So, I have been in a fairly contemplative state of mind since yesterday. I did not really say all that I was thankful for in the previous post, and I guess I will touch on that a little bit here.
It is hard to incapsulate ever single thing I am thankful for, because...there are just a great many things.
In tenth grade English class, Mrs. Henle taught us that 1/8th of the iceberg is visible, while the remaining 7/8ths is below the surface. Well, the list of the things for which I am thankful is just the tip of the iceberg.
I am thankful for my faith. I am thankful for a Savior who who sees me as worthy of redemption when I am a Thomas, a Paul, a sorry pile of dung at my BEST, and in spite of all that, still looks at me with so much love. I am thankful for the Grace that has been showered upon me when I deserve nothing but God's wrath.
I am thankful to be an aunt to the two most precious people on this planet. Their little faces brighten my darkest day.
I am thankful for my brother, whom I miss so much it hurts. Texting, phone and video chats are great, but I miss seeing and spending quality time with him on a weekly basis.
I am thankful for my precious boy, and all of the comfort and companionship he provides.
I am thankful for selfless parents.
I am thankful for college football, and that my heart can handle the intensity.
I am thankful to have a best friend who has been my angel of mercy when I have been at my most broken, and for providing me with the most precious extended "family" when I have needed it most.
I am thankful for laughter.
I am thankful for music.
I am thankful for life.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Give Thanks....
When I was growing up, Thanksgiving meant a few key things. A ton of good food, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the company of my parents and my brother. It was always small. Holidays with the Denticis were always small. I'd watch the parade with my mom, and comment on all the floats. I remember telling my mom that I bet the Rockettes were cold since they were not wearing any pants. My mom assured me that they were wearing flesh colored tights, so they weren't cold. :-)
Every year, we would sit at the table and go around naming the things for which we were most grateful.
Well, over the years, our gathering has shifted. Since my brother and his family now live in State College, PA, there are definite empty places at the table. Nothing ever stays the same, and time marches on.
Well, today, I ate lunch with my parents. Afterwards, we came back to my apartment, and decorated my Christmas tree, while reminiscing about the stories behind each ornament that adorned each branch. We got to have a brief video chat with my brother and niece, and that has been something I'd been wanting to do for a while. My little niece is my heart. I love that little girl. My nephew was napping, but I will get to see him when they come to visit in about two weeks, so I am VERY excited for that. When my brother and his family moved to Pennsylvania, my nephew was a baby. He is now a little person, and it is hard to believe how much he has grown. It will be good to see each of them, again, and to give them each a hug. Two. Weeks.
I rounded out my Thanksgiving at a friend's house, and we discussed everything from life, the mercy and mystery of Christ, and some other odds and ends and whatnots. Fun times. Ginger beer and spiked eggnog accompany conversations quite well, by the way. :)
I am thankful for so much. SO. much. I might not vocalize each and everyone/thing, but I have so many blessings.
Here is a picture of my mom and me. As she put it, "I look a little goofy." Well, mama, I think I am the one that looks goofy. YOU look fabulous. :)
Every year, we would sit at the table and go around naming the things for which we were most grateful.
Well, over the years, our gathering has shifted. Since my brother and his family now live in State College, PA, there are definite empty places at the table. Nothing ever stays the same, and time marches on.
Well, today, I ate lunch with my parents. Afterwards, we came back to my apartment, and decorated my Christmas tree, while reminiscing about the stories behind each ornament that adorned each branch. We got to have a brief video chat with my brother and niece, and that has been something I'd been wanting to do for a while. My little niece is my heart. I love that little girl. My nephew was napping, but I will get to see him when they come to visit in about two weeks, so I am VERY excited for that. When my brother and his family moved to Pennsylvania, my nephew was a baby. He is now a little person, and it is hard to believe how much he has grown. It will be good to see each of them, again, and to give them each a hug. Two. Weeks.
I rounded out my Thanksgiving at a friend's house, and we discussed everything from life, the mercy and mystery of Christ, and some other odds and ends and whatnots. Fun times. Ginger beer and spiked eggnog accompany conversations quite well, by the way. :)
I am thankful for so much. SO. much. I might not vocalize each and everyone/thing, but I have so many blessings.
Here is a picture of my mom and me. As she put it, "I look a little goofy." Well, mama, I think I am the one that looks goofy. YOU look fabulous. :)
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Grace and Thanksgiving
When I was five years old, I met this girl who quickly became my best friend. When you are that age, a person becomes your friend because you like the same things, or something so cheesy and superficial like that.
Taylor liked Alabama. I liked Auburn. Taylor liked the color red. I liked the color pink. Really, there was one thing that we both loved the same amount. We loved the movie "La Bamba." Seriously. I still say that no one does a locker lean quite like Ritchie (Lou Diamond Phillips). We were obsessed.
As we grew up, life took us in opposite directions, and we lost touch. Even though we lost touch, I would think of Tayls every September 1. The first of September is her birthday, but growing up, it was also my parents' wedding anniversary.
Taylor would come to mind every year on Iron Bowl Saturday. Even though we were not in touch, I always, always had things that would bring her to mind.
Fast forward to 2006. Providentually, thanks to a thing known as MySpace, I was reconnected with my childhood best friend. The beautiful thing about being reconnected when we were? It was two weeks before my dad passed away.
One night in July 2006, I got a phone call. The simple question I heard on the other end of the phone,("How ya doin'?") yielded an avalanche of an answer. Out of that conversation came something I will never forget. Her words: "I can't give you what you want, but I can give you what you need." I spent a short, but much needed four days on a couch in Charleston, South Carolina. That trip gave new life to a friendship that had been lying dormant for 13 years.
Nine years later, Tayls is still the best of the bestest friends I am blessed to have in my life. Thanks to her, I have a family who loves me and supports me, and is thankful for me.
This past weekend was an early Thanksgiving. I was invited. I wasn't invited as a friend, I was invited as a part of the family. I love being a part of a family where there is no dividing line. I have a family outside of my own, and it is a good thing. A beautiful thing. I am so blessed and fortunate to be greeted by love when I visit. Where someone else's parents feel like my own parents. Someone else's siblings feel like my own.
As I was leaving, I was told how loved I was, and how much of a daughter I feel to them. Being loved feels nice. I am so thankful. God continues to bless me with what I don't deserve. Grace and Thanksgiving. The two go hand in hand.
Nine years ago, at my most broken place...God brought angels of mercy into my life, and what has bloomed from that is far more beautiful than I could/would have ever dreamed.
Taylor liked Alabama. I liked Auburn. Taylor liked the color red. I liked the color pink. Really, there was one thing that we both loved the same amount. We loved the movie "La Bamba." Seriously. I still say that no one does a locker lean quite like Ritchie (Lou Diamond Phillips). We were obsessed.
As we grew up, life took us in opposite directions, and we lost touch. Even though we lost touch, I would think of Tayls every September 1. The first of September is her birthday, but growing up, it was also my parents' wedding anniversary.
Taylor would come to mind every year on Iron Bowl Saturday. Even though we were not in touch, I always, always had things that would bring her to mind.
Fast forward to 2006. Providentually, thanks to a thing known as MySpace, I was reconnected with my childhood best friend. The beautiful thing about being reconnected when we were? It was two weeks before my dad passed away.
One night in July 2006, I got a phone call. The simple question I heard on the other end of the phone,("How ya doin'?") yielded an avalanche of an answer. Out of that conversation came something I will never forget. Her words: "I can't give you what you want, but I can give you what you need." I spent a short, but much needed four days on a couch in Charleston, South Carolina. That trip gave new life to a friendship that had been lying dormant for 13 years.
Nine years later, Tayls is still the best of the bestest friends I am blessed to have in my life. Thanks to her, I have a family who loves me and supports me, and is thankful for me.
This past weekend was an early Thanksgiving. I was invited. I wasn't invited as a friend, I was invited as a part of the family. I love being a part of a family where there is no dividing line. I have a family outside of my own, and it is a good thing. A beautiful thing. I am so blessed and fortunate to be greeted by love when I visit. Where someone else's parents feel like my own parents. Someone else's siblings feel like my own.
As I was leaving, I was told how loved I was, and how much of a daughter I feel to them. Being loved feels nice. I am so thankful. God continues to bless me with what I don't deserve. Grace and Thanksgiving. The two go hand in hand.
Nine years ago, at my most broken place...God brought angels of mercy into my life, and what has bloomed from that is far more beautiful than I could/would have ever dreamed.
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