thankful two.

#16 - 32 of God-gifts...

choosing bubblegum-flavored toothpaste at the dentist

an unexpected trip to Whole Foods for breakfast

oatmeal with brown sugar and cranberries

the granola aisle

an unexpected trip across the Ravenel bridge on a sunny morning

the memory of his cologne

the hope of finding a new kitty

getting to your appointment in the nick of time despite the curse of traffic

a secret stash of dark chocolate

bluebirds

Gerbera daisies

stimulating conversations with a new friend (or with anyone)

a timely word confirmed several times

a prayer partner who always answers the call

fried green tomatoes with salmon

working on the same cup of coffee all day and having it still taste good

pulling aside for a moment to breathe in God

thankful one

I read this blog by Ann Voskamp recently and thought I might give this a try. I'm not much of a photographer, so please excuse the occasional Google images and stolen treasures from Holy City Photography...

Here's #1 - 15 of little gifts from God that I celebrate today (and just fyi, coffee will probably appear in about 300 of my list of 1000):

morning light through kitchen windows

quiet moments before the sleeping loved ones awake

peaceful morning time with coffee and Bible

the sound of small-town morning traffic heard through rolled-down car windows

a scented wax burner that reminds one of Mom's house

the feeling of longing to exercise

stolen kisses in a bookstore

a guitar pick within reach

a water bottle always able to be filled with clean water

Scotch tape on hand

Keep Calm, Carry On

sounding boards in the form of trustworthy people

laughing at the ridiculous inanimate (the motion-sensor potpourri sprayer: my arch enemy)

a spooning dog

the promise of tomorrow

2011 begins.

I haven't written in over a year. I don't know how many people were waiting with bated breath to see another post (besides Josh, that is), but I'm finally feeling the itch to start communicating on a grander scale again.

I entitled my only post of 2010 "Progress," and that turned out to be the theme of the whole year for me. It was a year of many changes, most of them internal. God began a tremendous work of tearing out old, faulty foundation, and replacing it with truth. He's deepened relationships I already had, while also bringing new people into my life to help me along in the process. He's provided for every step of the journey, even in moments of total darkness when I thought I'd never break through.

(He also turned a solid and true friendship into something wonderfully more...but that's all I'm going to say about that. Giggle, blush...)

So far, 2011 proves to be the continuation of that journey. From this place, right now, I can see things a bit more clearly than before, and I realize I've learned some lessons that may encourage you wherever you may be standing today:

-Most importantly, whatever you're going through, you WILL reach the other side of it. This is NOT forever. God is not going to leave you here, especially if you're crying out to Him. The enemy wants us to believe that things will never change, that we will always be this way, that there's no hope - these are all lies. God WILL get you to the other side. You WILL be victorious. Keep trusting, keep crying out, keeping walking. What you're going through matters to God, and chances are, it will matter to someone else too...

-God does not expose something in our hearts in order to condemn us. He does not reveal that we're stuck only to leave us there. He takes us from strength to strength, and He heals every wound.

-God is not going to force His way through a locked door in your heart. You are the one who invites Him into that place so that He can heal it and breathe life into the dead places again - and that really is what He wants to do.

-There is more power in openness and vulnerability than there is in maintaining a strong front. Openness dispels the power of secret fears, shame and lies trying to take hold, and vulnerability encourages more influence and trust.

-If something still hurts when it comes up in your life (a touchy subject, a relational issue, you name it), chances are God wants to heal it. You probably ought to let Him.

-God's desire for us is life, not just surviving until heaven.

-We are to be confident in Christ and in who He created us to be, not scared that we're going to screw things up.

These are just a few thoughts to get you started...stay tuned for more adventures through my mind.