26 - Skills

What Skills Do You Have That You're Grateful For?

1.  I'm grateful God made me creative - it's a gift I want to cultivate.  I typically don't enjoy the process as much as Rachael does (and I'm sure that's largely due to her free spiritedness and my perfectionistic tendencies), but I hope and plan to put my creative talents to use more often when I'm a mom... even the idea of designing and decorating a nursery room for my child feels exciting and fun, and I hope that spark will fan the flame of creative energy in me! =)

August 2007 - painting the magnolias at 522 

2.  Calligraphy is unlikely to be a big part of my life moving forward, but I'm grateful to have the skill if ever it is needed! lol

Incorrect addresses for wedding invites I calligraphed years ago

3.  Aunthood. =)  I'm good at aunt-ing, and it's one of my favorite things in life! =)

The Mini Miss Kyndal Faith and I - Family Thanksgiving 2023 (on Black Friday)

4.  Connecting through empathy.  I think everyone has the God-given capacity for empathy, but it's a little more natural for some personality styles than others, and I'm grateful that this is a strength for me (and hope to keep growing in it with challenging people and situations). 

5.  Friendship.  Not a skill you'd list on a resume, but it matters greatly to me.  I spent years with the accusing voice of the enemy telling me I was terrible at friendships, or that anyone who gets close enough to me would regret it and want out, and I'm so grateful to have broken through those lies now.  God created me with a heart for relationships, and the fact that I was targeted there is evidence that God has called me into relational work of long-term friendships, connecting with others, and helping others walk through difficult rejections and painful losses.  Yay, God!  Yay, friendships!  

At the final home game for OSU yesterday

6.  Writing!  Most of my creative energy for the past few years has gone into blogging and occasionally scrapbooking.  One of my least favorite things about most artistic projects is their temporary nature - that you work so hard on something just to paint over it a year later.  But with writing, it feels more like a permanent leaving-a-legacy kind of thing.  I am thankful for the regular writing practice that makes me a stronger writer, and I'm thankful that my life story is getting more interesting as I press into a growth mindset.  I so enjoy writing and will probably always have some sort of blog or regular journal-style writing spot... but I do still hope and plan to author a book someday (post-grad school), and that's exciting to think about too!

Me right now, blogging in my pajamas after getting home from the game - hi!

7.  I'm grateful for the creative stuff, whether it comes out in writing, photography, painting, scrapbooking, calligraphy, etc.  But above all that, I'm grateful for the hope and trust and protective strength that come from love.  I want to grow in my writing abilities and creative talents, but most of all, I want to grow in loving God and putting Him first, then loving others as I love myself!! It’s a skill worth cultivating!

❤