Happy Thursday, Friends!
After a few weeks without "Thursday Things," it's time to reinstate the list that celebrates the week and looks forward to the weekend:
1. Sweet potatoes are the new chocolate around here. I had one for the first time last month and now I can't get enough of them. The weird thing is I didn't used to like them. Although, come to think of it, I don't remember ever tasting one before last month. I must have decided I didn't like them when I was five, and then never looked back. Silly five-year-old me.
I love eating them drowning in butter, but this recipe for baked curry sweet potato fries is puh-ritty delish, too.
2. Aren't words marvelous? I put together a few symbols on a page and they evoke an immaterial idea in your mind. Off. The. Hook.
And some people say there is no God...
3. My new favorite fall decoration is these tangerine-colored berries from the yard.
I have them in vases and jars all over my studio. They make my place feel so warm and autumnal.
4. This week at work whenever I looked at my students I saw stories. Tall stories, short stories, thin stories, stocky stories, dark stories, fair stories, smile-provoking stories, somber stories, heavy stories, light stories. Everywhere stories. I love that I get to be a character in their stories. I love that they are characters in mine. And I am thankful that all our stories have been grafted into the most Epic Story of all time.
5. I just woke up from the most delicious nap. I usually try not to use the word "delicious" except when I'm talking about food, but this nap was so good it somehow satisfied all my senses.
After 15 months of naps that did little to nothing for my debilitating fatigue, today's nap made me feel rested. Not the recharged-and-ready-to-run kind of rested, but the wide-eyed, hair-tousled, rosy-cheeked, mom-is-going-to-make-me-an-afternoon-snack-soon kind of rested. Hallelujah.
6. The wind is whispering at my window, luring me to step out of my cozy abode and into her wild dance. I think I will.
Hoping your evening is everything restful,
S
© by scj
sarah, i saved this post to re-read at a later date. i like your intentionality in noticing and appreciating life's subtle things.
ReplyDeletei've been thinking a lot recently about what it means to live with gratitude (i even have a post coming over at BR) but your simple post has served as a good example.
have you read Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts?
Hoops, I too have spent a lot of time recently learning to live with a thankful soul. It's way hard. :) What have you discovered about living with gratitude lately? I'm looking forward to reading your BR post.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Ann's book, although it's on my reading list. Have you read it? I'm reading through her Christmas advent devotions this month and loving it. She is such a powerful writer.
i've been realizing how little i express my appreciation. it needs to get said, even if i don't feel strong feelings, maybe especially when this is the case. i've noticed how when i'm intentional about gratitude the feelings start to come and gratitude becomes easier.
ReplyDeleteCS Lewis has also been helping my thinking. here are a couple good quotes:
"I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation."
"In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him."
And yes, I enjoyed Ann's book, read it...Her writing can be a little too fluffy for me (i like short, compact sentences) but the content really reinforced the need of giving thanks.
I once heard someone say, "act the way you want to feel"...it's amazing how effective expressing gratitude is in evoking actual feelings of thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteI love those Lewis quotes! Thanks for the reminder. I think I really got Lewis' point in the first quote when I saw a clear starry sky for the first time. The stars looked close enough to grab, and there was more light than darkness. Looking at it wasn't enough. I wanted to dance and shout and describe the night sky to my friends.
Ann does like long sentences. :) I'm learning the power of short sentences , but must say I am still a sucker for Ann's long ones. ;) Although it does make reading slower. Short sentences make me feel like I'm swimming with flippers. Can't to dig into Ann's book.