Giraffes Again

   In the hilarious Jim Gaffigan video "Mr. Universe", he talks about staying at a Disney resort for a family vacation. There were giraffes (Giraffes!) outside the window of his hotel room, but after a few days he became bored with it--"(sigh) Giraffes again. Why couldn't it be a lion? or maybe a lion eating a giraffe?" Giraffes again has become my new expression for becoming inured to even positive experiences. We have been in Dallas for two and a half weeks now. There have been blue skies and temperatures in the sixties most of that time. I have not had to clean anything but laundry, or cook anything but my own lunch. I have eaten in my favorite restaurants like Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Joe's Crab Shack. I have had ample time to rest, recover from knee replacement, and read. I am ready to go home, but I have not yet reached the giraffes again stage of being in Dallas.
     One of the perks of staying at a Residence Inn is the free breakfast. Of course there is the do-it-yourself waffle bar, toaster and cereal that most hotels provide now, but there are also scrambled eggs, meat, potatoes, oatmeal, muffins, fruit and yogurt. Yet, despite the abundant variety, I have reached the giraffes again stage of the hotel breakfast. To put this in perspective, my normal breakfast is fruit, toast and tea. I am hardly a gourmand. Yet somehow--giraffes again.
    As American Christians, it is easy for blessings to become blase (can't figure out how to put on the accent mark, but it's French.)  Sunny, sixties in January may be fairly normal for Texans, but it is an extraordinary experience for a Montana girl and I want it to stay extraordinary. I want to marvel at the giraffes God puts in my life again, and again.