Gratitude Checkup

Hi All,

We’re gonna keep it nice and simple this post. I tried doing something fancier, but it just wasn’t gelling and was putting me in a sour mood, so here we are. Gratitude!

A few things I’m thankful for lately:

My amazing friends

Gosh, what to even say about these folks. I am so blessed every day by every one of these people. I am so thankful for friends who support me, who love me and continue to invite me to things even when I don’t always come, who give me the space I need to have healthy boundaries, who are patient with my flaws and failures, and encourage me to grow as a person every single day. Love you, boos.

Family

I am grateful I live so close to most of my immediate family and much of my extended. I am thankful that I can trust that they support and love me, no matter what I do or am. I am glad to be able to watch my nephew grow up, to be there for my siblings, and to be able to have so much peace and love between us all, knowing that with God, everything will be okay.

The necessities

Thank you, God, for food, water, clothes, and shelter. I am so grateful to live in a country where I have such easy access to all of these things and the rich ways in which I have been blessed in these areas. I know there are many places in the world where this is not the case.

The blood of Jesus

Thank you, Jesus, for how close you are to me every day. I am so thankful that I can be close to you and feel the presence of your Spirit throughout my day. Thank you for your extreme patience with me, and the freedom I have in you, to be myself, to follow my dreams and passions, and to practice my faith every day.

Thor

I am so grateful for this little nugget. I am glad my sugar glider teaches me so much about life and how God sees me and treating creatures well. I am glad he brings such delight to me, my friends, and my nephew. I am glad he is healthy, and I am pleased by how cute and precious he is, even when he’s being a snot.

Books

I am grateful for libraries, where I can have free access to so much knowledge and story. I am grateful for how stories challenge me, broaden my horizons, and how they help me to grow. I am also grateful for all of the stories God has given me to write, for the writing group I have to share those with (and the beautiful stories they share with me), and for how I know someday they will change the world, if only just a little.

Art

I love art. I love absorbing it, to admire the skill others have and the beauty it brings to this world.

Music

I am glad for music, that brings so much joy and life into my life. I am grateful for how it helps me to process, the things it makes me feel, and how it helps me to focus when I need to work. I am glad it motivates me and challenges me and puts into something tangible the things I can’t touch or can only feel.

Nature

God, thank you for squirrels and kestrels, crows and dogs, rabbits, sugar gliders, foxes and fish. Thank you for big skies and massive clouds, trees, grass, and flowers. Thank you for the glorious beauty all around me every day, where your will is being done, the rocks and trees clap their hands in worship, and singing rivers run. I am grateful for the peace and wonder nature brings, the clarity of fresh air and wind, and that it is almost spring.

Thanks, God. There is a lot to be grateful for.