These Girls.

Last year Jon and I spent our Monday nights hanging out with a handful of the university students. Sometimes we'd meet at church; sometimes we'd all just come over to our place and chill.

Let me just tell you that we so loved getting to know this incredible group of young people (said in a raspy, reedy, OLD voice.)

And over the last year, a few of these girls have gone out of their way to make me feel loved. There have been notes, texts, visits, a surprise gift card to Blue Dog and many encouraging words.

Honestly, I have done nothing out of the way to deserve or earn such beautiful love. I feel like a crackly old sponge that is just soaking up their many kindnesses.

Thank you A, S, H and K for allllll. I don't deserve you; but I'm grateful for every day that I get to call you my friends!

xo.

Giving Thanks.

This year I've been meeting with a handful of girls one morning a week. We talk about our lives and hearts, our challenges and what we are learning.

I've been missing a month of these chats as I've been serving people coffee. But I get to go this week, and we are all supposed to come with a list of "100 Things for which we are Thankful." (Just because or since Thanksgiving is right around the corner? Guess I'll find out.)

I want to live in a place of gratefulness every day, so I love little exercises like this to keep me reminded of all that my life holds.

I got to work on my list this morning.

1. grace. 2. Jonathan. 3. books. 4. my sister. 5. all the clothes in my closet. 6. a big comfy bed.  7. imagination.  8. being self-employed.  9. travel  10. fall. 11. hot drinks. 12. my family. (We are heading to KY next month for a wedding and I couldn’t be happier to see my dear ones down there.) 13. getting to go to work with Jonathan every single day.  14. our photography business 15. meeting cool people every week with our job. 16. our cameras (etc.)  17. our house downpayment  18. windy afternoons  19. hardwood floors.  20. rainbows in the middle of sunset clouds.  21. poetry  22. friends who ask me the hard questions.  23. friends who go the distance with me.  24. heart friends. 25. bare feet in summer grass  26. back porches. 27. front porches.  28. late nights of candles and wine and long talks with friends  29. our car  30. that every day is a new day with no mistakes in it (yet).  31. music  32. instagram.  33. the walking trail along the river.  34. Brantford.  35. yardsales.  36. days off.  37. my nice co-workers at Starbucks.  38. my Track girls.  39. trips to Hawaii.  40. surprises. (the good kind.)  41. blankets.  42. wooden fences.  43. laughter.  44. the promise that joy will come in the morning.  45. forgiveness.  46. date nights.  47. my job at Starbucks.  48. our apartment.  49. getting to teach this month. 50. getting to wake up beside Jonathan every day.  51. morning cuddles.  52. rainboots. 53. boots. 54. thrift stores. 55. hope. 56. quiet mornings.  57. this week of good sleep. 58. yummy dinners together.  59. Indian food.  60. scones.  61. pictures.  62. the beauty of the journey.  63. snail mail.  64. birthdays. 65. warm sweaters. 66. our health.  67. truth and freedom.  68. dreams coming true. 69. food in our cabinets.  70. the young adult crew from FH.  71. creative projects. 72. mittens. 73. holidays. 74. coffee in the morning. 75. bookshelves full of books. 76. book club. 77. chili on cold nights. 78. words. 79. our vacuum.  80. washers and dryers. 81. hugs. 82. giggles of children. 83. swing sets. 84. happy memories. 85. peace that passes understanding. 86. opportunities. 87. two years of marriage. 88. two decades in Kentucky. 89. phones and emails to make the long miles shorter between old friends. 90. rugs for cold floors. 91. hot showers. 92. chocolate. 93. buttons. 94. old glass bottles. 95. brown paper packages tied up with strings. 96. walks in the rain. 97. deoderant (anyone who is around me should be thankful for this too). 98. moments to hold hands. 99. slippers for all the year. 100. Jonathan. 101. Two Thanksgivings every year.