Elie

He is not only an excellent guide but he came through to get it all done. I wonder if all these devotionals he hears will one day turn a faith-light on for him. May I be an example of God's light to him.

Ryan's WiFi

While I am, of course thankful for all the amazing things I'm seeing here; I'm thankful that Ryan has free wifi on the bus. And thankful that I am privileged to live in a place were such comforts are second nature for me. Lord may I never take for granted the place you have allowed me to live and may I use my affluence to bless others and use it to work and free them from their oppression.

Checking One Off My List

Because the Israel trip was scheduled when I started running, I've thought how cool it would be to run in Israel while listening to Matisyahu. And Wednesday morning I did it! Check!

A Safe Arrival

It wasn't without the expected and eventful "joys" that come with international travel, but we've made it to Caesarea and have joined the group.  I'm thankful that I was able to, despite much turbulence, get some sleep and thankful that in a group of 25- no one was left behind and no one lost their luggage.

I'm thankful for the anticipation of the adventure yet to come.

Make-Believe

For running around the house hiding from the dragon, using our magic force powers, ducking under water, flashing secret codes. An enjoyable last evening with the boys for a few weeks.

Packing

I'm thankful that, while I don't leave until Monday morning most everything is packed and ready to go. I'm thankful for another wonderful adventure that is soon to go into my book of travels.

Friday Nights with Good Friends

I stayed up way too late last night and collapsed into bed.  So this counts for Friday and Saturday.

I'm thankful for a mother in law who takes the boys for the night.  Thankful that they live close enough to do that and thankful that we all like each other enough that want them to do that and that they in turn want to.

I am also thankful for friends who come over.  Friends who- how could time have passed so quickly that we've already known each other 3 years?!  Friends who are willing to play all sorts of silly games and make the evening enjoyable.

It being dead

Yes, I am thankful that the spider the size of my thumb nail (not including the legs) was already dead when I found it in the washing machine.

Magical Wishes

The kind you can have when you're six. When you close your eyes really really tight, pause, and then blow the dandelion puff.

The Safety of My Town

As some know from my facebook post, LK and I came on a fairly big scene today when we took a later than usual lunch. So today I am thankful that LK was hung up at work and we didn't go as early as we normally do. And I'm thankful that we live in a place that is, for the most part, safe. Where news like this isn't just called Tuesday.

Playing Outside with the Boys

Today work slowed in the afternoon (not always a given) and I was able to spend time outside enjoying nature, playing make-believe warrior dragons something (they lost me half-way through explaining it), and playing pool with the boys.  I need to do this more.

I'm thankful for one of the prayers I've been praying lately

O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of refreshment and peace; and grant that we may so use our leisure to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds, that our spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation.

and that today I wisely used my leisure.

Healthy Kiddos

Following the death of a teenage girl from church who experienced cancer for the past several years, it's overwhelming thankfulness that I have never had to go through something like that. I am thankful for the healthy bodies that live in my house. I am also thankful for the example the Stafford family has been of loving God and worshipping Him through such a time. May I, should a day like theirs ever come, remain faithful to my God. Remain able to attend worship the day after heartbreak, sing songs of worship, and with grace allow others to minister to us as I have seen the Staffords do.

My Travels

I was blessed to be able to go and hear Rick Steves speak tonight.  His book on Europe was our go to guide during free travel when I was living in Italy.  We nicknamed it "our boyfriend" because it was always with us.  His talk was good and affirmed many things I love  about travel.

I love watching other people when I travel.  I love watching how they approach life and problems and see how they handle those problems.  Often times I will think "hmm that's an interesting way to do it."  But I try not to think that they're wrong for doing it that way.  Just different.

His talk affirmed my love of new cultures and learning about new people and places.  How my favorite place to travel to is the next place I'm going because there's something to be learned, something new to be experienced.  (A good reminder to get me geared up for Israel in T-8 days and counting)

And so tonight I'm thankful for all the travel I've been able to do.  From my first trip to Europe at age 12 to the many many adventures that followed. 

I'm so thankful for all the amazing travel I was able to do in college.  How I only spent one full year on campus and then was off every other semester to some study program or another after that.  And how while it did prepare me for the job as a travel agent that I would eventually have, more than that, it prepared me to see life differently.  Well, I mean I've always seen it differently, my mother will attest to that.  But I mean through the blessing of travel that I have had over the last (gasp) 20 years, I've met people, heard stories, tasted food, experienced life, and had amazing adventures. And I am extremely blessed.

My Dad's Guitar

I was on hold until well past midnight Friday night getting an answer for a client, so this is Friday's thankful thought.

I stopped for no more than three minutes today to play Lumina- one of the first songs I learned to play.  I haven't picked up the guitar in months.  Probably the last time was to move it to the car when the likelihood of the house blowing away was nigh.  But I stopped today as I moved through the house dusting (yes, honey I do dust) and played.  Not for anyone, just for me. 

I need to take the time to play more, but that's a different post for a different day.  Today I'm simply thankful that I did stop.  Thankful that I took the time as I had it two years ago to learn something I always saw myself doing. 

Being Cavity Free

I hate going to the dentist.  I had so many cavities as a kid.  It didn't matter how many times I brushed- always always cavities.  My brother and sister never did- always always fine. 

I can literally feel my body getting into knots when I sit in the chair.  But today I was a big girl and I went to the dentist.  Hooray! Cavity free! 

ISH asked if this means I listened to Bill Cosby Himself last night.

Nope, just a lucky break for me this time.

Humid Okla days that make the boys' hair curl into ringlets

I doubt I need further explanation but these humid days, o how they make the boys', my sweet boys, hair curl even tighter. It reminds me of swimming in the waters off the Amalfi coast with my dear friend Anne on the first day of fall. We swam and we yelled at the top of our lungs (loud Americans) all the things we could think of that made us happy. Me, at 20, called out "curly-headed boys." How blessed I am to have two of my very own.

Delta Agent Kristi

Last night I went to bed with a horrible crick in my neck.  It had been there most of the day and kept me up on and off throughout the night.  So I suppose last night, I was thankful for Advil.

Today, I am thankful for Delta Agent Kristi who pulled strings to make this happy little agent's life easier. 

There are times I question how much God is in the little details of my life, and times when I feel weird saying things along the lines of how I prayed to God about a parking space and got it- but today, when it looked like I was about to have to dive in headfirst into a long and drawn out ordeal that would likely come to head the day before I close down shop for two weeks- I prayed.  I said God, I'll do this if I need to.  And I'll do it with all the grace and kindness you can give me.  But really, I mean really, really, can you please let them give an answer that makes this whole thing easier?

And guess what!  Delta Agent Kristi did!  She did that and more than I could have even thought about asking them to do.  So while I would have tried to sit here tonight and be thankful even if she hadn't, I'm really thankful I don't have to.

Geo and his uniqueness

At this stage it involves things more along the lines of wearing clothes inside-out and/or backwards.  But I hope in times to come it involves him being willing to take the harder, better way, because he is confident in who he is.

And then today someone told Geo he should fix his shirt (which was both inside-out and backwards) because it was "very embarrassing" to her.  (Yes, it was an adult, yes it was in church, yes she should have known better, no I was not there, and no I would not have held my tongue if I was). 

But I'm thankful because that it opened the door to talk to Geo about how it's okay to not be like everyone else.  And it allowed us a chance to explain that different in a way that hurts others, is immoral, or is illegal is not okay but different in itself is.  And we were able to talk about how when our differences bother others it's a good chance to check ourselves and motives but that in the end we don't have to change who we are and what we do just because someone else is embarrassed. 

(And it gave the chance to discuss the difference between face-tattoo-stupid-different and clothes-backwards-different.  I'm sure this conversation will likely come back and bite me in someway when he's a teenager but blue-mohawk-different is still not face-tattoo-stupid-different -- one grows out the other doesn't). 

So I'm thankful for the hurtful words that woman never should have said to my sweet little one because I hope today planted a seed for Geo to see he doesn't have to follow the crowd.  And in the end, I pray that God can take the seed and mold Geo into a mighty man who is able to be unique in a way that serves Him and gives Him glory even if it make others uncomfortable.

My parents

I'm thankful for the time, even if just a little bit, that we were able to spend together today. I'm thankful for the times they held me accountable and helped me learn, allowed me to learn, the hard lessons. I'm thankful for the support they give and the encouragement they show me and my family. I am truly blessed to have them in my life as active participants.

Bubbles

Today ISH spilled bubble solution on the back porch.  There were tears because he thought that would be the end of what he had hoped to spend the afternoon doing. 

But I got down on the porch with him and showed him how to pick up the puddle of solution with the wand (a moment of motherhood ingenuity) and all the fun bubbles blown onto solution can bring.

Giggles.  Lots of them as he moved the bubbles around and stacked them together.  Examining them as he never would have really been able to from the traditional dip-blow-bubbles-into-the-Okla.-wind model we normally go for around here.

I'm thankful for the reminder that some times it's through the spilled bubble solution of my own life that opportunities open up for me to be able to experience something amazingly new.

ISH's Sweet Little Fingers

Fingers that are still little. While the rest of him gets a little thinner and little more boy-like, a little less preschool- his fingers still are young. I took the time to breathe in the sight of his hands, his fingers this morning. The little fingers that stretched across LK when ISH crawled in bed to say good morning and then sleepily curled back around Blankety, who had accompanied him into our bed. And I felt unexplainably grateful for each little one of them.