Thankfulness

Today, I’m thankful…

• for the delicious (if somewhat monochromatic meal) I got to enjoy with my big sister Tuesday night.
  
  Anna provided the wine (James Arthur Vineyard’s San Realto–one of my all time favorites) and the roast beef. I provided the jello and made my Honey-Glazed Root Vegetables. Both of us still had water in our water bottles so we chose to just drink out of them instead of dirtying more dishes. Aren’t we just the most practical things?
• for a chance to sleep in yesterday and then veg about with my sister.
• that Anna has found a church that is encouraging her in her walk.
• that I got to meet all of Anna’s Bible study gals at Bible study last night (and that they took it okay when I started bawling in the middle of study–so sorry, Anna, so sorry. I didn’t intend to.)
• that I had another chance to sleep in today at my sister’s house.
• that I’m home again–but that my sister is coming down for the weekend so we can have hard-core family time this weekend (On the agenda? Wedding invitation addressing, quilt-making, birthday dinner having, birthday dinner going, and church attending.)

But most of all, I’m thankful that Jesus is all-sufficient. I’m thankful that when my heart screams in pain, He is my all in all. I’m thankful that when it only aches, He is my all in all. And I’m thankful that the joy of the Lord is my strength–and that He keeps the pain from paralyzing me.

I’m a bit late on this week’s Thankful Thursday–but I am thankful, and I’ve been thanking God all day for…

…nylons without runs
…an unexpected break
…folded laundry
…expository sermons from John Piper
…clean desktops
…fantastic employers
…dinner with my family
…a puzzle put together
…a break coming up

And above all that, I’m thankful that while I was dead in my sins, Christ made me alive. What a glory to be captured by His irresistible grace!

I’m thankful for peanut soup in lab.

I’m thankful for sweater-weather outdoors.

I’m thankful for a ride to my car.

I’m thankful I didn’t lose my purse.

I’m thankful that my teaching went well.

I’m thankful for Sabine’s compliments.

I’m thankful for my students.

I’m thankful that there’s sunshine.

I’m thankful for an interlibrary loan book in today (Why we love the church by DeYoung and Kluck).

I’m thankful for getting some grading done.

I’m thankful for a fundraiser being canceled (sorry for those of you who were really looking forward to it.)

I’m thankful that God is.

I’m thankful that He invites me into relationship with Him.

I’m thankful for rest for my soul (even in turmoil.)

It’s been climbing this week, struggling to the peak. But now I’ve passed the bulk of the climb and it should be downhill from here.

Today I’m thankful for…
…the opportunity to assist in the training of new PA students once a year
…a short lab after long hours of clinical exams
…dinner courtesy of my roommate
…ten hours of sleep last night
…a restful awakening at 6 this morning
…grading completed and entered on time
…a relatively smooth-running lab this morning
…productive time before lunch
…a lovely lunch with my father (our Thursday ritual)
…an even more productive time after lunch
…a painless meeting
…my advisor not getting freaked about the idea of me changing my thesis
…another student at office hours (even if he was just there to make up a test) and some more productive time
…good (I think) conversation with our department chair
…productive thinking time on the way to the class I TA for
…productive time writing questions at the class I TA for
…finally finishing that (dern) Love Month post!
…a chance to sleep again soon.

Today I’m thankful…

…for a productive day of grading/resource writing

…for Anna’s guest post that arrived just when I was thinking I wouldn’t have time or energy to post again today.

…for leftovers I’d almost forgotten I had (but which hit the spot after a long day of work)

…for a package inside my screen door from my bloggy-friend Becky

…for a (slightly) early arrival to the class I TA for (I generally roll in just barely under the clock from my office hour–this time I had 5 minutes to spare)

…for a good conversation with my dad at lunch (lots to think about, lots of perspective, lots to process–but good)

…for another (relatively) successful lab this morning

…for a wake-up call. I almost overslept this morning, but God woke me up with a jolt before it was too late (I even had time to put on makeup!)

…for a good night of sleep. (I haven’t been sleeping that well lately, but last night was heavenly.)

…for the grace and mercy of God, poured out on one such as I–faithless except that He grants me faith, hard-hearted except that He changes my heart, utterly self-centered except that He reveals Himself. I am overwhelmed by His goodness and captivated by His love.

Pain is good because it reminds me that I’m still alive.

I’m thankful for dirty glasses. It’s only on the outside, not the inside. My eyesight isn’t gone (yet).

I’m thankful for crying eyes. Cutting onions, repelling foreign objects, thinking of something sad. All of these evoke my tears. Check, check, check. Everything’s working properly.

I’m thankful for frozen toes from walking through puddles of ice water. Some of my diabetic patients last year couldn’t have felt the cold in their feet. Now they can’t walk either.

I’m thankful for the aching heart. It tells me that my heart is still soft. Many harden their hearts, stubbornly hiding from pain. Mine says that it is still tender.

But I have this treasure in an earthen vessel, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of me. I am hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; I am perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in my body. (II Corinthians 4:7-10)

My last few weeks have been hard.

I’ve been busy on Wednesdays, blue on Thursdays, and pretty much beat on Fridays.

But today I turned a corner and am beating the Thursday blues.

TODAY, I’m thankful…
…for the mercies of God that are new every morning
…for a wildly productive morning (morning routine, Bible study, zone cleaning, trash out, recycling sorted, car cleaned, and bills paid–all before 7:30 am)
…for salmon pink contrails on my way into work
…for a remarkably smooth lab session (kudos to my first lab group, who did a FANTASTIC job on their presentation)
…for getting my tax return filed (and not having to pay any taxes this year)
…for a lovely lunch with my dad
…for time to ride my the rec center’s bicycle this afternoon
…for a post-poned meeting that meant I had an extra hour to do statistics homework
…for a work assignment that’s just up my alley (creating some study activities for the Nutrition and Metabolism students to use to practice and apply the carbohydrate knowledge they’ll soon be gaining)
…for an ACTUAL STUDENT who showed up at my office hours today
…for getting to the exam I was proctoring on time (even if just barely)
…for a stimulating conversation with Sabine (I am SO thrilled to be working for her!)
…for my sweat pants back (even if I had to dig through Grace’s laundry basket to find them–I’m gonna be warm tonight.)
…for the vegetarian chili that’s still leftover–and still tasting great (I’ve eaten at least one bowl a day for the last five days, and it tastes better with each passing day. How many recipes can YOU say that about?)
…for my little space heater and time to “catch up” on the internet
…for the terrific little web-site ap thingie I just found. With it, you can find songs and let people listen to them on your website. It’s sort of like YouTube except that it has 2nd Chapter of Acts songs.

(which makes me wonder…might it have my other favorite Christian bands from the 70’s? hmmm….)

Ultimately, I’m thankful that God is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.