Gratitude!

Let me set the stage for you: it's a little after 7 PM on a Friday night. The house is quiet because Josiah, Joanna, and Jerusha are at church for Easter play practice. It's just Mom, Dad, and I home tonight. I'm sitting on the couch with my mom and we both have our computers on our laps. The living room shades are raised and I'm looking out at a wet world. The inside of the living room is cheery and bright and smells strongly of lavender oil. The only noise is mom and I typing on our computers and the sounds of the foot baths bubbling beneath us. Girls have gotta have cute feet for Easter weekend!!! There is going to be beautiful weather and I hear a pair of sandals calling my name! Dad just brought a cups of hot tea to Mom and I. Ahh, this is the life and I'm so grateful for it!

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, gratefulness means:

"appreciative of benefits received . . . expressing gratitude . . . affording pleasure or contentment; pleasing; pleasing by reason of comfort supplied or discomfort alleviated".

How very, very many things just this week have been benefits and comforts to me!! The last part of that definition of gratefulness strikes me: "pleasing by reason of comfort supplied or discomfort alleviated". Sometimes I think that people must think I "have it all together" and I never go through difficulties, but this week has been very challenging for me. And yet, in the struggles, the comfort-supplying, discomfort-alleviating blessings of the Lord have poked through the darkness like rays of sunshine!

"Discomfort alleviated" reminds me of part of the Passover meal I had the opportunity to be a part of this week. At one point in the dinner, we all took Matza and dipped it in "maror" (bitter herbs . . . in this case, it was super strong horseradish). When we ate it, it was to remind us of bitterness and pain and bring tears to our eyes. Next, we took Matza, dipped it in the maror again, but then before we ate it, we dipped it in a chopped apple/honey/nut mixture. The maror was still present, but the sweetness totally changed our reaction to it. That is just like the Lord, isn't it? He makes our bitter waters sweet with Himself. And this week, He has also given me what Mom likes to call "tokens" of His love for me. His extraordinary kindness to me has been awesome to see and I want to express my gratitude to Him for His lovingkindnesses to me!!

Saturday:
- Shopping at a fun little store with my mom in the afternoon
- Making a fun birthday cake for my dad

Sunday:
- Going to work at a job that I absolutely love

Monday:
- I got a $10 gift card and Mary Kay facial from a friend
- I got to spend a few hours sitting by a pond at a sunshiny park with another friend who is such an encouragement to me
- Andy's frozen custard with peanut butter cups and pretzels.

Tuesday:
- We had the super neat privilege of going to the home of some friends to celebrate Passover. They are Jewish and it was amazing. It deserves a blog post of its own.
- Comforting encouragement from someone who didn't know she was being comforting and encouraging.
- Long interstate drives alone where I could sing my heart out and no one else cared.
- Classmate who e-mailed me the homework assignment so that I could skip out early on class to go to Passover.
- More Andy's frozen custard ;)
- Facebook messages back and forth to a friend

Wednesday:
- Exercising at the gym
- Motrin (I'm serious) . . . coincidental that I'm thankful for it on the same day I'm thankful for exercising? I think not.
- Friend at church who was totally excited to get one of my prayer cards.

Thursday:
- Getting to do something outside my comfort zone at work. And not messing up. :)
- Working with people who make me laugh . . . a LOT.
- A co-worker who said "Are you alright?" and really wanted to know. And then a hug from a co-worker who could tell that I wasn't quite right (don't laugh at that . . . you know how I meant it)
- Starbucks White Chocolate Mochas
- Sitting with my mom at Barnes and Noble and gaining weight from the photos in the cookbook were were looking at (and no, the weight was NOT from the highly-caloric coffees we were drinking).

Friday:
- Getting to stay home from work (I know, it sounds like a contradiction since I love my job. But, love for my bed is a close second!!)
- Sleeping in until 10:30 AM!
- Rain on the roof
- Unexpected phone call from a dear friend
- Finding Burt's Bees tinted lip balm clearanced for $1.50 at Wal-Mart when it is normally $4.97!
- Laughing at my dad's jokes
- Looking forward to a weekend off, making homemade cinnamon rolls, enjoying the sunshine, and having Easter dinner company!

That list is only a teensy, tiny smattering of the blessings the Lord has given me this week. It is not an exhaustive list by any means!! But, the list is an example of how the Lord has shown me His love in totally undeserved ways this week. And, I, dear Lord, am filled with love back to You. If you had "only" given me Your life and forgiveness for my sins, it would have been enough. But you have also given me sweetness in my bitterness. I love You.