thankful

Simple and cliché as it may be, in honor of Thanksgiving this week and after a long week at school, I want to write a list of things I am thankful for. It will not be exhaustive; it never could be. And it will not be in any order. It may be more for my own benefit in the writing and remember, but perhaps it can also be a reminder for you to remember all you are thankful for as well.




I am thankful for rain.


I am thankful for my roommate. It's her birthday tomorrow; she is a joy, a person full of passion and drive, thoughtful and easy to be with.


I am thankful for this song. I heard it for the first time today and it's playing on repeat now.


I am thankful for church right now, a small Anglican community downtown that I never pictured myself with but who have blessed me with familiarity, ritual, liturgy, reverence, and peace.


I am thankful for photographs.


I am thankful for memories.


I am thankful for a dorm full of girls who bless me so regularly, who wrote personalized encouragement to each other all over the whiteboard in our lounge.


I am thankful for exegetical papers.


I am thankful for my little family here at TWU, for how they show so much love, and for a precious 2-year-old with Down's Syndrome who teaches us that unexpected journeys can be so beautiful.


I am thankful for knocks on the door and spontaneous deep conversations that happened in the middle of writing this sentence.


I am thankful that I get to study linguistics.


I am thankful for a family that calls me, emails me, texts me, prays for me, and loves me.


I am thankful for safe places.


I am thankful for a jar full of marble, a handmade wooden cross, and a growing stack of notes.


I am thankful for hope.


I am thankful for the Big Dipper.


I am thankful for teachings that constantly shape me to be more like Jesus.


I am thankful for invitations, initiative, and innovation.


I am thankful for a God who came and who comes.


I am thankful for twenty-two and a half years of having a father who helped me know I could love and trust God because I knew I could love and trust him.





There are a lot of things I'm not thankful for, but I can leave them for another day. Today, or at least right now, I'm reminded of how much I am thankful for. And I am grateful that I have Someone to thank.

Thank you, Father.