28 Things

Typically you would write about things that you are thankful for when the 4th Thursday in November rolls around (i.e. Thanksgiving). But I think that thankfulness is an attitude that should be in place pretty much every day, because regardless of circumstances, most of us have a long list of things that we can be thankful for. I know I sure do.

Tomorrow is my 28^th birthday, so I thought that it would be a nice exercise to sit and reflect on 28 things that I am thankful for. Some things will be obvious. Some will be more on the serious side, while others might seem silly. Food will definitely be mentioned.

There’s a lot that I still don’t know at the “ripe” age of 28. But there’s a lot that I do know. For instance, I do know that when you focus on the ways that you’ve been blessed, and the One who provided those blessings in the first place, things make more sense and have a way of falling into place. Even if it’s not in the way that you expect.

To be quite honest, a few years back birthdays freaked me out a little bit. That may seem out of place in that for a lot of people birthday freak-outs typically take hold later in life. Or maybe they don’t. I don’t have any statistics to back that up. My birthday nervousness stemmed from the fact that in a lot of ways, growing up has startled me.

I found the first 17 years of my life to be relatively smooth sailing, but when I left my parents’ home to go to college I felt incredibly unprepared for the “growing up” phases that would occur thereafter. College, graduating, moving across the country, figuring out what I wanted to do in life...all of those things often left me feeling out of place and confused. I always thought that moving into the “adult world” would be a natural and even fun transition. But when it happened, I was scared. I was scared because I didn’t know who I was or what I was supposed to seek after. I was scared because it looked fairly different than what I had always imagined it to be, so I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong. With each passing birthday in my early and into my mid-twenties, I got more and more nervous about the fact that I still hadn’t “figured it out.”  

But now, a few years later, I think I’ve come to terms with not “figuring it out.” There are parts of me that want to feel totally secure in what job I’m seeking after, or how I spend my time, or who I’m becoming. But then the other part of me realizes how self-sufficient that kind of “security” would be. And for me, self-sufficiency is not necessarily the end goal. The end goal, when I have my head on straight, is to live a life that will honor and please my heavenly Father. Period.

So rather than feeling anxious because I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, I am spending more and more time allowing my soul to rest in the fact that this is a journey upon which I can only take one step at a time, and I acknowledge that He is Lord and I am not. I can worry about the details, i.e. “Am I doing this or that thing right?” or I can tell myself, “Shhh...rest in Him. And look at all that He has already given you. You are where you need to be.” I am learning to practice being content right here, right now, in this very place and in this very moment. Not fretting over mistakes I’ve made. Not disappointed because I don’t have it all together or have the answers to all of my questions. Not wishing that this or that thing were different. Instead, I am just glad to be here and willing to learn.

Huh. Okay, so I didn’t intend to write all of that just now but those words just plopped themselves on the page anyways! Back to my original point. I find contentment in having a thankful heart. As I celebrate the 28 years of life that God has given me, I am thankful for the following...

1.) My God. How can I put anything else in this number one spot? He is a mystery to me, and yet so close that I can almost feel his arms around me. I don’t think I understand more than a smidgen of what His love looks like or can do, but my desire is to know and follow hard after Him.

2.) My husband. Precious, precious Travis. Our hearts beat as one. And there are lots of giggles along the way, which just makes it great fun! 

  

3.) My mom and dad. I am not a parent yet, but more and more I think about how incredible it is to devote so much of yourself to another human being, and am thankful that my parents devoted so much of themselves to me. So many sacrifices. Soooo much patience. They worked really hard to give me a stable life filled with love and support. They taught me valuable lessons about responsibility and hard work. My mom makes yummy calzones. My dad makes the best coffee cake. Love them.

4.) My brother. I’ve always felt like he’s looking out for me, even now, as adults. He puts up with me and has a great sense of humor. Growing up, there was many a night that we did not get to bed on time because he had me in fits of laughter when we were supposed to be brushing our teeth.

5.) My sister. I am so glad that I have a sister! From Cabbage Patch Dolls and playing with our kitchen set to proms, weddings, and beyond I have enjoyed going through it all with my sis. I love just hanging out with her. Shopping, painting our toenails, eating junk food that we shouldn’t be eating. Thank you, Lord, for sisters.

6.) Really, all my friends and family! I won’t say more because there’s just too, too much to say. But as my Aunt Leah always says, “Relationships are the most important thing,” and I believe it wholly. I am blessed with the relationships in my life.

7.) Oreos dunked in milk. 

8.) Health. Having a body that functions well is an incredible gift. I can run and cook and read and play the piano and hike up mountains if I want to. I can do so many things and I am thankful for a healthy body.

9.) Hugs. Everybody just needs to give everybody else more hugs. Not wimpy hugs, but those really good, snug embraces that say, “I love you. You matter in this world. I am so glad you’re here.” Yeah...hugs.

10.) Fuzzy socks and comfy pajamas. Is there anything better than slipping your feet into a pair of fuzzy socks and hanging out in your pjs? I think not. I would live in my pjs if it were socially acceptable.

11.) Homemade soup. It is oh so awesome. Homemade soup does good things for body and soul alike.

12.) Snuggling with my husband, some popcorn, and a good movie on a Friday night.

13.) Fresh, hot coffee on a Saturday morning. And maybe a little something sweet to go with it!

14.) Jobs. I am thankful that we have jobs.

15.) Citizenship in a democratic society. It is not perfect. Our world is a broken place. But I am safe. I get to vote. I don’t have to live a life dictated by fear. America is a good place to be.

16.) Spring and autumn. My favorite seasons. Spring brings promise in the form of tiny buds that grow into luscious blooms. Autumn brings pumpkins, apple cider, crisp air, amber sunlight, scents of cinnamon, crunchy leaves...

17.) Crumb topping. On a muffin. On a pie. Crumb topping makes things that already taste ridiculous that much more ridiculous.

18.) Books. Knowledge at my fingertips. New worlds, discoveries, and ideas take shape through paper and ink. I love the way that books feel in my hands, look on my shelves, and smell…I love that book smell!

19.) Art. Music. Creativity. As Mr. Keating said in The Dead Poets Society, “We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering - these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love - these are what we stay alive for.” He was mostly talking about poetry but I think that this applies to the arts in general. This is why I was a Humanities major in college. An artists’ heart beats inside of my chest.

20.) Crunchy chips, zippy salsa, and gooey enchiladas at a Mexican restaurant that knows how to do it right. Oh, and a margarita. Of course.

21.) Tears that come when you’re overwhelmed with love and/or joy. Beautiful.

22.) People who look to serve others more than they look to serve themselves.

23.) Laughter.

24.) Mountains. When I see mountains, particularly the Rocky Mountains that provided the backdrop to my childhood, I always think of Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” I equate mountains with calm, steady strength.

25.) The smell of clean laundry right when it comes out of the dryer. I love to bury my face in a pile of warm, fresh laundry.

26.) Cinnamon rolls! I’m particularly fond of Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls these days. But who isn’t? They’re crazy good.

27.) A freshly sharpened pencil, a blank page of paper, and the possibilities that they represent.

28.) That I am who I am. I love me. Talents, faults, good traits, bad traits...the whole enchilada. Thanks, God, for making me the way you did. I’m cool with it. And you know what you’re doing, for sure.

27, it’s been fun. We had some good times together. But time marches on, and 28 is here to take your place. I’m anticipating another great year filled with things to be thankful for. One of the first being that Travis is taking the day off from work tomorrow to hang out and celebrate with me. Here’s me and my love on my birthday last year…

Happy birthday to me!