thankful list

THANKFUL LIST: 

1) Long road trips home - with The Beach Boys blaring and the McDonalds french fries, crispy-fresh. There's something about cheap coffee and dark chocolate from late night gas stations... about being so tired after driving all day that you'll listen to anything, just to stay awake. Road trips are heinous. But they're becoming so common, I'm learning to love them. 

2) Squeezes around the neck from little arms - peals of tiny laughter and sweet whispers in my ear. 

3) Good conversations with old friends. 

I'm thankful for reunions with people after 4 years that feel like not a second of time has past since we last saw them. Some friendships eclipse time and moves across the globe and changes and are exactly as you remember. I'm thankful for those friendships. 

4)  Golden afternoons spent between trees in my hammock with a good book and a playlist that hits all the right spots. 

5) Lessons learned from the past. I used to cringe at the past, you know. 

I still do sometimes. It's not always a pretty thing. But instead of dwelling, the Lord has been revealing the freedom found in praising for the lessons learned and in moving forward in joy. It's a process. And I'm still growing in it.

I know that when I finally do look back one day, I'll see all the growth and it will be a beautiful picture. I'm thankful for that hope above all else...and for the peace it offers. 

6) On a lighter note, I'm thankful for falafel in all it's entirety. Well, I guess I'm thankful for all Greek food, really. It's what dreams are made of, friends.
That's all you need to know about that.

7) Cleaning frenzies with Madre, complete with laughter and sprays from the hose.

And also in the wisdom that she never ceases to bring into my life. 

I'm so thankful for her heart...and for her friendship. 

8) Chapel Hill...for growing on me and becoming another place I love to call home. 

It's a beautiful place. 

9) Fresh buns and endless coffee. 

10) Breezy mornings on the porch, with only my puppy to keep me company. 

These aren't overly exciting days...they're fast paced and busy and full of the usual. But I'm learning to love them...to PRAISE for them and to see beautiful mountains out of ordinary mole hills. My heart's desire is to see to the Lord in the mundane. 

So I'm learning to rejoice in everything and to humbly keep my eyes forward. 

I'm excited, friends. 

There are wonderful things to be seen...and to look forward to. 

---------------------------------------------------

“But, first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs. And secondly, I give you a warning. Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia