I love my friend Josette. I admire her as a wife and mother but especially for being a woman full of joy. About a year ago, she lent me the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Josette took the challenge of starting a thankfulness journal and I decided to do the same. One year and one thousand items later, I skimmed over them all and I thought I'd share some fun highlights!
March 12, 2012 Friendly strangers. Especially Walter at the barber shop.
April 4, 2012 A shy student is more comfortable and starts opening up to me.
April 9, 2012 Stanny & Gatwood come over to protect us from a strange guy at our door.
April 20, 2012 Lydie makes me a bracelet.
April 23, 2012 Jacque asks if I'll go on a walk with her and we go :)
May 3, 2012 Beach time with Jesus, Andy and Livi.
May 30, 2012 Doug joins in on the dance floor!
June 1, 2012 Climbing a castle
August 7, 2012 Late night alone in backyard, talking to God and singing. It's windy.
August 9, 2012 The man wearing a visor and backpack runs and catches his bus. YES! You go, man with visor!
August 14, 2012 $400 in travel credit. Hello, Mexico!!
August 18, 2012 Cheapest thing on the menu at Burgers and Beer: shrimp tacos. Yum!
August 26, 2012 Dinner with daddy
August 31, 2012 Another beautiful pink, blue & gold sunset in Yuma.
September 13, 2012 Good, good talk with Elise... gosh I love that girl.
September 21, 2012 In Anna Karenina, Tolstoy calls malicious gossip "the surefire backup of conversation" Mmhmm. Tell it, Tolstoy.
September 21, 2012 Kofa High School homecoming with all of the sissies :)
October 6, 2012 "So did they give you a name with those rippling pecs?" - Meg from Hercules. Favorite new pick-up line.
October 18, 2012 100%!
October 18, 2012 Understanding part of a French conversation
October 19, 2012 Mama Lupita says, "Me dan ganas de chillar" when I hug her.
October 27, 2012 Eeekka dance party!!
November 7, 2012 Getting the hang of chopsticks.
November 29, 2012 Christmas music playing at Malone's.
December 15, 2012 Nighttime boat ride. Beautiful & many fireflies.
January 8, 2013 Roti man treats me like a queen.
February 21, 2013 Friend's story of almost being trampled by an elephant makes me laugh harder than I have in a long time.
March 5, 2013 So sunny reminds me of Arizona.
March 14, 2013 The poem "Love's Philosophy" is a riot.
A few of my girl friends have read this book as well and we like it. Not only do we like it but it has helped us get into the habit of bringing to mind things we are thankful for, and I need that on my mind much more than things I 'know I would be thankful for', if I had them. Right, Alejandra.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, September 13, 2012
You are altogether beautiful...
This first post will be a quick one. I don't have a lot to say but I want to take a moment to tell whoever I can about one of the greatest girls I know.
160 miles to Yuma on I-8, just Paola and me. I want to fall asleep until shawty starts talking. At 16 years old, her life is math, english, history, dance (with her partner in crime, Lauren)... She tells me about tests, rehearsals, things that are important to her. One thing that really stuck out to me was talking about how girls compare; there's something that doesn't change with age. She's talking about grades, how quickly they pick up on dances, etc. and I think of how many women I know feel good/ashamed because of their degrees, jobs, houses, the list goes on.
Paola and I are alike in a lot of ways. We're soft-spoken, mellow, generally happy, we look like duplicates. She's been approached more than once by friends of mine who greet her excitedly and say something like, "I didn't know you were in town!"
Thankfully, Paola's got a little (or a lot) more figured out than I did at her age. At 16, I was uptight, NOT OK with being single, convinced I was ugly, hypocritical, and cynical. Most of my high school friends would be surprised by that because that's the kind of thing a girl can keep secret! Most of those things affected just my thoughts, so that means it's OK, right? As long as you don't insult anyone out loud you're not really insulting them... ehhh I'm going to say wrong. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Most things I was harboring came out at some point, and whether it wound up with someone's feelings hurt or giving me a look that said, "What's your problem," it wasn't good.
I'm happy for the Paolas of the world who learn early on how good it is to know their own value and to be content with what they have. You know to enjoy life and bring others up with you.
But how do the rest of us get over insecurities? Things we're embarrassed about? Unhappy about? It's not as easy as telling myself, "Don't be jealous of her. Be happy for her." We need to be convinced about the truth about ourselves and that comes with time. You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. God didn't make any mistakes when He designed our looks, personalities, abilities or disabilities. I'm thankful for friends (the Paolas I know) who have helped me realize the truth and for God's Word - nothin' but truth!
160 miles to Yuma on I-8, just Paola and me. I want to fall asleep until shawty starts talking. At 16 years old, her life is math, english, history, dance (with her partner in crime, Lauren)... She tells me about tests, rehearsals, things that are important to her. One thing that really stuck out to me was talking about how girls compare; there's something that doesn't change with age. She's talking about grades, how quickly they pick up on dances, etc. and I think of how many women I know feel good/ashamed because of their degrees, jobs, houses, the list goes on.
 |
| We traded outfits to fool Paola's friend one day. It worked! |
Thankfully, Paola's got a little (or a lot) more figured out than I did at her age. At 16, I was uptight, NOT OK with being single, convinced I was ugly, hypocritical, and cynical. Most of my high school friends would be surprised by that because that's the kind of thing a girl can keep secret! Most of those things affected just my thoughts, so that means it's OK, right? As long as you don't insult anyone out loud you're not really insulting them... ehhh I'm going to say wrong. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Most things I was harboring came out at some point, and whether it wound up with someone's feelings hurt or giving me a look that said, "What's your problem," it wasn't good.
I'm happy for the Paolas of the world who learn early on how good it is to know their own value and to be content with what they have. You know to enjoy life and bring others up with you.
But how do the rest of us get over insecurities? Things we're embarrassed about? Unhappy about? It's not as easy as telling myself, "Don't be jealous of her. Be happy for her." We need to be convinced about the truth about ourselves and that comes with time. You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. God didn't make any mistakes when He designed our looks, personalities, abilities or disabilities. I'm thankful for friends (the Paolas I know) who have helped me realize the truth and for God's Word - nothin' but truth!
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