mi casa

Today, I've tried to be mindful of my many blessings, for which I am truly grateful.
1. My job. There is no perfect job. But, every day I get to do a job a love and make enough money to live. I connect with people on a daily basis. I hear their stories and try to help myself and other people be more healthy and happy. Bradford is out in the woods and after a good rain, when the sun is shining through the trees, it is just beautiful. I work with two really cool people, who I am pleased to call my friends. I had originally asked God just for someone to eat lunch with. I never imagined that I would have friends to play bouncy ball with, create silly cat pictures with, and wear fun shoes with on Friday.
2. My apartment. I am so blessed to have a space in this world that I call mine. I am comfortable here. I love my surroundings and it makes me feel cozy. I like coming home.
3. I am thankful for the million things my body does without me telling it to. I give my body so much grief over this little mark or freckle or wrinkle or sliver of fat. Yet, I fail to remember that my body is constantly breathing, sending oxygen around to my organs, blinking my eyes to keep them from drying out, sneezing when needing, swallowing, using food and water for energy, thinking, feeling, sleeping and waking, moving my muscles for my workouts, telling me when to be hungry and full, healing wounds or sickness, etc. It's really quite unbelievable.
4. Resilience of spirit. I am so thankful that my body and spirit and mind keeps on trucking. I really thought last night that I could feel my heart breaking apart (again) and I wasn't sure I was going to survive. How to survive another heart ache? But, here I sit tonight and I'm not sure how I got from last night to tonight, but my body, spirit, and mind did it.
5. My parents. It's nice to have them in my corner. There is nothing like a mom and dad. Nothing like knowing that someone thinks I am the coolest thing on the planet (along with my brothers) and everyone else should know it too. Thanks mom.
6. Laughter. I love to laugh. It just helps make life so much better.
7. My friends. There is nothing like a friend skipping choir just so I can be in her presence and not alone. For isn't that what we so often desire, to know that we are not alone in this big world?
8. My health. I am thankful that a bad time doesn't throw me into an anorexic or bulimic spree each time. I still have bad times and I still have to be mindful of my health. But, I know what to do and I am thankful for this knowledge.
9. My faith. I am ever so thankful to know the Lord. I am grateful that He is big enough to handle my everything, including my anger.
10. Fall leaves. There is nothing like the changing seasons to remind me that I am alive and grateful for life.

I keep running across the idea of coming home. I read recently that one of the translations for salvation means "coming home." And Sue Monk Kidd writes, "the image of coming home is a powerful, archetypal symbol for returning to one's deepest self, to the soul." When I think of coming home, I think of a place that is comfortable and yet, sometimes difficult for it represents me and I'm not always sure that I like myself, or at least all of myself, and I have to become comfortable in my own skin and my own process.