Days 5 + 6

i posted this yesterday on my fb, but i'll repost it here. because, yes, sometimes i'm a legalist and i have to follow the rules (the calendar doesn't skip day 5 so how could i?!). ridiculous, i know.

happy thanksgiving! the greatest thing i'm thankful for is jesus. he puts thankfulness into a whole new context.

that was it... short and sweet.

i've been thinking a lot today about what i'm thankful for. i could prattle off a few different options, but i'll save those for another day and list. not that i'll run out of things to be thankful for by any means.

i went for a long run today (with a fabulous friend... who i'm VERY thankful for, btw) and i was struck by the beauty of the park as we ran. the leaves were hues of orange, red, gold and green. there were so many times when both of us exclaimed "that's a perfect picture right there!" as we saw a man on a park bench looking out at the water, his bike parked behind him. or the way the trees folded perfectly over the path in a leafy cascade of colours over our heads.

my eyes were overwhelmed with the beauty i saw around me. but as i took a deep breath and inhaled the aroma of fall, with the fresh, yet decaying scent of life and death, mixing into a surprisingly delicious assault on the senses, i became less aware of what i could see and more aware of how i felt.

there is something incredible about fresh breath in your nostrils, the invigorating taste of outside air in your lungs. as i breathed, a sense of calm, freedom and excitement coursed through my veins. it made me feel free from the burdens on my heart, in my mind and the incessant ticking of the clock in my brain.

i'm so thankful for the outdoors, for fresh, clean air and the beauty that surrounds us. i'm thankful, too, that the lord doesn't limit his interaction with us to the way we often see it: stuffy pews in a church, solitary prayer, institutions. no, he's way bigger than that. he's in the air we breathe and the beauty around us. he made it, he loves it; just like he loves us.

simple exercise, a run in the park on a path, in nature, and beauty and the brilliance of our maker. he met me there and i laid my burdens at his feet as we ran together.

today i got to experience him.

that's what i'm thankful for.