original source: http://kikicomin.weebly.com/thanksgiving.html

Her prints for Christmas are also beautiful :) 

remember

It's so easy to let our emotions get the best of us, isn't it? I mean sometimes I'm just walking along and out of nowhere (okay not exactly out of nowhere, but relatively unexpectedly), I am overcome with anxiety. My emotions just take off like a spaceship and suddenly I am soaring into another dimension. I know some of you are reading this and thinking that I must have some type of anxiety disorder or something and maybe you're right. Or maybe of we're honest, this happens to us sometimes. I just forget that my emotions can be deceiving and sometimes they tell me that everything is going to go wrong and nothing will turn out right and I believe them. Actually now that I think about it they might be right, but just coming from the wrong emotional state. Let me explain.
If my emotions tell me nothing is going to turn out the way I think it should (note: remind me to tell you later about the word "should"), they might be right, but is that a bad thing? Or is it just what it is? Maybe what I think is the right way or the best thing really isn't. Maybe there's actually someone orchestrating this whole deal and maybe (just maybe) it's not actually about me. Whoa. Revolutionary, I know. So when my emotions get the best of me, what do I need? Truth. I need truth. I need to know the promises of God so that in anxiety-ridden turmoil, I can remember what I already know - that I am loved, that God cares about me, that I have been redeemed, that this life is not the end of the story. And you know what emotion comes out of those truths? Yep. Gratitude. A great and overpowering sense of awe at the fact that I deserve nothing and yet have been given so much. A sense that, even when I am melting down because I don't trust the One who is in control, He is for me and my heart swells with thanksgiving. A long time ago I was given a daily devotional called "My Utmost for His Highest" (written by Oswald Chambers). I was told that this book would change my life and honestly, I read a few days, but wasn't really super into it. Every once in awhile I will pick it back up and read a day or two, but for the most part it sits on my dresser with a few other books holding up a vase and serves a merely aesthetic purpose. For some reason I spotted it today while I was putting on my makeup and decided to read today's devotional. Here's the first sentence:

We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus.

Insert the gritting teeth emoticon at the end of that sentence. Oh dear. After the meltdown that I had yesterday and the gentle reminder that I received last night that my emotions are not always telling me the truth, I read that sentence and knew that the fact that I spotted the book today was a gentle calling from my God to remember Him in truth and in love and in gratitude. Ann Voskamp would call this eucharisteo - to remember and give thanks. And isn't that the point? It is definitely my hope for my 21 Days of Thanksgiving.

to remember and give thanks

a thankful heart is a happy heart

Does anyone remember that Veggie Tales song??? You know Junior Asparagus is sitting with his mom and dad singing about an apple pie while that gigantic shopping mart is being built? I think it's from Madame Blueberry??? No? Just me then... Well that song has been stuck in my head for days.
...because a thankful heart is a happy heart. I'm glad for what I have. That's an easy way to start....
As a (former) die hard fan of Veggie Tales, I will defend it to the ground, although there are some odd lyrics to some of the songs - I mean get serious, Larry, everyone does not have a water buffalo and no matter what you say, I cannot believe that your lips got stuck in a gate, ever. I don't even think you have lips... Anyway I'm sure I had a point.... Oh yes.

I'm glad for what I have. That's an easy way to start.

Today, I truly am glad for what I have. And honestly, some days that's all I can muster up the strength to be thankful for. I have been given a roof over my head, food to eat, an incredible family, and friends who know love me no matter what. And that is definitely something to be thankful for. The interesting thing is that when I actually stop to consider what all I am thankful for, the gifts seem to just pour in - I guess I could probably chalk that up to lack of awareness on my part. Surely these things have always been there. Like that beautiful gigantic house across the neighborhood from us, or the guy working at Chick-fil-a who wished me a blessed day, or the bright red trees around Denton, or my parent's neighbors who have lived there longer than we have and apparently put their Christmas lights up every year on November 1 - each of these things - so simple and special could be missed if I'm not looking for gifts. And that's what they are: gifts. Things I have taken for granted, rather than truly appreciating the woman who doesn't want to waste a second after Halloween by not spreading holiday cheer. Simple gifts. They are overlooked, but not hidden. If we look for them, we will find them.

What gifts have you seen today?


PS Today is 11-12-13 in case anyone missed that :)

sample girls

Today is a very special day. Not only are we still celebrating 21 Days of Thanksgiving but it is also Monday, which means it's...

Meet-Someone-New Monday

Don't worry, I have a great plan to combine the two. Tonight I was blessed to spend a wonderful evening with two incredible friends. You know how every once in awhile friends just click? Like Bert and Ernie or Robin and Lily or Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston? It's just meant to be. Well these two girls would fall into that category. They have known each other since before their awkward stages and endured the absurdity of middle school together (how any of us survive that trauma is beyond me). They have gone through rocky phases where they didn't know if they would remain friends or even be acquaintances and now they are rooming together in a quaint little apartment in Dallas. They have hard moments, but they understand each other. They laughed hysterically tonight as they told stories of the things that go on in their apartment - little quirks that they both have and how hilarious they think each other are. They have been through a lot. And somehow, through the grace of a loving Father, they ended up in the same city and sharing the same space. And they know that it is a blessing. At different times tonight, they each expressed how much they love that they get to live together and I was filled with a sweet kind of comfort as I listened to two girls, who are younger than me, share what they think about this bizarre stage of life we are all in. They are wise. They battle the world together and consistently remind each other who they really are and that work does not and will not define them. They are defined by so much more. I'll let you meet them separately: one here and the other here but if you ever get the chance to hang out with them together, you should. You can probably find them at Central Market, where they have become known as the sample girls, or at Starbucks, drinking coffee as they discuss matters of the heart. These girls are such a blessing to me and to each other. I am so glad I know them and even more glad that they are only a short drive away. I am thankful we were able to sit down and talk and laugh and express fear and anxiety and share wisdom and laugh and talk and laugh some more. So so very thankful. Actually thankful doesn't even begin to cover it...

Thweet, Wheels and Yougs together again. Love you ladies, more than you know :)

...and be thankful...

A few days ago, I began here to explore the importance of giving thanks. It hasn't been but a few days of writing and thinking through thankfulness and so far it has remained on the complete forefront of my mind. That day I started this topic/series, I just felt like I needed to remind myself to remember (yes I see the ridiculousness in that statement) the goodness of God. So I began writing about it. Since I set somewhat of a goal to write consistently about this, it has forced the topic to the front of my mind and I'm so glad. Looking and finding gifts everywhere has been a source of pure joy for the last few days. Not that every moment has been flawless, but I just keep realizing that I have much to be thankful for. And wouldn't you know that in pure God fashion, today Matt closed the service at The Village Church by reminding us of the importance of thanking God for His goodness toward us. He preached from Colossians 3 and the whole podcast would be worth listening to, but the end was especially impactful, as I have been practicing thankfulness. Colossians 3:15-17 says:

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

And be thankful.
And BE THANKFUL. Matt encouraged us to stop comparing our lives with others and to quit cataloguing all of the things we don't have, but instead start focusing on all we have been given. Multiple times, he said to become an expert on how good God has been to you. (You can't access the whole podcast yet since it was just preached today, but later this week, you'll be able to listen here - it's Week 11 of a twelve week series called "Recovering Redemption" and I would definitely recommend the whole series).

Let us remember to give thanks to a good God, who in love, gives abundantly to us and 

may the Lord help us grow in gratitude.

playing dress-up

When we were little, very little, my Granny gave us a trunk full of dress up clothes for Christmas and I guess that's where it began. We have video footage of my sisters and I strutting around in big hats and feathered boas and gloves up to our elbows. We giggled and oohed and ahhed as we pulled sparkly bright colored garments out of boxes. Keila wasn't even born yet so I couldn't have been 18 months old. And as we walked around, the adults in the room played up our glamorous ensembles by applauding and congratulating us on our beauty. And we (based on our response in the video) loved it. We knew we were cherished and loved so deeply - first by a thoughtful gift and then by trusted family members instilling in us this truth: You are beautiful to me.
I read this blog post this past week, which probably started this thought process but I was thinking about it today as we, yet again, were found with a few occasions to play dress up. Today I was able to spend a little time with some of my closest friends and family picking out the perfect outfit combinations - using some of their items and some of mine, we pieced together outfits that both reflected the person and made them feel beautiful. This kind of "work" brings me much joy. It forced me to pause and reflect on how thankful I am to be brought up in a family that cherished beauty and instilled in me a sense of confidence in my own beauty.
Growing up, we did fashion shows after ever shopping trip and we knew that my dad thought us to be the most beautiful girls in the world (second only to Mama - I mean who could blame him???).  And I am filled with great thankfulness for his love for me and the way that reflects the Fathers. I am also thankful for reasons to dress up and celebrate and be girly. This morning was a gift and I know this evening will be for each of us as well.

Here's to celebrating beauty!

Thanks for Being My Friend

Today I am so thankful for old friends who know the truth and aren't afraid to speak it. I sat at dinner tonight with a girl I have known for most of my life. We met around the third grade when I wished that I could be her because she had way better hair than me (beautiful, thick, red hair) and could still a crowd with her voice. She was given (completely deserved) the lead in our church musical and I was overcome with jealousy. I sometimes think that I am more gifted in the singing department than I actually am and in the third grade, when she got to sing the solo in "Thanks for Being My Friend," I thought my life was over. It wasn't. I survived and we moved on and became inseparable in early high school. Since then our paths have crossed at divine times. She boldly speaks truth into mine and I laugh hysterically at her stories and her passion. She loves the Lord.
Tonight I was letting her in on my struggle with discontentment and consistent wondering if I am making the right decisions and she calmly listened and replied that we have much to be thankful for because our decisions don't really matter. This, of course, caused me pause because I have developed the destructive habit of thinking that my decisions absolutely have the power to perfect or destroy my life. Oh how wrong I have been. My decisions do not determine my joy (just imagine the turmoil that would cause); it is the Lord who is constantly at work in me for his glory alone. Hallelujah. She quoted to me Isaiah 54:10 (which I am now looking up in my Bible):

"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

In other words, regardless of your situation or circumstance, no matter where you find yourself or what turmoil is occurring around you, the Lord is steadfast. He has compassion on you and he will not remove his covenant of peace. His covenant of peace... I don't understand this completely, but I am confident that it is truth and I am choosing to remind myself to be thankful - for grace and mercy and peace - all given to me regardless of my ridiculous mess or behavior or anxiety.
For Jesus said:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Peace, dear friends. Today, I am thankful for peace.

Twenty-one Days of Thanksgiving

Starting today there are 21 days until Thanksgiving! TWENTY ONE DAYS?! That just doesn't seem possible. Maybe it's because September and October have sort of turned into a blur. As I was sitting at my house last Sunday afternoon by myself watching Meet Me In St. Louis, which happens to be one of my favorites, I was filled with gratitude toward a month that celebrates Thanksgiving. I couldn't express how important giving thanks is and I am glad about that. I want to be a person who looks for gifts and finds a something to be thankful for around every turn. There is much to be thankful for and if I spent the rest of my life naming things, I don't think I could get them all. Some days it is easy to forget to look for things to be thankful for. We are creatures of habit and somehow it is so easy to adopt an attitude of bitterness or discontent, but I read a book one time (that I have referenced before here) about giving thanks and the life-changing impact it had on this author. I keep coming back to it in my life and I think she might be on to something. I have gone back and re-read my blogs from September and October and although there were good times and moments in those rapid months, there was also a lot of unrest and discontentment. Well today I am declaring war on that tendency in me to be frustrated and unsettled and the only way I know how to do that is to continue to give thanks, even for the little things and even in tough situations.

The most important part of thanksgiving is that it gives the credit somewhere else. So it stops being about how great I am or how incredible is this life, that I mistakenly believe, I have created for myself. No. Thanksgiving says "How great You are. And how incredible this life You have given to me." Thanksgiving recognizes the gift and the giver and we need to practice it. Because this life is not a story about me. And the more I can pound that into my ridiculously stubborn and selfish brain, the better off I'll be.

I am going to attempt something pretty bold. I read a blog yesterday by a pretty incredible woman named Ashley. Throughout the month of October, she blogged about peace. Some of the blogs were pretty heartfelt and others were just a quick snapshot. Using her as inspiration, I plan to spend the next 21 days blogging about thankfulness - what I'm learning about it, how simple or complex it can be, how my heart feels, how gratitude can affect even the smallest of moments, and how difficult it all is. I don't expect it to be easy, but I do think it will be good. So, come along with me on a journey to developing a thankful heart. I can't think of many better way to invest my time.

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