Gratitude Series 2018, Day Ten: A Person you Spent Time with Today

I'm grateful for Kenny.  Since the prompt is "a person you spent time with today", I'm going to focus on things about our normal day to day routine that make me grateful.

I'm grateful for how handsome Kenny looks when he goes off to work in the morning.  I'm grateful for how hard he works at his job and other projects to provide for our family.  I'm grateful for the smile and hugs he greets all of us with when he gets home (and I'm grateful for that moment when I'm no longer the only adult in charge of leading our three ring circus).  I'm grateful for how he brings fun and playfulness to the kids' lives.  I'm grateful that I have him to download my day with, and how he understands the ins and outs of all the personalities in our families so he really gets what makes certain moments extra nice or extra challenging.  I am so grateful that we are a good team when it comes to finances and parenting, and especially that we're on the same page with Joshua's challenges.  I like how he demands quality from our tv shows, which has expanded and sharpened my television viewing.  I like hearing his thoughts on politics, theology, and all the other things that come up for discussion.  I am so grateful to have this man to spend all my days with.

Gratitude Series 2018, Day Nine: A Scripture Passage or Quote

I love a good quote, and C.S. Lewis is the king of good quotes.  I am grateful for so many of his books and perspectives.  My favorites are his quotes that remind me to keep an eternal perspective - I'll post a few of these below.  (I know it's kind of cheating to choose 3 rather than 1, but maybe it could be viewed as a 3 for 1 deal!)

The Broken Way

I just finished reading Ann Voskamp's incredible book "The Broken Way:  a daring path into the abundant life".  It was sort of a similar experience to reading another one of her books, 1,000 gifts - she's got this incredible mind and this incredible faith and she writes about the most important things in life in a profound way - but, her mind and my mind work SO differently that I need to write these blog posts as a translation from her lyrical, poetic, stream of consciousness style to my analytical, logical style, or else I can't retain any of it.

So what is this book about?  
We will all experience suffering in this life.  This is a collection of thoughts on how we can use this suffering to grow, to help each other, to lean on each other, and to experience an abundant, meaningful life.

My favorite take away points (in my words and then in an excerpt of her words):

1.  Be the helper.  Give kindness to others when they are hurting, or when they're not.  This is the way to change the world.

Voskamp quote:  "don't think that every gift of grace, every act of kindness, isn't a quake in a heart that moves another heart to give, that moves another heart to give, that grows into an avalance of grace.  Don't say this isn't what a brokenhearted world desperately needs, don't say it isn't how to change a broken world." (p. 72)

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2.  We think that "bucket list" experiences like traveling the world or having a unique experience or achieving a big personal goal is what makes life meaningful.  Not that there's anything wrong with any of these things, but real meaning comes from helping others rather than impressing others.

Voskamp quote:  "Is that what the great point of an abundant life is, that we have stories to share?  Bragging rights on the seeming abundant life?  But it's like iron in the veins.  Before you blink and your one life's a tendril of smoke, a memory, a vapor, gone, know this:  you are where you are for such a time as this - not to make an impression, but to make a difference.  We aren't here to one-up one another, but to help one another up." (p. 91)
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3.  When we go through experiences of suffering and make it out the other side, this makes us stronger.

Voskamp quote:  "without your wounds, where is your strength?" (p. 161)
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4.  Sometimes pain comes from loving someone and then they they hurt or frustrate or disappoint you.  This pain, and the continuing relationship, shows that the love is real.

Voskamp quote:  "A willingness to be inconvenienced is the ultimate proof of love" (p. 174)
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5.  One of the hardest things to do, but also one of the most important gifts you can give others, is to share the ways you are broken with them and ask them to help you through it.  For both the helper and the helped, this will deepen relationships in a way that nothing else can.

Voskamp quote:  "If you can be brave enough, vulnerable enough, humble enough, trust enough, and give the most broken shards of your heart to another believing broken heart...then is it your own broken shards that can best open up another heart?" (p. 251)
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The book was amazing, so I hope some of you decide to read it, or at least draw encouragement from her points that I summarize in this post.  I'm planning to buy the book and read it every few years, and I very rarely re-read anything (because there are just too many good books in the world and only one lifetime!).

Day Eight: A Simple Pleasure

I am grateful for the simple pleasure of taking our dog, Gus, for a walk.  I'm grateful we decided to get this dog, as I was ambivalent about adding another creature to our family during such a busy time of life, and now it's hard to imagine our family without him.

I'm grateful that his walks give me a great excuse to get outdoors and feel the sunshine on my face and smell the pine trees and sage brush on the paths near our house.  I'm grateful that he is my trusty companion as I explore some of the beautiful foothill trails on the outskirts of Reno.  I'm grateful that it's possible to get some exercise in such an enjoyable way.  I am amused by Gus's enthusiasm for smelling each and every plant and animal we encounter.

I'm grateful for the peacefulness and solitude of the time when it's just me and Gus, and I'm grateful for the way the kids and Gus all love each other when the whole family is walking together.

Gratitude Series 2018, Day Seven: A Leader or Teacher

I'm grateful for my mentor / leader / friend Kim.  You often hear about the importance of a good mentor, particularly in the professional working world and in Christian circles, but I've found that it's pretty rare for these type of relationships to work well.  It's hard for the relationship to get started in the first place, and it's easy for regular meet ups to get crowded out with the busyness of life.  It's hard to find the person with whom you can be vulnerable about your weaknesses, and who will find the right balance of pushing you to grow but also giving you grace when you fail.  That's why it's such a gift to have someone like Kim in my life.

I am grateful for all the things Kim does to make her mentoring successful.  She hosts a monthly lunch for a group of us where she does all the cooking, she picks a Scripture to memorize and writes study questions to spur us on to growth, she sends out weekly emails related to what we're studying, and then she checks in with all of us individually throughout the month.  She has created a group environment that's both positive and authentic, where everyone supports each other but people don't try to pretend like they don't have struggles.

But more than what she does, I'm grateful for who she is. She is kind, grateful, and sincerely interested in everyone.  She sets her mind on the things above.  The fruits of the spirit, all of them, just flow out of her.  She is someone who has spent decades faithfully immersing herself in spiritual disciplines and it shows in the beauty of her spirit and in the way she touches so many lives in a positive way.  I will be absolutely thrilled if my character and spiritual life and impact on others is even a fraction of what hers is when I'm her age.  I'm so grateful for Kim.

Gratitude Series 2018, Day Six: A Friend

Oh you fancy, huh?

I'm grateful for my friend Katie.  She was willing to befriend me at age 13, when I had just moved from a small town to the capital city and was a gangly, awkward, Pebbles-hair wearing newbie. We originally bonded as teammates on the volleyball team and track team.

But, by our junior and senior years of high school, we (and two other friends) were inseperable.  We spent countless weekend nights cruising around town in my Geo Metro, renting DVDs from Blockbuster, sipping coffee at the Mill, getting into (fairly harmless) shenanigans, and building an impressive repertoire of private jokes.

We went to college in different states, but maintained a friendship through daily e-mails (on any given day, she could tell you what my college cafeteria was serving), visits to each other's campuses, and an annual summer road trip to different Midwestern cities.

As we've transitioned into adulthood, and still never living in the same place, we've been by each other's sides for weddings, had more adventures as we meet up in Lincoln, and remained close through all the big changes of life - job transitions, moves around the country, and becoming parents. 
I'm so very grateful for Katie.  I love our shared adventures, our long history, all the laughs, and her faithfulness as a good friend.  Looking forward to many more decades of friendship!

Gratitude Series 2018, Day Five: A Family Member

Sibling bonding in Cusco, Peru

I'm grateful for my two brothers, Eric and Mitchell.  I had to choose them both at the same time, or the chosen one would lord it over the not chosen one (in the unlikely event that either of them ever reads this blog post).

I'm grateful for Eric because he provides a great foil when Duke beats UNC; because he knows all the inside scoop about Nebraska state politics; because his love of smart cars is unmatched, maybe even by Tesla employees; because I could beat him at basketball until he was a teenager and this memory will forever make me feel athletic; because he is a great dad and it's hilarious to watch him at his daughter's soccer games; and because he's a friend to everyone and i think that's awesome.

I'm grateful for Mitchell because he's always up for a debate on any topic, no matter how ridiculous; because he's endlessly curious, SO smart, and always has a good book recommendation; because he cares deeply about social justice; because he plays a killer version of "Electric Sandman" and all kinds of other fun songs on the guitar; because he's like our own family Carmen San Diego and has given us good excuses to travel around the world; because he does the stereotype of youngest child proud; and because there's no one more fun to exasperate in our family, except maybe me.

I'm grateful for my brothers and the fun and WOO they bring to our family.