Thankful - Day 5

I am thankful for laughter and a safe place to be ourselves. The gift of eating a meal with friends and talking about life is one I don't take for granted. I am also thankful for new friends who care about the things we care about and are passionate to see God's kingdom and healing come to those in our community.

Thankful - Day 4

Today, I am thankful for my brother. He is such an upstanding and great guy. We're six years apart in age, so we didn't get along for quite a while. However, distance makes the heart grow fonder, and my leaving (the country) for college helped our relationship a lot. He's in college now, and it's awesome. I have to remember that he's an adult now, not a little boy... That's hard to remember since I haven't lived with him since he was twelve! But just getting to talk to him on the phone and see him twice a year helps with that. I am so proud of the man he is and is becoming. I cannot wait to see where his life takes him!

Thankful - Day 3

Today, I remember how thankful I am for the season of life that we're in. We have so much time together (which we both need and love), and a lot of downtime. We're able to be so invested in the things that are important to us and although our jobs are often stressful, this is an amazing time in our lives. I'm so grateful for the relationships we're building, the experience we're gaining, and the amazing time we have together!

Thankful - Day 2

Today, I am thankful for seasons. I am so lucky to have grown up in California, a most beautiful and interesting place. However, I love living in a part of the country that actually experiences seasons! Granted, Colorado is a bit bipolar about the weather, but that just makes it more interesting! I love waking up to snow softly falling and coating on the trees. The world is a quiet and peaceful place when it snows. I love crunching through crispy white snow, even when I still have to get up and clean off my car and go to work. Right now I'm looking out the window at the tree outside that is coated in heavy white powder. Beautiful.

Thankful - Day 1

Maybe it's cheesy, but I saw something going around on facebook where everyone posts something that they're thankful for every day until Thanksgiving. I have so many things to be thankful for, so I thought I'd try that on this blog.

Today I am so thankful for our house church. We had a really small group tonight but it was peaceful and safe and lovely. I am so thankful for friends who serve so humbly - even just someone doing my dishes means so much to me and reminds me that I need to be better about serving others (even if it's just in the little things). I am so blessed to know these people and to get to live life intimately with them.

Home again.

So, we saw a part of the country we'd never been to before. And it was beautiful. We drove through hills and (baby) mountains, past streams and rivers and trains and trees. Beautiful. We read a lot, drank a lot of fall-themed beverages, slept a lot. We picked apples in a sunny apple orchard in Connecticut, drank the most delicious chai on a rainy day in NYC, slowly ate slow food in Vermont, and tripped over cobblestones in Boston. It was glorious. Eight straight days together, and we still had things to talk about. We never tire of each other. Multiple times older married couples asked if we were newlyweds, and then seemed surprised that we have been married almost two years. Then we asked them their secret to thirty or forty-six years of marriage... "Yes, dear" was the answer for all. Then they laughed and one couple said it's important to have a common goal. The other, longer married couple, they told us to never give up. Work together and don't give up like all the other young couples out there. I love advice from people who have seen it all.

But... It's so good to be home. I love Bloom. It felt so like home to be there tonight. Looking around at all the familiar and unfamiliar faces, feeling comfortable enough to take off my shoes and take barefoot communion (as we do every week), listening to people sing at the tops of their lungs, with all they've got... It's beautiful. I love it so much, and I love feeling the presence of God in our midst.

I'm so thankful for the friends I have here. They made me feel like I (we) were missed, and that's so good.

Yellow

Maybe I decided just now that every day I need a little yellow (or mustard) in my life. On the way to Breckenridge* yesterday, while listening to "Ghosts Upon the Earth" and staring out the windows at the yellow aspens, I crocheted a yellow cowl to match. It was delightful and just like fall. I've been inspired by my dear coworker to love this color, and I'm so glad I know her - for that reason and many others.

*We went to Breck to celebrate some dear friends' engagement. And it was delightful. We heard the story of life and surprise, and I talked for a long while with their mothers. I soaked it up - I so miss being around people my parents' age. And weddings are always a beautiful thing!

I love when people call their spouse / spouse-to-be "love", "dearest*", or "darling". It's so old-fashioned and lovely. (*I call David "dearest" because it's what Mormor and Papa used to call each other... at the very least, on their Christmas presents to each other)