Thanksketching: Day 18

I am thankful for

His undeserved death

and my undeserved life. 

Thanksketching: Day 17

I am thankful for

friendship, 

for snark and sarcasm

and sweet memories.

[Thank you for being a friend.]

Thanksketching: Day 16

I am thankful for

endless dreams among

warm winter snuggles

with the blankets

covering my nose.

Thanksketching: Day 15

I am thankful for

musty pages,

note-filled margins,

for limitless stories,

everything under the sun that

I can hold in my hand.

Thanksketching: Day 14

I am thankful for

the affection,

provision,

and wisdom

of my parents.

Thanksketching: Day 13

I am thankful for

blossoms,

petals,

leaves,

vines,

and

stems.

Thanksketching: Better Late Than Never

I realize it's been just over three months since I wrote a blog post. This isn't because I don't have anything exciting to report. I do. But when you're busy living life you don't always have time to write it down.

So before I dive into the focus of today's title, I'll give a few updates.

1. I went home (to Seattle) to surprise my mother for her 60th birthday. It was a wonderful week filled with coffee and old friends and anxiety, because...
2. My husband got a new job. While I was gone. Yep.
3. I've been working a lot and cleaning a lot. Those aren't really updates, but that's what's up.

And now, an explanation. Thanksketching--I'm sure you're wondering what the heck I could be talking about. Basically, I thought about blogging the "30 Days of Gratitude" stuff that I've done for the last few years, but it's the same things year after year (unless something really fun happens in the middle of November.) I avoided thinking about it simply because I wasn't planning on doing it. And then it hit me--what if I sketched what I was thankful for, instead of just wrote about it?

So here you go. I have done most of the month's drawing already, to stay on top of it (since the month is already almost half over.) The other posts will be back-published, so you can scroll through and see them all. Each post will include a picture and a few carefully chosen words.

Here is today's:

I am thankful for

fuzzy socks,

warm feet,

being cozy.

Thanksketching: Day 11

I am thankful for

those stupid paper dresses

and the stupid glasses on my face

and the stupid drugs I take

provided by health insurance.

Sigh.

Thanksketching: Day 10

I am thankful for

the dangling tag

the steeping bag

of tea.

Thanksketching: Day 9

I am thankful for

roots and seeds

branches and leaves

unfolding 

above and below

into shadowing trees.

Thanksketching: Day 8

I am thankful for

dark theaters or

cozy couches

and stories told

by moving pictures.

Thanksketching: Day 7

I am thankful for
inside/outside

the lines

coloring.

Thanksketching: Day 6

I am thankful for

coffee

in cups

with friends

old and new.

Thanksketching: Day 5

I am thankful for
late night stories,

early morning laughter,

a partner in crime,

my husband.

Thanksketching: Day 4

I am thankful for
clouds

swirling

awake

or asleep.

Thanksketching: Day 3

I am thankful for

my Christmas puppy,

fluffy and fat,

happy or sleepy,

her kisses and snuggles

and unconditional love.

Thanksketching: Day 2

'

I am thankful for

employment

among children

and colors.

Thanksketching: Day 1

I am thankful for

crunchy

falling

leaves.

Thirty Thanks, Day 27: Thanksgiving

I will be brief, for there are friends to be loved, conversations to be had, memories to be made. Today I am thankful for Thanksgiving--for the opportunity we are given to make our gratitude intentional. We are given a day and a space to be thankful for every blessing, to surround ourselves with love and thankfulness. For every good and perfect gift comes from God. I am thankful, today, to be in the presence of loved ones. There is a warm fire, an unending supply of coffee, beautiful snow on the ground outside, and a delicious meal in progress.

Thanks...

Thirty Thanks, Day 26: Roadtrips

The movies will make you believe that roadtrips are always catalytic and full of growth, like a coming-of-age novella. They'll convince you that every pit stop can be transformative, every bump in the road a metaphor for life. Movies will also show you that at least one person is always miserable, and at least one person is oblivious to the other's misery.

But the truth is that sometimes roadtrips are just another part of life. Sometimes they're really meaningful. Sometimes they're full of angst. Sometimes you're asleep the whole way. I'm thankful for them, regardless of the outcome or the journey. 

Roadtrips have always just been a normal part of my life. They were often methods of travel--moving to Washington from Montana, visiting Montana, visiting family in Oregon at least once a year. And when I was little, they symbolized uninterrupted time with my a sketch pad or a Mrs. Piggle Wiggle book. As I grew I began to use the time to listen to my portable CD player, alone in the backseat. Even if we didn't stop anywhere exciting on the way to our destination, even if I was bored out of my mind because we got stuck in a traffic jam, I still enjoyed the journey.

Now that I'm an adult, my roadtrips are more meaningful, and transformative... but only because I made the decision to take them myself. Not quite a month after I got married, we roadtripped across America so I could get back to school. And last year some friends and I took a roadtrip to Missouri for a wedding. Today I'm roadtripping up to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving.

But they're not meaningful because of the location. Or the occasion. Or the duration.

They're meaningful because of the memories made with the people you care about most.

I'm thankful for roadtrips, because sometimes they do allow you to grow. And even if you don't grow into a "better" person or a "new" person sometimes you just grow closer to your friends, or yourself, or to God. I'm thankful for the opportunity to see new places and experience new things, to find adventure and inspiration. I'm thankful for a semi-reliable car. I'm thankful for the company of good friends, today and every day.

Thanks, roadtrips. You're incredible.