Category: thankfulness

Thankfulness & Gratitude 

Leave a comment

Let’s get businessy things out of the way first.

  1. We all knew I was going to fail that September writing challenge. What was I thinking?! The leading up to the wedding push was insanely busy.
  2. I’m working on a post with my thoughts on marriage thus far. I don’t know when it will come, but trust that it will. Spoiler alert: LOVING IT!

Business meeting adjourned.

 

For the last few years in some way or another, I’ve challenged myself to focus on things I’m thankful for during the month of November. I sort of decided not to do it this year, but today I changed my mind.

Why? 

Why did I do it to begin with?

November has been a harder month for me since I lost my dad (November 18th) and remembering that loss + the stress of what to do for holidays made November a little heavy at times.

Why did I decide not to this year?

This November doesn’t feel as heavy. I have a husband! And not just a husband, but a wonderful one with a wonderful family. Having him helps carry the weight of remembered loss and forever alleviates my sense of restlessness about the holidays. He’s my home now!

Why did I change my mind?

Well, three reasons.

1. It was silly to think I didn’t need to remember to be thankful! In good times and bad, thankfulness and gratitude are important. I’m still selfish and self-absorbed when I don’t focus my mind on Jesus. I NEED to remember ALL the many reasons – big, small, silly, and important – that I have to be grateful.

2. With so much negativity crowding the walls of social media, I’ve been enjoying the sparse posts intermingled of people stating what they are thankful for. I remember last year and the year before thinking it was cliche and there were so many. This year, sadly, it doesn’t seem as cliche and there aren’t as many declarations of thankfulness and I miss it! It makes the world a better place. I think we all need some thankfulness, gratitude, and positivity right now.

3. I like to celebrate things! We are in the midst of celebration season with celebration after celebration and I think thankfulness is just as important to celebrate as Christmas trees and parties. It’s a good think to celebrate to set our hearts and minds on what we are really celebrating once Christmas gets here, which is trees and parties at all. Jesus. He came to fulfil our hope. To be our hope forever. To be the King the reigns eternally.

So, I’m going to be thankful! I backtracked and to the best of my ability made thankful lists for all the days I missed. I’ll post from here on out on social media (and probably do a recap here). But, posting a list of 25 ish things on social media in one post seemed a bit excessively annoying.

  1. free lunch (at Moe’s! download the app) / 11-1
  2. good wholesome tv (This Is Us is killing it!) / 11-1
  3. my friend Anna (who came over to watch This Is Us with me and we had good talks) / 11-1
  4. a wonderful first night at my “new” church Traceridge / 11-2
  5. choir music (I joined the choir!) / 11-2
  6. life-saving Newk’s (I was super hangry and Newk’s saved the day) / 11-2
  7. country drives (especially at sunset) / 11-3
  8. William’s grandparents / 11-3
  9. medicine / 11-3
  10. date nights / 11-4
  11. musical movies (loved Trolls!) / 11-4
  12. a magical movie purse (capable of holding much candy and drinks and basically like Santa’s bag) / 11-4
  13. free Mistletoe Marketplace tickest and getting to go with the best friends / 11-5
  14. holiday coffee (Deep South Pop’s Pumpkinfest latte is legit) / 11-5
  15. holiday smells (everything at Mistletoe smelled magical, somehow even the bathroom smelled like Christmas) / 11-5
  16. veggie trays (Emily had a lovely spread at the craft fair she hosted at her house!) / 11-5
  17. friend dinner and movie nights / 11-5
  18. breakfast casseroles (there was a potluck breakfast at church, literally tried all the savory breakfast casseroles) / 11-6
  19. chocolate milk / 11-6
  20. harmonies (loved singing in the choir for the first time!) / 11-6
  21. the Holy Spirit’s presence as we gather together (majorly felt Him on Sunday, and love knowing people are feeling His presence all over the world as they gather in traditional church building, YMCAs, movie theaters, school gyms, and more) / 11-6
  22. family time (spent the day watching the guys put together a swingset for Evelyn, so fun!) / 11-6
  23. daylight savings time (MOST RESTED MONDAY EVER) / 11-7
  24. free McAlister’s (for a YEAR, well, ish, but we won a contest and are getting a pretty hefty giftcard) / 11-7
  25. Christmas pjs and a husband who lets me order us matching ones (thanks Old Navy for having big sizes!) / 11-7
  26. being able to laugh together at a terrible dinner / 11-7

Thankful Thursday (Week 3)

1 Comment

It’s Friday eve! Being crazy and attempting some more of this consistency with weekly thankfuls recap again (week 1 here, week 2 here). What has you feeling warm fuzzy thankfulness?


November 13th: 

61. cold weather (I really love it!)

62. leggings

63. warm tortillas

64. a swanky new coffee tumbler

65. CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS (and the warm fuzzies they give me)

November 14th: 

66. a solo three hour road trip for maximum car singing time

67. Total Woman U (our meeting tonight, our mission, the team aka my family, our goals and dreams, etc)

68. hugs 

69. the Holy Spirit

70. that my phone didn’t die when I dropped I in my soup at dinner.

November 15th: 

71. chapstick

72. joggers (trendy name for baggy but somehow cute-ish sweat pants)

73. meeting people who really live for the gospel by doing things like uprooting their comfortable lives to live on mission in an area most people would be fearful of

74. blueberry scones

75. being with non-pretentious amazing friends while encountering pretentious hipsters.

November 16th: 

76. hearing Myles Manuel pray for his future adopted sister and brother at children’s church this morning

77. Hazel cuddles

78. help from my roommate in the kitchen for the Thanksgiving dinner for our college girls (as well as company from her and her sister while I did my least favorite chore – hanging clothes)

79. hosting a house full of people (14!)

80. that so many of the college girls we get to hang out with came to Arise this morning and to our Thanksgiving dinner tonight

November 17th: 

81. my red coat

82. She Reads Truth

83. an understanding boss

84. therapeutic tears

85. heated car seats

November 18th: 

(Note: November 18th was the anniversary of my dad’s death. I wanted to attempt to be extra thankful on a hard day.)

86. the texts, facebook messages, and prayers of so many friends

87. an amazing department who understands that grief is worthy of a sick day too

88. hot cocoa with peppermint marshmallows (PINK HOT COCOA)

89. a cozy sweatshirt

90. friends who make me plan a dinner to celebrate my dad at the place he always wanted to go when he came to visit me in Clinton, MargaritERs (yep, that’s how he said it)

91. how my dad selflessly took care of so many people

92. that my dad gave his life to Jesus and prayed for me and my brother everyday

93. that my dad taught me to save money (even though I just recently put it into practice) and avoid credit cards (I’d be terrible at them)

94. that my dad never gave up on people

95. that I never stop missing my dad regardless of the years that pass by without him

November 19th: 

96. pumpkin donut muffins

97. blogging mojo

98. the warm fuzzies writing provides

99. my new tiny bow necklace, Wednesday nights (Missional community AND friend Nashville watching)

100. unexpected happy mail

Thankful Thursday (Week 2)

Leave a comment

Happy almost Friday! Just attempting some consistency and my weekly thankfuls recap again (week 1 here). What has you feeling warm fuzzy thankfulness? 



November 6th: 

26. the big truck in front of me on the way to work this morning that stirred up a magical trail of leaves to flutter in front of me all the way to Hinds 

27. technology like myfitnesspal and pedometer apps that make making healthier choices seem less overwhelming

28. project starfish

29. 105.1’s 24/7 Christmas music

30. realizing in my blogging absence somehow my page views crossed the 200,000 mark (WHAT?!).

November 7th: 

31. gold glitter pointy toe flats that cost $9

32. crisp air

33. that I live in the real life version of Stars’ Hollow

34. the ability to fight lies

35. a cozy bed

November 8th:

36. new dangly earrings

37. NEW FLOORS

38. house groceries being finished until after thanksgiving

39. cutest picture with Hazel Taylor ever

40.  Harry Potter themed birthday parties

November 9th: 

41. how free I feel to weep on Sundays with my gospel family 

42.  that bath and body works makes candles that smell like hugging attractive men (mahogany teakwood, sparkling icicles, black tie, sweater weather, flannel, etc) AND that they are 2 for $22 right now

43. a roommate teamwork productive afternoon getting our house back together after renovations, 

44. crockpots (and the best/easiest potato soup recipe ever) 

45. God giving me a prayer inspired by the message today to pray through these not so easy grief days and holiday days of missing my dad. “I pray that I would stay in my pain and grief, standing in your glory, clinging to the faith and hope that you are better, instead of running to and back to temptations that entangle, numb, and hide the pain.”

November 10th:

46. the cure for most ailments and aches being rest and the luxury of having a job that comes with sick time to partake of healing rest (made my back mad at me, no biggie, it’s feeling better now)

47. clean sheets

48. dinner at the table

49. Tyler Florence (he is a beautiful man to watch cook)

50. planning holiday party/meal food offerings

November 11th: 

51. new mercies

52. friends I can reach out to about ugly temptations who never judge but rise up to pray and fight with me

53. positive responses to a cheesy work thanksgiving brunch idea/email

54. an accountability group that’s so life giving that even when I think I don’t want to go or talk because I’m too emotional and having a heavy grief day, I still go because we love each other in our messes so much that I can talk and cry and they love and give and ask the right questions that make me feel loved and never judged

55. for the patience of amazing roommates who handle my moods and ocd tendencies way more graciously than I deserve!

Side note: I’m quite thankful that so many of my thankfuls are about the amazing people in my life. Today was an unexpectedly emotionally hard day grief day (that I’m actually also thankful for) and precisely the reason why I needed to establish a pattern of focusing on giving thanks for big things, small things, deep things, and silly things.


November 12th: 

56. how beautiful Clinton Raymond road is on my drive to and from work

57. recipe creativity success

58. memories

59. that googling deskercise produced lots of ideas that have now left me a little sore

60. cvs clearance nail polish

Thankful Thursday (Week 1)

Leave a comment

Remember that time I used to post things on my blog? Oops.

Hey y’all, my long lost blog and the few people who didn’t give up on me and still read my words. I could say a bunch of things about the lack of posting and make promises I probably can’t keep, but I won’t. I’m just gonna say…

Hey. I missed you. How are you? Let’s be friends again.

Also, remember that time I posted this post about thankfulness last January and had big dreams of being intentionally thankful all year? For the most part that didn’t happen guys. I will say that “project” helped me focus on positivity vs. negativity, which is a total victory to celebrate. BUT, as far as intentionally taking time to be consistently thoughtfully thankful for things big and small, it didn’t happen.

It’s November, so naturally people are on the thankful bandwagon again. At first, I resisted. But, I decided I don’t want to miss an opportunity to be intentionally thankful for a month even if it’s trendy, cliche, or cheesy. Who the heck cares?! Taking time to shift how we think about life and add positivity is good for us whether it’s a bandwagon thing or not. My “make your own rules” mentality tries to skip bandwagons sometimes, but sometimes, it’s also just called pride. November is a hard month for me, my hardest (anniversary of my Dad’s death + holiday season without him). I started to post ALL of this, and my catching up for the days I resisted, on Facebook. But something about it felt more flashy than genuine and less like an accountability effort to actually do it and more about showing off my list making skills.

Therefore, today I’m sharing my catching up list and my goals with you guys. Somehow this feels more genuine and I’m okay with that. My goal is five thankfuls a day. I will be writing them in my journal and possibly posting them on Facebook most days. Why Facebook? Well, I like sharing and think social media if used correctly (not as a crutch, not as an isolation tool, not as false sense of community/community substitute, not as an addiction, and not to compare or be mean) can make our community richer and help spur one another one. I also might post them as a weekly round up here. Maybe I’ll steal the clever and catchy Thankful Thursday. Maybe. Regardless of where I share, or if I share, or if I skip a few days or a week, my goal isn’t to check it off my to do list, though I do love a good check mark. My goal is to preach positivity to myself in a month that comes with some pain and heartache. My goal is to be thankful for deep things and shallow things, big things and small things, fun things, silly things, growth things, hard things, ALL THE THINGS! Join me if you wish, but if anytime is a time to intentionally give thanks, November kind of easily sets itself up for that in America, but for me personally, my November needs this. And now, let’s catch up! 

 
November 1st: 

1. new tattoos/tattoo viewing crew 

2. the Babalu burger 

3. the coolest temperatures of fall so far 

4. Mallory and how pleasant and fun she makes getting new tattoos 

5. a working heater 
 
November 2nd: 

6. a church family that serves together 

7. being in dirty “work clothes” at McAlisters amongst lots of “church clothes” 

8. cast iron skillets 

9. cheap apple season 

10. our growing group of college girls 
 
November 3rd: 

11. caramel brulee lattes 

12. red cups at Starbucks 

13. meal planning 

14. days of the week notepads 

15. a fun night with my roommates 
 
November 4th: 

16. colorful fountain pens 

17. my new lunch box 

18. Dollar General lunch breaks (it’s the only store I’m not scared to go in in Raymond and I actually love it) 

19. texts from my best friend 

20. my amazing DNA group 
 
November 5th: 

21. breakfast meetings at Chick-Fil-A 

22. work encouragement/purpose 

23. #fireworkpeople 

24. seeing Arise Church traditions form (2nd Halloween party and 2nd Rake it to the Streets just happened and super pumped about our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner for people in our community) 

25. looking temptation in the face and saying no, you don’t win today! 

Giving Thanks – Part 1

Leave a comment

Yes, I’m aware that it’s not Thanksgiving anymore, I’m not that crazy, promise! However, during the Thanksgiving season my DNA (disciple – nurture – accountability) group challenged one another to come up with 50 things a week that we were thankful for. We also started reading 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Well, confession. They started reading it, I bought it. At the moment (and always) I was hooked on reading She Reads Truth and didn’t have time during the holiday season to add pleasure reading. Now I’m hooked on Love Does for pleasure reading. BUT, I am going to read 1000 Gifts, really! But despite my lack of reading, the act of giving thanks, being thankful, and living in a place where I look for ways to be thankful for everything sunk in deep with me. My “Type A” list loving self love this challenge. I’ve fallen back a bit, but still constantly looking for small, big, average, and spectacular things in my life to be thankful for. I decided why not share?! And we’ll just call it a series. Once a week I’m going to share 20 of the things I collected and will continue collecting. 50 seemed like a few too many for you guys to actually read. And I want you to read them! Because I want to brag or want you to know me better? No! But because I actually believe in this big time now. It’s helped change the way I see my days. Also, keep in mind I wrote many of the first 150-200 ish during the holiday season, sooo they might be seasonal (like pumpkin poptarts and peppermint mochas). So, I apologize in advance if I make you want something you can’t have until next fall/winter. Oops!

Two of my favorite synonyms for thankful are please and relieved. My favorite definition of thankfulness is warm friendly feelings of gratitude. These things please me. They make me feel relieved about life. They give me warm feelings. What does that for you? Will you join me in being thankful?

1. My DNA group*
2. Arise Church
3. Worship music
4. Starbucks tables
5. She Reads Truth
6. Pumpkin Pop-Tarts
7. Leopard print
8. Owl journals
9. Felt pens
10. Cooler days
11. Leaves to crunch
12. Unconditional love
13. The brick streets
14. The OWLs*
15. A God that heals
16. Glitter nail polish
17. Glitter
18. Coffee
19. The Starbucks morning regulars
20. Good Starbucks baristas

*DNA groups are small 3-5 accountability groups through Arise church, as stated above, stand for disciple – nurture – accountability.

*OWLs stands for Older Wiser Ladies. It’s a group of women who meet for dinner once a week who are single-ish, 28-31, and surrounded by college students who are 10 years younger than us.