Happy Thanksgiving, Eh?
For those of you that don't know, today is Canada's Thanksgiving holiday. And for those of you who also don't know, there are three things I love in this world: Canada, Thanksgiving, and turkey.
Okay, so that was a little tongue-in-cheek, but I do really love Canada, and after Easter, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Since my pastor's family is Canadian, and since I have so many Canadian friends, I frequently celebrated the holiday in Wenatchee and continue to lovingly force my friends to celebrate with me in Bozeman. Today I thought I'd honor the day with a list of things I'm thankful for. Some are serious, some are more trivial, but believe me, I have an entire alphabet full!
A) Apples. I love apples- partially for the taste, but mostly for the small way that they transport me home. I might just be an apple snob who refuses to eat anything but extra-fancies from Washington (I might. Or I just am).
B) Bri! I seriously have the best roommate ever. I would not laugh nearly so much here without her, nor do I think anyone else could really put up with me. And I'm thankful that she frequently draws my attention to things that I don't notice, such as, "What are you going to be thankful for that starts with a Z?"
C) Cheez-its. Well, and crackers in general. I seriously think I could survive on crackers, apples, and peanut butter. Oh, who am I kidding- I do survive on that during the weekends. On an unrelated "C" note, I'm super thankful for Columbia Grove Covenant Church. I may not be able to worship with them regularly, but that place and those people taught me more about community, family, and love than almost any other. Thanks for being my "home."
D) Deodorant. Let's be honest, guys-- the world would be a much less pleasant place without it.
E) Emergen-C. Seriously. It's saved my immune system, and my ability to show up for class.
F) Friends and family. I'm so amazingly blessed by the people I have in my life. Whether they're in my room or miles away, whether we talk daily or not often enough, I know that I have solid relationships with people who genuinely care about me and how I'm doing. Plus, they are more fun than a barrel of monkeys (not that that is hard. That many monkeys sounds messy, not enjoyable).
G) God. I cannot describe the peace (it passes understanding ;) ) that I have in my life because of Him. I can rest assured knowing that He loves me and has an active role in my life.
H) Hugs. I am NOT a touch love-language person (words of encouragement all the way!), but sometimes you just need a hug. Plus, there's nothing better than that moment when you haven't seen a person for months and then finally get to hug them.
I) InterVarsity! It's been a phenomenal community to immerse myself in. I'm thankful for the ways that it challenges me to grow in my faith and the opportunities it's given me to stretch my leadership skills.
J) Jesus. Oh man, am I thankful for Jesus. The older I get the more I recognize just how broken, messed up, and sinful I am. I can't make myself better, nor do I have enough love in my heart to share it with those around me. I need a savior, and Jesus is the perfect one.
K) Kids! With their bright-eyed, honest way of looking at the world, they provide some necessary insight into my life while simultaneously reminding me to slow down, play a game, laugh, and run through the sprinklers.
L) Love. Oh, how I am thankful for love. I'm thankful for the ways that it makes me feel, but I'm also thankful for the ways that it makes me move and act in this world. I'm thankful for the unconditional love I receive from the Lord--because believe me, by the way that I act, I need unconditional love. And laughter. Laughter can bring light to the most unconventional, darkest places.
M) Music. From kids' musicals when I was young, to years of orchestra classes, to all the places that worship team and the Andrew Thompson Project has taken me, I literally can't imagine what my life would be like without music. It connects me to God in ways that nothing else can, whether I'm worshipping (fairly poorly) alone with my voice and a piano or guitar, or if I'm in the middle of the Body listening to a phenomenal set. I will forever be focusing on movie scores more than the visuals, updating my Spotify playlists, and getting on kicks where I listen to the exact same artist over and over again until I know all the words to all their songs, and I'm perfectly okay with that.
N) Newness. (Is that a word? If not, I'm making it one.) I really despise change, but I'm slowly learning the benefits that come when people, places, experiences, or routines are made new. Plus, I really enjoy meeting new people!
O) The Office. Office reruns have saved me from boredom many, many a time.
P) Postal services. I love mail. I love packages. I love that I can send things across the nation and across countries and get things in return. I sometimes *cough* frequently *cough* check my mail more than once a day so that I can be absolutely sure that there's not actually anything in it.
Q) Questions. It's kind of a curious thing to be thankful for, but I truly am. I'm thankful that Christianity both accepts and, in many cases, encourages people to ask questions. I'm really thankful for questions that people ask me about how my life is going, because it makes them seem like they're actually invested in me. I'm also thankful for questions people ask in class that help me understand the material better.
R) Residence life. Sometimes living in the dorms isn't all it's cracked up to be, and sometimes there are some silly regulations that accompany it, but for the most part I love Hapner and truly appreciate all that the residence life staff does to make it a welcoming home away from home. I also really love the ministry opportunities that arise from living here.
S) SLEEP. I work some crazy shifts this semester (that either end at 4am or start at 4am), so 18-21 hour long days have become all too common for me. I love sleep, when I can get it.
T) Technology. I am so thankful for so many aspects of technology. I'm thankful for cell phones that let me call and text people who are far too far away. I'm doubly thankful for applications like Skype and Google Chat- it's so cool that we can both see and hear people in real time no matter the distance. Seriously, guys. I take this for granted far too often. Also I love other technological benefits, like the internet (hello, blog-land!) and electricity. And hot water. And all the medical benefits. I'm in a technology in society course and basically I just sit there every day thinking about how lucky I am.
U) Underdogs-particularly the underdogs of the Bible. I feel very inadequate almost all the time, so it's reassuring to realize that all the people that God's used throughout history to further His plan have been pretty messed up, too.
V) Vitamins. See letter E.
W) Winter clothes. Note how snow is not on my list of things I'm thankful for. I like being warm. Therefore, I'm extremely grateful for every hat, scarf, coat, long underwear, wool socks, earmuffs, or pair of boots or gloves that I own. They help me be (somewhat) brave.
X) Xylophones. Mostly because they start with X, but also because they were the first instrument I got to play in elementary school.
Y) You! Whoever it is that's reading this, I'm thankful for you. I mostly just write for myself, but actually having an audience (even if it's just my mom and Sarah Floyd) makes it that much better.
Z) Calling the letter "Zee" "Zed." Because, after all, it is Canadian Thanksgiving. (Take that, Bri!)
Happy Thanksgiving, friends! May you take the time to remember all that you have been blessed with in life.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." -Psalm 107:1
AND.... It's not truly Canadian Thanksgiving without this catchy tune!
Okay, so that was a little tongue-in-cheek, but I do really love Canada, and after Easter, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Since my pastor's family is Canadian, and since I have so many Canadian friends, I frequently celebrated the holiday in Wenatchee and continue to lovingly force my friends to celebrate with me in Bozeman. Today I thought I'd honor the day with a list of things I'm thankful for. Some are serious, some are more trivial, but believe me, I have an entire alphabet full!
A) Apples. I love apples- partially for the taste, but mostly for the small way that they transport me home. I might just be an apple snob who refuses to eat anything but extra-fancies from Washington (I might. Or I just am).
B) Bri! I seriously have the best roommate ever. I would not laugh nearly so much here without her, nor do I think anyone else could really put up with me. And I'm thankful that she frequently draws my attention to things that I don't notice, such as, "What are you going to be thankful for that starts with a Z?"
C) Cheez-its. Well, and crackers in general. I seriously think I could survive on crackers, apples, and peanut butter. Oh, who am I kidding- I do survive on that during the weekends. On an unrelated "C" note, I'm super thankful for Columbia Grove Covenant Church. I may not be able to worship with them regularly, but that place and those people taught me more about community, family, and love than almost any other. Thanks for being my "home."
D) Deodorant. Let's be honest, guys-- the world would be a much less pleasant place without it.
E) Emergen-C. Seriously. It's saved my immune system, and my ability to show up for class.
F) Friends and family. I'm so amazingly blessed by the people I have in my life. Whether they're in my room or miles away, whether we talk daily or not often enough, I know that I have solid relationships with people who genuinely care about me and how I'm doing. Plus, they are more fun than a barrel of monkeys (not that that is hard. That many monkeys sounds messy, not enjoyable).
G) God. I cannot describe the peace (it passes understanding ;) ) that I have in my life because of Him. I can rest assured knowing that He loves me and has an active role in my life.
H) Hugs. I am NOT a touch love-language person (words of encouragement all the way!), but sometimes you just need a hug. Plus, there's nothing better than that moment when you haven't seen a person for months and then finally get to hug them.
I) InterVarsity! It's been a phenomenal community to immerse myself in. I'm thankful for the ways that it challenges me to grow in my faith and the opportunities it's given me to stretch my leadership skills.
J) Jesus. Oh man, am I thankful for Jesus. The older I get the more I recognize just how broken, messed up, and sinful I am. I can't make myself better, nor do I have enough love in my heart to share it with those around me. I need a savior, and Jesus is the perfect one.
K) Kids! With their bright-eyed, honest way of looking at the world, they provide some necessary insight into my life while simultaneously reminding me to slow down, play a game, laugh, and run through the sprinklers.
L) Love. Oh, how I am thankful for love. I'm thankful for the ways that it makes me feel, but I'm also thankful for the ways that it makes me move and act in this world. I'm thankful for the unconditional love I receive from the Lord--because believe me, by the way that I act, I need unconditional love. And laughter. Laughter can bring light to the most unconventional, darkest places.
M) Music. From kids' musicals when I was young, to years of orchestra classes, to all the places that worship team and the Andrew Thompson Project has taken me, I literally can't imagine what my life would be like without music. It connects me to God in ways that nothing else can, whether I'm worshipping (fairly poorly) alone with my voice and a piano or guitar, or if I'm in the middle of the Body listening to a phenomenal set. I will forever be focusing on movie scores more than the visuals, updating my Spotify playlists, and getting on kicks where I listen to the exact same artist over and over again until I know all the words to all their songs, and I'm perfectly okay with that.
N) Newness. (Is that a word? If not, I'm making it one.) I really despise change, but I'm slowly learning the benefits that come when people, places, experiences, or routines are made new. Plus, I really enjoy meeting new people!
O) The Office. Office reruns have saved me from boredom many, many a time.
P) Postal services. I love mail. I love packages. I love that I can send things across the nation and across countries and get things in return. I sometimes *cough* frequently *cough* check my mail more than once a day so that I can be absolutely sure that there's not actually anything in it.
Q) Questions. It's kind of a curious thing to be thankful for, but I truly am. I'm thankful that Christianity both accepts and, in many cases, encourages people to ask questions. I'm really thankful for questions that people ask me about how my life is going, because it makes them seem like they're actually invested in me. I'm also thankful for questions people ask in class that help me understand the material better.
R) Residence life. Sometimes living in the dorms isn't all it's cracked up to be, and sometimes there are some silly regulations that accompany it, but for the most part I love Hapner and truly appreciate all that the residence life staff does to make it a welcoming home away from home. I also really love the ministry opportunities that arise from living here.
S) SLEEP. I work some crazy shifts this semester (that either end at 4am or start at 4am), so 18-21 hour long days have become all too common for me. I love sleep, when I can get it.
T) Technology. I am so thankful for so many aspects of technology. I'm thankful for cell phones that let me call and text people who are far too far away. I'm doubly thankful for applications like Skype and Google Chat- it's so cool that we can both see and hear people in real time no matter the distance. Seriously, guys. I take this for granted far too often. Also I love other technological benefits, like the internet (hello, blog-land!) and electricity. And hot water. And all the medical benefits. I'm in a technology in society course and basically I just sit there every day thinking about how lucky I am.
U) Underdogs-particularly the underdogs of the Bible. I feel very inadequate almost all the time, so it's reassuring to realize that all the people that God's used throughout history to further His plan have been pretty messed up, too.
V) Vitamins. See letter E.
W) Winter clothes. Note how snow is not on my list of things I'm thankful for. I like being warm. Therefore, I'm extremely grateful for every hat, scarf, coat, long underwear, wool socks, earmuffs, or pair of boots or gloves that I own. They help me be (somewhat) brave.
X) Xylophones. Mostly because they start with X, but also because they were the first instrument I got to play in elementary school.
Y) You! Whoever it is that's reading this, I'm thankful for you. I mostly just write for myself, but actually having an audience (even if it's just my mom and Sarah Floyd) makes it that much better.
Z) Calling the letter "Zee" "Zed." Because, after all, it is Canadian Thanksgiving. (Take that, Bri!)
Happy Thanksgiving, friends! May you take the time to remember all that you have been blessed with in life.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." -Psalm 107:1
AND.... It's not truly Canadian Thanksgiving without this catchy tune!
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