Thankful

Have I ever expressed how much I love Thanksgiving? I really REALLY LOVE IT! Not because of the turkey- I actually would prefer a lot of other foods to turkey... Not because of the stuffing or the green bean casserole or even the pumpkin and french silk pies (GASP!). I love that, at Thanksgiving, anyone and everyone gathers around and shares in the awareness of all that we are blessed with in life. There are so SO many things that each of us have or receive that we could spend literally hours on end talking about them and being grateful. And the THINGS are really so insignificant in comparison to the PEOPLE and the relationships that we are blessed with throughout our lives. And the promise that we will always be satisfied in our Lord- is there enough thankfulness to even begin to cover that?

This year my Thanksgiving break was spent with two of my favorite groups of people. Trey and I ventured down to Yankton on Thursday to spend the day with his family. We were supposed to bring cheesy potatoes and I (or my Crockpot) somehow managed to ruin those... Luckily for us, the turkey wasn't done on time; we made some impromptu mashed potatoes upon arrival and everything was fine (WHOOFTA!). We got to sit around the table with the family and tell fun stories and reminisce on holidays of the past. Eventually, after the table was cleared and dishes were done, everyone made it to their respective sleeping spaces to take naps. When we all were up again some more quality time was spent in conversation while we sat on the couches in the upstairs family room before we had to head back to Sioux Falls for the night. It was a GOOD day. 

Friday morning we hit the road by 6:15 to head for Elk River. Trey and I traded off driving and napping on the way up, so the lack of sleep didn't seem so bad by the time we actually arrived. My family's second Thanksgiving was on Saturday. We got up early to stand outside by the trashcan (which is where dad cooks the turkey), with hoods up and coffee mugs in hand (not necessarily with coffee in them...). A hilarious home video was shared, along with some other comical YouTube videos, while the final touches of the meal were prepared by all. Gourds of all shapes, colors and sizes held name tags on the table for each person to know their chair. After the meal a card game commenced, with many comical moments throughout. Getting to enjoy food, games and much needed conversation with family is such a blessing in my life. The rest of the evening was spent playing games/watching movies with my nephew and returning to the table for another round of cards. To top it all off, I got to snuggle with Trey on the couch while we watched Dexter with the family. Perfect.

I like the definition of "thankful." 

thank·ful

1. Aware and appreciative of a benefit; grateful.

2. Expressive of gratitude: a thankful smile.

I like that the word aware is there. Because I think, too often, we do not spend time being aware of what we have, so we forget to be thankful for it. I guess, the way I interpret it, to increase our thankfulness throughout the year, we should increase our awareness. And then I love how the second definition includes expressive. We should not hide that we are grateful for life's blessings. We should share it in outward expression that we have been blessed beyond what we deserve. The fact that we know that we have the greatest blessing of all, the unwavering love and forgiveness of our God, is more than enough reason to give "a thankful smile." We should dance and sing and shout in gratefulness of all that we are given, not only this past week that surrounds Thanksgiving day, but always.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend filled with celebration and reflection on all of your blessings. 

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Psalm 107: 8-9

.hme.

Enjoying It

In a mere thirteen days I will be a Mrs. and I like that. A lot.

I absolutely should not be writing a blog right now. I should be sleeping. Or, at least if I'm not sleeping, I should be working on wedding things. But I am fooling myself into believing that it doesn't need to be done tonight... whatever "it" is. I'm ready for the wedding to be here. I am ready to post a blog showing you all some awesome pictures of all of the things that have been made by my parents, Trey and myself. It has been awesome DIY-ing so many things, and I am SO grateful for my parents (and Trey's) willingness to help with everything! Getting married at my parents house, at the place I grew up, is such an awesome thing. I know that I took it all for granted as I was actually growing up, but now, now I truly appreciate every little thing about this place.

There are so many simple, lovely memories that come back to me every time I stroll through the yard: rolling and sledding down the hill back by the pond, which apparently is not all that big... playing baseball/soccer/football in the yard in front of the barn... playing countless games of horse/1on1/2on2 in the driveway... swinging on the swings just to get to the highest point so we could jump off on the count of three... getting "under-dogs" on the tire swing and quitting when my brothers would start to spin me so much and so fast that I thought I would die... hunting Easter eggs... riding horses... playing in the sand box... running through the sprinklers... building snowman families and igloos... skating on the pond... raking all of the leaves into one huge pile so we could jump in them just to realize that no matter how many leaves we put in one pile, the ground under them was still very much solid and painful... following mom from garden to garden pretending to help weed but having no idea what a weed was in comparison to a potentially gorgeous flower (sorry mom, for probably pulling out a whole lot of your flowers)... playing fetch with the dogs... lining the cars up for our own car washes... asking dad to help me fix/build something and standing next to him while he did it... I enjoyed it.

And inside the house has it's own endless list of vivid, beautiful memories: playing dress-up with the daycare kids (even the boys)... racing matchbox cars down a ramp and fighting to get the fastest car... building all sorts of unrecognizable things out of Legos... coloring in coloring books at the table and always being the last one to get bored with it... helping mom make snack... playing dolls and barbies in my room, often by myself, simply changing their clothes and putting them away... playing cards and board games... Christmas time when the living room gets filled with Tuperware bins FULL of holiday decor... dying Easter eggs... sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags... building blanket forts... Friday night pizza on a blanket in the living room watching TGIF... the smell of mom's caramel rolls fresh from the oven... hearing the cuckoo clock every 15 minutes... dad waking me up and making me put my feet on the floor before he would leave my room... playing Monopoly until everyone was mad at everyone so we were told it was time to stop, at which point we were all ready to quit anyway... dinner conversations... praying with  my parents before I went to sleep...  I enjoyed it.

This place is what I know. It is everything I grew up knowing to be a home. Until I moved out to go to college, I didn't know people lived any differently. I had a blessed childhood and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I continue to have a blessed life and I am enjoying it now as well. In the next two weeks, I know I will become overwhelmed at different points by the details of our wedding day and I know it will be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the rainbow after the storm, the prize at the finish line. But, when all is said and done, I will enjoy the day. Yes, I want it to be gorgeous. I want it to be fun. I want it to be perfect. But really, that's not what's important. I will spend my last moments as a Downing in the place I spent all of my firsts, and, come the end of the day, I will be married to my best friend and I will be an Erickson. I have been reminded by many people to, "enjoy it; it all goes by so fast." And so, that is what I plan to do. 

I will enjoy getting ready in the house I got ready in for so many years. I will enjoy taking too many pictures to count in the yard I played in so many days. I will enjoy sharing the day with our closest friends and family. I will enjoy praising the Lord, through it all, and spending time in worship. I will enjoy all of the hard work we put in to make the day happen. I will enjoy my Trey, my best friend, my HUSBAND, because I love him. Whatever the Lord blesses me with, not only on June 23rd, but always, I will do my best to enjoy it. 

-Han

61 years

As I plan and prepare for my own wedding, I continue to think about how marriages and weddings were back when my parents got married. Or even when my grandparents got married.

This article was published in the Elk River paper today. It is a wonderful story about my grandparents Orie and Nellie. If you like love even a little bit, you should read it. 

They're beautiful, aren't they?

I love my family. God is great.

love

Prompt: Thank the Lord for His love.

As I prepared to write this blog entry, I sat and pondered which Bible verse on love I should use. There are so many. His love is the only reason we are here. The verse I think sets such a perfect example, not only of His love for us but also the love we should have for one another, is 1 John 4:10-12.

"In this love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us."

Thank You, Lord, for Your perfect, unconditional, everlasting love. Thank You for teaching us to love one another without fear. I am thankful that because of the love that I feel from my Father in Heaven, I am able to love some who others do not see as deserving of love. I am thankful that I am surrounded by so many who love me back.

(un)expectations

Prompt: Thank Him for the unexpected.

We all have plans, ideal living conditions, ideal jobs, ideal families, ect. And our God does often put these plans and thoughts in our minds and on our hearts and if it is His, He will make it happen for us. There are also many things in our lives that are not quite according to our personal plans.
I had expectations for myself that I thought were simply going to come to be. I had plans for my life that I didn't see changing or going any other way. Man, was I off. I am not going to lie and say that I was content with things while they were going awry, but looking at my life the way it is right now, in this moment, I am very happy with where He has me.
Thank you, God, for the things that have happened and the surprises that are yet to come. I am thankful that the Lord is a much better, much more committed planner than I am and that no matter what happens, He is in control. I am thankful that He has blessed me with all of my wonderful people; all of those who help me to grow and to love deeper. Thank You so much, Father, for exceeding my expectations with things I would have never come up with myself. Thank you for seeing the big picture and knowing what is best all along. Thank you, for the unexpected.

Forgiven

Prompt: Thank Him for forgiveness.

I am thankful for the forgiveness that we have recieved through the Son of God. Without it, we would all be punished to death for our sins. Luke 6:36-37 tells us to learn from our God, "be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged;condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven..." I am thankful that not only are we forgiven by fellow humans, but that the Creator of the Universe is even willing to forgive us when we have wronged Him.

Thank you, God, for your unending, unconditional forgiveness. Thank You for loving us so much that You are willing to take us back time after time, no matter what the circumstances are, and continue to love us as Yours.

"Then Peter came us and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin againsly me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven."
-Matthew 18:21-22

The Word

Prompt: Be thankful for His Word.


I am thankful for the Bible. Without it our knowledge as Christians would be tainted by word-of-mouth claims of what it means to be a follower of God. I am so thankful that after a long day, this book is waiting for me, ready to help build my faith and ease my mind. It is so wonderful to have the opportunity to read about what early Christians experienced and what the world was like before Jesus came and saved us. The comprehension that our Father loves us no matter what would not be the way it is today without the Bible.
Thank you, Lord, for giving us a book that teaches us about the most important subject there is. Thank you for always helping us to dig deeper and to always happen to turn to the right page on any given day. I thank you for Bible studies which build not only my relationship with other believers, but also my relationship with you. Without your word, being a Christian would be much more difficult.

Daily Bread (and more)

I participated in a Bible study last year and we took some time to dissect the Lord's Prayer. It was quite interesting looking at each individual part of the prayer and deciphering the true meaning behind the words that we pray so routinely. As all who have ever said the Lord's Prayer know, "give us this day our daily bread" is a part of that prayer. Honestly, I used to thing this simply meant we were asking the Lord to feed us. But if you look back to when Jesus broke the bread and told his followers to take and eat it because it was His body... Jesus gave us His body. Throughout His life and to the very last breath, He was devoted to His Father and determined to save us from the eternal hell that we were preparing for ourselves.

So today, I am thankful for the bread of life. I am thankful for all of the food in my fridge and my pantry. I am thankful for the fellowship that is provided for me in the places I go. I am thankful for His word that helps me through the though times and makes me mindful in the easy ones. Thank you, Lord, for the life you provide and sustain for me. 

Kindness

Prompt: Thank God for His kindness.

According to the Lord Himself, our existence can be attributed to His loving kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 states "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness..." Love and kindness are beyond enough as it is. But God loved us with everlasting love and created us with unfailing kindness. His kindness leads us to Him and saves us from the grave. 

Thank you, Lord. For being kind enough to create me, for being kind enough to love me, for being kind enough to forgive me and for being kind enough to save me.

Provision

Prompt: Thank God for His provision.

The word provision is defined by google as "the action of providing or supplying something for use."
The Lord provides us with the things we need; the things we are going to use. When I think of the Lord's provision, I think of His love. He pours out His love for us, daily, so that we my turn to others and share that love. Of course there are many many other things that the Lord provides for us: family, friends, homes, clothing, food, and the list goes on.

Thank you, Lord, for your provision. Thank you for giving me all things necessary and giving me the knowledge on how to use them. I know that without You, I would be without life. Thank You for providing for those I love as well and for the sharing that occurs between us all.

Someone(s) Special

Prompt: Thank Him for someone special.

The idea of choosing only one of the many special people in my life is very difficult for me. 

So I am not going to do it. 

Instead, I am going to thank Him for three very special people. My brothers.

I know that if it weren't for them I would be a completely different person than I am today. 

Memories hit me in waves lately. Not just little waves like you  might see on a lake. I am talking 1,720 ft. waves (yes, that is the actual size of the largest wave ever recorded; just a coincidence, I'm sure). I am so thankful that my childhood memories of school days, holidays, summers, bed time, everything, are filled with happy moments I shared with my brothers.

Throwing apples from our trees as we waited for the bus during the first weeks of school.
Camping trips that ended early due to the tsunami that hit (or just a big rain storm).
Christmas mornings, waking each other up just so we could go sit on the steps and wait for mom to find the camera and take the traditional picture of the four sleepy children eager for presents (and caramel rolls).
Waiting till we knew our parents were almost to the bottom of the steps and yelling for them to come back up before we went to sleep. 

Rolling down the hill in the back yard.

Jumping on the trampoline (for hours on end).
Sports. Sports. Sports.

Being hushed in church for whispers and giggles.
Sitting on the big balloon blanket eating pizza while watching "TGIF" on TV in the living room.

Secretly competing to see who could find the most Easter eggs before we ever went outside to find them.

The list goes on. And I know that the list will continue to go on. In our early adult lives there have already been so many new memories being made.

I know that I am blessed to have the three wonderful brothers I have. Each of them brings something different to the table, yet they're all very much alike in certain ways. And I love them.

Thank you God, for Cole, Chase, and Lynk. My life wouldn't be as incredible as it is without each of them.

 

Who is someone you are thankful for?

On trial

Prompt: Are you facing a trial of some sort? How are you thankful?

To be completely honest, every single day presents me with at least one new trial, usually multiple. Some of them are trivial while others seem to consume me. Lately, I have been struggling with missing people. It seems that no matter where I am, somebody important to me is not there. Don't get me wrong, I am not a "Debbie Downer" all the time who thinks that everybody must be somewhere in order for it to be a fun event- I do understand that everyone has their own life to live out. It's more like this: my ideal forever-home would be near all of my family and my closest friends. The problem with this is simply that they aren't even all in the same place, nor will they ever all be in the same place. I am mature enough to realize that this isn't a realistic dream, I am just saying it would be ideal. 

In the last few years of my faith walk, I have learned that rather than shutting down because I am feeling bad about something it is much more effective to bring the concern to my Father in Heaven. When I find myself missing someone, I pray for them. I know that not only does this make me feel better in a worldly sense because I am asking the most powerful being to help in preserving their well being, but it also, without a doubt, grows my relationship and dependence on the Lord. 

We are not capable of doing it all on our own. We were created as beings entirely dependent on God and He has no intentions of us ever achieving everything we are supposed to achieve without him. In 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 9, it is said that "In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead." We give up everything and accept suffering so that we may become entirely reliant on Him and He may carry out His will in our lives. Trials build relationship. John 15:5 is where the Lord said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." Without Him (the vine), we (the branches) are worthless.

In Romans chapter 5 verses 3-5, we are reminded of all that comes with suffering, "but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." I love that we have hope. Not just hope though. We have a hope that is more like guarantee. We have been promised that we are not alone, nor will we ever be. If there were never any bad times we may not look in anticipation for the good times. The good times that are on their way are greater than anything we have ever known or could ever begin to fathom.  2 Corinthians 4:17 states, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." To me, that sounds like a hope that couldn't possibly disappoint even the biggest dreamers. 

Heavenly Father, I am thankful for the trials that are presented to me daily. I am grateful that they help me to build my understanding of how great You really are. I know that being humbled through the tough times brings me closer to you than I think I can be. And I know that although bad days come and go, You are the only way to an everlasting joy that transcends all things. Thank You for being the vine to all of us; please continue to provide us with the necessary so that we may continue to share You and all You are with people of all nations.

Smiling- inside and out!

Prompt: What made you smile today? Thank Him for it.

Thank you, Lord for all of the people you put in my life who bring smiles to my face. Throughout the day at school, the kids I have the privilege to work with give me plenty of reasons to feel joy. I had a little tummy-ache this afternoon. When one of our Downs syndrome students asked me what was wrong, I told him I just wasn't feeling well. He told me, "you can lay down and I promise we will be good. You need to feel better." The sweet innocence of these kids puts a smile on my face and in my heart. I am so grateful for the children at Axtell Park and that God has placed me there.


What's something that made you smile today?

Something Beautiful

Prompt: Thank God for something beautiful.

 Thank you, God, for the sky. 

Every single day I look forward to the sky and what beauty You will present us with next. 

From the sunrise to pitch black, 

I catch myself in amazement at how rapidly and constantly changing the sky really is.

Thank you so much, Lord, for the gorgeous reminder that you make beautiful things out of all of us and that, much like the sky, we are constantly shifting- 

being formed by you to be the most beautiful versions of ourselves that we could ever be. 

What's something beautiful in your life that you're thankful for?

A Month of Thankfulness

As I was trying to decide what wonderful news to share, I ran across something that needs to be shared immediately! My friend Britta posted on her blog something that her sister-in-law is doing for the month of November to really help her to be mindful of all of the things the Lord has blessed us with that we can be thankful for. By clicking here, you can check out what Jen has planned and then you can go ahead and peek at her blog to see the awesome things in her life that make her thankful (along with some other great posts)!

So, I am a little behind, but I do plan on catching up. I figure even if I run into December a little bit- you can never have too much thankfulness!

Aloha, Friday.

Today marks the official first day of fall, and oh, what a wonderful day it is!
I haven't blogged for a couple weeks due to some technological issues which are all, thankfully, finally resolved (or so I think).

Today I feel thankful. Not for one thing in particular, but for my life as a whole and the way the Lord has changed me and grown me into the person I am today so I may have the blessings I have. I am thankful for all of the things that he has given me that I am aware of as well as those things yet to be discovered.

A good friend of mine is Hawaiian, and she always says, "Aloha, Friday!" as a way of saying goodbye to the week that has passed and hello to the weekend that lies ahead. With that "aloha," I am also going to say some of the things that are on my mind that I am so grateful for; God is so good!

I am thankful that I can see

a freshly made bed

sunshine

children playing

patterns and colors of all kinds

I am thankful that I can hear

wind rustling the leaves

laughter

music

silences

I am thankful that I can smell

food as it is prepared

clean laundry

rain

my coffee

I am thankful that I can taste

cheese

ice cream

toothpaste

fresh fruits and veggies

I am thankful I can feel

crisp fall weather

textures of all kinds

warm leggings and sweatshirts

love.

Aloha, Friday.