MISS ELAINI OUS

This is my sweet friend Autumn and two of her lovely little ladies.  Autumn along with her husband and one other daughter have been living abroad for the last year.  This beautiful and gracious woman has been like a sister to me and I respect her very much.  She is so fun but also wise and caring.  So after a year of not seeing these world travelers I got the pleasure of spending a few hours talking and walking with these lovely friends.  These little sweethearts were just too cute!  The littlest one kept stopping on our walk to pick up leaves or just look at different things.  It reminded me that sometimes we need to slow down and truly see things.  Just be a bit in awe of what’s all around instead of passing things by at warp speed.  As I was leaving the older of the two came rushing out to give me an unexpected hug.  You can be sure it made my heart melt.  Autumn thank you for a delightful afternoon with you and your darling girls.  Thank you for being willing to share with me.  I so appreciate it and I can’t wait to hear more!  Today’s Thankful30:

Day 17:  Grateful to see friends that I haven’t seen in far too long.  For laughter and sharing and hearing delightful stories.  For beautiful moments shared.

Oh how I love these posts!  Updates are very dear to my heart on this blog.  What a joy it is to see that people are giving and being generous!  More than that though it makes my momma heart glad.  Because updates mean that my kiddos are getting taken care of and that…well that’s an amazing feeling. Today’s Thankful30:

Day 16:  Thankful, happy, and thrilled at this UPDATE! Over and past the $60K mark…time to set a new goal. 🙂

To say that I am completing college in an unconventional way would be an understatement.  When I was sixteen I started earning college credit right out of high school, but then I got sick and laid in bed for four years.  For the last four years I have been continuing to try and earn my BA.  I’ve taken classes but I have also tested out of quite a few subjects to save myself time and money.  About two weeks ago I took another really important test.  If I passed I would receive three semester credits.  No pressure… Unlike the past ten tests I have taken this one was not electronic so I was unable to receive my score right away.  I actually had to wait for a piece of regular mail to come to my door.  They said it would take four weeks, but I was praying it would come sooner.  When I opened the mail box yesterday and saw the letter laying there I was both nervous and excited.  I tore it open and stared at the paper like it was in another language.  Then there it was.  The score showing that I had definitely passed.  Was I ever excited!!!  Today’s Thankful30:

Day 15:  Praise to Jesus for helping me pass this big test and for all the people who prayed for me while I was testing.  😀  Sigh of relief!

I really enjoy candles.  We have them all over our house but we rarely actually light them.  Sunday evening we lit quite a few and it was so nice.  All that warm light flickering on the walls and the yummy sent that wafted through the room made for a very relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.  Plus it always makes me feel like I’m living in some story book which I adore.  Today’s Thankful30:

Day 14:  Candles for a comforting ambiance and for making everything smell delightful.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I LOVE “my” children in India.  They may not be my biological kiddos but I feel like I’m connected to them in a deep way.  They certainly have my heart.  They’ve opened up a part of my heart that I didn’t know was there and it’s been incredible.  They are my heroes.  They inspire me with their resilience and joy even though they have experienced so much grief.  I long to be there with them.  To hug them, do homework with them, make huge pots of rice with them, read stories together, play games, and just live life together.  So although I cannot be there right now sweet children I pray for you.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about you.  I love you.  Today’s Thankful30:

Day 13:  My kiddos for opening up my heart in a whole new way and for getting to be a part of these precious and amazing lives even from across the ocean.

I enjoy the rain.  It’s a good thing too since I live in the northwest here and it is very wet from November till June.  I love it when the rain is dancing on the roof and the eves of the house have a string of water pearls delicately clinging to the edge.  Usually when it’s wet outside I like to cozy up inside and drink steaming cupfuls of hot apple cider or tea.  Yet, when I go out at night when it’s raining I like how the shower of glistening droplets make the street lights glow.  Today’s Thankful30:

Day 12:  Rain making the lights twinkle just a bit.

There is something about thoughtfulness and caring that really gets me.  Those little things that just make life a bit brighter.  Like my sweet friend Amanda who knows I have intolerance to different foods and so when she brings something to our Thursday night group she often tries to make it “Elaini safe”.  That my friends is no small task…  This week I really needed those yummy pumpkin spice muffins she made me.  Not because I actually need the delicious morsel but because the care and thoughtfulness was a sweet gift.  Today’s Thankful30:

Day 11:  Thankful for a caring friend who took the time to “see” me this week and think about me.  Thankful for the scrumptious pumpkin muffins she made and the hot spiced apple cider to go with it.

Last year I was in a bad accident and my car was totaled.  As I sat there freezing cold and trying to take it all in I realized that my back window was completely gone and that there was glass everywhere and my rear view mirror was underneath a seat.  Even though my bumper was practically in my backseat I still had the presence of mind to find that rear view mirror.  Why?  Because it had those little knitted socks and I wanted them.  They made it feel like my car.  Someone had made them especially for me and they had been hanging in my car ever since.  So even though the are quite faded they will always remain in my car if I have anything to say about it.  How grateful I am that I wasn’t killed that night in the wreck.  Looking back I probably should have been.  There “should” have been a car racing by me in the next lane that I was pushed into but there wasn’t.  I’m thankful that I have transportation and that I can go places.  So today’s Thankful30 is:

Day 10:  Grateful for a car and that I’m still alive.  And for those cute little knitted toe socks that make my car feel like mine.

I love my nephew and niece.  We have a fun time together.  They especially like my phone and looking through the pictures…of themselves.  Lucy can’t sit still for very long so that’s why there are not quite as many of her.  Today’s Thankful30:

Day 9:  Grateful for instant photo fun and silly faces!

One of the most important things to me is the Bible.  It’s a precious gift.  A love letter to me from God.  It speaks both encouragement and challenge.  It speaks grace and life.  It speaks truth.

Day 8:  Thankful for my Bible and the freedom to read it in the open.

P.S.  Psalm 34 is one of my favorites (I have a lot of favorites 😉 ).  I love verse 5, “Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed.” There’s a lot packed into that little verse…another post for another day though.