Thankful Me: Thanksgiving Day!!

Happy Thanksgiving! Although this is the last post of the Thankful Me series, I challenge us all to start and end each day with thankfulness. The days will come that winter sets in and you feel as barren as the tree outside your window. Take an extra long sip of your coffee and choose to be thankful for what has been and the promise of what is to come.

When choosing a word for this last letter, I couldn't help but think of my alma mater, East Carolina University. I had never heard of this place prior to visiting as a potential student. I vaguely knew it was east of Raleigh but not quite as far as the ocean. As I drove with my parents down interstate 264, I despondently said, "Don't you dare leave me here. This is the end of the earth". In my defense, 264 is a long stretch of highway that abruptly seems to end at the outskirts of Greenville; however, 264 does continue but I didn't know this at the time.

After I was settled in my "air-less" dorm, I waved good-bye to my family with tears streaming down my face. I still remember that feeling of utter helplessness combined with a determination to overcome.

I threw myself into survival mode, and almost 11 years later, I am still here.

I am thankful for this eastern part of the state for many reasons. I met half of my bridesmaids here, and we now share stories of love and children together. I discovered my passion for nursing here and broadened my scope with a Master's degree. I was involved with a campus ministry as the leader of the worship team, where I learned that true leadership requires humility.

My most defining moment of thankfulness occurred one normal evening in a building called Mendenhall. This is where I met a guy in a striped sweater who was sharing his experience from the past summer in Africa for a mission trip. As I saw him talk, I remember thinking there was something different about him. I was drawn to him, and I didn't really know why.

This stranger is now my husband, and I am so thankful I walked through those doors that evening.

Our marriage isn't perfect, and I'm sure if our walls could talk, you would need to wear ear plugs. But the base of our marriage is love. Love that protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love that keeps no record of wrongs.

I'm thankful for him, and I wouldn't have met him if I didn't take that long drive down highway 264, east of Raleigh and not quite at the ocean...



Thou that has given so much to me,
Give one thing more -- a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleases me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart, whose pulse may be
Thy praise.
~George Herbert

Thankful Me: Day 9

We can't choose our family. I'm sure God chuckles to himself when he places the wild child with the prim and proper parents, or connects a sweet-tea lovin' boy with an addicted diet coke girl.

If I had been given a chance to sit on God's lap and thumb through his scrapbook of families, I would choose mine all over again. After I chose my parents, I would open up the book again and look under the tab "siblings". Under that tab, I would always and forever choose the same person.

My sister, Miriam. Also known as "Mirms", "Aunt Mims" and "Mimzy".

I am thankful for my Mims.

She helped me dig to China in our mammoth backyard sandbox behind the first home we ever knew. We made cakes out of dirt as the summer sun set. We lined up together at the end of the hallway every Christmas morning, waiting for Dad to start the music so we could run into the living room full of gifts.

We fought like Cain and Abel during the awkard middle years, and we lived side by side in the dorms of Cotten Hall, like those days never happened. She expertly divulged my affections to a man who is now my husband through instant messenger, without making me look like a foolish college girl. She was so excited he liked me, too, that she couldn't wait to tell me the next morning.

She has a tender heart, and she would give away her last coat in the dead of winter to a shivering stranger.

She treasures relationships, and she wants to be the best daughter, sister, friend.

And,

She is.


Thank you, Mims, for staying true to you.

I'd pick you all over again.

Thankful Me: Day 8

I am that girl who stood behind you in the communion line, head bowed low and shoulders shaking. I'm also that girl beside you at the monthly work meeting, clearing my throat and coughing into the nearest napkin.

I'm not emotionally touched or sick with the community cold.

I'm not trying to get put on the church prayer list or excused from work early.

No, I really have no exuses, but those would be less embarrasing than the truth.


The truth is....

I am laughing. It starts as a small tickle in the pit of your stomach; the place where the butterflies live. The tickle turns into a little stream, which in turn starts bubbling as every other slightly funny moment jumps in.

This tickle can be sparked by anything. A random look, a sudden memory of hilarity, an intensely sad moment.

I am thankful for this laughter. I've inherited this inappropriate talent from both of my parents. We tend to use humor as our inner tube during quiet or somber times. It truly is a release of emotions, and at times it is the only emotion that keeps us from falling apart.

Can you imagine a world without laughter? It would be like spaghetti noodles without the sauce, or vanilla cake without rainbow chip icing...

So.

Lighten up. Don't be afraid to spice up the noodles. Don't hesitate to add a little extra frosting.

Any by all means,

always lick the spoon.

Thankful Me: Day 7

I have a secret. It's about the English language. It may make me look nerdy, but I will divulge it to you anyway.

I love words that can play different parts in a sentence. Today, a certain word may play a noun. Tomorrow, that same word, same spelling, same sound, will play a verb. Next week, you may use it as an adjective.

I am thankful for Understanding. Both the noun and the adjective forms.

If you were given a piece of paper, a pen, and five minutes to write down all of the moments you could remember where you were shown understanding, could you do it? Could you write the moments you embodied understanding?

My paper would be full. I'd like to say full of my moments of being an understanding daughter, wife, mother, sister-in-law, friend, instructor, health care provider, mentor....but I struggle daily. Because of the grace shown to me, I am encouraged to use understanding in both the noun and the adjective forms.

In kindergarten, I stole blocks. I also convinced the other girls in my class to steal as well. We were giving them to our sisters, after all. As it always does, the truth comes to light. My parents disciplined me in love and with a rather thick wooden paddle. I also was given a note to hand to my teacher the next day. It said something like this: "Please read this to Anna. She is asking for forgiveness for stealing these blocks. After she apologizes and asks for forgiveness, please rip up this note and throw it in the trash to symbolize that when we ask forgiveness, Jesus remembers it no more". With understanding of right and wrong, my parents disciplined me. My understanding teacher knew this was a life lesson I would never forget; that piece of paper was thrown in the trash....and I could breathe again.

In college, I had to do one class of PE in order to graduate. I chose the archery class, and we were informed that no absences would be tolerated. The night before a class, my sister called to say one of my dear childhood friends had passed away from cancer. I rode the shuttle to the football stadium that morning, arrows in one hand and tissues in the other. My instructor took one look at me and pulled me aside. As I relayed the story to him, his eyes became understanding, and he sent me home. No questions. No class to make up. He understood.

I'm thankful for that paper in my memory that is full.

Full of one-liners and epic paragraphs that portray understanding, autographed by teachers, parents, sisters....



By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Proverbs 24:3-4

Thankful Me: Day6

I am thankful for faith.

My faith is in a Creator who knows how many hairs fell out of my head today. It is in Someone who took an expanse of nothing and hand-carved continents. My faith is rooted in a soil of promise; a promise that I would never be alone or forsaken.

I have experienced moments of cave-like sorrow. I have inhaled the thin air at the tops of victorious mountains. I have become restless with straight, never-ending two lane roads that seem to go nowhere. All of these experiences had one companion in common.

Faith.

To have faith is a necessity. You will carry it through the delivery of your first child. You will cling to it at the death of a loved one. You will find that it deepens as your journey lengthens.

Without faith, my heart would beat slower. My soul would atrophy. Faith in the One who uses stars as His flashlights breeds hope and certainty. A hope that allows you the desire to get up tomorrow, and certainty that He is there.

Always.



Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see..... Hebrews 11:1

Thankful Me: Day 5

When I was in elementary school, I used different techniques to memorize my spelling words. Wednesday, in my head, was pronounced "WED-NES-DAY". I have never spelled it wrong since that epiphany. Dessert had two s's because who wants just one?

Knowledge. This word definitely fit into the category of needing to be broken down. That silent K is a silent killer as a child. Just like the word knee. Or kneading. Knowledge, however, made sense. "Know" and "Ledge". I KNOW I should NOT jump off that LEDGE.

I am thankful for knowledge. My mother used her knowledge, which she had learned from her mother, to raise me. My first taste of sweet potatoes, mashed just like her mom would do...or my hand-made Easter dress that matched my younger sister...my definition of right and wrong...my most memorable spanking, from stealing blocks in kindergarten...I KNEW I shouldn't have jumped off that LEDGE.

My father used his knowledge, which he learned from the lineage of honorable fathers before him. The piece by Bach for my piano recital reached child-like perfection, simply through the knowledge my dad shared with me. Voice recitals, my first bike ride without training wheels, my free throws, my definition of compassion and sensitivity, the stern admonishment that was worse than a spanking after I lied....all of these spurred by KNOWing he did NOT want me falling off life's LEDGES.

I now walk in their shoes. Although worn and sometimes needing inserts for support, they are comfortable. They are familiar. They may have added fabric or different shoelaces, but the foundation is the same.

My children will inherit this knowledge. They will walk in my footsteps, and they may have velcro straps instead of hot pink shoelaces for their shoes.

The foundation is the same.

The goal is the same.

To KNOW it is ok to explore, to grow, to question things and discover the truth, so that when the difficulties come, you don't fall off the LEDGE.

Thankful Me: Day 4

Nest:
~a pocketlike, usually more or less circular structure of twigs, grass, mud, etc., formed by a bird, often high in a tree, as a place in which to lay and incubate its eggs and rear its young; any protected place used by a bird for these purposes.
~a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.


I built a nest in September, with blueprints I had been given six years ago. Twigs of knowledge weaved together with leaves of grace, both of which can not be bought but only learned through another nest builder. In my nest are 10 young ones. They have peeked over the edge, flown to a nearby branch, but they always return. I've been slowly nudging them to fly farther. Fly longer. Fly higher. These are my nursing students, whose appetites are growing and wings are widening. They will not stay in my nest much longer, for they have outgrown this space.

I've perched in nests of many shapes and sizes. From preschool, I flew to kindergarten. My undergraduate nest was nestled below a canopy of branches filled with bigger nests, and I flew up. My husband's nest had reinforced sides where mine had gaps, and we made a nest together.

Each nest I build contains materials and techniques from other nests.

My parents.

Sister.

First nursing instructor.


Husband.

Son.



Where are your nests, and what nests did you leave behind?

I am thankful for my familiar and protected places.

My nests may be ragged and worn, but they are held together with love, and that is the blueprint I wish to pass on.

Thankful Me: Day 3

I'm thankful for angels. The selfless ones who aren't highlighted with a halo. They are quiet, and they have no wings to rustle. Their feet travel over the same sidewalks as mine. I brush shoulders with them every day, and I never think twice.

But then, I'm forced to look them in the eye, as they humbly step aside and let me go before them in line at the grocery store. My arms are laden down with diapers and wipes, balancing a screaming child. I thank them, and for a minute I wonder why they aren't clad in white.

They arrived in a minivan when I was in college, stranded on the side of interstate N-85. They rolled up their starched blue shirt and bathed in grease and oil as my tire was changed.

I've met a few in the parking lots of Target, or at the red light on Memorial Drive. "Ma'am, your brake light is out. You might want to get that checked so you don't get a ticket". "Thank you so much!" I reply. They could have just ignored me.

They come in all ages and walks of life. A four-month-old whose eyes stare into your soul and let you know everything is ok, a young man who held the door for you, a longer than usual hug from a parent. These moments may be fleeting, but your life is changed.

I am thankful for the angels in my life...

And in these moments,

Remember.

Listen.

You may just hear

those angel wings.


Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1-2

Thankful Me: Day 2

Tin Man: What have you learned, Dorothy?
Dorothy: Well, I - I think that it - it wasn't enough to just want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em - and it's that - if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right?


Today's letter is H, the second letter of Thankful Me, in case you didn't realize how I was deciding what letters to do...

When deciding what my "H" would stand for, I immediately thought of home.

Home has taken many forms for me over the years. It was a little yellow house with burgundy/red shutters on Pueblo Lane for the first 14 years of my life. It had a sandbox that quite possibly could reach to China, and bike rides were the highlights of our evenings.

Home then became a brick, ranch-style house on Woodbridge Road, with a beautiful sunroom, a formal dining room and living room for my mom, an extra bedroom/office for my dad, and plenty of space for two teenage girls. This home hosted countless bridal and baby showers, two graduation celebrations, and a nervous bride with her bridesmaids the eve of her wedding day.

The dorm rooms in college became home purely out of survival. When leaving the only refuge you have ever known, you have to embrace your new surroundings and build your family where you are. My roomates became sisters, the twin beds served as sofas and tables, and the piano in the lobby was claimed as our own.

My husband and I spent the first year of married life in a townhome complex. White siding with green shutters was reminiscent of Anne's house at Green Gables. We discovered it is possible to stay married even after painting a cramped bathroom one exhausting weekend;we saw the worst and best of each other between those walls.

Our family of three now makes memories in a house on Winterfield Drive. I spent late nights studying for my Master's degree in our bedroom and bonus room. Friends and neighbors filled the rooms with laughter and some tears. I found out I was pregnant in our bathroom. We've christened nearly all the toilets with the GI bug. We've burned half our yard with a fire pit and had every neighbor in the cul-de-sac join in a bucket brigade. We brought our firstborn home through this front door.

I'm thankful for home.

Wherever that may be.

In a yellow house with burgundy shutters...

Or Room 701 in Greene Hall...





Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home. Home! And this is my room, and you're all here. And I'm not gonna leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all, and - oh, Auntie Em - there's no place like home! ~ Dorothy

Thankful Me: Day 1

The first letter of the countdown is T.

In my life, T can stand for countless things and situations. I have chosen to apply this letter to the gift of Time.

I sometimes take for granted the time I have with my loved ones, family, and friends. I squeeze my eyes shut, plug my fingers in my ears, and run like a crazed child through the week just to reach the weekend. That is lost time I will never get back. There are moments tucked between those days when my child rested his head a little longer than usual on my lap. Or my husband got home early from football practice. Maybe the neighborhood children were playing outside, and I was able to chat with another mom and feel normal again.

Time is precious. We can't stop it from passing. We can't get it back.

I'm thankful for my times: the butterfly moments, the rollercoaster rides, the heartaches, the joys, the belly laughs, the midnight sobs, the table full of family, the table missing loved ones.

This Thanksgiving and in the days following, hold fast to your times.

Ten Days

My craft-loving, mother-running, idea-hatching friend who is also a neighbor, Allison , had a moment of inspiration today. She has chosen to do a "Countdown to Thanksgiving", as we only have 10 days left. I, as a fellow craft-loving, mother-running, idea-hatching neighbor-friend thought this was brilliant.

Thus, the countdown begins. We will both be posting about things that we are thankful for, or situations that caused us to realize the need for thankfulness. Please join in and share your thanks through your own blog...creatively!!

I have decided to title this countdown:

"Thankful Me".

Each day will feature a letter, similar to Sesame Street. Each letter stands for a moment of thankfulness. I did tricks like this back in school as I studied for tests. Remember ROY G. BIV? That is how you remember the sequence of colors in a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Courtesy of fifth grade science....

Tomorrow's post is brought to you in part by the letter "T".

Please join Thankful Me!

From Shuddering to Shuttering!

Are you one of those people who shudders when you think of the dreaded but expected Christmas card? If you are a young, married couple, you may get off the hook. However, once you have a child, you better be dressing up in June for that "perfect family portrait" to go on the most elegant and fringed with tackiness card.

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love RECEIVING Christmas cards with my loved ones and friends' faces smiling back at me. It makes me feel really special. Don't ever stop! However, the daunting task of choosing the best card to send out, especially since our child is now the focus of the card and not us, has become somewhat dreaded and tedious. That was until I discovered Shutterfly!!

Please take a moment to peek at these creations I have done in the past. Although they are not Christmas-related, they are proof that computer-illiterate people can make marvelous gifts. You can easily put the books together, say maybe on a lunch break? I did exactly that. For the Father's Day one for Patrick. I used the "Simple Path" program, which allows you to pull photos from facebook, as well as organizes the pictures for you!!! You can also design your own templates, but I was really pleased with the Simple Path results.



I also did a book for Jonah's first beach trip.


And finally, my first ever book, which was customized for each set of grandparents


I have always drooled over Shutterfly's holiday photo cards, but I haven't had the opportunity to purchase them yet. I am actually narrowing down my list to pick my favorite design. So far, these are my top three choices:

My favorite colors, and of course, a MONOGRAM!!


A little dash of old-fashioned plaid, which appeals to my "old soul"


An interesting twist on the infamous family Christmas letter


If you are not a photo card kind of person, you could compile a calendar, with each month featuring a special photo memory. These are practical and fun at the same time.

For all of those decorating divas, wall art is another option that Shutterfly offers. I have a completely blank wall going up my stairs, and I have a perfect picture of Patrick and I that will one day be on a canvas print.

All 22 of you that follow me, I have to let you in on a secret. I am super excited that I can share about this product, and they have been gracious enough to offer 50 FREE PHOTO CARDS as a thank-you!!!! I no longer have to shudder at the thought of perusing through ideas for Christmas cards. Shutterfly has thousands of styles to choose from. If YOU want to get in on the fun, go to this link and sign up. Let me know you did!!!

Thank you, Shutterfly!!!!!

Solely Simple: Good for the Soul

Hi. I'm Anna, and I am obsessed with books.

Reading.

Collecting.

Smelling (especially library books).

Sharing.

DECORATING.


I've posted about using books to create beautiful home projects. My last book projects were pumpkins, both big and little. You can read more about it here

I was inspired by another blogger, whom I just recently stumbled upon. She shared today about simple, inexpensive but timeless, and treasured gift-wrapping/decorating ideas.

Of course, no books were harmed in the process. If anything, the books have greater value, because love exists in and around its pages.

Her title was "Simplicity", and I was struck by how much I could identify with her. Since having Jonah and experiencing some pretty challenging things in the past year, I've learned to become simple. I've learned how to take a complicated, harried life and simplify it by weeding out what is not important. It's not important to have the best-dressed kid at daycare. It's not important to have a decorative flag at the mailbox for every season....

It is important to see beauty in the challenges. It is important to make a house a home with things you love, not what others do. It is important to have a faith like a child. A simple faith. A simple love. No complicated equations, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Solely Simple. It's mmm, mmm, good.....for the Soul:)