Gamble-ing

Today was such a good day! There were many things to be thankful for. That's what I love about this blog...as a writer, I am always thinking of stories to document, which necessitates that I live in a posture of gratitude!

Anywho, today I saw my wonderful friend and Sister-in-Christ, Christie Gamble. This lady is beautiful, supportive, wise, caring, and brilliant. We talked for hours over coffee this morning at Panera, and it was so refreshing to my soul.

Christie has been one of my closest friends since our freshman year of college at Biola. She even got me interested in Torrey{because, for some reason, watching a friend stress out about reading a million books and writing long papers was enticing lol}, which turned out to be one of the biggest blessings in my life.

Please, join me on a quick trip down memory lane:

The Biola Fountain Adventure of Freshman Year!

{...insert four amazing years of abiding friendship here...}

Senior Year! Isn't she lovely??

Lord, thank you for Christie Gamble. Thank you for her kindness, conscientiousness, wisdom, grace, dedication, and humility. But, for right now, I thank You for simply putting her in my life. :) 

Perspective

You know those days that challenge you to take a new perspective on your life? Well, today was one of those days, and I am incredibly thankful for it.

For the past few weeks, I have been working part-time at a lovely retirement home, doing various jobs for HR and Administration. My current project is updating the files of all of the residents of the facility. Among other documents, this includes organizing their Injury Reports, Death Reports, and Obituaries. I had many somber and silent moments today when I realized that a resident had died the day I flew to England, and another had died the same day a good friend got married. Every day, people are born, die, and get married. We live our lives, and often times forget that there are billions of other lives happening around us.

Not all of the residents I am reading about have passed away; many are still alive and living in the home right now! These men and women were born in the early 20th century, and most have served in WWII as either soldiers or nurses. It was amazing to read about the lives of these men and women, and the sacrifices they made for their families and country. For example, I was saddened to read of a husband who died thirty years before his wife. To go that long without your best friend! It was amazing and startling.

One major result of working at this Retirement Home is that I have grown ever so much in gratitude for my youth. Friends, let us embrace our youth! Go dancing! Run in the rain! Create things! Be wise, but be brave to try new things. One day, you will no longer be able to do those things, your memory may begin to fail you, and you won't be able to do the things you once did. Instead, you will be in a new phase of life, where you can sit and read the paper each morning with no worries about what to do after. You can scoot across your living room, with curlers in your hair. You can tell young students about what life was like 50 years ago.

Dancing! Walking! Young! Old! They have it all! 

Tonight I embraced my youth. I hung out with good friends, ate delicious food, walked around, looked at amazing art, and listened to bands trying to sound like Journey. {For those in SoCal, I went to Brea Fest...it was fantastic!} And I appreciated every moment of it, because I knew that each moment was precious.

Life really is precious. God has given us the opportunity to spend each moment here on Earth in pursuit of Him, and for those who love Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, that pursuit never has to end. We can spend eternity with Him! So, in light of eternity, my friends, savor every moment.

Lord, thank you for those who are youthful. Thank you for those who are aged. Thank you for showing me both ends of the spectrum in one day. Let me live each day in pursuit of you, until the very end.

Something to Celebrate

I love living in a posture of thankfulness. It makes it hard to be grumpy!

Today I have many things to be thankful for. Should I write about the beautiful sunset I saw on my drive home from work today? Should I write about how I am thankful to even have a job to drive home from? Or should I write about the fact that today is my parent's WEDDING ANNIVERSARY??

I think you know where I am going with this:)

That's right, folks. Today is the day that my parents, Thame and Suzi Fuller, got hitched. Since then, they have entered the ministry, served the Lord and their community in multiple churches, raised (and are still raising!) three kids, all the while teaching me what a marriage should look like.

Look at these crazy kids swing dancing at Downtown Disney! :)

Now, please don't misunderstand me. My parents don't have a perfect marriage. But no one does! However, they do have a relationship that daily seeks to honor each other and God, and that's something to be thankful for. They love and respect each other, and make decisions together; that is something I really appreciate.

I wish I could have found some of their wedding pictures! My mom's hair was so long....and my dad's....well...let's just say he hasn't changed that much over the years. ;P

My mother has taught me to take action and stand up for myself. My father has taught me to love and respect myself, no matter what anyone says. Together, they have taught me to be a lady.

Thank you, Lord, for my parents, their marriage, and the ministry they do TOGETHER for You.

R-E-S-T

Hello friends!

It has been a long time since I last posted on my blog, but I feel like it is time to resurrect it. The purpose of this blog is to remind myself {and whoever reads it!} of the small yet beautiful gifts God gives me each and every day. Ever since graduating from college a couple months ago, my life has been on a roller coaster, and I often times find it difficult to be grateful.

A couple of years ago, when I was going through a real tough time with things at home, this blog gave me hope. Well, the Bible gave me Hope, but this blog gave me a conduit to articulate it. I would wake up each morning, filled with wonder at what I could be thankful for that day. It was such a marvelous blessing in the midst of trial.

So, here I am, a college graduate, working my way through relationships, jobs, finances, and a completely different pace of life. It is time I make my Daily Offering once again. :)


Today's offering is simple: I am so incredibly grateful for a good night's sleep.

I have not been sleeping well recently, and it wasn't until last night that I was able to go to bed at a good time and wake up early to start my day. I woke up thanking God for genuine rejuvenating rest, something I have been deprived of for a while. I was able to make a yummy breakfast, read my Bible, and work on the various tasks I had for the day {one of which was meeting up with a friend at California Adventure! -- difficult stuff, I know ;)}. With out a good night's rest, today would have been simply draining; instead, it was energizing!

Lord, thank you for rest.