Thankful Thursday

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15

Here's what I'm thankful for this week:

1. Prayer warriors. I have some wonderful people in my life that I know I can totally rely on to pray, whether I have a request for myself or an urgent prayer need for someone else. I was reminded of how awesome these people are this week. I'm so thankful for them.
2. Family ties. Without going into detail, I will share with you that there has been some dramatic upheaval in my family recently, and everyone involved could really use prayer. I am thankful that I have so much family that lives nearby, and that we would do pretty much anything for each other. Though we may not always agree with everything, we are very closely knit together. 
3. Old friends. Last weekend I got to spend time with some of my oldest friends when they came over for my birthday. I have known Kelli and Sarah since 8th grade, when I started a new school, and I have known Lauren since before kindergarten- we went to the same church for a long time, and we went to the same schools off and on, too. We all get together twice a year: once for my birthday and once for Christmas. It was good seeing everyone again, and getting to spend time with them. Also, tonight my dear friend Kelli came back over and we had dinner together and watched DVD extras for "The Office" before watching the finale together.  We had a most excellent time, and of course we cried. I am very, very thankful that we got to share that memory together.
4. Reading time. My church read through "The Story" recently (we finished at Easter), and while I really enjoyed the book, my favorite part was reading the Bible (all four versions of "The Story") with my husband throughout the week. I have been bugging him lately about wanting to read more together, and we finally started a few nights ago! We are reading Francis Chan's "Crazy Love", and at the same time, a children's devotional book about animals (we both love animals and it's nice to have a light-hearted break from the grown-up books I have planned for us to read. ^_^) I'm thankful that we are spending time together, and that he is open to listening to me read out loud from some books that could potentially bring about big changes. 
5. Day off. This is my first Friday off since I returned from my medical leave. My schedule hasn't really meshed so well with Brandon's since I went back to work, so this is one of those rare days when we both have the whole day off. We'll be running errands in the morning, but we are also going to go see the new Star Trek movie tomorrow morning, as well. I'm looking forward to it- it's nice to get out and enjoy a movie once in a while, and I'm glad I get to spend some time with my husband. 

Thankful Thursday

How is it already Thursday again?? Here's what I'm thankful for this week:

1. My church. We are currently doing a series on marriage at church, and this past Sunday my pastor led all the married couples in a renewal of vows. I thought that was pretty awesome. I love my church!
2. My friend Blaire. Blaire is very awesome and sweet and always willing to help. I am so glad she joined our Bible study group last year! I am especially thankful for her this week because she decided to sponsor one of the Compassion kids I posted on facebook! She is now sponsoring a very pretty 15 year old girl named Nisha, from India. This is her second sponsor child. 
3. Financial blessings. This week I found out some extremely good news regarding my medical bills from my surgery- my biggest bills (for my hospital stay, pre-op testing, anesthesiologist...basically everything except the surgeon's fee) have been waived! All together they totaled almost $8,000. My financial aid application has been pending with them for over two months, so on Wednesday I called to check on it (again) and they said they had just put my acceptance letter in the mail. This is just incredible news. I'm very happy about it. 
4. Letters. This week has been pretty difficult. I have been under more stress than usual, and on top of that, I strained my back on Monday and I am having a lot of difficulty with it even now, three days later. I hobbled out to get the mail yesterday, feeling pretty down, and found a letter from Victor waiting in my mailbox. The timing was really great. It put a smile on my face, and helped me perk up a bit. : )
5. Weekend breaks. My boss graciously allowed me to work all my hours Monday through Thursday of this week so I could have the weekend off for my birthday, even though we really needed coverage on Saturday because there's a big event down at the main library and there will be at least one staff member working that. Working longer hours was really hard, and I ended up having to take some of my newly regained sick leave today so I could come in a bit later and give my back more rest, but I am so thankful to have the weekend off. Hopefully it will be relaxing and happy!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday- time for me to count my blessings!

1. Bible Study. My Bible study group kicked off a new session this Tuesday evening. Our new study is JD Greear's Gospel Revolution. I'm really looking forward to it, and it's good to be back with my friends again!
2. Days off. This week I got to spend all of Tuesday with my mom, which was fun. Since she can't drive right now, I took her on a few errands, and we got lunch and watched TV together until it was time to go to Bible study. It was a really nice, restful day, and I'm glad I got to spend time with my mom!
3. Mailbox surprises. Today I got a package in the mail from my friend Ashley,   and inside was a postcard with her adorable son's picture on it, a letter thanking me for helping support their adoption, and a neat handmade metal cross from Haiti- just like the artwork I talked about in my Haiti profile! It was super sweet of her, and I'm excited about it. : )
4. Ice cream/friends. I worked with my friend Jess today, and she said she was going to run up to Walgreen's on her break. She asked if I needed anything, and I pointed out that they have Ben & Jerry's on sale this week- so she brought some back for us! We finished our breaks with yummy ice cream. It was nice. 
5. Modern medicine. I got really, really sick this morning, and thanks to pharmaceutical wonders (and prayer from my friends) I was able to make it through the day. This is pretty miraculous, considering how sick I was. All I can say is, God bless the makers of Zofran. 

Edit: With the distraction of my exciting mailbox surprise, I forgot to share one thing I am EXTREMELY thankful for! Last night, I saw my favorite patrons for the first time since my surgery. The mom is super sweet and we have tons of interests in common, I have known the little girl since before she was born, and the middle son, Connor, is my favorite. I LOVE this kid. Connor is special- he is probably on the autism spectrum (I have never talked about this with his family to be sure, because it really doesn't matter to me!) and he is just the absolute sweetest kid. I love talking to him. He loves reading non-fiction, so sometimes I share fun facts with him depending on what he's checking out. Over the past two years or so he has become really interested in Star Wars, which of course is a specialty of mine! Anyway, last night I saw Connor come in with his mom and sister, and is face absolutely lit up. I said "Connor! I haven't seen you in forever, buddy! Wow! I'm so happy to see you tonight!" and I swear, he smiled the whole time he was there. He found a few books and came back up to the desk to hang out and talk Star Wars with me, grinning the whole time. It was the best. I told his mom about my schedule changes since I've been back to work, and I hope to see them again next week! My friendship with Connor and his family is one of the things I absolutely love about my job. : )

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

It's time to count my blessings! Here is what I'm thankful for today:

1. Compassion stuff. This week I got new pictures of Joane in the mail, new pictures of Tasya were posted online, I got a letter from Said today, and we got a new correspondence kid, too! It has been a pretty great week, sponsorship-wise. : )
2. My car/mobility. One of my patrons today spent about 20 minutes rambling about a bunch of random stuff, but one thing I did take away from the conversation is that I'm very blessed to be able to get around. This patron has mobility issues sometimes. Occasionally she has to wear a cast-type device on her leg, and when she does, she can't drive, because her car has a manual transmission. So she has to ride her little scooter everywhere. Today she was telling me about different places she can't get to because of a lack of ramps, and she also told me she is sometimes scared of getting hit by cars in areas where there are no sidewalks. I'm thankful that I can drive, that my car has automatic transmission, and that if I needed someone to drive me somewhere (which happens every few months), someone will help me out!
3. New books. This week I visited my used book store, and managed to find a book that I have had on my wish list for a long time. It's called Beatrice's Goat, and it's a great picture book about a girl named Beatrice who receives a goat and is able to use that resource to help lift her family out of poverty and get an education! I love books like that, and I was so excited to finally add it to my collection- it is now sitting on the bookshelf in my spare room that will belong to my kids some day. : )
4. Healthcare. I may have been sick lately, but I am thankful for the access I have to healthcare, whether it's over the counter or prescription, urgent care centers or an appointment I have to make months in advance. I have been thinking about that a lot today, particularly, because it is World Malaria Day. 
5. Coworkers. Today was a pretty decent day at work, thanks mostly to the people I work with. I have to work all day tomorrow, but I'm thankful that I get to work with my best friend! It definitely helps the days more bearable, and working with her on weekends is fun because we usually get lunch!

Thankful Thursday

I am feeling down this week. One thing that lifts my spirits when I'm having issues with my depression or just feeling particularly moody is counting my blessings, for lack of a better word. I love participating in "30 Days of Thankfulness" in November, but  I want to make a habit out of publicly expressing my gratitude. I think doing a weekly post will help hold me accountable to that. So, for starters, here are 5 things I'm thankful for today.

• Short shifts. I can't say I'm happy about working today, but at least I only go in for four and a half hours. I had the chance to rest this morning, and I will be off in time to stop by and see my mom, and fix dinner for Brandon. I only had to work 1 night this week, which was nice. 
• Letters. It's not Mail Call Monday yet, but I am still filled with warm fuzzies over a letter I got yesterday from Tasya, one of my sponsor kids. It was ginormous and had extra stuff in it. You'll have to wait until Monday to find out more!
• Rain. The weather has been acting up a bit lately. Tuesday we had some storms- it started hailing just as my friends and I were preparing to leave Bible study. I think the rain helps squish down some of the crazy, rampant pollen that's been floating around lately, plus it means I don't have to go outside and water my plants! My hostas are sprouting up through the mulch, and Brandon moved my peach tree back outside a few days ago. It was covered in pretty pink blossoms, even though it's been wintering in the garage. I like having plants but I don't like taking care of them. So I'm grateful for the rain. : P
• New furniture. Brandon and I asked for a pair of nightstands on our wedding registry more than three years ago, and we have been using an old, beat up nightstand with no handle and a random thrift-store end table to hold our things since we got married. Last week Brandon told me we had enough money to go ahead and buy our nightstands, and he put one of them together for me this week. It's a silly thing to be excited about, but I'm really happy I have it. I got it all set up yesterday afternoon after work. It matches the rest of my furniture (except for Brandon's nightstand, which will be replaced by the other, new nightstand when he puts it together), it has a spacious drawer and a little shelf for the books I had piled up on my end table. I'm glad we finally got them!
• Leftovers. It's so nice not to have to cook. I got leftovers from my parents' house on Saturday, then I had leftovers from cooking for my Bible study group on Tuesday, and this afternoon when I stop by to check on my mom, I plan on getting more leftovers. I'm happy to say I haven't had a single peanut butter and jelly sandwich all week long. 

What are you thankful for today?