Thankful Thoughts: Silent Cries

Tonight I'm thankful for tears. I'm thankful for second chances. I'm thankful for eyes that look on me with love, and choose to see righteousness... The righteousness given to me. I'm thankful for pain. I'm thankful for the wilderness. I'm thankful for a Comforter that feels our silent cries. I'm thankful for the price that bought me. I'm thankful for the One who is still putting the pieces of my life together. I'm thankful for grace.

Thankful Thoughts: Days 15, 16, 17, AND 18.

I was asked by a friend if I was going to blog again soon, and I thought "geez, Louise! It hasn't been that long!" . . . false. It has been. I failed. Here I am, trying to make up for lost time.

Tuesday (the 15th): This was such a long time ago...

I'm thankful for an hour-and-a-half basketball practice. :) (better than our usual hour)
I'm thankful for my small group. Seriously, a group of the most encouraging people I know. LOVE them!
I'm thankful for preachers who have no fear to preach the Gospel.
I'm thankful for my friends, Jeremy and Emily, who were able to join me for small group.
I'm thankful for friends who can cook. Seriously. WINNER!

Wednesday (the 16th):

I'm thankful for other church families.
I'm thankful for the entertainment I experienced while I was donating plasma (included but not limited to the "I don't go to college" guy who would rather "stay home and do a bong" and the rapper across from me)
I'm thankful for the chance to share the hope of Christ with the two aforementioned "entertainers"
I'm thankful for Thanksgiving dinners... and those who can cook them well.
I'm thankful for mashed potatoes. I LOVE them.
I'm thankful for the chance to practice with the Oak Grove worship team. This was such a blessing, and a small taste of the parts of my church in Iowa that I had been missing.
I'm thankful for friends with open hearts, willing to be my friend and get to know me.

Thursday (the 17th):

I'm thankful that I did NOT consume pizza, pecans, green Kool-aid. (which I had consumed prior to the last time I had the flu)
I'm thankful that God knew I needed a break and saw fit to give me one.
I'm thankful for "unexpected" weight loss.
I'm thankful that I didn't get the flu when I was planning on traveling home.
I'm thankful for Emily and Laura who got to spend a "sick day" with me.
I'm thankful for people who look out for me.
I'm thankful that I didn't pass out or end up in the hospital.
I'm thankful for people who offer to bring me soup to make me feel better.

Friday (the 18th): Yes, it isn't even noon, but I have a feeling not much more will happen today...

I'm thankful for rest.
I'm thankful for encouragement from believers.
I'm thankful for my family.
I'm thankful for weekends.
I'm thankful for cocoa puffs.
and... I'm thankful for naps.

And I'm thankful for my "faithful followers."
(Someday, I'll have enough followers to do a give-away. Something fun. Something personalized. Something that you'll love... if I ever get followers... hahahaha)

Are you spending your days being thankful? Or are you looking past the little things?

Thankful Thoughts: Day 14

Today, I was reminded of my thankfulness for a few things specifically. While I was waiting to donate plasma, I was reading through the book of guidelines an things to know. One requirement was that you couldn't have lived in Portugal for more than three months in 1996. Weird, I know, but I was reminded that living in Portugal was an incredible experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. :) Another thing, while I was waiting, was my health. I have nothing wrong with my health, aside from occasional allergies and my occasional irregular heartbeat (which might just be a very athletic heart... so I'm still not convinced that's a bad thing)! Praise the Lord for His goodness in my health. He is good in my un-health and He is good to those with health problems. But He has richly blessed me! :)

Thankful Thoughts: Days 11, 12, and 13

Day eleven was Friday: I was able to drive up to Iowa after school and basketball practice to see my brother, catch up with some friends, and watch basketball. I'm thankful for:

basketball. LOVE it.
my younger brother, Seth.
my car that runs.
my new alternator.
a friendly, yet unexpected smile. :)
friends who speak the truth in love and continually shower me with encouragement.
girlfriends...
[specifically Jennifer over at always keep HeART and Melyssa over at Melyssa with a "Y"]

pasta. love that stuff. seriously.
finally realizing some things about yourself that puts some pieces together.
finding contentment. :)

Day twelve: Thankful for...

whomever came up with hair dye. :) love that stuff too!
friends that are friends no matter the circumstance.
advice from those who understand what my life circumstances are.

Day thirteen:

restoring friendships.
music.
church family.
being able to wholeheartedly praise my Savior.
music that points to the Creator and King.
hanging out with friends.
my dear mother who is an encouragement. :)

A week and a day until I visit the homeland! Which reminds me... I entered "home" in my GPS and had no idea where it would take me... and at this point, I can't remember. :/

Broken.

We are vessels. God's Word tells us that. I was once told that when we are cracked and imperfect, that is when the Light in us has the greatest chance to shine. My vessel is broken. And frankly, so is my heart. I feel like pieces of me are scattered all around and I am distracted. He alone can set my focus and fix my eyes on Him. He alone can put me back together. There are jagged edges to my brokenness. There are pieces waiting to be glued back together with the grace and healing only Christ can provide. But with each broken piece, comes the super glue of grace, pressure of life, and time. Time to heal. Time for the glue to set. Time for our hearts to remember the brokenness and remember the lessons learned from it.

I am broken.
But my God is healer.
He only knows what my vessel will look like.
But while I wait for the pieces to be put back together, I must wait for the glue to dry an remember that the Light within sometimes shines brightest when we are weakest... and...

broken.

Thankful Thoughts: Day Ten

The morning of the tenth of November, I found myself wanting to hop on a plane. Where I would fly to? I'd take just about anywhere... Lisbon, Salt Lake City, down south, STL, PA... seriously, if I could've, I would've hopped on a plane to go about anywhere but here. Why? Comparison. The ONLY reason. I LOVE Kansas City and I love the things and friends God has provided for me here. But I found myself thinking of a friend in Utah that I would love to see, and a friend in North Carolina that I would LOVE to just spend time with, and a friend in Pennsylvania who I could really stand to make some SWEET memories with!!! But here I am, living the life God has planned for me. I'm here, not there. And I love it here. Why do I go out of my way to make myself discontent? Good question...

Theodore Roosevelt worded it well when he said, "Comparison is the thief of joy."

Those words are so true. Today, I'm thankful for life. I'm thankful that my Savior knows what's best for me. I'm thankful that I was able to spend the day teaching kids how to read, write, and count. I'm thankful that I could spend my afternoon teaching girls the fundamentals of basketball and an example of being wholehearted about something and learning to do a certain thing well. I'm thankful for my dear friend, Laura. Thursdays are our only real day to talk, and I enjoy that. We spend our Thursday evenings playing volleyball in a rec league, then we get Sonic Slushies (lemon berry is the BEST), and we catch up on each others' life. She is truly a blessing. And she talks sense into me when I get a little gung ho about something that should just be let go of. ;) That girl is a blessing.

God is good to me.
He holds my hand.
He helps me stand.
He holds me tight.
He helps me fight.
God is GOOD to me.

Thankful thoughts: day nine.

Yesterday marked seventeen years since I trusted in the saving work of the blood of Christ. The grace God has shown me has kept me from so much filth and redeemed me from an eternity without Him.

Another thing I'm incredibly thankful for was the chance to talk to a good friend from camp tonight on the phone. It's amazing how and when things like that work out. What a blessing! :)