Day 180

Thankful for Sunday morning coffee, early morning workouts, more books to read and days spent reading them! 

Day 179

Thankful for Saturday brunch with Lindsey, successful shopping adventures, visits with the old roommate Ms. Porter, cuddling my kitty Bingley!, and best friend dates with Ms. Alley Solis.

Days like today are such a sweet reminder from God of how incredibly blessed I am by the wonderful, strong, loving ladies He has placed in my life!

Day 178

Thankful for encouraging words from patients, evening dinners with Lindsey, Kroger runs for junk food, random strangers in the candy aisle and foreign films!

Day 177

Thankful for busy mornings at work, lunch with co-workers at delicious local restraints, softball watching with friends and early bed times.

Day 176

Thankful for learning opportunities at work, for moments of growing confidence, being able to witness improvements in patients' lives and evening runs.

I don't even know where to start with what is going on in the news lately. My heart is breaking over the mass murdering of children here in the state I love. Texans are rejoicing tonight with the filibuster of a bill which would have closed the doors of 37 abortion clinics within the state. They praise the "feminist movement" and it's ability to hold off the man another time. They smile over the protection of women's bodies and yet they mock those who wish to save the lives of those whose voices have yet to be heard. Abortion is such a ugly topic and I know it raises heated emotions. While I try to keep the focus of this blog on happy things I cannot help but post about what breaks my heart. I know that there is a strong possibility that there will be people who read this blog who are pro-choice and with true honesty I do not wish to offend but I believe that by not voicing my opinion I am withholding from my call as a believer in Jesus Christ.

I cannot help but remember the cross in times like this. The idea that Christ willingly laid out His body to save our own and yet we are so selfish that we are blinded by our own desires. We are unwilling to consider anyone above ourselves and thus choose to fight for "women's rights" instead of for the protection of the unborn. My prayer is for God to strip us of our sense of self-righteousness not just with this particular issue but with all issues. I pray that He becomes the forefront of our lives. I pray that we stop attempting to be our own god.  My prayer is that God would open hearts of young women to the joy of motherhood. I pray for a revolution. I pray to stop abortion.

Day 175

Thankful for good days at work, patients who give amazing life advice, evening walks with the roommate and good books.

Day 174

Thankful for mind-easing conversations with Mom&Dad, evening runs and of course...reading material! 

Day 173

Thankful for productive Sundays spent cleaning, organizing, baking and preparing for the week ahead!

Day 172

Thankful for early morning coffee and time to spend in the Word and

apartment hunting with wonderful friends!

I have been lackadaisical in my walk with The Lord lately. I have half-heartedly read some scripture in the mornings before heading to work but I haven't given it time to absorb and thus haven't applied it in a tangible way to my daily life. Today I woke up around 8:30 am and just felt drawn to spend some time with Jesus. My heart missed the quiet evenings I spent with Him over the past few months even if those times often consisted of tear drops falling onto the pages of my Bible. I was drawn to a few pieces of scripture:

Psalm 112: 4-8 "Even in the darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news, his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes."

Jeremiah 17:7-8 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

I love the absolute strength of these passages. No matter where we are in life God stands steadfast beside us. He upholds us and He never lets us falter. In Him we have no need to fear anything, for He is above all and He is for our good! So why do we often look ahead to what is to come and forget to live in today? Why do we praise His name through the good, turn to Him in sadness but walk our own path on the "common" days? My prayer for today is that God would use each act of my hands, each step of my feet and each word from my mouth to further His Kingdom and to express His love.

Day 171

Thankful for ridiculous evenings spent searching for dogs, watching only movies, drinking wine and catching up

with friends!

Day 170

Thankful for 1/2 days at work, evening strolls through the park and chamomile tea.

Day 169

Thankful for CIs who buy me coffee when they call me in 2 hours early, evening walks through the park, 1/2 price milkshakes and convos with Mom&Dad!

Day 168

Thankful for flights home to see family and friends, cooling summer rain showers and evening runs!

Day 167

Thankful for summer thunderstorms, conference calls with professors, evening runs and good books.

Day166

Thankful for waking up to my besties wonderful face!, Sundays spent window shopping and for my Daddy! 

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there. Always thankful for my Pops but especially this year after all that has happened. Blessed to have such a loving Father in my life who always provides. He is a continual source of encouragement and support and I wouldn't be where I am today without him. Praying for continual healing of his body and for many years of joy to come!

Day 165

Thankful for delicious coffee drinks, ridiculous baristas, driving adventures, life changing outlet stores, roomie reunions, dating tips or lack there of, delicious foods, amazing beverages and beautiful lady friends! 

Day 164

Thankful for fast paced Fridays at work, spontaneous visits from the bestie, nights spent eating junk food while drinking wine and watching ridiculous Tv shows!

Day 163

Thankful for solid midterm conferences, afternoon coffee, sweaty workouts, and milkshakes which negate the aforementioned workout. 

Day 162

Thankful for ridiculous co-workers who are always willing to teach me new things and Netflix.

Day 161

Thankful for uneventful days. 

I was talking to a patient about my Dad's recent surgery today. On the way home I realized how thankful I should be for days where nothing major happens. I should be thankful for those days we often take for granted because I know all to well the ability a single phone call has on changing a day's outcome. And how the hangover from that day can effect the ones to follow. It's so easy to overlook the typical and to begin to view it as unimportant or unworthy of thankfulness but quiet days are also good days.

Day 160

Thankful for sweet words from patients, continued confidence in my PT skills, and potential new living situations.

BTW: Dad, Mom and David are currently road tripping to the Grand Canyon and surrounding area. God is so good! I am so thankful that Dad is getting out and living life again. Praying that God continues to heal his body and draws our family closer together through His love. It truly is miraculous to think about all that has come and gone since January. It's days like today that make me realize how truly blessed I am to have such a solid foundation beneath my feet. It can be so tempting to throw your hands up and give up when things get tough, but instead I have a Savior who gave it all for me to live this life. Each day is a gift and a sacrifice that I will never repay. 

Day 159

Thankful for morning coffee on the patio, puppy dog play time, refreshing swims in the lake and amazing friends who keep me laughing. 

Day 158

Thankful for car ride conversations, afternoons spent soaking up God's goodness, and evenings spent listening to small country bands. 

Day 157

Thankful for delicious baked goods from patients, friends who know how to talk me off the ledge, and ridiculous nights listening to country music and watching crazy drunkards. 

Day 156

Thankful for study sessions during lunch, afternoon runs, phone convos with two of my besties and evenings sworn drinking Sonic shakes while watching the sunset. 

I took some awesome photos on my run today but the iPod is being dumb and won't upload them so here's one I stole from Lindsey.

Day 155

Thankful for Dr. pepper, not having to cook dinner and evening walks.

Day 154

Thankful for 90's movies, crockpot dinners and new books.

Day 153

Thankful for successful baking adventures and for the sense of connection you encounter when finishing a book. 

Day 152

Thankful for brunch with amazing friends, afternoons spent watching Disney movies, and nights spent curled up with tea and an interesting book. 

Day 151

Thankful for adorable puppies, loving dogs, and evenings spent with awesome friends!