Thankfulness

Now that I’ve written a manifesto (of sorts) on the differences between wants and needs, I must tell you that I have been blessed not only with all that I need–but with many of those unnecessary but desired material things.

Just now, in fact, I drove up to my house (after a long day of going-to-Grand-Island-and-working/driving-into-Lincoln-for-a-dentist-appointment/”borrowing”-my-parents-wireless-internet-for-some-extra-work/driving-back-to-Columbus) to find the following stacked next to my garage door.

This week, I’m thankful for…

…a new computer
I don’t really need a computer at all, much less a new one. But here in boxes on my doorstep are a new case, motherboard, processor, and memory cards. With my less-than-a-year-old hard drive and CD/DVD burner, I’ll have a new computer for a not so shabby price.

…a new printer
Especially now that I’m no longer a student, a printer is definitely not on my needs list. Yet I found a great deal on a new laser printer and had money in my bank account to cover it.

…a new camera
Whether I like to believe it or not, a camera truly is a luxury. Yes, I’d told myself that I wasn’t going to buy another camera until I could buy a DSLR. I determined to just keep on fixing my oft-used-and-abused Kodak EasyShare. I spoke of time running out, of the EasyShare going to bite the dust any day. But the truth is, the EasyShare still hasn’t bit the dust–and even if it had, I could have done without. I don’t need a camera. Nevertheless, the box that came for me today contained the much-longed-for, long-saved-for DSLR.

That’s what came in my boxes.

But I’ve been blessed materially beyond the boxes.

I’m also thankful for…

…Kane my Citizen II (bicycle)
I could just walk or drive my car everywhere I go. But I am blessed with an awesome bicycle complete with fenders and panniers (so I can carry all my junk along with me and not get dirty!)

…my lovely sewing machine
I could sew by hand or not sew at all. But my sewing machine enables me to rapidly put together a baby quilt for my soon-to-arrive little nephew or niece and to get to know some wonderful young ladies who I’m teaching to sew.

…plenty of material
It’s been two weeks since I got all that uber-cheap fabric, so it’s now out of its bags, washed, and ready to be used. I’ve got yards and yards of material, obtained at a very low price.

Not only have I been blessed with everything I need, and with all the spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus–I’ve also been blessed with an abundance of my material desires.

My computer starts singing to me at 9:15 every evening. Classical music, telling me that it’s starting to get tired and really needs a long nap.

9:30, when the music turns off, is my cue to turn off the lights and leave my computer to its peace.

Now, as the time runs down and my computer will soon be singing, I’d best enumerate my thanks.

This week, I’m thankful for…

…last Thursday’s sleep with my feet up–and the graciousness of girls and their mothers to leave me to it.

…last Friday’s game night at the coffee shop–and the great guys and gals I met/spent time with there

…last Saturday’s baking and a movie with Ruth–and finding out that the oven at the house of dreams wasn’t broken after all (but not until after we’d gone over to Ruth’s to make cheesecake)

…Sunday’s–what did I do on Sunday night? Did I do anything on Sunday night? Ah, turning off the computer exactly when the computer told me to do so. It feels great to be on schedule!

…Monday’s Pizza Ranch and used store fabric shopping

…Tuesday’s steaks and mushroom fries with my sister–topped off with a delish piece of leftover cheesecake (chocolate cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries–scrumdiddlyumptious!)

…Wednesday’s night in bed with a book–when my plans were called off and my sister called to say she was out of town, I figured “Why not?!” So I fell asleep to a novel. Nice!

And, of course, for a nice warm bed to fall into at the end of every night. And for the hope and expectation with which I rise every morning. And for the joyful, non-drugerous (I know, not a word) work that I do every day. And for the beautiful, beyond-my-dreams house I come home to after work. And…

Basically, Cinderella’s got nothing on me.

Because I don’t have a fairy godmother who’s given me a great evening out–I’ve got a REAL God who’s given me a whole great LIFE.

I’m so thankful for the remarkably full life He’s given me.

Now, to bed :-)

I wasn’t thinking when I stepped out her back door into the place the deck used to be. I wasn’t thinking about how the deck was no longer there.

So my step led me right into the gap between the makeshift steps and the house.

When I fell, I pushed the door open, letting the rest see what had happened.

This week, I’m thankful for…

…friends who come running

…a sister who lifts the stairs away, freeing my trapped leg

…a short drive home (since my right foot was having a hard time with accelerating and braking)

…a bathtub to soak in

…pillows to elevate my legs as I slept

…blissful sleep even as tears of pain slipped down my cheeks

…cruise control to lessen the stress of my drive into Grand Island

…open chairs at almost every nurse’s station, meaning I was off my feet for most of the day

…my favorite resident (I know, I probably shouldn’t have favorites, but I do) hoping I’ll feel better soon

…understanding mothers who don’t blink an eye when I cancel sewing with their daughters at the last minute

…friends again, who text to see how I’m doing

…the God who shows mercy amidst my every fall

What are YOU thankful for today?

“Whatcha doin’?” they’d ask.

“Nothin’ in particular” I’d often tell them. “Just a bit of this and that.”

Sometimes life’s like that.

Nothing in particular–

but quite a bit of bits and pieces nonetheless.

This week, I’m thankful for…

…doing nothing
I’ve had several jam-packed weekends in a row–and they’ve plum worn me out! It was lovely to have a Friday night of doing nothing (even if I did end up at work until 9–I didn’t have anything to do once I got home!)

…bloggie buddies
While I’ve been busy, blogging (and blog reading) has been somewhat neglected. But despite all that, I have good bloggie buddies who continue to stick around.

…catching up
It takes forever to catch up on blog reading–but I do love to hear what’s been going on in everyone’s life and mind. In addition to catching up on reading blogs, I’ve gotten busy writing up some overdue book reviews (which means this month might be a little book-heavy. Eh. C’est la vie.)

…living history
I’ve been reading about World War II and started talking about it with my brother (whose degree is in history and whose special focus is WWII) in the presence of my grandfather. Josh and I fought a bit about what really is the beginning of the war and this and that–but then Grandpa interjected. Because he lived through the war. He told about what his schoolteacher said about all the war business as it was going. (She said the boys who were in school wouldn’t have to go to war because there had to be a 2/3 majority in Senate for the U.S. to go to war, BTW. According to my dad, that rule has changed via a Constitutional amendment.)

…lemon drops
I tried to read in the car since I had books to return that I hadn’t finished yet. For whatever reason, my stomach rebelled. For whatever reason, lemon drops eased my suffering. I am thankful.

…my residents
I love my residents. Really. Even the ones who drive me nuts. And I’m glad whenever I can bring sunshine to their days–or, if not, whenever I can brush even one cloud away.

…singers in a fort
The Bible study gals “hid” in the fort out back, giggling and singing. It was the perfect relief after a too-long day of work.

…common grace
I was struck today with the many marvelous ways unbelievers have been agents of God’s grace to me. Someday I’ll write a post on it. For now, I’ll just marvel at the works of art, the discoveries of science, the structural and political advances–so many wonderful things done by unbelievers, not knowing by Whose grace they were acting.

Thank God that the rain falls on the just and the unjust.

What are YOU thankful for today?

A good part of my days are taken up with little rituals. Some are intentional, some are just grooves that I’ve slipped into. But, in general, these little rituals help to keep a life that sometimes seems crazy sane.

This week, I’m thankful for…

…sunlight waking me up in the morning
I love having an east facing bedroom–and I love when the sun starts coming up early enough to wake me up. But even if the sun isn’t up early enough, I manufacture fake sunlight via a daylight bulb in a lamp on a timer.

…reading my Bible by the light of the sun
I set my Bible on my nightstand before I go to sleep at night–and the first thing I do when I wake up is grab it. Sometimes I drowse and end up reading the same passage over and over as I struggle to actually wake up. But even when I do, it’s wonderful to wake up with the Word.

…a bed made the moment I step out of it
Its a Fly-lady ritual I’m so glad I started (and haven’t been able to get out of the habit of). There’s something wonderfully ordered about starting a day with a made bed.

…a mug of hot tea and early morning blog reading
Once I’m dressed and ready for work, I pour myself a cuppa and head upstairs to check in with the blog-o-sphere. Mmm…tea with honey and some good reading. Can’t be beat.

…greeting the two assisted living residents who sit by the door every morning
They’re a true constant in my life–at least, whenever I’m in Columbus. Saying “Hi” and “Good Morning” with a smile. And having been greeting by them, it is a good morning.

…lighting candles and letting the bath water run while I set out the next day’s clothing
Another Flylady ritual that’s stuck–picking out my clothes the night before. No desperate glances in the closet on the morning of. No getting half dressed only to discover that the slip I positively MUST wear with that skirt is dirty. It takes the stress out of mornings–and gives me something to do while my bath water runs (through it’s impossibly small spout.)

…soaking in the tub and reading by candlelight
It started out as a concession to allergies. I wash my hair every night before I go to bed so I’m not sleeping with allergens on me. Now I can’t imagine the world without my before bed baths.

…blowing out the candles before sinking into a peaceful night’s sleep
As recently as a week ago, I had trouble sleeping. I was always exhausted, but I’d lay in bed unable to sleep. I finally decided to get serious about some of the sleep hygiene practices I’d always known about, but they weren’t doing me that much good. Then I started to think about the startlingly bright bathroom light that’s on while I take my evening bath. Maybe that was affecting my sleep. So I started lighting candles instead. Five votives in a flat bottomed bowl, set on my toilet while I bathe and moved with me to the stool beside my bed. From the time I start my bath water running, I perform every activity by candlelight. And once I blow out the candles, I fall asleep immediately. It’s wonderful. A miracle, really.

The rituals of life. The little things that give our days stability. The framework that allows the exciting events not to overwhelm and the busy not to crush. I am so very thankful for the rituals of life.

What rituals are you thankful for?

Being a part of the church can be one of the most difficult experiences ever…
and one of the most rewarding.

The church is a place of accountability and of encouragement, of ministry and of receiving ministry.

It is a wonderful thing to live life within the church.

This week, I’m thankful…

…for the church that gives faithful wounds (Proverbs 27:6)

…for the church who binds my wounds (Psalm 147:2-3)

…for the church that meets corporately and worships the one God with me (Psalm 34:3)

…for the church that is obedient and practices church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17)

…for the church that mutually encourages one another as we hang out together (Romans 1:12)

…for the church that approaches me after church (the service) to discuss me teaching their daughters to sew

…for the church that comes to my house, where I am delighted to teach them to sew

…for the church that I belong to here in Columbus

…and for the church I belong to made up of Lincolnites, Oregonians, Missourians, Virginians…Chinese, Albanians, and Nigerians…the church universal with which I am connected

Thank you, Lord, for this seventh-day creation: Your church. And thank You for incorporating me into this creation. I am so blessed, so honored, so overwhelmed to be a part of something so big, so momentous that it could only be a work of God.

Thank you for the church.

Sometimes life seems very confused.

Weeping lasts for a very long night…

but then there’s work the next morning.

This hasn’t been the easiest of weeks for me–I had an enormously long day on Tuesday (I didn’t get back from Grand Island until midnight) and have pretty much been running on emotional empty since then.

That’s why this week, I’m thankful for the momentary mercies…

…for laughing at the ducks (actual ducks, not these sort) winging above our house

…for a friend who encouraged me to take the night off

…for grimacing smiles from a friend who feels my pain during a particularly unbearable session

…for the brief reprieve of sleep after hours of exhausted sobbing

…for a little stand up comedy routine during our morning meeting (my coworkers rarely fail to crack me up)

…for meetings that were short, saving my voice and my heart for other work

…for the little lady in the Alzheimer’s unit who told me I was a good friend after I stopped to chat with her a while before going back to my office

…for the story of classical music playing in my car

…for recipes for corn bread and enough time to run out and get them

…for goats in the truck in front of me on my way home from work

…for the man on his bicycle outside my house when I got home

…for my bike waiting in the garage, reminding me that last night’s bad dreams were simply bad dreams, not reality

And most of all, I’m thankful for the continuous mercy shown to me through YOUR prayers and encouraging comments.

Even as I dredge the “depths of despair” (as Anne of Green Gables would say), you continually remind me not to turn my back on God, not to listen to the lies the enemy would tell me about who I am and where I’m at.

Thank you, thank you so much.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.

Often we are thankful for things that do happen–and complain over things that don’t. I know I do.

But sometimes, it’s worthwhile to stop and think about all the things that haven’t happened–and be thankful for those.

This week, I’m thankful…

…that when my eyes suddenly itched and filled with tears and I could no longer see, I did not wreck my car. (I was able to turn to a side street where I parked for five minutes until I could see again to return home.)

My eyes once they’d calmed down–and I had gotten safely home.

…that I did not have a resident inexplicably lose 35 lbs in 6 weeks.

…that I did not slip on the ice on my way into work

…that I have not received the wrath I was due.

I’m also thankful for some things that DID/WILL happen…

…that I had a song of worship in my heart as I started work

…that I somehow had a restful day of labor

…that I received a letter from my brother in the mailbox

…that I have a concert to look forward to this evening

…that I have obtained an inheritance in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:11)