Sometimes the joy you find in the littlest things is the joy that can get you through the day. I think God made me--made all of us--to find joy in unexpected places. For example, my dad put up our Christmas lights Saturday afternoon. I can't tell you the rush I got from running out into the cold night in my socks to get a picture of our glittering house. It was one of those moments where I was pretty sure my face would crack if I smiled any bigger.
I believe in being thankful for little things too. Every year near Thanksgiving I try to take some time to think about all the things I have to be thankful for. To be honest, though, this year I'm having a hard time being thankful for big things. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful we have a house and a car and enough food to eat. But this year, I'm finding myself drawn to giving thanks for all of the little joy-giving gifts God gives me, for example:
- I'm thankful for little sisters who bring home chocolate cakes.
- I'm thankful for loud, stinky, obnoxious dogs who still manage to steal your heart as soon as they look at you with those big brown eyes.
- I'm thankful for long phone conversations with my best friend--I don't think anyone can make me laugh as hard as "Libby" does.
- I'm thankful for cozy blankets on cold nights and homemade hot chocolate from my mom.
- I'm thankful for snack cars on the Amtrak.
- I'm thankful for facebook wall posts from much-missed friends, reminding me that I am loved even from a distance.
- I'm thankful for singing along to the car radio...really loudly.
- I'm thankful for text messaging.
- I'm thankful for family game night--and never winning Clue.
- I'm thankful for little brothers who laugh at the exact same things you do...and help you dominate in Apples to Apples.
- I'm thankful for people who pass on compliments. Somehow that's just nice.
- I'm thankful for "the Ones", and how hard they make me laugh.
- I'm thankful for mixing pop to make toasts with every Thanksgiving, and the weird looks that "Rico", "Pedro", and I ("Esteban-ban") get from the rest of the family.
AHHH I just love you Allie!!! And I'm so glad you've started writing more posts, I've missed them :) And strangely, I feel the same way you do, realizing all the MANY little things I have to be thankful for. Sometimes I skip over those things and don't realize how thankful I really am and I wonder what life would be like if I didn't have those little things in my life.
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