a grateful people.

mallory is my best friend from undergrad. she loves Jesus. she loves people. oh, and she loves jade china which is the place where so many great conversations took place for us. 

mallory is also one of the most grateful people i know. 

she just lives with this heart of gratitude that i'm so jealous of. 

we already established that sometimes my gratitude seems to overwhelm me where other times there isn't a person in this world that would consider me thankful. somewhere along the spectrum is where i spend the majority of my days. but i took a challenge from mallory that was identical to something i did in college. 

a few years ago, my mentor in college, had a list of things on her kitchen door of things that made her thankful, basically it was an outpouring of gratitude for the big and little things that thrilled her heart. so i joined her and made my own list. it was fun, really fun actually. and it changed my heart because i able to see just how many things on a daily basis make this life more fun. 

so that was then and this is now. i've gotten away from the list and more importantly the discipline of gratitude. 

mallory left for africa in may & we had lunch together before she left. we love giving gifts so we did our normal exchanging of summer presents. she gave me the most delightful, little journal. it's kind of worn and beautiful. in the front cover she wrote, 

"this little notebook is for those difficult days-it's to make a list of things you're thankful for so you can remember His goodness past, present, and future. it's a place to write little ebenezers."

and that's exactly what i've used it for. nothing has been too little and nothing too big. this little yellow journal has housed a list of blessings that seem to just continue to be poured out. 

so today, i write, to challenge each of you to do the same. and also to confess how ungrateful i am most of the time. but the journal has been a good start in this process of living a life of thanksgiving. 

here's a few things from my list: 

-kamp & getting to spend time with friends from kamp

-chick-fil-a

-my mom

-a new headband for a dollar that is precious

-the furlow family

-my new friend, emmy

-mallory's adventures in africa & her ability to love so well

-a client who taught me about the power of forgiveness

-diet coke from sonic at happy hour. $1.04 has never been better spent

-an adventure through grief

-clarity

-ice cream

-books

-music

-my brother getting engaged

-worship

-summer nights at sunset, i feel small and that's so good for me

-brothers

...and the list continues.

find those ebenezers in your life. they are there, i promise.