Thankful Thursday #172!

"You are living a brand new kind of life that is continually learning more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within you...  Let the teaching of Christ and His words keep on living in you.  These make your lives rich and full of wisdom. " ~Colossians 3:10, 16

*One of my low-level goals is writing 52 Thankful Thursday posts in 2024, which means never missing a Thursday.  Brace up - this is a long one! lol

Today, I am thankful for...

1.  God's creativity and all the fantastic metaphors/illustrations we find in creation... my latest audiobook included a section on "the meeting of the waters" in Brazil, and I had to pause the book to search for photos and read articles as I was totally fascinated by this phenomenon.  The Rio Negro and Rio Solimoes Rivers meet up and then flow side by side for almost 4 miles without mixing... their waters are at different temperatures, composed of different materials, and moving at different speeds.  Their contrast in color can be seen from outer space.  Eventually, they encounter big obstacles that form heavy eddy currents, and those currents churn these smaller rivers together into the powerful Amazon River.  So many thoughts - on being separate and distinct while flowing together, on marriages, on families blending, on obstacles being a catalyst that stirs things up and unifies us - I'm not 100% clear on all the metaphorical implications yet, but I so love that this really exists, and I'd love to see it in person someday! ❤

2.  Both of our jury trials for this term settling... that last-minute news will always bring me joy (and always make me think of Liar Liar)!  Also grateful for Judge being thoughtful enough to text and let me know not to worry about switching my clients' schedules around next week!!

3.  For feeling inspired... by Will Guidara's book Unreasonable Hospitality + The Bear on Hulu + Eleven Madison Park (the award-winning NYC restaurant that inspired that book and show by combining hospitality with excellence).  This pic = the 11-words/phrases that the EMP restaurant lives by, inspired by Miles Davis (which he explains in the book).  I'm 100% creating my own list, potentially inspired by T-Swift. lol

4.  John Eldredge, for the thousand ways he has added value to my life and legacy.  His whole "bring the opposite" thing is sticking with me and proving very helpful!  The spiritual warfare targeting me had ramped up recently (for reasons I now understand).  In a word, I have felt fragmented over the past couple weeks.  I've learned a lot in school and read a lot of life-changing books, but I've struggled to remember any of it in the counseling room with clients... I am dealing with some stark value contrasts and some clients who aren't sure what they want help with, and I have felt increasingly overwhelmed and frazzled and anxious and inadequate, which is obviously not the warm + competent vibes I'm trying to bring into the the therapy setting!!  So I am praying for  peace and for integration - that the Holy Spirit would bring to mind the things I've learned and studied, particularly whatever would be most helpful for the client in that moment, allowing me to offer a redemptive response!  *I've also thought a lot about how the opposite of gluttony is moderation/temperance... yet for me, my internal struggle is with feeling empty on a deeper level, so I'm praying for the fullness of Christ -- that my heart and soul would be filled, whole, and complete, resting in God's abundance.  Bring the opposite - YES, Jesus!!

5.  This book.  It's been excellent.  (I had to present on chapter one last night, which forced me to fully read it, and it was worth my time and energy)!

6.  My Internship classmates and professor.  I explained to the group that I'd been feeling fragmented and struggling to focus well lately, and that I was grateful for the reminder to pray for our clients and focus on building a caring relationship rather than feeling rushed or focusing too much on technique - trusted relationships matter most, and I can do that - I CAN DO THAT.  While I was lamenting the hard stuff, Stevie sent this five-word message... and it was worth taking a screenshot (even with my chandelier reflecting off the computer screen).  Sometimes that's all we need to hear...

7.  Didn't know till I got to number 7 whether I was going to share this... but I've covered everything else and it's the perfect number, so here we go. lol

I have officially been matched with two placing families through Nightlight Christian Adoptions, so things are finally........ finally moving forward here!!  Of course, there are several big decisions and various unknowns ahead, but this part has been especially difficult and entirely outside my control, so being individually considered and chosen by two Christian families is pretty major and very worth celebrating! ❤❤❤  (I'll share a separate post with more info sometime soon.  For today, just YAY.)

I originally created this page for a profile book mid-2021, then reworded it last year for the embryo adoption, then everything was on pause for surgery, then it took three more months to find a match.

No, wait, there's more. lolol  Reaching this matching milestone has not been a short or simple path.  And I'll strongly emphasize that there are no guarantees moving forward, other than that God will remain faithful and true!!  Prayers very much appreciated for wisdom and support and a healthy pregnancy, Lord willing.  I have wrestled and struggled and prayed over this decision more than most people will ever know, particularly through the past year... and none of that was wasted.  (The only way out is through.)  Our waiting seasons matter, and I feel that so deeply right now.  I'm also fully thankful for those who have walked closely with me through it all, and who will continue to do so whilst I wrestle with new stuff as life moves forward - still taking it one step at a time, but the future just got a little more interesting. ;-)

God knows what He is doing, and He is with us and for us!

You are not alone, friends.

❤