I walked into work the other day and my coworker said, “Today, we are not going to complain about the heat.” I said, “Why do you have to ask such impossible things!” 95 degrees outside and our building isn’t air-conditioned. It’s amazing though how much room there is for being thankful when the complaining gets momentarily stifled. Ironically, one of the things I am most thankful for is the sun..and all the brilliant and beautiful ways it streams into our lives..all the things light is capable of doing. Also for clouds..they are so amazing and magnificent sometimes.
I’m thankful for color (all the ones we can see and the ones we mysteriously can’t see). For adorable baby animals, the intricacy of flowers, the strength of people who have overcome difficult circumstances, and the way water looks like glass when it’s perfectly still..like you really could walk on it, straight across.
I’m thankful for pet peeves that drive me absolutely crazy and consequently teach me about my own ridiculousness and utter lack of patience, right when I think I am doing so well! I’m thankful for people who get on my nerves and teach me how much more there is to life than being comfortable and in control. I’m thankful for summer because suddenly people are driving with their windows down and their music obnoxiously loud (at the stop light..) and somehow it just makes me love life even more.
Most of all, I’m thankful for my life. I am eternally grateful that it has not been normal, predicable, stable, sensible, or understandable. Not that I don’t shake my fist about it sometimes..but that’s the whole point. Being all those things means there are certain difficulties and difficulties lead to learning and growth and understanding. Also, difficulties -> suffering -> Cross -> Resurrection -> eternal Life. That’s why I’m eternally grateful..it’s that simple and that awesome.
So, basically, I am thankful for my abnormal life. Here are a few reasons why.
-Hundredfold: Seriously, people. It’s a Scripture verse for a reason. God’s not just throwing happy thoughts out there. And yes, it’s tangible. He says anyone who gives up father, mother, brothers, sisters…will receive a hundredfold in return. I have a lot of siblings, so this might be difficult..Ooo, not for God. He has brought a special family into my life at every unique time I’ve needed one, all around the world, and I’ve not forgotten any of them. Even my friends.. I don’t even know how to begin to describe the diversity of blessings they’ve been to me. They’ve dared and defied and been strong in their lives, so that we have been able to build each other up in every way that counts.
-Spoiling: My father is the most important man in the world to me and he gave me so much, in many ways. But my Father in heaven seems to find such great joy in spoiling me with my heart’s every desire (and he’s all-powerful, plus a mind reader, so…). Like the time I told him (like a spoiled child) that if he really loved me, he would get me a really nice camera. 6 months later I was holding my very own Canon T1i in my hands. Or the time I said, you know, my old car was nice, but coups kind of annoy me. Now I have a four-door…with a sunroof (even I wasn’t gonna ask for that). Even the time recently when I was feeling down and suddenly noticed a quarter on the floor in front of me. I thought, if this was put here on purpose, it would be marked for me…it had my birth year on it. There are so many ways he has told me, but most can’t really be described..they are just unmistakable.
-Bling: Low income, long hour, service jobs are really my favorite. I also like volunteering and working with poor people. As a result, I’ve been able to visit 6 countries (yes, Canada), have a nice car, pay for school, have my second MAC, and have an apartment in NYC (not Manhattan..let’s not get too crazy). All I can say is, you give God an inch and he gives you a mile. There is no outdoing him. Some people I’ve met think my lifestyle is crazy…maybe something to do with the low income, no health care, and somehow living in NY, but…I think I would be crazy to trade this life for a 9-5 with health care, saving hard for retirement. Would that kind of job be sending me to Rome next month? Just sayin’. It’s not like it’s me anyway though. Like I said, I have a Sugar Daddy who happens to run the Universe.
-Family: Along with my abnormal life, I am unbelievably thankful for my ‘abnormal’ family. You guys are the best! You inspire me all the time. I won’t mention names, since this is the open web, but everyone who knows you will know who you are. Obviously this kind of openness to the unusual starts with the courage of our parents, who also had to endure the difficulty of being “different” so many times. For that I cannot be thankful enough.
Brother #1: Sheesh, what an example of humility and honesty. Also, life has taken you for quite a ride (you definitely beat me in out of state schools, though maybe not # of schools over all..) and you’ve gone with it, even though it’s against your nature. Keep being that strong example wherever God puts you.
Brother #2: I like how you went out and kind of got your butt kicked and really let it make you stronger (and didn’t let everything you were up against pull you down with it). You’re a Marine and you have possibly been to more countries than I have, so you’re definitely out of the mold..for lots of reasons. Stay that way.
Sister #1: Girl, you’re crazy. You’re such your own person, I don’t know exactly what you’re gonna do, but I’m sure it won’t be just one thing. You’re taking everything as it comes, plus doing amazing on standardized tests, traveling the world, and being gentle and patient with everybody. You’re great and you definitely inspire me! Thanks for being abnormal.
Sister #2: Yeah, you’re so abnormal that you won’t even read this cause you don’t have regular access to internet anymore. Plus, you’re in Brazil to see the Pope with the aforementioned crazy sister. First you skip the country, then you give away everything to the poor (ie your family) and give up your dreams of cosmetology and fashion to cut your hair short and wear the same outfit for the rest of your life. Girrrl..you cray cray! You’re awesome.
Brother #3: Um..last I heard you wanted to be an Alaskan fisherman? Or was it still a hobo? So..yeah..you are excelling in craziness as far as I can tell. Good work! Also, if you are trying to make it to countries none of us have been to yet, we left a lot of interesting ones…I’m sure you’ll have stories..
I can’t wait to see where the Lord takes all of you. In whatever way you follow him, your life will not be average. All of the Saints were rebels in one way or another and these days it takes everything you have to fight this fight.
It was actually from my family that I got the title for this post. (Speaking of abnormal..) There was a period in our formative childhood years when we had Guinea Pigs kept in what was previously a large fish tank and when we would sit down to say prayers at night, listing all the things we were thankful for, they would often chime in, rather loudly. So, being the honest little children that we were, we would sometimes say (or at least think), that what we were most thankful for at that moment was our little furry friends squealing in the most hilariously distracting way behind us.
We had a fabulously crazy cousin who taught us the convenient catch-all phrase that our parents only let us get away with for a limited number of rounds, which I think nicely sums up my feelings in this post,
“aaand…everything thing else I forgot to say I’m thankful for. Amen!”
In Pursuit of Beauty 