I realize that I’m getting ridiculous with this 7th installment of the blog series of things I’m thankful for, but I do really have so many things (most of them small and seemingly insignificant) that I love and am thankful for. This one starts with #146. And yes, I am that scatter-brained that every time I do one of these I have to look up the last one to see what numbers I ended with.
146) The people who read my blogs. Each and every one of you make me feel special.
147) That even if I’ve completely blown it with a friend and the worst case scenario happens and she never wants to see me or talk to me ever again (which I hope is NOT the case), then my world won’t end and life will go on and I will be okay because God’s grace is still sufficient.
148) Running my favorite trail in Crockett Park.
149) Dog-sitting (or cat-sitting) for a friend or family member. And yes, I can be hired for a reasonable fee.
150) When I realize how truly blessed I am to be alive and healthy for another day and how many won’t ever get that privilege again.
151) When I can make people smile or laugh.
152) When I see the face of someone who really gets how much God truly does love them.
153) The salty smell of the ocean air when I’m near the beach.
154) Listening to my grandfather’s old pink tube radio and thinking that it’s the same one that kept him company in his workshop all those years.
155) When I am simply overwhelmed by the joy of the Lord.
156) The sun breaking through after several grey, rainy days in a row.
157) Whenever and wherever mercy triumphs over judgment.
158) The calming sound of a ceiling fan at night that helps me drift off to sleep.
159) Seeing answered prayers for those I’ve prayed for a long time.
160) When I fail family and friends and find grace and forgiveness rather than judgment and condemnation.
161) My old comfortable pair of sandals that have taken me to many places and adventures with good friends (and kept me from getting blisters).
162) Being able to look back on friendships that ended and remember the joy and good times instead of the hurt.
163) Mixing the creamy jalapeno ranch and the salsa at Chuy’s for the perfect dip for those amazing tortilla chips.
164) The chicken tortilla soup at Chuy’s (after those chips and dip).
165) The joy of sparking new conversations at restaurants and coffee shops with strangers who become later become friends.
166) That my Abba Father still delights in me, dances with joy, and sings me to sleep every single night.
167) Sitting still in the pre-Civil War St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Franklin and feeling the peace of Christ wash over me.