30 Day Gratitude Challenge 1.24-1.25

Yesterday and Today, my gratitude is coming at you in pictures. Hope you enjoy the post.

Sweet V - a victim of sex-trafficing in Managua, Nicaragua. She was a gift for a few day. 

The view at Masaya Volcano in Managua, Nicaragua. Thankful God let me see this sight while there.

The moon and the sunset are my two favorite skies. This picture was a gift of both. 

The kids worshipping at Trust Home in Pokhara, Nepal. I'm thankful I got to worship with them. 

Three little fellows I met at Trust Home. I fell in love with them & I'm thankful for my lil Uno buddies. 

Nephew #4. Precious face. 

Nephew #3 - the lil Stinker. :) 

Nephew #2 - the lil precocious one. (and photo creeper)

A memory to be thankful for. 

Words from Beth Moore that remind me to hang on to my own security and dignity.

Yellow earrings - a gift from a sweet friend. I love earrings in general. 

Quote from a favorite movie & my favorite city in the world. 

Nephew #1 - the little man. (he's a stinker too)

my beautiful mama. She's a tough lady who's been through a lot. I hope I can smile at things like her in the aftermath of struggle like she's walked in. 

my small group girls (some of them) - the gather themselves on sundays. <3 their hearts. 

art that speaks to my heart. This painting won't escape my mind even still. 

Hot air balloon sighting this last sunday on the way to BRCC. I Love hot air balloons. I want to take a ride someday with someone I love. 

One of my favorite bracelets. I love it. 

Important words. 

Gifts from Nepal for someone. They sit on my shelf waiting. 

My new Hunger Games necklace! So fun. :) 

Sunsets from our back porch. 

Storms in the distance are beautiful. 

Funny text messages me and my friends have. (yes I'm the one in the gray). 

all in all, there are these things and far more that I'm thankful for. I love the things I have, I love the God who gave them to me. thankful for being alive, for being granted grace in abundance. 

~

30 Days of Gratitude 1.23

~ Gratitude turns what we have into enough. ~

I read that today on Pinterest. It's interesting to me that a culture of envy and materialistic need and want has to be reminded to be thankful. Just last week, I found myself counseling a jealous heart, encouraging a sad and discouraged heart and doing a few other things, and my answer to all - Be thankful. Change your perspective through gratitude. 

Gratitude is the most profound perspective shifter in this world. Find reason to be thankful in every moment of your day and you'll change every single thing about your life. Here's an hour by hour list of what I was thankful for today. 

7:00am - an alarm set to remind me to pray for a friend. I was thankful to be awoken from sleep to pray for her. She & I texted today and that encouraged me. I'm thankful for that friendship. 

8:00am -  the 90-day Reading Challenge. Today I read in Leviticus and Numbers. Two of the most daunting books to muddle through. But I was thankful to be able to read them. I felt nearer to God just by opening up my heart to it. 

9:00am - a Giant bottle of Ibuprofen to take away some of the pain I was experiencing. Common grace, it is, and for that, I'm thankful. 

10:00am - a hot shower, soap that smells lovely, and clean towels. Things that we take for granted in our first world living. 

11:00am - smiling & friendly familiar baristas who know my name, chat about the day and life. First world treat, yes, but an opportunity to establish some Jesus connections. 

12:00pm - Got to see and spend time with my best friend 3 days in a row. Thankful for that. (So was she)

1:00pm - praying with my brother, I was thankful to know and have a brother who is my brother in Christ but also brother in real life. We can share Christ and share blood - and serve in a body of Christ together. A gift. 

2:00pm - Laughter. Nothing better in the world than a hearty laugh on a day you're feeling kind of low. :) 

3:00pm - a talk with my "wifey" - my west coast bestie for an hour and a half. Heart to hearts, talking to my far away niece and hearing her say "talk to aunt manderz????" and chatting with her a bit. Thankful. 

4:00pm - Hugs from my mom, time to catch up with her for the day and just talk about God things with her too. 

5:00pm - Books. I like to read and I love reading books in any spare time. Electronic devices like my Nook and my phone both let me have a book at my finger tips all the time. 

6:00pm - My nephews - Tonight we went to his little AWANA awards ceremony and that was just cool. I'm one proud auntie of 4 little guys. Everything about them makes me love them. I'm thankful for each face, each heart and each one of them. 

7:00pm - Songs from my childhood. At the award ceremony, they sang some songs that I sang in sunday school as a child. The memories were lovely. I'm thankful for them. 

8:00pm - Family time. Went to Bloop with my family and just loved laughing with them, cuddling with Little Man on the way and all around just being with my family. Thankful. 

9:00pm - Laughing with my dad. We watched the American Idol finale together and I just loved having that memory with him. Arguing about who would win (in fun of course) and enjoying the final moments together. (I was right, for the record!) 

10:00pm - Music. Got to just enjoy some interning music moments with my dad and the A.I. finale. But it reminded me as always how deeply I love music and how thankful I am for it. :) 

11:00pm - This time. This hour. This moment. I'm thankful for it. I'm thankful that God has allowed me to keep pressing into this on good or bad days. Gratitude is the best exercise of faith and hope and belief in m life. 

....

Hope you can find reasons in each hour, each moment to be thankful. 

Gratitude Challenge 1.22

It's the 22nd day of the Gratitude challenge. As always, it is an anchor of perspective for my heart and I hope you've discovered new ways to be thankful. Today I'm going to write a post about things that are normally viewed as unpleasant, bad or icky and how I've learned to be thankful for them. 




....tears....
I've been exceptionally weepy this week. I'm a girl, I"m allowed to be from time to time. All I know is that this time last year, I was crying everyday for months on end. The fact that it only happens in small spurts at this point is one reason I'm thankful for tears. But really, tears remind me that my heart is alive, beating and feeling. I went for far too long in this life not really crying or resisting the tears. In the last couple of months and the heartbreak that have upended my heart, I've dropped a lot of tears. Not as many as I expected - mostly because I spent about a month in sheer shock and some kind of post-trauma coma. The tears come all too easily now, but I'm thankful for them. I'm thankful that I can cry and God doesn't run away from my tears. Most people don't know with a weepy, messily crying Amanda, I've learned. And honestly, it makes me so thankful that I can fall apart as much and as hard as I need with Jesus and He isn't scared off, and I'm not too much for him. But really, the tears are a reminder that hurt is real, and someday it will be over. And that there will be better days. I remember a few years ago my brother reminding me that bad days are good because they help us be more thankful for the good days. I've never forgotten it. So tearful days make me thankful for the days I make it through with lots of sunshine and no tears.

...missing people...
Tonight someone posted a picture of a woman I greatly respect and admire from my old church. I miss her. There are people I miss in my life. My nephews. My beloved friend who has completely cut me off. I miss my childhood friends sometimes. I miss my old friend who I don't talk to often enough. I miss my best friend who I talk to almost everyday but don't get to see more than once a year. I miss the hugs, the talks, the snuggles, the connection with all of these people. It makes my heart ache on levels I can't even begin to describe. How could I be thankful for such a painful ache and holes in my heart like that? Well, honestly, some of it stings far more than others and it's hard to be thankful when the thought of someone still brings a tear to the heart. But the truth is, each person has become a part of me. I love so deeply, so fully that each person I pour into like I have to each of these are forever a part of me. Never will my heart not have a space for them, even if they - like one recent - choose to reject that space. My gratitude is that God has allowed me to love that way. Painful. But a reminder of what love should and could be like. What restoration of the human condition awaits us when He comes to the earth and makes all things right. I need that so much. I'm thankful for a King who is Redeemer and Restorer of broken things. Even these spaces in my heart that break when missing beloved people.

...hurts & heart- wounds....
Of these, I have plenty. But I'm thankful for them because my Jesus is a healer. He restores, heals, redeems and puts hearts back together. He is Liberating King. He is Healer. I'm thankful that I am not alone in those hurts, those wounds. A few nights ago, sharing with a friend some places of deep hurt that are still far too tender to be touched frequently, she reminded me that He is with me in identifying with those hurts, because He experienced and still experiences betrayals, rejection too. No one understands more the deepest kind of hurt better than Jesus. The kinds of betrayal and hurt he walked in on this earth are every bit as real and true as what we can experience. Still, people reject, defame, bad mouth, toss aside His love as casual as yesterday's trash. I'm thankful for my hurts, my wounds because His grace is more than sufficient to cover and carry. Because He alone heals me. Because He understands it.

with that, I have not a whole lot more to see. Tonight, my heart is heavy but I carry with me gratitude like a beacon of hope that better days are coming, healing, restoration and redemption are coming for all the hurts in this life. 

Well-Read?

Am I well-read? Apparently the average person has only read six of the following. The challenge, Strike out the ones you've read. I think I did a fair bit better than six. :) Still interesting. And a good way to make a goal of reading them all. (yes, that much of a nerd, I am. <-- and yes, I did just talk like Yoda for good measure.) 

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Bible - Various
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 
Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien ((mildly embarrassed that this hasn't been read yet))
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch - George Eliot
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell ((I'm halfway through this one))
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
Emma - Jane Austen
Persuasion - Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Dune - Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
On The Road - Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Dracula - Bram Stoker
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
Germinal - Emile Zola
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession - AS Byatt
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte’s Web - EB White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery 
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
Watership Down - Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

30 Days of Gratitude 1.18-1.21

there is so much to be thankful for! I've kept tabs over the last few days...but just haven't had a chance to sit and write. I have some now and I'm excited. I'm going to write a list b/c it's just too much! 


- rainstorms and thunderstorms
- homemade tortillas
- super fluffy white clouds
- beautiful sunshiny humid-free days. 
- Of Monsters & Men's song "The King & Lionheart"
- Pretty makeup.
- being tackled with hugs by 4th-6th grade girls. 
- the magnificent privilege of God's presence. 
- God's word. 
- text bombs at 1am from a friend's broken phone. Made me smile.
- Superhero movies. 
- tears. 
- smiles. 
- mascara
- The David Crowder Band. 
- phone calls with my "Wifey" 
- witty writing. 
- encouraging words. 
- the story of Joseph in Genesis. 
- the story of Exodus. 
- My friend, Kim and how much she loves and supports me. 
- family. 
- Jesus family. 
- Communion. 
- Dead spiders (because they're not alive, obviously)
- Laughing with my dad and mom. 
- Reading bedtime stories to Micah. 
- How to Train Your Dragon. 
- New Music from Sigur Ros! 
- Chocolate. 
- Fajitas
- Witty people on Twitter, I LOVE that. 
- taking little man to school. 
- watching little man play soccer. 
- adventure days with a good friend. 
- laughing until my sides hurt with a friend. 
- adventures in general. 
- big brothers. 
- birthday celebrations. 
- Red Wine
- Otterbox Cases
- Hot coffee. 
- Sushi! 
- soft and cushy blankets. 
- Thunder
- memories. 
- chamomile tea. 
- freedom to read a book I want to read. 
- getting to pray with brothers & sisters in Jesus. 
- Hiking shoes. 
- Instagram
- My guitar. 
- Bon Iver
- Hope. 
- Redemption. 
- Freedom. 
- Music in general. 
- purple toenail polish. 
- skinny jeans. 
- yellow shoes. 
- best friend hugs. 
- my friends Lauren, Josh & Alicia's Facebook statuses - Which always make me smile or burst into laughter. 
- Favorite old comedy shows. 
- Quoting Zoolander with my bestie. 
- "you're killin' me smalls!"
- a dad who thinks I'm beautiful. 
- any chance I get to experience God's presence. 
- the way God shows me things in visual images. 
- Happy days. 
- Long days when I fall into bed, because it means I've been busy and had a full day. 
- inspiring quotes. 
- good books. 
- personal emails. 
- poetry. 
- theology. 
- love. 
- dreams. 
- breathing in air each morning and exhaling the next moment. 
- BEING in the moment. 
- This season of life (good, bad or indifferent), thankful for it. 
- Transparency at BRCC. 
- Being ready. Let's go. 
- Beditme. 
- Warm water. 
- Movie posters. 
- beautiful light. 




There's so much more to say and be thankful for. But I am just going to say, tonight, and the last few days, I'm humbled by the gifts God has given, moment's he's breathed in my heart, and the movement of His hand in my life. I love Him. Thankful for this life. Thankful for the opportunity to express my gratitude. 

His Name is Agent....

If you don't know what the "Avengers" is, you're living under a rock, I think. It's one of the summer's biggest films and it's not even summer yet. It has easily surpassed the $200 million mark in profit and has everyone talking. Joss Whedon's popcorn fest of fun, Superheros and wit has met every fan boy and geek girl's dreams by joining some beloved Marvel characters in one film. It's the film we've all been waiting for, and in Joss Whedon's very capable fan boy hands, it became great.

Loosely, it is a movie that is a sequel of sorts to Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America. In the movie, Thor's baby brother , Loki, who has grown extra villainous since his last outing in Thor, threatens Earth. S.H.I.E.L.D., a fictitious government agency, led by Nick Fury brings together a volatile amalgamation of characters to save the earth. Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Hawkeye, and the Black Widow - all inherently flawed individuals have to set aside their self interest and personal agendas and/or damage to fight as a team and prevent the impending global doom. It's typical super hero fare. Baddie threatens world, Superheros come to the rescue. Drama, however demands some unique chemistry and plot lines to succeed in this.

Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson with a rock-star swagger, has been a constant in the previous Marvel movies, dating back to second incarnation of the Hulk. But another S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent has had a hand and presence in every single of one of these films too - Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson. He is, in fact, one of the most beloved characters in the Avengers separate films. I want to take a moment and explain why I love Agent Coulson best.

***SPOILERS AHEAD****
I warn you now, I am going to speak of significant plot points in the Avengers movie. If you have not seen it and don't want to know what happens, stop reading now. You're welcome. 
************************

When Tony Stark quips that Agent Coulson's name is simply "Agent," it was intended to be a funny Starkism. Personally, I think it establishes Phil Coulson's character as a permanent and invaluable character in the Avengers team. He's not a Super Hero with a cape, power or special gift, but he is an 'agent' of something greater in the Marvel Universe. Joss Whedon takes a character who had been played with a 'Men in Black' seriousness and panache by Clark Gregg and doubles it over with heroic courage, humility, and every fan-boy's government agent double.

Agent Coulson interacts with each Super in a way that demonstrates character, integrity, humility and faith in something more than himself. He believes in these men, he knows they are going to win. He plays straight man to Tony Stark's overblown ego and running mouth, but with respect and kindness. He is kind and even keeled with the potentially explosive Bruce Banner/Hulk, treating him sympathetically as a normal but extraordinary person. His encounter with Thor on the bridge of the heliocarrier shows a humility, awe and ease with a demigod. No scene is more clear of his belief and faith than the look on his face as he listens empathetically to Thor's concern about the whole scenario unfolding before them.

Coulson is respectful, kept together and in control....until he meets Steve Rogers. He geeks out a bit when interacting with Captain America and brief him on the new uniform he helped design, but still shows the level of respect and reverence for his (apparent) favorite super hero. Carrying around his own set of 'mint' Captain America trading cards and even going so far as to seek an autograph. In all of these interactions, Agent C demonstrates that he is a huge chunk of the team. He is their heart, the faith, the belief. While Nick Fury struts around trying to force belief in themselves, Coulson silently steals that role by his faithfulness to them all.

In a climatic scene, it is Agent Coulson who faces down Loki, the baddie. He is stabbed through and (apparently) dies. I have my misgivings about this being a true thing, but that's a whole other blog post. ;) When Agent C courageously faces someone who he is hopelessly ill-suited to match, even with a special weapon, it ends tragically and becomes the congealing 'agent' (pun intended) for the Avengers team. All of the super heroes are shown their magnificent ego and selfishness in the 'death' of the beloved Agent C because of his humble sacrifice in doing what none of them had the willingness or ability to do on their own at that point.

Tony Stark called him a fool for doing it, but the misgiving in his voice tells us that Iron Man's ego was pinched in the face of sheer self-sacrifice. Agent C is both the heart of the Avengers team and a representation of the world they so desperately need to save. That is why I love the character of Agent Coulson. He is the "better" in the world that needs to be saved -Not the arrogant, strutting Nick Fury or governments of the world he represents; Not the innocent screaming, faceless victims. No, it is the Agent Coulson's - the believers, the faithful and humble, the courageous, indelible human spirits that refuse to lose even in a hopelessly unmatched fight. Agent Coulson, is ultimately, in this film, the true Avenger hero. He is more than a SHIELD Agent. He is an agent of redemption, belief and hope.

30 Days of Gratitude 1.16 & 1.17

I'm a little late writing for this and yesterday!  It's been a busy but good two days. I'm thankful for so much, I wish I could remember all of it. But here's the things that this girl is grateful for over the last two days...



....the bible in 90 days & my reading partners...
I'm going to be talking about this bible in 90 days ad nasuem for the next 86 days because it's  huge chunk of my day. 12 chapters a day is a lot of reading and I want to soak it in the best I can. But I'm thankful because it's been a game changer for me. God is digging up and scraping into places in my heart I was covering up, putting up walls around, and that's good. The walls are staying down, the tears are coming in good ways but beautiful things are happening in my heart. Yesterday I identified with Leah - the unloved wife of Jacob more than I ever have in my life. The day before that, Sarah. Today, I see Joseph's story as ever thrilling as I always have with more tenacity to believe in the Sovereignty of God and His timing. I'm thankful that God moved on my heart to make good use of my non-academic summer to put HIM and His word back into the center of my life.

...convergence...
I've been reading about a friend's journey, partly because I pulled her into teaching at Faith Girls this month and in the process got to hear some exciting news for her growing family and watch God converge on my friend's heart in a big way. He's doing the same thing in my life. Through the scripture reading, through my friend's open and honest heart, and my willingness to be transparent and honest with myself about the hurts and damages that I'm needing healing in. Laying it all out before God, going "I want you IN this with me, not just holding my hand, but covering this wound, mending that scar, covering up the past and breathing something NEW for me." I've been reading and prepping for Sunday's service and walking in two big things, Grace and the power of words. Words or the lack thereof have done more damage in my life than I can even begin to articulate. But there's grace to cover it, mend it, and bring better words. God's been pointing me back to the idea of Faith in a God of Grace, not just a Savior, but one who wants to pour grace over us in ways that we don't even know. There've been some big and good moments where God wouldn't let me resist that grace and just let it wash things out that needed it. So thankful.

...that little man and his sweet face...
my nephew who lives here in town is just about the greatest joy for my aunt's heart. I love all my nephews equally and remembering Noah in my face or Jonathan playing Batman with me, or cuddling with 6 month old Aaron - all those things make my heart full from love. Micah is the oldest and he lives in our town, so when I go over to Vic's early for meetings, or service things, I get to see Little Man. Yesterday, I was there early, sitting in the back yard enjoying the weather, reading a book and Micah came out, kissed me on the check, wrapped his 6 year old arms around my neck, and said "I love you." then asked me to push him on the swing. You betcha, kid. May I never miss the moments to say "yes" to him for memories that we can make together. Looking for mushrooms to squish in the backyard, or for four leaf clovers which he doesn't believe exist....or just talking about things from when he was "really little." Those are moments that I am so thankful for. With all of those boys. I am thankful for them. all.

...The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay....
Highlight of my day yesterday? I got hit back on Twitter by a favorite author, semi-famous person and he followed me back. Thanks, Chris Seay. :) But I'm more thankful for this book. I was a Lostie after season 4. Caught up and got wholly engrossed in the mythology of the show. The pathos, the struggle, the mystery of it all...I loved. I loved how it made me think, not about just the show, but about life, faith, mystery, people, relationships, trust, etc. It was a good show, no matter what you thought about the end. This book, I'd wanted to read for quite some time, and finally found a used copy nearby & decided it was going to be my first non-school book this summer. I'm glad I chose it. The chapter about Hurley, words, blessing and curses rocked my world. I'm thankful for the things God used in that book to open my eyes to things.

...Grace...
There's not enough words on the planet to talk about how thankful I am for grace. For the desperate need I have of grace in my own broken heart. For how God shows me to proffer grace to those who have wounded me...deeply. For how God pours out grace no matter what. Grace. Always grace. May I be a conduit of grace to every. single. person. who I ever encounter. Nothing would show the Gospel more than being a hand of grace in someone's life. Grace. I'm thankful for that.

...time with my mom...
Tuesday, I got a special day with my mom. Got to have a fun lunch with her, talk about art, men, God and struggle in this life. I'm so blessed to have a mom who loves Jesus and who pours her relationship with God out on people in her life...like me. I'm thankful for special times like that.

...time with my dad...
Monday and Tuesday, dad and I went to see the Avengers - yeah, two days in a row. Booyah! :) I love that movie and he loved it so much he wanted to see it again. I was NOT going to argue getting to see the Chrises and RDJ again. (I'm thankful for their biceps by the way. ;) ....but really, getting to spend that time with dad in all of our geeky comic book love glory...So fun. I'm thankful that the men in my life foster and encourage my nerdy dorkiness. The inner dork in me is happiest when let be the geeky squealer she really is. :) And my dad getting into the Avengers, or the Hunger Games or whatever with me is a really awesome treat. I'm thankful for that.

...My three closest friends....
I had an incident this week where I shared my heart and spiritual struggle with some people in an environment I felt was likely safe and proper to share. I was met with stunned silence and "aw, that must be hard" instead of encouragement, concern for my heart or even a prayer. Hard to sit on a floor and weep in front of two sisters and be met with that response. Not condemning them, just stating that for me, I realized suddenly that three of my closest friends never ever respond in silence or "I don't know what to say to that." (except when someone has treated me like garbage - but even then, it's a "I'm gonna KILL them") ...they without fail, lead me back to truth, grab my arms and say "we're with you IN this."...and I'm thankful for each one of their hearts. They know who they are. Love my sisters.

...a million other random things...
my book embosser for my library,....the remote control basket...a new case for my phone...harry potter...black gel pens...laughter...Hans Zimmer...funny quotes on Pinterst....throw pillows...text messages...unexpected God conversations...smiles....local coffee shops...fellow nerdy friends...soft blankets...Lavender scented candles....the fact that my kitchen smells like a flower shop because of the fresh flowers up there....salad....the boys I babysit for on Thursday...Burt's bees...hot showers....pigtails....batman tee shirts...flip flop weather...friends' birthday dinners....hope...anticipation of fun things ahead...and SUMMER. :)

This week, I had something unpleasant happen, but it made me thankful for my friends who are the opposite of my experience. What are is something you are thankful for this week that came out of a bad situation?