We survived the holiday and the Black Friday sales!

I feel like there are so many more people/things to add to my thankful-for list, but I can't go listing everyone without forgetting someone. But at the moment, my heart feels like it wants to mention Mandy, my best internet friend, who listens patiently with love and gives amazing advice and never gets tired of being my counselor. And at the risk of sounding like a real sap, I'm going to admit that I'm thankful for Joshua. It's only been a month, but he has been a real blessing to me in a lot of ways, including a strengthened faith in the God who changes lives and a real desire to be more disciplined about the time I spend with the Lord.

I guess my week of public thankfulness is over, but I'm going to try to remember all the reasons I have to be thankful.

Labels: holidays, thankfulness

Giving Thanks, Day 3

Happy Thanksgiving Day! If you're reading this at all, you're probably my friend, so you should know I'm thankful for you in my life.

I'm sitting on the couch with too much food in my belly but just the right people around me. I'm even more content than yesterday, because Josh is here now and that just makes perfect even better. Is that possible? The kids are still loud and Daniel is still farting. But it's all a-ok.

+ The Walk
The Walk is my group of friends from church. We're like family and they have picked me up a million times when I've fallen. They are my community here and my closest friends. Through these people I've learned to feel and love and trust and know what it feels like to have friends you can really, truly count on.

+ Erin, Jen, and the Rest of My Work Friends
I've been so enormously blessed in the friends department. I remember when I was younger and had trouble making friends. I remember seeing groups of friends together doing stuff and wishing I had that. In the last few years, God has filled my friends cup to overflowing! When you see the same people eight hours a day, five days a week and you still like each other at the end of the day, you know they're special. Erin and Jen are a couple of my best listeners, and there are so many others who are always keeping me happy and positive and well-hugged. Sometimes, going to work is like a party every day.

Labels: friends, holidays, thankfulness

Giving Thanks, Day 2

I'm safely at my brother's and happily surrounded by my family. We've been lying around for hours now, accomplishing nothing but much rest, much eating, much laughter. I've whined a bit about feeling not so perfect today, but on the bright side, at least I have my mother here to pet my head. Dad's working on his Bible study at the kitchen table, which means we all have to listen to him read out loud one passage or another as he finds it interesting. Allison's playing really loud music, Daniel's farting everywhere, and the dogs are driving each other crazy. But everyone's happy.

So here's day 2. I'm going to go with...

+ Lisa and Jill
They're my two best friends--each of them so much like me and yet very little like each other. Jill helps me to be rational and make smart decisions, and Lisa listens to and knows my heart. I don't know what I'd do without either of them.

+ My job
I'm so blessed to have a job that I love in a great place with amazing friends. It's secure, it's rewarding, I enjoy it, and the people I work with are some of my closest friends.

Time to take the kids to Blockbuster. Back tomorrow.

Labels: friends, holidays, thankfulness, work

Giving Thanks, Day 1

I'm done with work for the week, so the holiday has officially begun. And I'm thankful for that! So since it's Thanksgiving week, I'm going to do my best to really be truly thankful for all the blessings in my life. I'm going to come up with two things I'm thankful for each day for the rest of the week, and I'm starting today.

+ Jesus, of course.
Where would I be without my Lord? He has brought me through so much already in my life. I'd go through all my painful things again just to experience waking up on that day when he healed my heart. He always comes through, and he'll do it again. And again. And again.

+ My mother
I lived a lot of years before I realized what a blessing my mom is. I think I just assumed that all mothers were the same and they were all like mine. But then, a few years ago, people (yep, that's plural) started telling me how lucky I was to have a mother like mine, and I started to realize that everyone doesn't have the same blessings and all moms aren't as special as mine. Not all mothers care. They don't all listen and advise and trust and believe in and encourage and pray for their kids. They don't all make their children feel happy and loved even on their loneliest days. They're certainly not all funny, even though they might try to be. But mine does all these things and a lot more, so I could never be thankful for anything more than I am for my mom.

I want to keep going, but I want to spread out my thankfulness this week so I don't go forgetting about all my blessings. I'll be back.

Labels: family, holidays, jesus, thankfulness

I just finished watching an exceptionally disturbing episode of SVU. After watching a bunch of little kids die in a cult setting, the end was only slightly redeeming. Then on the screen flashed an "in memory of" dedication that made the whole thing feel far too real.

I've been having a somewhat emotional day anyway, so this was probably the last thing I needed to see. It's one of my favorite shows, but it really brings to life the depravity of the world and that can be really depressing. Why are we always finding new ways to hurt each other?

In contrast to what I just saw, I watched as a handful of children met Jesus this morning in our church service. Just like I cried for the children on TV just now, I cried for the children this morning. But thankfully the dead ones aren't real and the real ones will live forever. It's Thanksgiving week, and I'm so thankful for the joy the Lord gives us even as we are surrounded by the darkness of this world.

Labels: jesus

I don't feel like I have anything useful, funny, interesting, or edifying to say today, but it's been a long time since an update and I guess I'm feeling obligated.

The idea of feeling obligated to write makes me LQTM, since Erin was just writing about such blogging mysteries recently. I guess I don't exactly know my true blogging purpose. I think when I started (which was January of 2003, and for the record, long before the blogging generation began), I originally intended it to just be for me. But she's right--since I know I have readers, I will hesitate to write unless I feel I have something good to say. Maybe I should trust you all more than that.

Anyway, it's finally starting to feel like the right season outside. I love fall, but there's something satisfying about watching it pass into winter. There's something about chilly air and coats and hats and seeing my breath that makes me feel warm. Ironic, I guess. It's probably a result of knowing the holidays are approaching, bringing parties and food and friends and family and other happy things (like pumpkin roll) with them.

So the holidays are almost here, it's sweater-wearing time, I'm hanging with my Lisa tomorrow, and there's this guy... so I'm smiling lately. Plus, I just got my teeth cleaned today, so I may as well show them off.

Labels: friends, holidays, josh