our grateful hearts // week 3

“Humbly let go. Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control, let go of my own way, let go of my own fears. Let God blow His wind, His trials, oxygen for joy's fire. Leave the hand open and be. Be at peace. Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love and whisper a surprised thanks. This is the fuel for joy's flame. Fullness of joy is discovered only in the emptying of will. And I can empty. I can empty because counting His graces has awakened me to how He cherishes me, holds me, passionately values me. I can empty because I am full of His love. I can trust.” 

(Ann VosKamp, One Thousand Gifts)

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I can hardly believe we are at the end of November's third week. Next week is Thanksgiving, y'all! I love this season and that it reminds us to pause and give thanks for a year full of blessings. Sure, a beautifully decorated table, deliciously-carved turkey, pumpkin pie, and family around the table are all part of the day, but the heart of this beloved holiday is giving thanks. It's one of my favorite holidays and I try to do something different every year to thank people in my life, usually with hand-written notes in the mail because so often I forget to thank people around me for the ways they invest in my life, encourage me when I am down, and remind me of God's love. 

Ever since reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts in 2013, thanksgiving (both the verb and the holiday) have meant even more than before. I try to give God thanks for the many gifts He gives all year-round rather than only in November, but I love being more intentional about it this month too. SO the myriad of instagramers, Facebook statuses, and bloggers  posting their daily list of what they're thankful for doesn't get old; I love hearing about what other people are thankful for, because it typically makes me realize things that I didn't think to be thankful for. 

For November, Greg and I want to be intentional about daily finding blessings that remind us God loves us and is faithful and good. I shared week 1 and week 2, and now want to share this week's blessings we journaled about:

#32. Thankful for lazy Saturday filled with lots of cuddling and reading. After a long, stressful week at work for Greg, it was a sweet start to last weekend.

#37. Thankul that my little brother made it back safely from Mexico after a one-week trip leading students at the missionary training school he works at. 

#38. We joined a Bible study group for newly married couples at our church. We are excited to have community with couples in the same season as us.

#39. Super grateful for a husband who supports and believes in my writing dreams. He especially encouraged me this past week to pursue an idea for the blog that has been simmering in my mind for awhile now. It may be cliche, but I feel like he gives me wind beneath my wings when he said he is proud of me and believes in me as a writer.

#40. Thankful that Greg works about 10 minutes from home and can come home during lunch so we can enjoy lunch together.

#41. Thankful for one month of marriage on November 17th! 

#42. Thankful for one of Greg's friends taking us our to dinner on Tuesday night at a hip place called The Granery as a wedding gift and so that he could get to know me better. He had been very intentional in asking Greg about our relationship while we were dating, so it was cool to get to know him a bit better over a really delicious dinner he treated us to!

#43. Thankful for Tone It Up videos, which are perfect short work-out videos on YouTube for those days I can't make it to the gym or outside for a jog, but want to get atleast 10 minutes of physical activity. 

#44. Thankful for a sweet package from the pediatric clinic I worked at before moving to Texas. Several co-workers wrote sweet messages on post-it notes for me :)

#45. Thankful for a sweet card that came in the mail from my family, congratulating us one our one month of marriage :)

#46. Thankful that Greg gets one WTF (Work From Home) day. It's nice having him home, even if he is busily working on the computer or on the phone on conference calls. We went to Chik-fil-A for lunch while he was on his conference call and I ate my chicken deluxe meal while reading a new favorite, Notes From A Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider.

#47. Thankful that Greg cares about how my back and neck have been hurting, mainly from not being conscientious about my posture. We jimmy-rigged a new workspace for me on the dining room table with a wireless keyboard and mouse plus a breakfast table to lift my laptop to eye-level. More ergonomically correct head position = less (or NO) pain while writing and working on the computer!

#48. Co-hosting The Circle with my lovely friend Kiki on Wednesday! Kiki is awesome and loves to build community, so I was honored to be able to co-host this month as all the gals shared acrostic poems spelling out t-h-a-n-k-f-u-l. Hop on over and check out our responses… There is still time to link-up too!

Thanks for hosting thankfulness-related link-ups, Brushing Our Way Through Life. Attitude of Gratitude link-up with While I am Waiting and The Queen in Between, and Knit By God's Hands' Thankful Thursday, and Bella Brita.  

What are you thankful for, friends?