Intimacy
I am more akin to a Pablo Neruda poem
than a Georgia O'Keeffe painting.
I am full and fleshly.
My genitals do not look like a flower.
What if my partner does not like the way I look?
...the way I smell?
...the way I taste?
(What if I end up judging myself by the standards of church culture rather than the standards of the divine?)
What if these "what ifs" do not matter?
What if I open myself completely to whatever the moment holds?
What if I invite my partner to see in me that which I see in myself?
That I am beautiful, lovely, and worthy.
That I am powerful and mighty.
That I am tender and soft-hearted.
That I am the best there is
and I share myself freely with my partner
as a gift.
Never to be diminished
in either the offering or accepting.
Because I am still wholly me:
tender and soft-hearted
powerful and mighty
beautiful, lovely, and worthy.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Fulfilling the Scriptures as the Body of Christ
Today’s gospel
lesson, the good news, begins with “Then
Jesus….” It is curious this word, “Then.” It begs the question, “Then….when?” When precisely does our story take
place? This morning, I’m going to start
with a recap of what has come before.
The gospel of Luke begins with the prophecy of Jesus’s birth, the story of his birth, a fascinating account from childhood in which Jesus himself claims to be the Son of God. We then fast forward to Jesus at 30 years of age being introduced by his cousin John, he is baptized in the Jordan, at which point a voice from heaven is reported to have declared, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
We are given Jesus’s genealogy declaring Jesus comes not only from the Jewish royal line as a descendant of David, but reaches further back to Adam (the first man) and ultimately to God, establishing for the reader the validity of these reports that Jesus has been declared God’s son by a disembodied voice from heaven.
Jesus, having been filled with the Holy Spirit during his baptism, is then driven into the wilderness for forty days, where he is tempted by Satan, and engages in fasting and prayer. At the end of forty days, Satan leaves Jesus until a more opportune time.
“Then….” Then Jesus, still filled with the power of the Spirit, returns to Galilee, and starts his ministry of preaching.
Having traveled around a bit (we are not told how long), Jesus returns to his home town, Nazareth, and he goes to the Synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus was a regular there, we are told. He’s a good Jewish boy. Minds his manners, holds to the law, treats his elders with respect, he behaves himself; keeps his nose, and in a cultural context steeped in religious purity every other part of his body, clean.
Jesus is handed a scroll this day, from the prophet Isaiah. Contextually speaking, it would not be a stretch to assume that Jesus reads in the Synagogue on a regular basis as well. Typically, when scriptures were read publicly, discussion followed. The discussion, however, was not a lecture or sermon given by the reader. If a homily was supplied, it would have been done by a rabbi. More often, some scholars postulate, those gathered were encouraged to discuss the implications of the day’s text as a community, a single body of believers.
On this day, however, Jesus breaks from tradition. He reads the scroll handed to him, from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” He rolls up the scroll, hands it back and sits down. He does not invite public discourse, nor does anyone begin to offer a homily.
Instead, his reputation preceding him, everyone looks at him, and Jesus says, “Yeah, what you’ve just heard is true. And it’s referring to me."
We share this with Jesus. This scripture, which was “fulfilled” in the hearing of those present in that synagogue then is not a static script held in a single time, in a single place. Scripture, by its very nature, is dynamic, active, alive. The fulfillment of Scripture, therefore is not something that happened then. It is very much something that is happening now. Here. Today. In your hearing. But not just in your hearing.
We know that this scripture is relevant today because of the words of one of Jesus’s contemporaries: the apostle Paul. For as the body is one and has many members….so it is with Christ. The church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the head. We are the members. The members of his body.
If Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy then, what are we to conclude but that Jesus is the fulfillment of that same prophecy now? And if we are the literal embodiment of Christ today, then it stands to reason that we also are called to be the fulfillment of that prophecy now.
And each of us has a part to play in this. Paul tells us that we cannot say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body.” We have no right to make excuses. We cannot rightly declare that the gifts God has given each of us are not sufficient. We each have a part to play.
God has arranged the members in the body; God has chosen each of us. The design is God’s and God’s alone. What right do we have to try to alter it or undermine it? If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Every member is important.
Similarly, as “the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’” we cannot declare that the gifts God has given another are not sufficient, that they do not also have role to play. In fact, those whose gifts seem small and insignificant by our standards, belong to those who deserve the greatest honor.
In our culture, it is easy to exalt those who are most visible, most successful in the corporate world, those who hold the greatest material wealth. Too often, our culture overlooks those who have less, who are seen less, who appear culturally less successful. But these are the ones who make the world go round.
Certainly we are not to cast the eyes, or the ears, or the feet from the body. They are the members of the body who see and hear and move. But ask anyone who’s been born blind or deaf or those who are missing limbs. The body can go on, the body can compensate, the body can survive—not whole certainly—but it will go on without its most visible members.
But it is the members of the body seen as less worthy of honor and praise on which the whole operation turns. Without the kidneys, the liver, the pancreas, the body would stop working altogether. The body cannot function if those members who are less visible, and often less exalted, are not intimately involved.
God has arranged the members in the body; God has chosen each of us. The design is God’s and God’s alone. What right do we have to try to alter it or undermine it? If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Every member is important.
We, collectively, are the body of Christ. We, individually, are the members of that body. We are the hands, the feet, the eyes, the ears, the kidneys and liver and pancreas. We are called, as the body of Christ, to be the literal fulfillment of Scripture. We are each to play our own part.
The part each of us plays is different, to be sure. The role you are called to fulfill is one you are called by God to fulfill. But as members of the body of Christ, we are called collectively to be the fulfillment of Scripture. We are called collectively to seek:
Only you know what is in your heart and your head when you meet those who are poor, captive, blind or oppressed. Only you and God. If you find this week that what you’re proclaiming is something other than good news, I would encourage you to think back to all that God has done for you, extend your hand in compassion and fellowship, and do the same for those God puts in your path.
We each have a part play. None of us can survive without the others. God has arranged the members in the body; God has chosen each of us. The design is God’s and God’s alone. What right do we have to try to alter it or undermine it? If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
When you encounter suffering this week, as a member of the body of Christ, enter in, just God entered our suffering in the person of Jesus. When you do, as a member of the body of Christ, honor that person, honor their story, honor their experience, honor their life; just as Jesus honored us by doing the same. For when you do, you truly will be the embodiment of Christ today, you too will be the fulfillment of Scripture, and all will rejoice in God’s love together.
The gospel of Luke begins with the prophecy of Jesus’s birth, the story of his birth, a fascinating account from childhood in which Jesus himself claims to be the Son of God. We then fast forward to Jesus at 30 years of age being introduced by his cousin John, he is baptized in the Jordan, at which point a voice from heaven is reported to have declared, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
We are given Jesus’s genealogy declaring Jesus comes not only from the Jewish royal line as a descendant of David, but reaches further back to Adam (the first man) and ultimately to God, establishing for the reader the validity of these reports that Jesus has been declared God’s son by a disembodied voice from heaven.
Jesus, having been filled with the Holy Spirit during his baptism, is then driven into the wilderness for forty days, where he is tempted by Satan, and engages in fasting and prayer. At the end of forty days, Satan leaves Jesus until a more opportune time.
“Then….” Then Jesus, still filled with the power of the Spirit, returns to Galilee, and starts his ministry of preaching.
Having traveled around a bit (we are not told how long), Jesus returns to his home town, Nazareth, and he goes to the Synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus was a regular there, we are told. He’s a good Jewish boy. Minds his manners, holds to the law, treats his elders with respect, he behaves himself; keeps his nose, and in a cultural context steeped in religious purity every other part of his body, clean.
Jesus is handed a scroll this day, from the prophet Isaiah. Contextually speaking, it would not be a stretch to assume that Jesus reads in the Synagogue on a regular basis as well. Typically, when scriptures were read publicly, discussion followed. The discussion, however, was not a lecture or sermon given by the reader. If a homily was supplied, it would have been done by a rabbi. More often, some scholars postulate, those gathered were encouraged to discuss the implications of the day’s text as a community, a single body of believers.
On this day, however, Jesus breaks from tradition. He reads the scroll handed to him, from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” He rolls up the scroll, hands it back and sits down. He does not invite public discourse, nor does anyone begin to offer a homily.
Instead, his reputation preceding him, everyone looks at him, and Jesus says, “Yeah, what you’ve just heard is true. And it’s referring to me."
We share this with Jesus. This scripture, which was “fulfilled” in the hearing of those present in that synagogue then is not a static script held in a single time, in a single place. Scripture, by its very nature, is dynamic, active, alive. The fulfillment of Scripture, therefore is not something that happened then. It is very much something that is happening now. Here. Today. In your hearing. But not just in your hearing.
We know that this scripture is relevant today because of the words of one of Jesus’s contemporaries: the apostle Paul. For as the body is one and has many members….so it is with Christ. The church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the head. We are the members. The members of his body.
If Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy then, what are we to conclude but that Jesus is the fulfillment of that same prophecy now? And if we are the literal embodiment of Christ today, then it stands to reason that we also are called to be the fulfillment of that prophecy now.
And each of us has a part to play in this. Paul tells us that we cannot say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body.” We have no right to make excuses. We cannot rightly declare that the gifts God has given each of us are not sufficient. We each have a part to play.
God has arranged the members in the body; God has chosen each of us. The design is God’s and God’s alone. What right do we have to try to alter it or undermine it? If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Every member is important.
Similarly, as “the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’” we cannot declare that the gifts God has given another are not sufficient, that they do not also have role to play. In fact, those whose gifts seem small and insignificant by our standards, belong to those who deserve the greatest honor.
In our culture, it is easy to exalt those who are most visible, most successful in the corporate world, those who hold the greatest material wealth. Too often, our culture overlooks those who have less, who are seen less, who appear culturally less successful. But these are the ones who make the world go round.
Certainly we are not to cast the eyes, or the ears, or the feet from the body. They are the members of the body who see and hear and move. But ask anyone who’s been born blind or deaf or those who are missing limbs. The body can go on, the body can compensate, the body can survive—not whole certainly—but it will go on without its most visible members.
But it is the members of the body seen as less worthy of honor and praise on which the whole operation turns. Without the kidneys, the liver, the pancreas, the body would stop working altogether. The body cannot function if those members who are less visible, and often less exalted, are not intimately involved.
God has arranged the members in the body; God has chosen each of us. The design is God’s and God’s alone. What right do we have to try to alter it or undermine it? If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Every member is important.
We, collectively, are the body of Christ. We, individually, are the members of that body. We are the hands, the feet, the eyes, the ears, the kidneys and liver and pancreas. We are called, as the body of Christ, to be the literal fulfillment of Scripture. We are each to play our own part.
The part each of us plays is different, to be sure. The role you are called to fulfill is one you are called by God to fulfill. But as members of the body of Christ, we are called collectively to be the fulfillment of Scripture. We are called collectively to seek:
- to bring good news to the poor
- to proclaim release to captives
- recovery of sight for the blind
- to let the oppressed go free
- and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
- the poor are lazy and undeserving of basic care
- those who are bound by sin have made their choices and deserve what they get
- the blind must have done something to earn God's wrath and this is their just punishment
- the oppressed are not so bad off and it isn't our responsibility anyway
- God is a god of judgment, and as God's people, we have a right, a duty, and an obligation to judge as well?
Only you know what is in your heart and your head when you meet those who are poor, captive, blind or oppressed. Only you and God. If you find this week that what you’re proclaiming is something other than good news, I would encourage you to think back to all that God has done for you, extend your hand in compassion and fellowship, and do the same for those God puts in your path.
We each have a part play. None of us can survive without the others. God has arranged the members in the body; God has chosen each of us. The design is God’s and God’s alone. What right do we have to try to alter it or undermine it? If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
When you encounter suffering this week, as a member of the body of Christ, enter in, just God entered our suffering in the person of Jesus. When you do, as a member of the body of Christ, honor that person, honor their story, honor their experience, honor their life; just as Jesus honored us by doing the same. For when you do, you truly will be the embodiment of Christ today, you too will be the fulfillment of Scripture, and all will rejoice in God’s love together.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Lessons on Being Thankful
Every November people on facebook participate in "30 Days of Thankfulness" in which they post one thing, each day of the month, for which they are thankful.
This was easy for me. I have so much.
So, I decided to continue for a full year.
Each morning, I get up, I start my computer, load facebook, and update my status with one thing for which I am thankful that day. This is the list, which will continue to grow as the days pass. I hope also to include anecdotes about what inspired some of the particulars. It is also my hope that I will learn some lessons along the way in this year of thankfulness.
So, here goes:
Day 36: Today, I am thankful for well aged cheddar cheese. This truly is confirmation, in my mind, that god exists. Who else could possibly take moldy milk and make it so freakin' delicious!?
Day 37: Today, I am thankful that I know what it means to be loved. I am infinitely hopeful that one I'll also know how to communicate love to others well. (Tim and grief. That's all I'm saying).
Day 38: It is a small joy, but today, I am thankful for coffee! I am also thankful that I have people in my life who enjoy sharing it with me.
Day 39: Today I am thankful for my nieces and nephew. The whole noisy lot. My life would be less entertaining without them.
Day 40: Today, I am thankful for the people at the church I serve. They are a kind, warm, wonderful, loving bunch. And their Christmas parties are awesome.
Day 41: Today, I am thankful for friends who surprise me out of the blue with extraordinary acts of kindness; and for a God who seems to deliver those acts in the moments of greatest need. (After an awful day of work in which I felt the constant frustration of unclear expectations and my failure to meet those expectations, I rc'd dried limu in the mail from Greg!)
Day 42: Today I am thankful for a warm bed on very cold nights and otherwise.
Day 43: Today I am thankful that my sister requested gingerbread caramels. My kitchen is starting to smell delicious!
Day 44: Today I am thankful that I was born with a deep love of learning.
Day 45: Today I am thankful that at the end of it all, after everything else, I've still got the chutzpah to take crazy good risks. Even when the outcome might not be what I want. (Earlier in the week, I asked a man if he'd like to go on a date with me. After P, G, and R, all you Christian boys can go screw yourselves. Atheists for me! I haven't heard back yet from him, and it's hard to be patient and not press him for an answer. He's kind and genuine and very attractive to me. I hope we can go on at least one date, just to say we did. But if he says no, I'll be okay with that, too. At least I have the courage to live.)
Day 46: Today, I am thankful for thoughtful, intelligent Christians who live in the middle of nowhere.
Day 47: Today, I am thankful for allergy medications and Tylenol
Day 48: Today, I am thankful that holiday parties at work give me an excuse to play in the kitchen.
Day 49: Today, I am thankful that some good habits are contagious.
Day 50: Today, I am thankful for good friends to stay with during snowmaggedon, and the cat/dog and fluffy cat who kept me company and toasty warm.
Day 51: Today, I am unbelievably thankful for the Tama County road maintenance crew.
Day 52: Today, I am thankful that I understand enough about html to figure out problems at work.
Day 53: Today, I am thankful that my really weird dreams are not real.
Day 54: Today I am thankful that I had the opportunity to lay helper elf in wrapping presents.
Day 55: Today I am thankful for the hope, joy, peace, and love that was brought to earth in the person of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, fully human, who chose to dwell among us, that we might, in turn, become fully human as well.
Day 56: Today, I am thankful for Jewish Christmas. And the friends who introduced me to the holiday.
Day 57: Today I am thankful for rope caulk. My room is so toasty warm every night.
Day 58: Today I am thankful that Idris Elba exists. God certainly knew what she was doing that day!
Day 59: Today I am thankful for time with my mama. Les Miserables was AMAZING, and I'm so grateful I got to share it with her.
Day 60: Today I am thankful for my younger brother who makes a very fine meatloaf and the best mashed potatoes I've had in many, many years.
Day 61: Today I am thankful that I have made it to the end of another year.
Day 62: Today I am thankful that my mama passed her mad kitchen skills on to me. Pancakes for New Year's breakfast!
Day 63: Today I am thankful that taking time to myself blesses the taste buds of others! A little sad that it also occasionally curses their waistlines....
Day 64: Today I am thankful for the magical work of Dr. Tom. I promise I'll never wait 13 months again.
Day 65: Today I am thankful for timely reminders that I make a positive difference in this world simply by being myself.
Day 66: Today I am thankful for my Lili-dog who is never short on entertainment provision.
This was easy for me. I have so much.
So, I decided to continue for a full year.
Each morning, I get up, I start my computer, load facebook, and update my status with one thing for which I am thankful that day. This is the list, which will continue to grow as the days pass. I hope also to include anecdotes about what inspired some of the particulars. It is also my hope that I will learn some lessons along the way in this year of thankfulness.
So, here goes:
Day
1: I'm
extraordinarily thankful for my friend, Torafugu, who's always patient, kind,
understanding, gracious, humble, and supportive.
Day 2: I'm thankful that DT's reign of terror
has ended.
Day 3: I'm thankful for my father, who assisted
me in changing over to winter tires this afternoon.
Day 4: Today, I am thankful for my mama, who is
a total rock star.
Day 5: Today, I am thankful for my Lili-dog,
who is sweet, and adorable, and loves my mother more than me.
Day 6: I am thankful for my scars. They remind
me that I am a survivor.
Day 7: I am thankful for the time I had with my
mentor, Tim. A century would not have been enough time, but I'm grateful what
time we had.
Day 8: Today, I am thankful for my brother, Christopher, who is kind and genuine in his efforts
to find his way.
Day 9: I am thankful for my friends and family.
I truly appreciate your love and kind words; especially in times of distress,
when you do not know what's wrong, but you offer support anyway. Thank you.
Day 10: Today I am thankful that I am alive.
(This was the day I attended the funeral service of my first cousin once
removed. My response to his death was very different from the response I
had when a cousin passed away in 2009).
Day 11: I am thankful that each day we get to
begin again.
Day 12: I am thankful for my Sunday boss, Bob.
He's awesome.
Day 13: Today, I am thankful that I have access to
clean, hot water every day.
Day 14: I am thankful that I have audience upon
which to foist my kitchen creations.
Day 15: Today I am thankful I quit eating junk
food one month ago. One month of dedication and I'm wearing a pair of jeans I
haven't been able to fit into in well over a year. So long, sugar! I don't
really miss you.
Day 16: I am thankful for work colleagues who
feel comfortable asking me, "Are you shrinking?" Yes, Heather. Yes, I am.
Day 17: Today, I am thankful for my best friend, Rachel. Mocking films is just so much more
enjoyable with you by my side! (The night before we went to see The
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2. Oh, the fun we had.
Women moaning when Taylor Lautner removed his shirt, my laughing at
really bad jokes that were designed to lighten the mood a movie that was
supposed to be serious and tense, but which failed to be either serious or carry
tension, and the so the joke just ended up flat, which in itself was then very
funny; as I stopped laughing other people in the theater began to giggle, and
slowly spread throughout the audience. Just as the laughter began to die
out, someone snorted, which began the giggles all over again. And we
heard a woman whisper to her neighbor, "I don't get it. Why is this
funny?" And I laughed again).
Day 18: Today I am thankful for facial tissue.
They are so handy when one is battle sinus stuff.
Day 19: I am thankful that I the capacity to be
alone without experiencing loneliness.
Day 20: I am thankful that I can spend an
entire weekend indulging in self-loathing and mental self-flagellation with the
certain knowledge that at the end of it all, I will be ok. (This was the
weekend I had three orgasms on my drive from Rockwell City to Waterloo, and all
I did was think about what it might be like to kiss Torafugu).
Day 21: Today I am thankful that I am a lucid
dreamer. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I get to play in a warm
snowfall and spend my weekends at cozy country inns!
Day 22: Today I am thankful for the maple brown
sugar bourbon turkey that will be going in the oven in about an hour.
Day 23: Today, I am grateful for my older
brother, who's incredibly kind and generous. My life would be less delightful
without him in it. (The evening before he had been assaulted outside of a
bar and his cheekbone was broken. He truly is an extraordinary individual
who made my last year in grad school possible, and who is a source of joy as I
continue to watch him learn who he is and discovers how he want to live his
life).
Day 24: Today I am thankful that I had the
opportunity to learn more about China's first emperor.
Day 25: Today, I am thankful that I have
opportunities to serve and bless others.
Day 26: Today, I am thankful for 4-day work
trips! No homeowners calling!
Day 27: I am thankful that my friends feel
comfortable reaching out to me in times of trouble. Or when they want someone
to fawn over them.
Day 28: Today I am thankful for trails that are
easily accessed from my hotel. And for friends with whom to walk those trails.
Day 29: I had the most awful nightmare this
morning in which my Lili dog died in a horrific fashion. Today, I'm thankful
this was just a truly awful dream and not reality.
Day 30: It may be a bit frivolous or even
shallow, but today I am thankful that I discovered and joined the "no
'poo" revolution. LOVE. My. Hair. Still need a trim.
Day 31: Today, I am thankful for my new position
at work. It's enjoyable and so much less exhausting. (Technical writer
for Andersen!!!!!)
Day 32: Today, I am thankful for the friendly
people at the postal counter who make life a little brighter. (I sent a
package of caramels and fudge to Torafugu. As I was transferring the
small containers of treats to the postal shipping box, the man at the counter
commented on them. I opened the container of gingerbread caramels and
shared them. He said they were the best caramels he'd ever eaten, and
then pulled out his wallet and covered 20% of the cost of shipping the package!
What an enormous surprise and delight!)
Day 33: Today, I am thankful for the Advent
season. Anticipation, preparation, joy.
Day 34: Today, I am thankful for my Biffle cat
who likes to keep me warm.
Day 35: Today, I am thankful that my boss occasionally makes remarks that, when taken out of context, sound really dirty and leave me in fits of giggles for hours after.Day 36: Today, I am thankful for well aged cheddar cheese. This truly is confirmation, in my mind, that god exists. Who else could possibly take moldy milk and make it so freakin' delicious!?
Day 37: Today, I am thankful that I know what it means to be loved. I am infinitely hopeful that one I'll also know how to communicate love to others well. (Tim and grief. That's all I'm saying).
Day 38: It is a small joy, but today, I am thankful for coffee! I am also thankful that I have people in my life who enjoy sharing it with me.
Day 39: Today I am thankful for my nieces and nephew. The whole noisy lot. My life would be less entertaining without them.
Day 40: Today, I am thankful for the people at the church I serve. They are a kind, warm, wonderful, loving bunch. And their Christmas parties are awesome.
Day 41: Today, I am thankful for friends who surprise me out of the blue with extraordinary acts of kindness; and for a God who seems to deliver those acts in the moments of greatest need. (After an awful day of work in which I felt the constant frustration of unclear expectations and my failure to meet those expectations, I rc'd dried limu in the mail from Greg!)
Day 42: Today I am thankful for a warm bed on very cold nights and otherwise.
Day 43: Today I am thankful that my sister requested gingerbread caramels. My kitchen is starting to smell delicious!
Day 44: Today I am thankful that I was born with a deep love of learning.
Day 45: Today I am thankful that at the end of it all, after everything else, I've still got the chutzpah to take crazy good risks. Even when the outcome might not be what I want. (Earlier in the week, I asked a man if he'd like to go on a date with me. After P, G, and R, all you Christian boys can go screw yourselves. Atheists for me! I haven't heard back yet from him, and it's hard to be patient and not press him for an answer. He's kind and genuine and very attractive to me. I hope we can go on at least one date, just to say we did. But if he says no, I'll be okay with that, too. At least I have the courage to live.)
Day 46: Today, I am thankful for thoughtful, intelligent Christians who live in the middle of nowhere.
Day 47: Today, I am thankful for allergy medications and Tylenol
Day 48: Today, I am thankful that holiday parties at work give me an excuse to play in the kitchen.
Day 49: Today, I am thankful that some good habits are contagious.
Day 50: Today, I am thankful for good friends to stay with during snowmaggedon, and the cat/dog and fluffy cat who kept me company and toasty warm.
Day 51: Today, I am unbelievably thankful for the Tama County road maintenance crew.
Day 52: Today, I am thankful that I understand enough about html to figure out problems at work.
Day 53: Today, I am thankful that my really weird dreams are not real.
Day 54: Today I am thankful that I had the opportunity to lay helper elf in wrapping presents.
Day 55: Today I am thankful for the hope, joy, peace, and love that was brought to earth in the person of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, fully human, who chose to dwell among us, that we might, in turn, become fully human as well.
Day 56: Today, I am thankful for Jewish Christmas. And the friends who introduced me to the holiday.
Day 57: Today I am thankful for rope caulk. My room is so toasty warm every night.
Day 58: Today I am thankful that Idris Elba exists. God certainly knew what she was doing that day!
Day 59: Today I am thankful for time with my mama. Les Miserables was AMAZING, and I'm so grateful I got to share it with her.
Day 60: Today I am thankful for my younger brother who makes a very fine meatloaf and the best mashed potatoes I've had in many, many years.
Day 61: Today I am thankful that I have made it to the end of another year.
Day 62: Today I am thankful that my mama passed her mad kitchen skills on to me. Pancakes for New Year's breakfast!
Day 63: Today I am thankful that taking time to myself blesses the taste buds of others! A little sad that it also occasionally curses their waistlines....
Day 64: Today I am thankful for the magical work of Dr. Tom. I promise I'll never wait 13 months again.
Day 65: Today I am thankful for timely reminders that I make a positive difference in this world simply by being myself.
Day 66: Today I am thankful for my Lili-dog who is never short on entertainment provision.
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