thirty thankful days-day 20-sunday comfies

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!

As I sit to write my thankful post today there is much to be thankful for...but honestly, what comes to mind the most right now is how much I love changing into sloppy, comfy clothes on Sunday afternoons.

Working at a church makes Sunday morning a fun, fact-paced and energy-expending time.  We go early and leave late...and although I love it all, it usually feels (at least) like an 8 hour day by the time I come home.  So after all is said and done, and after we grab lunch out (most weeks), we walk in the door mid-afternoon and I change into the comfies.

Now, our church is casual.  I often wear jeans.  I still try to look on the dressier side of jeans though, and I often wear heels.  Still, I'm mostly comfortable--I really can't complain.  However, there is something to be said about putting on the yoga pants and a big soft t-shirt or sweatshirt, that says it's time to relax.  It says I'm not going anywhere the rest of the day.  It's a cue to my body that I'm off-duty.  Yeah, I might still do some laundry or pick up around the house...but the pace is slow.  It's different than the go-until-bedtime routine of the weekdays.  It's different than the errands-housework-and-soccer-game-type clothes of a Saturday.  These are cozy, and practically unpresentable.  For example, today I'm wearing grey soft yoga pants and a very large and VERY soft red and brown t-shirt that belongs to my hubby.   I'm quite a sight.  It's wonderful.

So, today, I'm thankful for cozy comfies for Sunday afternoons, and for the change of pace they represent.

What are you thankful for today?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 19-friday night live

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!

Small Group, Life Group, Growth Group, Home Group--I've heard them called a number of things.  A smaller group of people from church to get to know better, to "do life with", to care for, to learn together, to pray with and to serve with.  We call our group "Friday Night Live", and we've been in this group for several years.  In fact, we formed this group several years ago when we were having a rough time and needed accountability and community.  The people have changed some, but the core of the group has stayed the same.  We no longer lead the group, although we do host it at our home a bunch.

some of our group out to eat last winter

Today I am thankful for our group.  I'm thankful we can be honest with each other.  I'm thankful they pray for us.  I'm thankful for the laughs we share.  I'm thankful for the kids in our group--the babies to borrow a snuggle from, the silly toddlers who make me laugh, and the older kids who we get to watch grow and change and learn to love God.  I'm thankful that although by far the oldest, my kids get to be there and watch these littler ones...an important role and a chance to serve.  I'm thankful for the times, like last night, when we split the men and women for prayer requests.  The girl-sharing-time is always special to me.  My love for these girls grows all the time.

Is our group perfect? Nope.  Is it messy sometimes? Yep.  Do I need to talk myself into going on nights I'm tired or cranky?  Yessirree.  Is it worth it?? Absolutely.  We all need community.  We all need to be known.  We all need to give of ourselves to others.  I know I do.

I'm thankful God has allowed me the privilege of "doing life with" others...and that the others are my good friends.

What are you thankful for today?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 18-my favorite girl

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!

If you're keeping track...I missed a day of posting.  Some days are full and nights are late.  I was thankful, but didn't write about it.  I'm over it...and am on to today...

pickle on instagram

My daughter.  I find new things to love about her all the time.  Wednesday night we went out to dinner with an old friend of ours from college who was in town on business.  Throughout our dinner conversation, Pickle chatted happily with our friend.  I participated in the discussion, but the whole time part of my was sitting back and observing her as she shared her school experiences and her thinking about college and her future.

My thoughts?  She's so pretty--as she smiled big and brushed her hair from her eyes over and over.  She is so poised--casually talking with a 40-something year old man she sees about once every couple of years.  She is charming--she is beautifully animated as she speaks about her desire to work with kids, maybe kids with special needs, as a career.  I was enthralled with who she is and who she is becoming.

Last night we had our weekly long ride to her tutor's home.  And, because she is there, the music is on.  She's singing along, as always.  I love listening to her--whether she's belting out a ballad, or picking out harmonies to the various pop songs she's into.  I never tire of hearing her sing.

This girl-woman is quickly becoming a person I choose as a friend as well.  Her sense of humor and her caring heart make her a wonderful person to be around.  We laugh a lot together...and I value her opinion.

She's 15, and that makes some moments difficult.  In fact, there was one this morning.  {smile} Those moments are far outweighed by the wonderful ones.  Today I'm thankful for my beautiful, growing-up-too-fast daughter.

What are you thankful for today?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 16-healing journey

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!

Today I'm thankful for the Healing Journey class I'm taking--a Bible-based class designed to bring healing to wounded hearts.  God told me to take this class back when He told me to "let go of the safety ropes", and I signed up.  I didn't think I needed that much healing, so I wasn't that excited about it.  But I was being obedient, stepping one more step forward.

Well, you guessed it, I am learning so much.  As I expected, many parts of the class are foundational to our faith and reinforce what I already believe.  The part of the class I am enjoying the most though is learning new frameworks with which to understand my feelings, thoughts and actions.  I'm starting to understand some of my patterns I'm stuck in.  I'm learning ways to process the wounds I have received.  I'm being given a vocabulary to speak about things I didn't really understand.  I've been to counseling a few seasons of my life...and this is building on things I learned then and I believe giving me tools for the future.  Our Small Group time each week is particularly meaningful--we listen to each other.  That's it.  We don't judge.  It's a gift to be heard.  Our small group leader then helps us with the processes we are learning to use.  We have a-ha moments.  We rejoice at the progress we see each other making in understanding ourselves.  God is at work.

Last night at our class, the class author and teacher (we watch her on video), Cyndy Sherwood, was there to talk to us and encourage us in person.  I really enjoyed meeting her and hearing what she had to say to us as a group.  One of the main things I remember is the way she related the class to shopping for something like clothes or a car.  She said the video/teaching is like the part of shopping when you gather information (see what's in the store, go online, see what's being offered).  The small group time is like taking the car for a test drive, or trying on the clothes--seeing how the information intersects with our life, learning how to apply the teaching.  But if all we did was find out the information, and test-drive it, and they go home--we don't own anything new.  Instead, there needs to be a transaction.  She said the transaction (the life-change) happens when we do our homework.  That's where decisions are made, we do business with God, and  the life-altering processing occurs.  I think that is true for most Bible Study classes--without the soul-work on your own with God, all you get is information...what do you think?

I'm thankful today that God led me to this class.  He is using it--along with trials and conversations with others--to help me face my "stuff", so I don't have to drag it around any more.  God wants to heal me--even of wounds and destructive patterns I was barely aware of.  He loves me too much to leave me the way I am.  Sometimes it's hard, but I'm thankful.  So thankful.

What are you thankful for today?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?