Day 30: Something You Find Magical About the Universe

I don't even know where to start with this final prompt.  There are so many things that I find magical about the universe!  This quote, from "The Magician's Nephew" by C.S. Lewis, captures a few of them:  the brilliance of stars at night; the transcendence of music; the poetry of words that captures these phenomena; and the wonder of God working through these things.  I find all these things magical and I'm so grateful for all of them.

Thanks to those of you who have followed along on my annual gratitude challenge.  I would love to hear if anyone participated along and had any highlights from your own list.

Day 29: A Public Figure

The public figure I'm grateful for is Sydney McLaughlin.  Sydney McLaughlin is the world record holder and most recent gold medal winner in the 400m hurdles.  She put on (arguably) the best performance in all of the Olympics in (arguably) the hardest of track and field events.  I admire her incredible athleticism, her excellence in form, and the discipline it takes to stay in top shape for this race and keep getting better and better.

But what I admire even more than her running ability is the way she carries herself.  She is utterly dominant and blows the rest of the field away, but she doesn't go around showboating.  She isn't falsely humble, and she's clearly focused when running and happy when she achieves her goal, but her whole identity isn't wrapped up in how she performs as a track and field athlete.  Her identity is rooted in her faith, which she shares consistently.

I'm grateful to have this athlete to look up to, and Sydney I'm rooting for you to break 50!!

Day 28: Something You Like About Your Job

 

The things I like the most about my job by far is meeting with the kids and the meaning I feel when I get to act on their behalf.

But today I'm going to write about another thing I love about being a lawyer, and that's how you get to use words with extreme care.  In real life, if you correct someone for being a little loose or sloppy with the way they're using words, it's considered annoying and overbearing.  But as a lawyer, they PAY you to use words in a way that is precise and convincing, and to go after the other side if they fail to do the same.  That is super fun to me, and I'm grateful for this part of my job.

Day 27: Little Things You're Grateful for About Your Significant Other

 This is not a little thing, but I'm grateful for how deeply Kenny loves his friends and family.  I'm seeing it right now in the context of loss, but I see it every day, particularly in how he orders his time.  If a relationship matters to him, he makes time for it.  If someone he loves is struggling, he is there for them.  If someone he loves is celebrating, he is also there for them.  His loyalty to family and friends runs deep, and I'm very grateful for this.

Day 26: What Service Are You Grateful For?

 I'm grateful for the service of mail delivery.  I'm grateful how, for a very affordable rate, you can send things to anywhere in the country and most places in the world.  

I'm grateful for the memory of air mail letters in elementary school, when we would write to someone overseas, and then when they wrote back.

I'm thankful for the care packages my grandma sent in college, filled with Scotcharoos or puppy chow or other classic Midwestern treats. 

I'm grateful for the thrill that comes when you find, amidst the sea of political ads and bills, a handwritten letter.  I'm thankful for birthday cards and Christmas cards.

I'm grateful that these days, you can get almost anything you need through the mail - groceries, prescriptions, the entire universe of things that Amazon offers.

And I'm thankful to you, mailmen and mailwomen, for making this all happen.

Day 25: Who Do You consider family

I am grateful that I consider my fellow church members to be family.  We attend Dayspring Church, which is a church of about 100 people that meets in South Reno.  Because it's small, people really get to know each other.  Many of my kids' best friends are kids they know from church.  When someone goes through a hard time, we pray for each other, visit each other, send each other cards, and bring each other meals.  When someone goes through a happy time, we celebrate together.  I love the smaller church size and I'm grateful for the common faith that knits us together.

Day 24: Item of Clothing

I am thankful for summer dresses.  I'm thankful for the way they can work for so many things in hot weather - a night out, a casual day around the house, a morning at church, a work afternoon.  I'm thankful that when you wear a dress, you only have to choose one item of clothing, not a matching top and bottom.  I'm thankful that dresses are colorful and fun, and that they cause people to give you more credit than maybe you deserve for making an effort :).  Here's to you, summer dresses.

Day 23: Personality Trait

A personality trait I'm grateful for is my preoccupation with thinking about on one hand, on the other hand - trying to see both sides of the issue in all things.  (I've also learned that this can be extremely annoying to those who spend a lot of time with me and have learned not to verbalize it each and every time it passes through my head :).  It helps me in my job because I can sometimes anticipate what the other side is going to say and be ready to respond.  It sometimes helps me better understand where another person is coming from if they have a different opinion than me.  It helps me see how much beautiful complexity there is in the world.  It does NOT lend itself well to being a die hard, all in, stick with your team no matter what sort of person.  And this is why it's great to have such a diversity of types of people in the world!

Day 22: Who Helped You During A Trying Time

We are going through a loss in the family right now, so I can just look around and see who's helping me through this trying time.  First, it's beautiful the way the family unit has supported each other.  There's something really powerful about sharing memories, sharing tears, and sharing grief.  Second, it's meaningful the people who hear the news and then respond with more love, memories, and words of support.  I'm grateful for all those who have been supportive and am trying to remember their example as I see others walk through hard times down the road.

Day 21: Little Gesture

Today I'm grateful for the "little gesture" of Kenny often making the coffee first thing in the morning.  Our days are both full to the brim, and while it's not a huge deal to start the coffee, it's such a nice moment when you walk into the kitchen and see there's already a freshly brewed pot sending out the delicious aroma, just waiting to be poured.  It's not even so much the time and energy saved, but the feeling of being loved and cared for that someone else started up the morning.