Thankful Thursday

You know how you feel almost compelled to complain when something’s going poorly, but don’t even notice when the object of your complaint is removed?

That happened to me this week.

I’d been telling a friend about these awful dreams I’ve been having, how I’ve been waking up around 2 or so every morning and then falling back into a fitful sleep with terrible dreams. Last night, she asked me how my last few nights have been–and I realized with astonishment that they’d been…good.

No dreams. No nighttime waking and tossing and turning. Just sleep.

I’m so thankful for the reminder to be thankful for the blessings.

This week I’m thankful…

…for sweet sleep
It’s something I so often take for granted, even with the memory of poor sleep still burning in my head–but I am so thankful for the last several nights of good sleep.

…for time to read
It shames me to think how much time in the past year I’ve spent complaining about how I never have time for my own pleasures anymore. I complained that I was either working, keeping our house, or socializing (Ugh!) and rarely had any time to do any of the things I used to love to do: reading, blogging, crafting… But that hasn’t been so lately. I’ve had good opportunities to read lately, and it has been wonderful.

…for friends
It’s different, friendships here in Wichita versus the friendships I’ve had for the rest of my life. It’s generally more work now than it was. There are more variables now that I’m married, now when we’re juggling “old” and “new” connections. But I am so glad for the friendships I have here in Wichita. I’m thankful for Megan, asking me how I was sleeping. I’m thankful for Amie and Angie and a night of testimony and theology and books. I’m thankful for Rachel, reminding me that we should get together and play Seven Wonders (now that she and Kendall know how to play). I’m thankful for Dave and Casey and for the happy “accident” of sitting behind them in church.

…for a church that’s becoming home
It was very difficult for me, moving to Wichita and trying to assimilate into Daniel’s church. Even now, it’s difficult to articulate the reasons I didn’t quite fit–it’s a wonderful church with wonderful people, it just wasn’t my church. It was very difficult for us, beginning a church search. It made me despair that I’d become to consumer-minded, that I was expecting too much from a church. But now we’ve settled at a church, we’re starting to build relationships here–it’s becoming home. I am so thankful that God has brought us to this place.

Even as I look over this list of past complaints that God has graciously resolved, I wonder at my own theology. Am I wrong to thank God when He removes those pesky, bothersome complaints? Should I not be thanking Him for the pesky bothersome things? Should I not be thanking Him that in His sovereignty He has made life hard for me?

Yes. I should be thanking Him for making life hard.

And I should be thanking Him for making life easy.

For now, I will say with the psalmist:

“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”
~Psalm 16:5-6 (ESV)

Thank you, Lord, that you have drawn the lines in pleasant places for me. And thank you, Lord, that even when the lines appear unpleasant, I have YOU, my chosen portion, my cup, my beautiful inheritance. How can the lines not fall in pleasant places, when YOU are my lot?

While new years often mean new starts, it’s lovely that one doesn’t have to start over completely. Instead, one can build on old habits, old routines, past success. I am so glad for those routines that are already there, those routines that sometimes get skipped for a day or two, but that are there to fall back on.

This week I’m thankful…

…for daily laundry
I do laundry every day (actually, 4-5 days per week), which somehow means that I never get exhausted by laundry. How is this? Every morning I put a load of laundry in after our showers. I switch it to the dryer at lunch (and, for most of the laundry, hang it after it tumbles 20 minutes). That evening (if it tumbles dry) or the next day (if it hangs), I’ll fold and put away the load and be done. This means that while I do laundry every day, I never spend more than 15 minutes on any given part of it–and if I miss a step somewhere (or even a whole day or two or three) it’s easy to get back on track.

…for shower squeegees
I’m not fantastic about cleaning the bathroom, but we do have a routine of squeegeeing the shower surround after our morning shower. This means that we don’t have the water spots and soap scum build up that often accompanies an unattended shower. That way, when I DO get around to cleaning the shower, it doesn’t take much to get it sparkling.

…for morning coffee
Daniel makes coffee every morning. We turn the pot on right before our shower and Daniel pours mine into a mug (for drinking right away) and his into a thermos (for keeping him awake in the midmorning at work) right after we’re done. That way, I can sit right down for breakfast with hot coffee and a book (or catching up on blog reading with Feedly.)

…for Daniel’s developing routine
Not long after we got married, Daniel asked what he can do around the house to help me out. I racked my brain for answers and finally arrived at washing dishes (it’s not that there aren’t other things that need to be done, but I didn’t want to turn them over to Daniel lest he disrupt my systems. Sigh. I can be such a control freak sometimes.) During school, when homework and classes were taking a lot of his free time, I often ended up beating him to them. But for the last few weeks he’s been chastising me if I do the dishes. That’s his job, he’ll say. And (almost) every night, he runs the sinks full and does a load of dishes – leaving me time to 1) do those other household tasks that I’m not willing to give him and 2) be lazy (like last night, when I read ten glorious chapters of The Blue Castle while he buttoned up the house for the evening.)

…for my lifeline
Every morning, I roll over, take my temperature and my levothyroxine, and grab my lifeline. I pull up the the OliveTree app on my phone and read the day’s reading. The words of Scripture wash over me. Sometimes I discover something profound, sometimes I gasp in the sweetness of a particular passage. More often, I just read, chew on, digest the word of God – knowing that whether I feel it or not, it is nourishment to my soul.

Routines are glorious things, and I’m so glad for the blessing of routines that ease my days, lighten my loads, and nourish my soul. May my regular response to the daily routines be thankfulness to the God who gives me each new day, each new opportunity to do the same old things.

From today’s lifeline:

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”
~Psalm 9:1-2 (ESV)

Come every new year, I can’t help but think of Anne’s comment that “Tomorrow is a new day – with no mistakes in it.”

Undoubtedly, I have already made myriads of mistakes in this New Year. But there is a sense in which a New Year offers a new start-an opportunity to figuratively reset the balance, to not be behind anymore, to start new things.

This week I’m thankful…

…for A “Gold Membership” at the library
Wichita’s public library charges $0.25 for holds – unless you’re a gold card carrier. In that case, you can hold for free. I took advantage of my new gold card status to nab a copy of L.M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle – and my husband was so kind as to pick it up for me before the library closed on New Year’s Eve. So I’m all set to join in with the Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge and Reading to Know Classic Book Club this year. Yipee!

…for A partner in reading
Sometime last month, Daniel asked me if I would finish the Hunger Games trilogy and if I would please also read Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game so he could show me the movies. I dutifully read Ender’s Game (which was far from a trial), and will get to the rest of the Hunger Games sometime here :-) Daniel also asked me if there were any books I particularly wanted him to read. I didn’t have any in particular – and told him so. But yesterday, as I dramatically announced that “my life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes” (not to worry – this was silliness, not depression, talking), I realized that there was one series I’d at least like him to be familiar with. I said maybe he should watch the movies with me. Daniel asked why he shouldn’t just read the books? He pooh-poohed my suggestion that he might find them too girly and got started right off. “Is this whole series this funny?” he asked me after the first chapter. It’s nice to have a partner in reading.

…for a week with our families
I managed to get the entire week of Christmas off work so Daniel and I headed up to Lincoln for a relaxing Christmas with our families. It was wonderful to veg with our families while working on last minute Christmas presents for the kids (Debbie–Mom and Dad have presents for the girls that they’re going to bring up when they come.) There weren’t as many people home for the holidays as at other times, but I think that ended up making the time we had more restful and allowed for better quality time with the people who were there.

…for coming home
As wonderful as it was to spend time with our families, it was wonderful to return home, to sleep in our own bed, to select clothing from my entire closet. This time was especially nice because I got New Year’s Day off as well – so I could recover from being gone instead of having to jump back into work routines with both feet.

…for the first project of the New Year completed
Since New Year “resets” the balance, I’m calling redoing the silicone seams in our tub a “+1” instead of a long overdue project. We’d initially talked of doing it before we got married (In fact, Daniel may have said something like “I have to get that silicone redone before you can bathe in that tub.”) But, the project kept getting put off for one reason or another. We needed some backer rod to fill the large gap. We needed to remove the old mildewed silicone (a much larger task than we’d initially thought). We needed to leave it a while before we could use the shower again (which meant it needed to be sometime when we could take the task from start to finish without showering-it turned out being around 48 hours.) Daniel’s back went out of whack. But we finally got it done–and it looks great! (Also, the backer rod means there’s no gap to harbor moisture and it’s much more easily cleanable – which means we may be able to kick the mildew once and for all.)

…for plans for quilting get-togethers
It was a quick Facebook exchange. She said I needed to move back to Lincoln so we could quilt together again. I suggested a quilting weekend sometime. My sister suggested a day a couple weeks out. I vetoed that (since I already have been to Lincoln twice in the last two months) and suggested another weekend, a couple months out. My sister confirmed that’d work. My quilting-buddy-turned-sister-in-law confirmed that’d work. I added it to my calendar. It’s nice to already have plans for the next time with the girls.

Last year was a wonderful year, a hard year, a year of many changes. I don’t know what this next year will bring. It will likely have joys and sorrows and changes. But I do have certainty for this New Year. I know that God will be faithful, that He will reveal Himself still more, that He will conform me into His image. So I am excited and thankful for this newest year God has given us.

May He be glorified in this New Year.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.””
~Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV)

This week I’m thankful…

…for an unnecessary wake up call
Daniel prays with some other men early every Thursday morning. Two weeks ago, I feel asleep after he left and slept right through until I should have been at work. Last week, Daniel called me about 45 minutes before I had to leave for week–and I was glad to announce that I was up and just out of the bath!

…for help with Friday’s chili
I was behind on Friday, way behind. I had to get to work and the chili had to go in the crockpot. When time became desperate Daniel gave me orders. No touching the chili until I was all ready for work–including having finished breakfast. Which meant Daniel chopped the onion and browned the hamburger and added the seasonings to the crockpot. What a blessed woman I am, to have a husband who cares for me so.

…a dad who wants his daughter to explore the wide variety of careers available for women
I was surprised but pleased when a dad asked me a favor after I’d finished certifying his youngest daughter. He wants his eldest daughter to learn more about the types of fields she could go into someday. Could I describe my job and my education for her? I loved being able to describe my career path–but also to encourage her to read widely, to explore a variety of interests, and to shadow and volunteer wherever she has a chance.

…a niece and nephew to play with my toys
Six-year-old E and four-year-old P stayed the night with us this last Friday while their parents were at a youth leader’s retreat in town. P and I dressed Addy, E and Daniel played with my cap gun. We played UNO and Connect Four and Memory. P put together the 50 states puzzle I picked up a couple years back at a used store. E found volume 11 of Childcraft, the same volume I pored over years ago as a visitor at the across-the-street neighbor’s house. He had seen my cardboard collection downstairs and asked if I had crayons, tape, scissors, and typing paper so he could make the foot-shaped fan he saw displayed on the pages. I was glad to assist him in completing one of those projects I dreamed of doing so often as a child myself.

…a friend
We met at a Sunday evening small group when I first moved here but didn’t really talk that much. When the small group ended in May, we parted ways. Then, about a month ago, Alexa texted me to ask if I wanted to hang out sometime. We took a walk and talked–and scheduled a date for tea the next week. This week, we made (and carried out) plans for Alexa and her husband (formerly Daniel’s roommate) to come over for dinner with Daniel and I. After a long stretch of feeling pretty lonely in this new town, it’s so wonderful to have a friend.

…a husband who serves me
Some might roll their eyes at how often Daniel appears on my “thankfulness” lists. They might presume that this is merely the rose-colored glasses of a newlywed. But when I read in Luke 22 how Jesus says that the greatest among you is the one who serves, and when I see that He reminds the disciples that He (Christ) is among them as one who serves, I thank God for giving me a husband who models Christ-like service. Just this week, Daniel has cleaned for me, has done dishes, has gone grocery shopping, has taken the trash to the curb, has picked me up food, has given me wake-up calls, has prayed for me, has comforted me, has let me sleep, has valued my input. I could never deserve such a great husband–He is a daily EOG (Evidence of [God’s] Grace).

I am so thankful to God, from whose hand all these things come, that He has called me according to His purposes and promised that all things (whether the nice things I listed above or the difficult things I have not listed) work together for my good–so that He might conform me to the image of His Son.

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.”
~Romans 11:36 (ESV)

The Fourth of July was funny this year, since it fell on a Thursday and I couldn’t get Friday off of work (I can’t take vacation until I’ve been with the County for 6 months–and my 6 month date was July 7).

It meant that last week I worked three days, had a day off, worked one day, and had the weekend.

Since it WAS the weekend after the fourth, my brother and sister-in-law and nieces were down in Lincoln and we girls had planned a shower for our sister-out-law-soon-to-be-sister-in-law (and vice versa).

Which meant I needed to fly (by car) up to Lincoln Friday after work, and come back in time for work on Monday.

My husband my busyness as an opportunity to visit his friend Dave in Colorado. Daniel left Wednesday evening and came back on Monday.

This week I’m thankful…

…for crafting with Ruth
Ruth is back in town from South Africa–and her travel with work is finally slowing down. We took the opportunity to get together Thursday afternoon for some sweet fellowship, some crafting (she finished a quilt top, I worked on a gift for my niece), and some food (another iteration of the Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry–this time with ground turkey. It was delicious.) God has been so gracious to give me a good friend here in Wichita–and to finally be giving her some relief from her travels.

…for fireworks with friends
A friend from our old Sunday School invited Daniel and I to do fireworks out at her house. Daniel, being gone, couldn’t go–but I brought Ruth along with me and we had a great time watching fireworks, catching up on Susanna’s life, and eating Susanna’s wonderful Toll House bars.

…for waiting Little Misses
When I arrived at my parents’ house at ten Friday evening, I found my sister and Little Miss in the driveway waiting. I got a hug from the Little Miss and went inside, where I was immediately handed Little Sis for our first face-to-face meeting. How delightful it was to see my little nieces and their parents.

…for breakfast with Daniel’s family
Saturday morning, I dropped by Daniel’s parents’ place for breakfast and good conversation with Rick and Paula and Daniel’s sisters. Before I left, Daniel’s niece (up in town for a shower for an aunt on the other side of the family) woke up and I got to snap a few photos and tuck her into her car seat.

…for a fun-filled shower with extended family
It was fun, planning and having a shower for my current-sister-out-law, soon-to-be-sister-in-law (when she marries my brother in November). Even more fun was planning the shower with Joanna’s sister, my sister-in-law who is soon to be Joanna’s sister-out-law as well. (How’s that for fun?) I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome the second of the Brunk girls into our family. (Even if I couldn’t resist poking a little fun. We played a mad libs game from Pride and Prejudice, where Elizabeth tells her dad that she and Mr. Darcy are engaged. For the ending, we had Joanna’s father announce that Timothy was alright–and that he thinks he perhaps likes HER husband as much as he likes Debbie’s. Te-he!)

…for hugs from old friends
I attended church with my family in the morning, at the church where I grew up. The last time I’d been there was when Daniel and I got married. While the congregation has had a lot of new people since I last attended, there were still a few faces I knew–and many of them came by to give hugs and catch up.

…for the early return of my husband
By the time Monday rolled around, I was really missing Daniel. Since I’d moved to Wichita in January, there hadn’t been a day I hadn’t seen him until he left to visit Dave. Five days seemed a very long time. I expected Daniel back when I returned from work Monday evening, but was immensely pleased when I heard his key in the lock halfway through my lunch break on Monday. It was is so nice to have him back.

God has been so good to me to bless me with such rich gifts: friends, family, and my beloved. And, of course, there’s the friend who is with me whether in Wichita, in Lincoln, or wherever I go.

What a friend I have in Jesus.

Thank You, Lord, for giving me Him.

Today we celebrate America’s freedom, beginning with the writing of the Declaration of Independence, fought for through a bloody war, and maintained by the watchfulness of America’s citizenry.

But I also celebrate (may I do so every day) my freedom, beginning when God purposed my salvation before the foundation of the world, bought through the bloodied Son of God upon the cross, and maintained by the same Son, who holds me eternally in His grasp.

Whatever my status is on this earth, I shall ever be free.

For he whom the Son sets free is free indeed. (John 8:36)

This week I’m thankful for freedom…

…to sit with friends and enjoy a book discussion while a wild storm rages outside

…to go to my old Sunday School’s after-church potluck (even though Daniel and I have joined a new Sunday School)

…to listen to worship music on Pandora over my lunch break and to sing along

…to post a snippet of a post a day late and call it good

Some weeks I have an abundance of commentary on each item of thankfulness. This week, I have just a list. Little things and big things I’m thankful to God for this week.

This week I’m thankful for…

…a client I really enjoyed talking to

…the UPS man’s “Have a Good Afternoon” as he dropped my package at the door

…a compliment from a coworker

…bookish conversation at Happy Food

…a tear-free trip driving Daniel’s stick

…an electric sander and companionable silence

…a quarter steer gone to slaughter

…the word choose

…GIMP and the multiply mode bucket fill

…a wake up call from my husband

…a lump of sugar in my coffee

…a multi-tool that allows me to ride to the rescue

…women who are starting to feel like friends

…crazy dance stations on some sort of app that my husband has

…a box fan in our bedroom for those uber-hot nights

…the ripening tomato on the vine out back (I might finally be a gardener!)

…blown kisses from a 3 year old (I have the best life!)

Some weeks are ho-hum ordinary weeks where I’m mostly puttering around the house and on our regular activities. And some weeks end up being action-packed with Events. This last week was one such week–but surprisingly ended up being fun and not terribly stressful despite it all.

This week I’m thankful…

…for lunch with my mentor on Thursday
I always enjoy meeting with Bev, but this last week was a special treat. We met at a Chinese place near my work, but got carryout and walked across the street to a picnic table at the park. It was wonderful to sit out in the shade and visit.

…for a game night Thursday evening
A friend from church hosted a game night. Daniel and I went–as did about a dozen other folks, about half of whom I knew. It was neat to meet some more people and to have a night of laughter.

…for late night sewing on Friday
Since Daniel and I were making our nieces’ birthday gifts for their Saturday birthday party and since we didn’t start on said gifts until a week before said party, we ended up sitting on our couch watching Parks and Rec and desperately stuffing, sewing, and design making rather late into the night. But there’s no one I enjoy working alongside so much as my husband–and I was thrilled to work with him this week.

…for a family birthday party on Saturday
We thoroughly enjoyed Miss P and Miss H’s owl-themed birthday party. My sister-in-law Katie definitely knows how to throw a shindig! It was nice to see the family (all of my in-laws except one) and to catch up with Jeremy and Erin (P&H’s uncle and aunt on the other side), who introduced Daniel and I 10 months ago. After the party, most of us went out for barbecue and to look over some houses Daniel’s brother is considering in his house hunt. Altogether, it was a fun day.

…for a Sunday School barbecue on Sunday
Our Sunday School has been going through a time of transition and we’ve been going out the last few weeks. This week, we met at one couple’s house for a potluck. Or at least, it was supposed to just be a potluck–but one of our number brought fresh-cut Cargill steaks (and a meat thermometer!) to share, so we ended up just potlucking the sides and desserts. The boys played yard games (and then nearly broke a tree getting a ball out of it), we all ate, and then we played a rousing game of Balderdash (which I won!) Fun was had by all.

…for an unexpected basement stay on Sunday afternoon
We had just finished our game of Balderdash when the tornado sirens went off. Since the house we were at didn’t have a basement, Daniel and I rushed home, where we checked the news and decided it was worthwhile to take cover. So we snuck downstairs and cuddled in the spare room (as well as we could when I wanted to be under the covers and Daniel not) while watching the tornado’s path on Daniel’s computer. While it apparently didn’t touch down in town, the tornado did pass just a couple of miles east of us (!) Once the excitement had died down (although the warning was still officially in effect), I fell asleep. Our evening activities (another potluck) were cancelled due to the rain covering the streets in the hosting couple’s neighborhood, so I got a nice long nap in.

…for rest on Monday
I got a whopper of a sunburn at Saturday’s birthday party and was coughing up a storm all day at work on Monday–which meant I was exhausted by the time I got home from work. I cleaned a bit, made supper, and almost fell asleep at the dinner table–sparking my husband to send me to bed while he cleaned up the house some more for our guests the next day. That extra rest was very welcome–especially since the next day meant cleaning galore.

…for hosting Happy Food on Tuesday
Our usual Tuesday night hosts are in the process of moving, which meant they needed a volunteer to host the dozen (give or take a half dozen) people who show up weekly. After a bit of consideration, Daniel and I volunteered, knowing that it would mean we’d have to do some cleaning. I needed to get all my dishes done so we’d have counter space for all the food people would be bringing–and we needed to clear the living room to get seating for so many. It was a bit of a rushed cleaning job, but we ended up cleaning up the living areas without putting the “back of the house” into disrepair–so the net was positive. And, as always, we had great fun visiting with the dozen who showed up.

…for dinner with a friend on Wednesday
Shortly after Ben arrived, he told us he’d made a surprising discovery: the house he’d just made an offer on was only a few blocks south of us. If he got the house, we’d be neighbors (I warned him I’d be dropping in unexpectedly :-P) After dinner, we took a walk through the beautiful evening down to the house he’s hoping to own soon. He told us a bit about the improvements he’d like to make and we had an altogether delightful evening. It is such a blessing to have friends like him–and I’m thrilled to imagine him as a neighbor as well.

It was indeed a week packed with events; but even more than events, it was packed with people–and I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life, and for how I have opportunity to enjoy them.

This week seems to be the week for finishing projects, for making progress on projects, for starting projects. It has been remarkably productive (despite the allergies that have me hacking up a lung.)

This week I’m thankful…

…for Daniel’s project turned in
Have I mentioned how relieved I am to have this done and in? With that project done and his final taken in the other class, we now have two more evenings free–and much more time since Daniel won’t have homework again until fall. Yippee!

…for a book read, reviewed, and returned
I didn’t realize when I picked up A Year of Biblical Womanhood that it was only a two week loan period. Once I became aware, I dug into it with gusto–and managed to read, review and return it in just ten days (while trying to help Daniel with his project and keep the house in order–I may be returning to my reading groove.)

…for a crafted gift started during an afternoon with a friend
Ruth ended up being in town this weekend, thanks to schedule changes (she has a crazy insane travel schedule) and we arranged to get together. I brought along the fabric for a gift Daniel and I are making for one of our niece’s birthdays–and managed to get all the cutting done. The only thing better than having the cutting done (I *hate* that step) is having done it while chatting with a good friend.

…for progress made on my ongoing gardening project
I started making raised beds in our backyard for a vegetable garden, what? A month and a half ago? Now, for at least a couple of weeks, the concrete block bed has been sitting there waiting to be filled. This week, I finally had four cubic yards of compost delivered and got busy filling the bed.

…for small steps in settling the office
Since I switched the two bedrooms upstairs, Daniel’s old room (which we’ve designated the office) has been full of boxes and whatever else I didn’t have a place for anywhere. This last week, I’ve been able to make some small steps–finally combining some of our office materials (tape, staples, pens, etc.) into a central place. It’s small, but it is progress.

…for a basement transformation begun
The basement has two partitioned rooms (one which we’re designating as my craft room, another which we’re calling the guest room) and a large unfinished utility space. The utility space is currently filled with wood, tools, my Christmas stuff, an old ceiling fan, and countless other unnamed objects–in addition to the furnace, hot water heater, washer and dryer, and deep freeze. We also have a line hung across one side of the room for drying clothes. Unfortunately, there’s enough junk around that line that long clothes often end up getting dusty/dirty during the process. I’ve had a dream of transforming one barren corner into a laundry area–with a table for folding, my couple of drying racks for delicates that can’t be hung, and a couple of clotheslines placed so there’s little chance of getting things dirty. This week, I started cleaning out that corner, got the table and one drying rack in place, and removed a fixture from the ceiling that would be in the way of my proposed clothesline. Yay!

…for a promise of fulfillment

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

~Philippians 1:6

One day, the long work of sanctification, begun when Christ saved me, will at last be complete. On the day when Christ appears, I shall be like Him, having seen Him as He is.

In this, I have hope to continue on in this walk of sanctification.