1. Dear friend/brother who's flying across the nation to meet me.
2. Children who greeted me with smiles this morning. One was a less toothy smile as she's losing them - a whole backstory full of tooth-faries, longings, imagination and childhood.
3. A building and place to go to to work. Something to pour my energy into that brings God joy.
4. A warm cup of coffee and a inside joke between friends.
5. 15 minutes with a friend to sit down, pray and encourage him in his intense pre-engagement worries and fears.
6. A book that opens my eyes to the world around me, and enables me to plagiarize what I see into a blog post.
7. My own frailty, tiredness and background fear that lifts my eyes heavenward in a plea for divine rest. Divine rest granted.
8. A spouse at home caring, nurturing, teaching and loving my children.
9. A two day work week (since my brother's coming into town).
10. The ability to write this stuff down, nail it in, and feel the "soul-holes" of my heart being filled and healed (burrowed again from the book).
As I look at this list, just ten in ten-thousand un-thanked for blessings, I am encouraged. Life can be full of so much hurry, worry, loss, pain, dread and death, that I must, I simply have to become a creature of thanks. Thanks for God's gifts open me up to him. And in this intimacy I believe I am really alive. So here's to thankful living, toast it with your favorite beverage.
