Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 12

Ah, home sweet home. As much as I did NOT want to leave London, I reluctantly boarded a plane for home last Wednesday. Re-entry to normal life has not been terrible. I have one last London photo to share from my last day in the city. Like my first day in the city, it rained. A lot. On my list had been to revisit a couple locations to snap photos, including Piccadilly Circus. If one can only get a picture in the rain, may as well make the most of it!

233. Piccadilly Circus (technically from last week)

247. My beloved California Poppies. Love these, and it thrilled my heart to find that they were blooming when I arrived home.

242. When jet lag means you wake up at 3:00 am... you can get a LOT done before going in to the office. I fell asleep before 8 pm more than once after arriving home, but on the upside, I woke up in the middle of the night with plenty of energy to do the unpacking and laundry.

It's Tuesday night now, and I'm mostly back on California time, although I've still been waking up around 5:00 am. I look forward to sleeping late again one of these mornings!

Thankful Thursday London Edition: Joy Dare Week 12

It's my last day in London, and since I think the next few days are going to be a little nutty while I change time zones and readjust to "normal life".... here is the last London edition of Thankful Thursday.

222. Twice I went to Evensong at Westminster Abbey. This prayer is engraved on the outside of the building near  the Great West Door (the main entrance):

May God grant to the living: grace;

to the departed: rest;

to the church & the world: peace and concord;

and to us sinners: eternal life.

229. Going to see Wicked was an indulgence for me, but oh, how I LOVED it! Many times on this trip I had the opportunity to take in art of various forms, including this. I think what I did not expect was how deep the storyline was and how much it made me think. The Wizard of Oz was one of my favorite childhood movies, so it was pure delight to see Wicked - I will never think of Elphaba in the same way again.

226. Other than Big Ben, is anything more a London icon than Tower Bridge? And on this day, the sun came out, the sky was blue and there were perfect white clouds in the sky; truly a picture-perfect moment!

Thankful Thursday London Edition: Joy Dare Week 11

It's been an amazing week of vacation in London. Without further ado, a week of thanksgivings in pictures, and one quote from a book after that.

202. On a day "in", I gave my other blog a "makeover" which was long overdue, and created the fun title with the scissors as the "a".

203. Windsor Castle. What's not to love about visiting a castle? :)

207. A lovely Sunday afternoon walk to a local pub, The Three Horseshoes, which has been around since 1535.

217. A ride to the top of the London skyline in the London Eye

215. And this, a prayer of St. Teresa of Avila:

Let nothing upset you,
Let nothing startle you.
All things pass;
God does not change.
Patience wins all it seeks.
Whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone is enough.

For this, and for every gift from above this week: Thanks be to God. Amen.

Thankful Thursday London Edition: Joy Dare Week 10

Wow, so here I am typing this blog post from London England, where I arrived yesterday for two weeks of vacation. To be honest, it's a little surreal! Yesterday, I had made no plans since I expected to be pretty tired. With only about 2 hours of sleep on the flight, that turned out to be a good decision.

I brought this month's pages from my gift-counting journal with me for my trip, and I expect the next few weeks will involve numerous photos. While I brought the March pages with me, I forgot to note the number of the last gift I counted in February, so I have no idea what number I'm on. Ooops! I'll have to update this later, but for now, here are this week's gifts I wanted to share.

Update: Now with numbers!

182. Celebrating the birthday of a wonderful sister-in-law with a fabulous night out.

190. Safe trip to the airport and easy check in.

192. An in-flight personal entertainment system! I watched 3 movies on the flight.

194. First views of England from the plane as we descended through the cloud layer approaching Heathrow airport.

Also, this wasn't officially on my list, but if you've ever seen the movie Love Actually, there is a scene at the end of the movie where lots of travelers are arriving at Heathrow airport. Can I just tell you it felt awesome to walk through the doors and have a friend waiting to welcome me with a giant smile?

Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 9

I'd confessed a couple weeks ago that I was falling behind on counting. As I write this, it's already a few days after the scheduled date for the post. I think I'm still a little behind, but I'm not going to look at the numbers. I'm just going to "Keep Calm and Count On" (graphic from the free Complete Joy Collection printable at the A Holy Experience blog):

Gifts for this week:

153-160. At my job at church, we had our staff party this week, so I counted each staff person as a gift this week. I work with a GREAT group of people!

162. A beautiful truth in Sunday's sermon.

170. A new computer mouse at work. (Yep, counting the little things. Isn't it cute???)

174. I didn't run out of gas in the car today. Despite not paying attention to the gas gauge until it was already well beyond "light going on" low....!

Lastly, a pic from a couple weeks ago, I finally just saved this from the memory card on my old phone.

119. Playing "Ticket to Ride" with my cousins from Alberta.

Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 8

Another week with lots of photos. I'm having a little fun with this photo thing, can you tell?

135. Finding this fortune-cookie fortune in my wallet. About a week after the date on it, I bought a ticket to go to London in March, in part because the friend I'd shared Chinese food with helped talk me into it.

138. February blossoms. (It's California, spring comes early!)

139. from writer Jennifer Dukes Lee:

"You. Matter. You are God's Masterpiece.

You were created anew in Christ Jesus,

so you can do the good things

he planned for you, long ago."

147. from the WhiteStone Publishing Facebook page, a song and melody I have often enjoyed:

SIMPLE GIFTS
'Tis the gift to be simple,'tis the gift to be free,'tis the gift to come downwhere we ought to be,and when we find ourselves in the place just right,'twill be in the valley of love and delight.When true simplicity is gainedto bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,to turn, turn, will be our delighttill by turning, turning we come round right.~ EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SHAKER HYMN

Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 7

Unlike the 1st week of February, this week has a lot of pictures! (I guess I was making up for lost time?!??)

119. Playing Ticket to Ride with cousins from far, far, away. (I have a pic for this, and I hope I can still extract it from an old phone.)

127. Pretty, sparkly things - a belated Christmas gift from a far-away friend!

127. A sweet and unexpected Valentine's Surprise that arrived in the mail.

As I write this post, it's February 16 and I've counted 138 gifts, so I'm still 3 behind schedule. Here's to counting some extra gifts this week!

Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 6

I'm behind on my blogging, but still counting away! Here's some notes of thanks from the first week of February:

100. Reaching a count of 100 gifts, and appreciating the gift of a milestone reached.

103. Life Groups starting up again at church.

104. A date with my sweet nephew Charlie, and hearing his adorable voice from the backseat: "Thank  you, Auntie Rebo."

Oh, how my heart melts at that!

No pics this week, that definitely fell through the cracks. I've also been missing a few days now and then; I've lost some momentum. I'm trying to keep up with the count, catching up with extra gifts some days, but need to remind myself that this is important and not turn out the light by the bed before I write in my gifts journal.

Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 5

This week has been much better. I've been busier, experiencing a dramatically productive week at work (unheard of!) and well, what can I say? God is good.

This week:

79. Worship without work (I work part-time at a church, and it's not a foregone conclusion that I can worship on Sundays without having my day of rest interrupted with work.)

80. and 87. Time to create and be creative (different days/different ways.)

88. Affirmation from a coworker of something done well.

This week's "photo" is a little digi-paper-scraps image I threw together, it's a representation of a friend's house. I helped my friend move this week, and I stopped by her house the night before the big move. We reminisced together about the memories in that house, and for me, I remember the first time I hung out at her house, near the beginning of our friendship. This friendship has been a great blessing in my life these last two years, and I am so very, very grateful.

Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 4

This week has not been so awesome. I knew those days, those moments, would come, but I'm not enjoying the icky feelings that have been sticking with me much of this week, and these are certainly moments where I DON'T FEEL LIKE GIVING THANKS, thank you very much. Yet I trudge on, 3 little things every day. One thing, one day, I simply wrote after "it", the thing that was not awesome that day, "can I be thankful for this?" I'm not sure I succeeded at gratitude. But I wrote it down. I tried. Maybe in a day or 100 days I will learn what to be thankful for because of it. One hopes.

Sunday's sermon was about prayer and my pastor relayed an idea from C.S. Lewis (as he tends to do, being as he is a big fan of Lewis) that prayer is about relationships, and when the relationship between us and God is not 100%, we should engage in practicing the discipline of prayer anyway. Lewis said (something like) a practice of prayer is the cast around what is broken that helps us along until what is broken is healed and healthy and strong.

Day 20something and I'm not keen on thinking of 3 things. But I'm going to do it anyway. There are still good things and this practice, as crazy-hard as it is some days, is healing. Because I do this, I am reminded of other, good, wonderful, beautiful things - and for that I am thankful.

Things on my gifts list this week:

54. A gift from God's word:

"My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever"
- Ps 73:26

57. helping one friend pack up for a move (which, thankfully, is a local move, or I would have a much harder time being thankful...)

59. hours spent with a friend, relaxing and chatting over some coffee. Mmmmm.

And a photo. My jobs give me reason to be creative in problem-solving, organization, etc., but not to be artistically creative. In my free time, I try to make time to create pretty things.

Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 3

Things I'm thankful for this week:

28. "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." - C.S. Lewis (emphasis mine) 

36. Warm blankets and fluffy pillows.

42. Hope still. 

Two photos this week... I got flowers not once, but twice. In one week! The hydrangea arrangement was the centerpiece from the women's retreat at church last weekend. I was the lucky one at our table whose birthday was closest to the date of the event, so I got to take home the flowers. Then, Tuesday, someone brought me flowers as a thank you gift, so that's makes twice in a week - wow! I love flowers, so I am enjoying these gifts.

Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 2

Things I'm thankful for this week:

10. A day at Disneyland :)

16. Shared with me on Facebook by a dear cousin/friend/sister: "Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease." - Lamentations  3:21-22

25. A zero minute commute (I started working from home 1 day per week, something I'd been trying to get approved for at least 6 months.)

A photo for the week, related to #10, but actually #12 all on it's own

Thankful Thursday: Joy Dare Week 1

It's a new year, and I find myself taking on a new challenge. Last year, I started reading the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Since I work part-time for a Christian book publisher/online retailer, it was impossible not to be aware of this book; it landed on the bestseller list month after month. I was intrigued by the idea of counting 1000 gifts, 1000 things to be thankful for in a year.

Over the holidays I had some extra days off, some time to think, and I decided to jump in and try this DO THIS for 2013. ("Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda (right?!?)) 1000 is a lot. It's a really big number, the kind that makes me want to say, "No way I can do that...." On the other hand, noting 3 things every day sounds very manageable. I can definitely do that. (Don't tell, but I feel like even if I miss a day, thinking of 6 things once in a while to "catch up" is reasonable. Not that I'm planning to make a habit of that.)

And then I remembered that once I thought I'd post every week for Thankful Thursday. Right before I neglected my blog for months on end. Last year's decision to blog more also fell apart. New year, new resolution, new blog schedule. Yes, a schedule. I'm optimistic that by committing not to the vague "I will blog more" but to the specific, "I will blog on Thursdays", I might be able to stick to it.

The plan is that each week, I'll post on Thursday and share some of the things I've been thankful for in the week. I will be mostly focusing on writing these down, but I hope to photograph some of them. The photographs in this post is are actually from #13 on day 5, but I wanted to share the mini-journal book I put together for my year-long project right here at the beginning. Without further ado....

Things I'm thankful for:

1. watching the Rose Parade with the smell of the Christmas tree still in the air

4. lunch with a friend (a 2.5 hour lunch, but who's counting?)

8. hugs from my nephew Charlie

Photos for the week:

Happy Thanksgiving (a day late!)

I try to make a habit of being thankful on Thursdays... a habit, that like this blog in general, has been neglected. However, with this post I hope to begin to post somewhat more regularly again.

I originally wrote this as the cover article for our November church newsletter, which was published 10/31. Because so much of it is about what I'm thankful for, and includes what I would wish for anyone this season, I'm posting it here as well.

I hope your Thanksgiving day was blessed!

*****

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It is Thanksgiving this month! A good friend of mine calls this her favorite holiday because it is so uniquely American. Even those who are not religious will take time on this holiday to express gratitude for the good things in their lives. Christians may call these “blessings” or “gifts” and direct their gratitude to God in their Thanksgiving celebrations as did those who first celebrated this holiday.

Some of us will begin our celebrations by attending worship, raising our hearts and voices to God. Later, we might each tell of something for which we are thankful before sharing in a feast of turkey, trimmings and pie. I hope that each of us finds joy in expressing our gratitude.

I have never written in this space before, and my filling in as a Connections writer is directly related to something I am grateful for this Thanksgiving: my new role here at Crossroads as Ministry Coordinator. Writing those very words still feels so strange to me because the path of my life that led to this place was neither straight nor well-marked!

So you might be wondering, “What is a Ministry Coordinator, anyway?” Many have asked that question, and there are moments I count myself in that number. Crossroads has never had a Ministry Coordinator before, so I, along with Pastor Mark and our ministry staff and council, am figuring out what it means and how it fits in to what we are trying to do here.

There are two main things (along with some other things!) with which I am tasked:
1. Working with the Crossroads ministry staff to develop and implement ministry plans in line with the mission and vision of Crossroads, and
2. Helping members (that’s you!) identify and develop their own gifts, talents and passions for ministry. In other words if you are already involved in a ministry or would like to be, I am here for you!

As I have taken up this work, I am already finding myself thankful for many things. I feel so fortunate to come to work every day with other people who have a passion for ministry and who joyfully take up their tasks for God’s kingdom. We are all blessed here at Crossroads by their faithful work.

I am so thankful for many of you who have been encouraging as I try to begin answering the questions and determine how exactly I can best complete my task. I thank you for not only asking “What is your job?” but also asking “How is it going?” You are what is making Crossroads into the caring community we strive
for in our vision.

I have already enjoyed meeting some new people because of being in this role. If we haven’t had a chance to talk yet – or recently – I welcome the chance to catch up with you and find out what you are thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

Mostly, I am thankful for being right where I am, even though it was unexpected, because I trust it is God’s perfect plan that led me here. This year I did a lot of waiting to find out what was going to happen next in my life, and in the waiting I found comfort in the words of Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and future.”

Although I am not waiting anymore, I find, even in this new task, that there is peace in knowing God has a plan…even when I do not know the details. (And I really like knowing the details so it is an extra measure of God’s grace that He is helping me to be patient!)

This Thanksgiving, I hope your heart easily turns to gratitude. I hope that if you participate in the tradition of sharing things you are thankful for, your list is long. Above all, I hope you are blessed with peace in knowing that God’s perfect plan includes you, too.


-- Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

F*cebook Thanksgiving Challenge

This Thanksgiving challenge showed up on F*cebook earlier this month. I decided to take it on, and try to post one thing per day I'm thankful for, and I'm listing it here as well so I can remember the whole list at once.

A couple times I got a day behind, but found that my omission was only online... I had taken time to be grateful for a blessing each day, but occasionally forgot to document it.

Today, I'm thankful for...

7 - Lots of cuddle and play time with my cute nephew, Charlie.
8 - A wonderful afternoon with aunts, uncles and cousins, and especially for connecting with out-of-state cousins on Skype.
9 - Leftover chocolate cake and ice cream. Yummy!
10 - A beautiful sunny day and that I don't have to drive to class in the dark since it starts at 4 before it gets dark.
11 - Extra thankful today for the freedoms afforded her by the sacrifices of all veterans. I probably can't fully appreciate that everything they have done makes my life so much better.
11 (again, I was really thankful today!) - Got to do some early birthday celebrating today by having breakfast with friends I don't see enough, and then going to Disneyland with Jeanine to see the Christmas decorations.
12 - Enjoyed a fun girls night out with Genevieve, Sarah & Jeanine at The Melting Pot. Chocolate fondue... yummy.
13 - Spent a day shopping with my mom and SIL, which was lots of fun, and very thankful to get some Christmas shopping done.
14 - Today's my birthday! I'm enjoying all the birthday wishes from friends and family.
15 - Great fellowship at church this morning and a nice dinner out with my family tonight to celebrate my birthday.
16 - Got a lot of work done on my final project today. Plenty more to do before deadline Thursday, it's crunch time!
17 - Thankful for a few precious minutes cuddling with her newest cousin, and seeing his mom, dad and big sister, all visiting from Alberta. Is there anything sweeter than a baby sleeping in your arms?
18 - Feeling better today after a week+ of headaches, which I'm blaming on stress.
19 - My final project for my masters is finished, printed and turned in!
20 - Two things: I received an unexpected refund from San Diego State due to receiving a grant. How Cool is that??? Secondly, and even more wonderful, celebrating the birth of Susannah to my dear friends the Sharps.
21 - A wonderful afternoon with the Ligtenberg family for an early Thanksgiving celebration. Great times!!
22 - A very relaxing and enjoyable day with my good friend Rebecca. A day to just play and have fun is a welcome break in the routine.
23 -Got a few things checked off the to-do list today, this is good. Also, I'm gratefully anticipating a few days off this week.

24 -My cousin went into early labor today (2 months early) and I'm thankful docs were able stop contractions in an effort to keep her baby growing a little longer. So far, so good. We're hoping he makes it about 5 more weeks.

25 -I prepared 4 lbs of green beans for tomorrow's big dinner, and gratefully note that I'm blessed with plenty of food to eat, a warm place to sleep tonight, and loved ones to spend Thanksgiving with tomorrow. God is good, ALL the time.

November 26, 2009 - Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!-- Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

I stand corrected... but not for long, I need to go to the bank

My very last post was about making my last payment to San Diego State, only 10 days ago. A payment I deliberately waited to make until the due date, since I resented just a bit that this payment is what was responsible for the majority of the huge increase in college costs this semester.

Well, that increase estimate requires an adjustment, because I got a check BACK from the college today, a result of being awarded a grant specifically towards the extra costs. I feel blessed. And now I need to go to the bank. :)

--
Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

"I hate you!"

I don't hear these words very often. But I do hear them. Usually in the winter. Usually when I'm talking to a friend who lives somewhere that it snows. Usually when they ask me about the whether where I live. Well, I live in San Diego, so unless it's one of those infrequent days where it's pouring rain or on fire around here, or if it's extremely hot (100+,) the weather is probably just about perfect.

Today was a perfect day. I'm sitting here looking out a window that faces west. The sun went down a while ago, and the sky is still a yellow color at the horizon and fades into a whitish pink farther up. The hills I can usually see are being overtaken by a gigantic coastal fog bank. The air is still crystal clear here, but in a little while the fog will arrive here, too. When I wake up tomorrow morning, I will probably not be able to see as far as the neighbor's house, let alone the hills in the distance.

I left the windows open all day today, as temps rose only to about 75 or 80. Tonight's cool fog means tomorrow will probably be similarly wonderful. Today, I worked and studied at home, so I could enjoy this view and the great weather all day. Tomorrow will be a busy day, working in a windowless office followed by school in the evening. But right now, for this moment, I'm just enjoying this amazing, beautiful place I am blessed to call home.

--
Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday: Free!!

Just got word late yesterday that I was selected to receive a scholarship (all expenses paid!) to attend a conference in October that is presented by the Financial Planning Association. From the conference website:

NexGen is a unique community for up-and-coming professionals who represent the future of financial planning.

As a community with distinctive goals and objectives, FPA NexGen 2009 has been designed to give the next generation of financial planners the tools and knowledge needed to be successful in today's ever-changing profession.

With specialized educational sessions and effective networking opportunities, FPA NexGen 2009 is the perfect place to find inspiration, support and encouragement.

I had been hoping to attend this conference all year... it was originally scheduled for July in Colorado but was rescheduled to October in Anaheim, CA. (One of my friends has pointed out already that the Anaheim Convention Center is a mere 1 block from D*sneyland, so this will be a double-bonus kind of event!)

I am so excited!!

--
Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday: First Day

I started another new job today. I was blessed with a paid summer internship at a financial advising firm, Waddell & Reed. The team I'm working with seem really great, and willing to let me dig in and learn some financial planning skills along with helping out with some of the usual internship stuff like... filing. Which I love. Not. But overall, it promises to be interesting. They have been very flexible, allowing me to schedule hours around my summer class and to avoid the worst commute times so I don't spend hours in traffic.

God is good, and I am grateful.

--
Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday: Strawberries

I spent the night last night at my Grandma's place, a convenient stopover between two days of "vacation" I took during this week's spring break from classes.

When I called Wednesday afternoon to let her know what time I'd be arriving that night, she told me there were fresh strawberries waiting for me at her house. Grandma knows I LOVE strawberries, and since they are in season, she went out of her way to buy some since I would be staying at her house.

It's so special when someone does something like that. Something just for me, just because they know they can make my day special. I love you Grandma. Thanks for making my day.

--
Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/