thankful.

• friends who get me and my r kelly references
• my heart was in such a better place coming back up the gangway than it was when i went down it (thank you, God, for date night.)
• alice's story
• cash crew bobsledding (oh the laughter!)

• the way the sun sparkles off of the water
• walking out in nature with my best friend.
• my lovely friend KJ and her thankful list
• all the kids in the neighborhood movie time in the cash cabin (= nap time for me)
• the way the limes fit and sit so perfectly in the egg tray

• a husband who remembers
• the fun signs/comics cecily put on the dryers
• magnificent mail day

• opportunities to teach my children useful things (like laundry)
• the ease of email updates (especially compared to my struggles with mailchimp)(no offense mailchimp)
• natalie's writing
• the thoughtfulness of a friend

hot and fresh out the kitchen

• one yummy pound of chocolate covered espresso beans (compliments of the BSF)
• being thought of by someone at chick-fil-a (and the lovely lauren marquez, no less)
• God has good plans for aida
• special deliveries via josh's parents
• lovely bouquet of daisies 

• meeting leah around 11:00 on wednesdays to carry things down the gangway for the hope center (a little manual labor is refreshing!)
• coke codes to send to amy
• valentine's day treats
  

• random poetry writing
• the life, love and fighting spirit of laura dodds
• sevenly sticker
  
• "no power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand."
• how God kept flipping it on me
• the way mr. jay was so kind to tell emma about his leaving

• the enthusiastic "yes! i want to go." from the girls when asked if they wanted to go visit a patient
• how quickly and easily the kindle book 'arrived'
• loads of clean clothes
• really fun prints/signs/quotes

• amazon refunded all of the books that emma purchased without permission
• lessons learned
• unexpected hour of "freetime" 
• trying to imagine jimmy falon's ragtime version of ignition (remix of a remix)(i'd be SUPER thankful if i could watch it....maybe someday).  
• the monkey hat (and the monkey under the hat)

ps - mad props, tremendous respect and a whole lotta high fives to anyone (other than nick) who knows what the title of this blog means.... hint: one of the thankful items is a clue...

flipping it around. such love.

i really like worship...i really like connecting with God...i really like hearing from Him...i really like knowing that He's hearing from me....i really like writing sentences like a 1st grader....incorrect capitalization...incorrect punctuation...multiple sentences that start in the exact same way.  i'll continue.

last night was an "all worship" sunday night gathering....i liked it.  what i really liked was the way God kept "flipping" things on me...i wrote out a phrase in my journal - and He turned it back around on me....and then i wrote out another phrase and He did it again (and then again!).  each time it surprised me.

because this blog is all about trusting and obeying (did you know that's what "obsequiumfidei"means?)(did you also know that i don't know how to spell that?  so i can never really tell people my blog address...i always have to look it up)...ANYWAY...as an act of trusting and obeying, here are some glimpses into my journal...

i wrote: "here i am...ready to worship...ready to give...ready to receive...to be with You in every possible way."

His response: here I am...ready for worship...ready to give...ready to receive...to be with you, dianna, in every possible way.

i wrote: ...wanting all that You have...

His response: I want all that YOU have, dianna...and I'm here to give you ALL of me...I've given all of me for you.  

i wrote:  more of you, God...i want more of you.

His response: more of you, dianna...I want more of you....

His loving kindness amazes me.  i'm overwhelmed by how much He loves us - how much He wants us...in awe that He knows my name and calls me by it...grateful that He is willing to speak in ways that i can hear....praying that i'll listen more and more closely...

for these and all our many blessings...

• listening to/watching the rain the other night
• simple tasks that mean so much (easy for me to do, such gratefulness from the recipients)
• rend collective experiment (that should be on here about a dozen times...really enjoying their music right now)
• hearing mr. josh's laughter across the ship
• the 3rd graders field trip/service project with Ryan in the IS department

• the head cold i had didn't last long
• watching the olympics in an international community
• laughing at curling
• God ordained conversations that happened by the pool saturday night
• 'chelle's "recruitment" of caroline to help with a video/recording

• the general willingness of so many to invest in our children and to allow them to use their gifts and talents in incredible ways here's another example
• capable, faithful youth leaders
• people in the crowd of sports events that get so excited to see themselves on the screen...makes me laugh
• "c salads" (cucumbers, craisins, catalina dressing)(my favorite "c salad" would probably be cucumbers, crutons and cheese)(with good ranch dressing...but ranch doesn't start with a "c")
• when my kids say really kind things - especially to one another (wish it wasn't quite so rare!)
• caroline's ipod is found!!!!
• sweet pictures from the past

• CARE packages from Yaya & Grandaddy and Aunt Amy and the Whites and the Sheeks. so much love sent in those boxes...it's amazing how wonderful those boxes are.
• what God does when we give Him a little space (surrender the schedule!)
• charissa's blog post
• the way Erin Williams IS - so kind, so caring, so thoughtful, so sweet.
• Ray Charles stamps
• when you walk in a room and the song that's been in your head all morning is playing
• "i've counted up the cost...and You are worth it." - rend collective song
• thawing out on deck 7 with Miss Moriah
• black and white pictures
• my husband's willingness to invest in others

always something.

• "you will cease to notice how weak or strong you feel because you will be focusing on Me." - jesus calling
• discovering a 4 pack of easy mac in the cabinet
• playing ultimate on friday evenings

• the patient that was in ICU and, from what everyone could tell, was near death, is alive and doing much much better
• caroline's idea/eagerness/willingness/enthusiasm about working in the dining room
• luke's willingness to let her
• listening to caroline sing/tell/laugh through the "hermie the worm" song....

• "unforced rhythms of grace" (from Matthew 11, the message)
• "you can have as much of me and my peace as you want." - jesus calling
• cinnamon streusel muffins
• the topping of the previously mentioned muffins that tastes like panera's cinnamon crunch bagels 
• super surprise care package from miss jo & mr alton - creatively sent with a member of a Vision Trip

• folding little clothes (i know i won't have little clothes to fold forever)
• mr. josh's parents' willingness to bring things to us
• emma the pirate....emma the monkey
• delightful dinner with the cutest pirate ever...so much laughter and so many smiles
• walking in to find a monkey sleeping in my bed.

wise words

I am hoping this post won't be offensive in any way...it's certainly not intended to offend.  It's a quote from a fiction book that I'm reading: "Under the Southern Moon" by Virginia Gaffney. It's set in Virginia in 1860.  The words this slave (man it's hard to type that word) shares with her daughter are beautiful - and are exactly what I've been thinking about lately....maybe it'll give you something to think about, too.  

"…for now that means your life gonna be right here.  That leaves you only one thin’ to do.  You gots to live as hard as you can where you be.  You gots to look deep inside and find out all the thin’s you got to give the world – then you got to give it.  You can’t spend all your days lookin' backward. And you can’t spend all your days lookin’ forward.  It’s today that counts.  You’s got to bloom where you’re planted.  God’s got you planted here for now.” 

God's got me planted here for now...I want to live as hard as I can where I am.