Friday, October 5, 2007

Revgalblogpals Friday Five: Thankfulness List

Okay, so I'm back after a blogging hiatus - after the world turned upside down in wonderful and complicated and mostly unbloggable ways... and this seems a good way to come back:

Welcome to the Friday Five! This one is going to be veeeery simple: List at least five things (people, places, graces, miracles...) for which you are thankful. You may elaborate as you wish, or keep it simple.

1. Family. In all their complexity. This has been a year of hard, sad losses and glorious additions in our family - with one more niece on the way before Christmas to add to our newest. And Sunday after church I voyage with the littlest one to join papi and the older two and one part of the extended family. I just wish they all were closer, much closer.

2. Friends. I'm finally past that three-year mark in a new place, which I've decided is how long it takes me to be settled and feel like I belong and I really have friends I can count on here. Last time I got to this point we had to leave, but this time I think we're sticking around for a while. And I'm also so grateful for my core of long-distance friends from each of the phases of my life who are SO SO SO important to me, scattered around the map as they may still be.

3. Grilled cheese and tomato soup. One of the most awesomest meals ever.

4. New life, redemption, hope, salvation. All these are bundled for me in three small packages that bring challenges each day to my tired self but who expand my faith and joy beyond what ever seemed possible, even when they make it almost impossible to write blog posts or sermons or clean the house.

5. Partnership, covenant, union, love. My partner and I remain quite different people, which has always and will always challenge us. But we still share a vision and values and commitment for our life and family, that has to get renewed regularly to make it all work. It's the hardest and most important relationship I've ever had, and I'm thankful.