30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 9

I have been feeling a little "off" the past week or so.  Doing the first of these 30 days of thankfulness have been a huge help, not necessarily in being a complete remedy for a gloomy mood, but rather forcing me to write something positive each day and hence avoiding the sarcastic, narcissistic droning I would otherwise be tempted to produce.

Today, despite not exactly feeling "happy," there is a lot to be thankful for:

• My computer lives!  Sunday night some water was spilled near my beloved macbook, and after 2 days of air- and rice- assisted drying, my computer has turned back on with no apparent damages.  Hooray!
• I have a backyard.  I love backyards.  Today the weather was so splendidly warm when I returned home from work.  I knew I should exercise in some way, but going for a run just did not seem appealing.  Instead, I spent the remaining daylight/dusk raking leaves in my backyard.  Raking leaves may not be my most favorite thing in the world, but Sophie was running around the yard for some extra company and the weather was so unseasonably fantastic that I couldn't help but enjoy it.  It also helps that I knew I would not be able to accomplish the whole process of cleaning up leaves from my yard in the limited natural light, so the task seemed way less daunting.
• I have good friends who care about my life.  I was able to spend a little time chatting with Kristen and Laura after a church meeting tonight, and it is so refreshing to talk with people who actually want to hear the long version of your answer to "how have you been?"  And those just happen to be the two ladies I saw tonight, I have so many other friends to be thankful for!
• God is great.  At our "family meeting" at Blackhawk Church tonight, we were given a little glimpse at what different ministries have been up to this year.  God can do some amazing things with ordinary people.  Not only is God great, but God is love.  And consider this: "Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:7-8)

Reasons for thankfulness abound, even when I am reluctant to admit it.

Oh, and here's a bonus item for the thankfulness list:

• Coca-Cola.  What can I say?  That carbonated beverage just has a way of winning my delight.  I have been trying to avoid it because, truly, there is absolutely no nutritional way to defend having coke as part of my food intake.  But when weakness won out today and I opened that bottle cap, the fizzy smell that filled my nose was just the greatest thing ever.