Thankful Thursdays: July (Part 2)

(For an explanation of Thankful Thursday, go here.)

1006) Sleeping in past 5:30am.

1007) Having Linds around, in general. So good to see her, hug her, talk to her, live with her.

1008) Impromptu dinner & movie nights.
1009) Hand massages from Jill.
1010) Steak on the grill, corn on the cob and sweet potato fries. Yum! I love summer!! And cooking for my friends.
1011) Realizing my love for the church is not limited to Bethlehem - my heart loves THE CHURCH - loves listening to the church sing its praises & loves hearing the Word preached.
1012) Snuggling with Linds and Chinwe while watching So You Think You Can Dance.
1013) Running errands with Lindsay - forgetting for just a moment that she no longer lives here.
1014) Calls from my dad every Sunday. I love that man with everything that is within me.
1015) Lindsay.
1016) Sweet talks with Linds late into the night - relationships, vices, observations on each other's life - is there anything we don't talk about?!?!?
1017) Sweet tears from Linds as she said goodbye. I. Love. That. Girl.
1018) Chatting with Mom over my dinner break. Thankful for her and for our relationship.
1019) Having the courage to admit failure and the strength to genuinely apologize.
1020) Being able to trust friends to forgive and grant you grace.
1021) An evening with Chinwe. I love that girl dearly. I'm gonna miss our dinner nights.
1022) Reminders of WHO God is - trusting him to hold those I care about gently and decisively.
1023) Mailing gifts.
1024) Being recognized by the Hallmark ladies because I've mailed so many gifts this week. :-)
1025) Crossing off nearly everything on my list.
1026) Serving a jealous God who won't tolerate idols - what he commands is not only for his glory but also for my greatest joy. Amazing.
1027) Extra time in the morning to spend in the Word before work. Changes my whole day.
1028) Emails from Laurel. I love that girl. I also love living in the 21st century where I can "talk" to her from half a world away.
1029) Competent orientees.
1030) Daddy sending me an email asking what he can work on at my house while he is here this weekend. Love him. Love the ways he loves us.
1031) Having my patient try to set me up with her son. Awkward, but flattering.
1032) Finishing a four-day work week.
1033) Spicy chili.
1034) Independent orientees.
1035) Mom waiting up for me when I got home.
1036) Good morning hugs from my parents.
1037) The blessing of extended family.
1038) The weight of a baby in my lap.
1039) Baby giggles. Can never. get. enough.
1040) Laying against my mom watching Law & Order. One of my favorite spots in the world.
1041) Breakfast at Cheap Charlie's with my parents and my dear roommie. Love.
1042) Sitting at the kitchen table with Dad working on my watch together.
1043) Daddy fixing stuff around my house for me. Love the way he serves his girls.
1044) A quiet afternoon in the Word - time to just sit and soak up Truth. What a blessing.
1045) Curling up for a movie with my roommie.
1046) Walks with friends on a beautiful summer day.
1047) Dinner with my roommie - love my precious time with her.
1048) Honest conversations.
1049) Serving a God who does not change even when our circumstances do.
1050) Feeling grounded & stable.
1052) Real conversations about difficult things. Friends who trust me with some of their deepest heartaches. Being able to offer words of encouragement.
1053) Sitting in an individual assignment with a sweet Jewish family - seeing the loving and sweetfully respectful ways the generations interacted.
1054) Playing with a one year old. Making her giggle.
1055) The extremely helpful vet techs at Assisi Drive Animal Hospital.
1056) Seeing my freezer full of Mom's homemade strawberry jam. So yummy. So generous.
1057) Hugs from Pam after a massage. So sweet.
1058) Knowing that God hears our prayers and sees our tears (Isaiah 38:5).
1059) Texts from friends that show evidence of this - praising him for the beginning of answered prayer and the restoration of hope in the life of a dear friend.
1060) The beauty of Chinwe's photography - being reminded to try to see things from a different perspective as I was stunned by the beauty of a simple rose.
1061) Getting to the shuttle lot a half hour early and having a sweet time of prayer, listening to the birds while the wind blew gently through my open windows.
1062) Seeing my elderly patient and his wife napping together in his bed, holding hands.
1063) Funny patients who say things like "Breakfast tasted like someone ate it before I did."
1064) Chatting with Chinwe before bed. Good to see her after a full week of work.
1065) Josh Garrel's music. Finally listened to some of the lyrics - "I'm holding on to hope that one day this could turn out right." Amen and amen.
1066) Fried plantains in the morning. Yummy!
1067) The giggle of a 10-month-old. Pure delight.
1068) Large, brilliantly bright brown eyes. Such a beautiful baby!
1069) Asking just the right question to get a stranger to open up about the complicated story of God's challenges and faithfulness in her life. So encouraging to hear another example of how he works.
1070) The opportunity to hang out with some floor nurses outside of work.
1071) The amazing organ prelude before church at CEFC this morning. Causes my heart to rejoice in such a unique way!
1072) Listening to three generations read Scripture to the church. So cool to physically see that kind of legacy.
1073) The grandma's voice - thick with wisdom yet soft with a gentle love.
1074) The little girl's voice - pure, honest, innocent.
1075) Taking time to read. Loving Frederick Buechner's "Son of Laughter." Such delightfully beautiful writing.