Turkey-time (Of the Veggie Kind)

11.26.15

So I slept in a bit this morning and then when I got up I excitedly grabbed my personal card entitled “Open on Thanksgivin’” from 3 wonderfully special people in my life and the first words I read said, “So I accidentally drew you a four-legged turkey.” I literally cried tears of laughter and joy. My whole day is brightened instantly. (Not that it was excessively dull). Anyways that may not mean much to most who read it, but for those who know about the letter I want you to know it was the perfect thanksgiving card!

So sitting here, I feel as though I should embrace the thanksgiving spirit and log a few things I’m thankful for (yeah yeah cliché etc. etc. bear with me!) It’s definitely hard being away from family on a holiday like today when every other one you’ve ever spent was with parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. So the time is appropriate. I’m actually going to fully embrace the cliché and tell whoever reads this to make a list too, even if you read it after thanksgiving! :D Now be a pal and don’t shrug it off. 10 Things. Write it in cursive. Calligraphy. Type it. Print it. Frame it. Read it. Re-read it. :) Ok I’m done I promise! *The following are not in order of importance by any means, my mind isn’t that organized before 9am. ;)

I’m thankful for…

1. So many kind host families in Malawi to share my Thanksgiving with. I love the people here and couldn’t have asked for better people to spend my time in Malawi with. And their pets! I might have to invest in a dog when I get home because I spend so much time with them here. They all find a way of nudging their way into your heart!

2. So many fruits and produce (MANGOS) to eat to my heart’s content. Also the access to peanut butter, yogurt, and I even saw Nutella in Blantyre. That was a happy discovery!

3. The best friends anyone could ask for. Seriously. All of you. You know who you are. I don’t take you for granted and you will always hold a place in my heart. <3

4. An amazing family at home, extended family included, who have been nothing but incredibly supportive every step of the way.

5. The support and care from everyone who doesn’t fall into the category of “close friend” or “family.” Seriously, I am in awe at the love and messages and general support I’ve received. You all are quality people and God used you to touch my heart. You may never know the impact you’ve had on my life but if ever I could show you I would! Thank You from the bottom of my heart!

6. Itunes libraries. Music. It enhances life and can bring back so many memories and feelings. Be it in the car singing duets with Shar to the kids or getting lost in a memory on the road to town as the trees and people pass by, or taking a moment to myself in my room to shake it off with some T-Swift tunes, or falling asleep to Starfield, or relaxing with a book to Mat Kearney… music is good. I know this, and you know this, but it’s important enough to hit the list.

7. Mosquito nets. I do.not.like.bugs. The lizzards that scuttle along my walls? Be my guest! The spider I saw? The golf-ball sized beetle that ran across my floor? The termites that recently began swarming the light after dark? The MOSQUITOS? Yeah, I have nightmares about those. Call me excessive but my net remains tucked in underneath my mattress at all hours except when I retreat beneath it. (If this is a bad idea, please enlighten me!) I sleep better knowing the greater portion of bugs cannot make their beds in mine during the day to creep around at night when I climb under the covers. (Or on top of them, since it’s, you know, hot). Ok you get the picture, I’ve written enough on this topic. Moving on. ;)

8. Internet access, as limited as it is. In fact, I don’t mind it being limited. Helps keep my priorities straight. When it’s available and I have time, I’m able to connect. When it isn’t available, I find something else to do. There’s always something else that can be done. :)

9. Benson, Hudson, and Jett. Those boys are teaching me a lot. Yes, technically I am THEIR teacher and am doing my best (ok Jett doesn’t come to school since he’s 3, but I still spend time with him other times) but those boys are teaching me a lot about myself and about what it must take to be a parent. Trying to teach concepts like kindness, patience, and perseverance intermixed with math and reading is tricky. But they also bring so much joy, like when they ask you when you’ll be back when you’re heading out the door or when they give you the cricket bat for a turn when you KNOW they want to keep batting (yeah… I’m learning cricket! Watch out world!!!). Many reasons to be thankful for those kids.

10. God. Plain and simple he’s the one who brought me here and he has fully come through for me every step of the way. He’s shown himself to me in ways I’d forgotten. Going through college and summer jobs can do great things for your relationship with God, or they can hurt it. Or some combination thereof, as was the case with me. But being here, seeing God come through every step of the way, I’m dumbfounded. It isn’t just the big things that you assume he’ll help with, but it’s the little things. Meeting a Malawian girl on my way to church who needs a friend just like me. A sim card that starts working when I need it to. An invitation to dinner when you really don’t feel like making anything. “Yum Yum” peanut butter. (The brand is somewhat presumptuous in its name but I gotta say, it isn’t bad!) God remembers the little things.

Anyways, if ever I was thankful for anything on thanksgiving, everything on my list would fall under the category of a gift from God. So really this list could have a hundred things, or it could have one. And both lists would say essentially the same thing. As I’m spending more time here and the honeymoon phase wears off bit by bit, I want to take a moment to appreciate all the things that are fresh on my mind so that later when everything starts to become routine and less-special, I’ll have something to look back on. It’s funny how quickly things can become routine in life, for better or for worse. Maybe that’s why today is so important, to look a little less superficially and find the things that inadvertently drive us in life.

Ok I’m totally letting my sentimental side take over, but thanks for bearing with me. This is as much for me as it is for you. So wherever you are today, Happy Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for you! Now go eat some food and watch some football for me! Cheer loud but don’t get cranky if your team loses. There are plenty of other days to be cranky over that. Like when your team passes to the enemy in the endzone on the play that could win you the superbowl. But I’m not bitter… *she tells herself mock-convincingly*