrump.com/topics Sat, 13 Mar 2021 23:20:27 +0000