2.I'm grateful for my brothers and sisters in Christ that push me past my comfort level, and cheer me on when I succeed. They rebuke me when I'm settling, and support me when I'm pushing through. I'm a very worried person by nature and I need these wonderful people to keep me grounded and to remind me that the Lord spoke this world into existence, and that my worries are futile and disrespectful to His plan. They remind me that, in Him, I don't have to worry.
3. I'm grateful for my mentor. She is so intelligent in her faith and helps guide me through the experiences of Christian womanhood. She helps me understand that perfection in that doesn't exist, but the continued pursuit of virtuous Christianity as a woman is the key. I'm not required anything more than to love the Lord and to love others as myself, and I need someone to remind me that everything else is simply an expression of my love of Christ, but are not a requirement. This doesn't mean that she lets me settle for a marginal and compromised walk, but that when I don't succeed in my endeavors, she reminds me of all the things I'm doing right to please Him. I'm grateful that everything she says to me is in love, and that she will tell me when I'm creating excuses and copping out. I'm grateful that every wise word that the Lord speaks through her, comes from a place of love, understanding, experience, and an immense Biblical knowledge. Thank you Lisa!
4. I'm grateful for my brothers in blood. Aside from our dad, they are two of the strongest men I know. They're charismatic, brilliant, hilarious, and I'm grateful that they love me regardless of the embarrassingly geeky things I do and say. We are bonded in a way that I hope my future children will one day experience. There is so much love between the three of us, that I know that regardless of where our adult lives take us, we will always be there for each other. They will always protect me and fight for me, even though I'm the oldest sibling. They know that they always have a cheerleader in me. I'm so grateful that they are succeeding in their lives, and that I'm around to see it. I'm grateful that they are growing into strong, capable, leaders as men, and yet have their own individual interests that I can share with them. I know that when we're all married and have our own families, we'll still make it a priority to continue through life together, that our families will be close. I'm so lucky to have brothers that I love beyond blood, but as people too.
5. I'm grateful for my health and the health of my loved ones. I know I need to exercise to solidify my health in later years, but I'm grateful that my family values health and eating well. They're supportive of my vegetarian/vegan eating habits, and celebrate it. My mother is amazing for continuing to pursue her own health, ensuring that she'll be around for a long time.
6.I'm grateful for my IPod. This one sounds funny, but I truly use my IPod every single day. If my life could have a soundtrack I'd jump at the opportunity. Music is in my heart, my blood, and my mind all day long every day, and I'm grateful that I have a device that allows me to take my music everywhere I go and keep it with me always. It allows me to share this with others and gives me therapy in many senses.
7. I'm grateful for my nighttime drives. When I have a lot on my mind, I get in my car and drive up the coast, with the music blasting. So this item is loaded, I'm grateful that I have a car that can take me on these drives, again I'm grateful for my IPod with all my music and the ocean to drive next to. I'm grateful that I've discovered this method of clearing my mind, and often process the happenings of my life through happy or sad songs, through smiles and tears, and prayers for help, for strength, and of thanks to God. These drives have helped my mental sanity time and time again, some people paint or run or play music, I drive.
8. I'm grateful for my typewriter. I write on it, and even when my fingers hurt from hitting the sticky keys so hard. It gives me a dose of nostalgia, a link to decades ago when life was simpler. I'm grateful that I have a device that allows my to write without the temptation of the internet, Facebook, or any other attachments to the outside world of communication. Because it is a solitary writing instrument, I'm able to focus on my writing and really express my inner mental cerebral articulations. I've found recently that as humans today, we're always connected to other people, through cell phones, IPhones, Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. and sometimes it's important to isolate oneself from that world. I'm grateful that my typewriter allows me to do just that.
9.I'm grateful for my nice big warm bed, that I can renew my energy comfortably there. When life becomes crazy and stressful and exhausting, I'm grateful to have a place where I can go and recharge my batteries so to speak. I'm grateful that I can be warm there, when so many people aren't privy to this luxury. I often take this for granted, and I have to remember that I am lucky to have a nice comfortable place to rest, that not every person has a bed to sleep in.
10. I'm grateful for my education. I'm a senior at a UC and have been experiencing extreme "senioritis," meaning that I have a tendency to ditch my classes or forego doing the reading for class in exchange for more frivolous endeavors. I haven't been giving my education all I've got and have recently been feeling the compromise of that. I'm so grateful that I am able to attend college, and that I have a platform to succeed with from there. I know that I need to treat my education better and in my last quarter, I'm going to give it all I've got and make it count. I'm grateful that my parents have given me this opportunity and I refuse to squander it.
No comments:
Post a Comment