Yesterday morning at church we talked about thankfulness. I have struggled to have a grateful spirit in times where I was consumed by my own pain and circumstances. The truth is I have much to be grateful for. Always have.
So today I take
another stab at a long (but probably incomplete) list of gratitude. I invite
you to read these personal thank yous so that you can be inspired to write a
list too.
Ah hem....
Thank you church-member-who-will-remain-nameless. You
quietly paid for our worship leader’s coffee in the coffee shop in between
services. I saw the look of surprise on his family’s faces when they heard it
was already paid for. I saw you be generous in secret and it was a powerful
example to me.
Thank you Lindsay for mentoring me at work. Our friendship
has been so fruitful for my career and personal life. You are wise beyond your
years. I deeply respect your opinion and welcome your influence on my life, in
all areas. You let me be brutally honest without judging me. I can’t tell you how
encouraging and freeing it is.
Thank you Mandee for inspiring me to run. Although I
haven’t ran in a long time, you are a great example of commitment and
discipline. Watching you complete the Portland Marathon this year was so
inspiring. Beyond running, you love me unconditionally. And I so appreciate
that!
Thank you Rita for being honest with me. A year ago you
gave me advice during a difficult season. It was a risk because it wasn’t an
easy message to give, but you were obedient and I embraced your words with a
humble heart because I could see your words came from your own place of
vulnerability. I love you.
Thank you Ashley for watching Avery once a week. Leaving Avery in your care brings me much peace. I respect your mothering. I admire your positive attitude. I love that our daughters love each other. I’m grateful to have a friend who is available to watch and love my daughter on a regular basis. Thank you.
Thank you Emily Bowler for being friends with me. We are so different! You let me talk honestly about my life and my faith without judging or stereotyping me. I shared things with you on our coffee jaunts at work that I hadn’t shared with anyone. You are a safe place. I love that despite being so different, and having moved on to different workplaces, we are still good friends. I am deeply grateful for our friendship (even if it’s mostly texts, gmail chats, and words with friends games!) On a separate note, thanks for introducing me to West Elm!
Thank you Carley for coming over last summer and talking with me in the backyard. I bore my heart and you cried with me. You understand me in ways no one else does. I appreciate your transparency with me and being a faithful friend.
Thank you Jeff and Jenny for doing a ‘small group’ with us, despite it just being Jake and I. It’s been so meaningful for us. We’re in the Word more. Thinking long term. Encouraged to live intentionally. It’s been so fruitful for us. We respect the both of you immensely as spiritual leaders in our lives.
Thank you Dutch Bros baristas who tolerated Mandee and I’s requests to split our free large drink so many stinkin’ times. You never made us feel stupid. For that I’m grateful!
Thank you Megan for writing me that brief message on Facebook a year ago. We’ve only seen each other once since high school but your words were encouraging. I appreciate you reflecting back and affirming me.
Thank you Maggie for the gift card after Avery was born. You were joyful for us and pampered me with love and free manicures! You generously shared your giftings and resources with me. Thank you.
Thank you Dad for being a hands-on, loving, and generous
Grandpa for Avery. Even though you’re the only Grandpa in her life, you give
her twice the love. She’s so so so lucky. Although this really isn’t for me, I want to
thank you for giving Jake the trip to Alaska that he only dreamed of. You have
no idea how amazing that was for him. And as his wife, I’m so grateful to you
for loving him that much- to make a dream come true for him.
Thank you Missy for having an influence on my mothering. How you interact with Grace affects how I interact with Avery. After seeing you teach Grace to say please, I realized I could probably teach Avery. I see you be playful with Grace and I learn how to be more playful with Avery. You are a wonderful mother. As always, I’m also extremely grateful for our forever-friendship.
Thank you Mom. Gosh. I could write a whole blog on the ways
you bless our lives. Number one being the influence you have on Avery. You are
so selfless. You put her first. You sacrifice your schedule to accommodate our
needs for watching her. You buy her clothes, diapers, and toys. I am also
grateful for your random ‘Oh I bought too much of these meatballs and pork
loins so here have some…” gifts. You are cleverly generous. I don’t have enough words to truly show my
gratitude for all that you do for us. I love you. Thank you.
Thank you mother of a George Fox prospective student. You took time to thank me with meaningful thoughtful words. Your email encouraged our entire office. I kept it in my saved emails :)
Thank you Steve for not just preaching about serving but doing it. You lead by example. You make evangelism realistic for those of us who don’t know where to begin. You make it simple. You challenge us to be generous and kind.
Thank you Katie for all the hand-me downs you gave us. My goodness, you probably saved us at least 1,000 dollars in clothes, baby furniture, and toys. You could have sold them and made money but you blessed our socks off by saving them for us. I am so so so grateful. Someone today complimented on Avery’s outfits. I gave the credit to you!
Thank you Jillian for texting me last week when I was very discouraged. You didn’t even know what I was feeling, but you anticipated my reaction to a situation and saw an opportunity to encourage me. You are a good friend, Jillian. I appreciate all our gmail chats too! I miss you very much.
Thank you Avery for making me a better person. You fill my
heart over and over and over… You are beautiful. You give me such purpose. You
make me laugh. You make me practice patience. You give me an opportunity to be
a good teacher. Thank you for being a shining light from day one. Your very
presence motivated me towards positive choices in my life. Thank you for
sleeping well on your own. Thank you for your tight hugs and sloppy
kisses. Thank you for loving me. Can’t
wait for you to tell me someday!
Thank you Jake for being a wonderful playful father. Thank
you for the times you let me sleep in or have girls weekends away. Thank you
for choosing me despite that not being the easy choice. Thank you for being
committed to counseling. Thank you for serving our church by playing drums.
Thank you Jenna for pointing me to Gary Thomas’ “Sacred
Influence” book. It’s transformed my thoughts about being a wife. On more than
one occasion the wisdom in that book changed my attitude. I’m grateful for your support in my life!
Thank you LiLi for watching Avery last minute a few weeks
ago. Thank you for always being positive. Thank you for the random encouraging
texts at 2am. Thank you for inspiring all of us to be spontaneous and live life
to the fullest!
Thank you Shannon, Jamie, Jillian and Candy for taking the
time to do girls weekend in The Dalles this summer. What a fun carefree
weekend. Special thanks for Shannon and Candy who accepted my tattoo challenge!
Thank you also for being transparent, vulnerable, and honest during our
conversation at Shannons last year. I’ll
never forget that particular night. Ever.
Thank you to all the strangers who 'ohh and ahh' over Avery. I love that you see her beauty like I do and vocalize it. It warms my heart. I know how lucky I am!
Thank you to all my friends and family who have encouraged, affirmed, challenged, inspired, and laughed with me!
Quite overwhelming to consider how blessed I am.
This week I stop to say
THANK YOU
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