Hands & Knees 101

Ok, shoot. Let’s get that selfish tirade post pushed a little bit further down the page. I’m embarrassed at it’s current prominence. Today’s post will hopefully show you my true heart…well, maybe it will at least over rule the blacker parts of it. Here we go. A non-exhaustive laundry list of things I am thankful for…in no certain order:

• My job. Every single day when I come into work, I read on the news or hear my co-workers talking about another company that has had to go through layoffs. I would never be so naive to think that my job is immune from that possibility…but I’m thankful for every day that I can come in to work.
• My husband. I know that I went on and on about him a couple posts ago, so i’ll try not to be redundant. Dorian just blesses me to my very core. He completes me. I think it’s fair to say that I don’t know what I would do without him. I’m thankful for who he is. I’m thankful for the way our personalities absolutely compliment each other. I’m even thankful for when we have conflict because of the way it proves to bring us closer together. I’m thankful that I consistently learn new things about him. I’m thankful for his sense of humor and how it cultivates an environment between us that is never dull. I’m thankful for his outlook on life. I’m thankful for the way that he sees me. He values me and loves me for who I am. And though i’m not ever a ”fake” person with anyone else, I am very guarded…and I don’t have to be with him. He loves me, including my walls…well, maybe more accurately said: he loves me, despite of my walls. And he doesn’t mind having to knock them over (again) every once in a while (fine, all the time). Stuff it. I’m working on it!
• Our families. My family is incredible. I married in to another incredible family. The family situation in my life is just an all around incredible blessing. There are little dysfunctions and problems here and there, but truly, what family doesn’t have that? And if you don’t? Well, i’m honestly a little sorry for you. You must tell me how boring your life is! In fact, would you like a bit of our dysfunction? It’ll make you smile, I promise. Our families are chocked full of character. Bursting at the seems, actually. And I wouldn’t trade that for all the “normalcy” in the world. I love each and every individual that makes our lives as full and colorful and exciting as they are. They are wonderful, caring, loving, giving people. I think I would succeed in writing The Longest Blog Post Ever if I were to tell you how much I love every one of them and why. So just know, I love them a lot and am overwhelmingly thankful that they are mine. My family.
• Friends. My word, I have amazing friends. The kind of people that would leave a gaping hole in my life if they were ever to make an exit from it. I mean, gaping. I have the kind of friends that define the idea of being by your side through thick and thin. They set the standard. If you look at our wedding pictures, the women standing next to me? Make my heart beat. Friendship with them is a fulfilling, rich, thrilling experience that cannot be accurately bound by words. And if I’d had my way, 10 more people would have been standing there too. I truly have more incredible friends than I could have ever asked for.
• God’s power and control and timing in guiding my life every second from before I was even a blip on the radar. The history involved in bringing my life to where it is now is just staggering to me. I cannot be more thankful for the way people allowed God to work in their lives which transitioned into teaching me to allow God to take a hold of my life, which often times meant that he was holding it and guiding it without my knowledge and even against my will…and I. am. HUMBLED. That even when I didn’t understand and was saying “umm, I think you might be a little wrong…alot! Let’s do more what I want, please. Thank you.”…He knew and was still gently leading and creating this beautiful, wonderful life filled with things that I can’t ever be thankful enough for.
• Summer. Breezy, fresh, beautiful, WARM, sunny, eventful, sandy, chlorine-filled, tanned, vacationy, colorful, long-anticipated SUMMER. Um, I love summer. Enough said.
• The sky. Very vague, corny sounding. But bear with me. I haven’t ever seen the same picture in the sky twice. I am completely mesmerized by how beautiful it can be. Every aspect of it. Sunrises, sunsets, clouds, rays of sunshine, and rainbows. Almost every time I get into my car and get onto a long stretch of road, I am greeted by a different scene in the sky…and I love it. I can literally look forward to it, every time.
• My car. It can be a temperamental, needy little thing…but I really do love my car.
• Small group. I look forward to Monday’s ever week, because it means I get to go to small group. I love the women that are in my group. I love the dynamics that each one brings to the table. I love the discussions we get into. I love knowing that I can talk about what I believe with a group of people that are on the exact same page as I am. I am very thankful to have been able to get involved.
• The (technical) freedom to believe what I want to believe.
• Anything pink. What a beautiful color. Oh, oh, ok. But to make this a serious thing to be thankful for…how about the abilityto see clearly. haHA! Yes, my eye sight. So I can know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that pink is the best.

Ok, now I feel like i’m just getting into the fifth grade list of Things I am Thankful for…but I am very glad to say, that I could keep going and expounding. Which is honestly encouraging, even to me…I was a little upset with myself yesterday at how quickly my mind went into that pithy little tirade. So, there you go…i’m not a completely selfish ogre. Only, very dominantly.