Thankful Thursday #221

"Don't worry about anything,
but pray about everything.
With thankful hearts
offer up your prayers and requests to God."
~Philippians 4:6

Today, I am thankful for...

1.  My New Year's Day 10k!!  I will be in NYC this weekend #surreal, so I made a solid last-minute decision to get up early on my day off and complete my long run for this week before Mom came over at 10:30... I did a 90-minute walk/jog for 6.4 miles featuring 3 Peloton classes: The Nutcracker ballet music, a New Year's Eve party mix, and Wicked: the movie soundtrack... genuinely FUN, and a solid way to start off the new year!  #thrivein25

2.  A wonderful final podcast with heartfelt thoughts on relationships + laughing about random stuff with Annie and Eddie on New Year's Eve, and learning they plan to continue the monthly episodes in 2025 - yes, please!!

(Their personalities are kinda reversed, but their friendship dynamic often reminds me of my friendship with Chet, and I always enjoy their random conversations!)

3.  Ringing in the New Year by the glow of twinkling Christmas lights with a quiet prayer to consecrate my year ahead to God + watching the 7 Fishes and Forks episodes of The Bear... my absolute favorite episodes in all their glorious chaos and dysfunction and growth and change!  (It was brand new to me a year ago, but I ended 2023 the same way, so maybe it's a new tradition. #everysecondcounts)

4.  The Wilson fam toasting in the new year (at 8pm) -- this pic is the absolute cutest!! ❤

5.  Mom and Kristin coming over and the three of us working hard to take down all my Christmas stuff yesterday and get my house ready for the meeting with Shane (my OKC realtor) on Monday!  The flocked tree and garland was a beautiful new look but a decidedly messier clean-up process, which all became funny to me as Kristin and I were wearing black!! #soflocked  I appreciated this relaxed timeline, thanks to my Christmas party being after Christmas this year.  I am grateful for the visual representation of transformation and creating a fresh start on New Year's Day, and I'm glad it's all done now, and I'm thankful for the extra help in getting there!!  (Next step - staging and listing my home!)

6.  The God-ordained ability to change and mature + God's mercy being new every morning + the hope of new beginnings and clean slates!! *

7.  God's redemptive power and grace + experiencing beauty for ashes!  I appreciate the sentiment of hope and agency in the meme below, but for what it's worth, I firmly believe that no season of our lives is ever "lost" to grief or darkness or wounds - God draws near to the brokenhearted and dependably renews our minds and restores our hope as He walks with us through painful seasons.  He brings beauty, restoration, hope, growth, healing, and redemption -- the ashes do not have the final word.  So press in and keep walking with Him, trusting that nothing is wasted and He knows how to bind your wounds and bring light into dark places!!

*I wrote about this song in December 2023, feeling sad and lonely and afraid, but hopeful for a 2024 comeback.  I'm extra grateful to feel more victory in some areas and more hope for continued growth and victory in others today!

 

 Happy Thursday, and Happy 2025!!

❤ ❤ ❤