thankfulness: my week in pictures and gratitude

This week I have been thankful for:

Snow on my South Carolina windshield on November 1

Hearing stories of old from alumni

Beautiful evenings and apartment light ornaments

The freedom to vote

Being reminded that my body has been given boundaries that I cannot cross

Knowing that God is my strength

Friends who leave class to find me, take me to urgent care, and twirl around on the doctor's chair while we wait for the doc to arrive

A sweet and thoughtful hubby who gives me cards with puppies to help me feel better

A food journal that reminds me what I should and should not munch on

Makeshift tubs on the kitchen floor

Epsom salt baths

Dr. Ben

A beautiful backyard and campus

Drawing nigh to God in prayer and faith

A campus whose mission is to know Him and to make Him known

Red leaves and clear blue skies

And the weekend, the Sabbath, that was made for man and not the other way around.

Thankfulness, gratitude, is a gift to give and receive at all moments of life.

It turns everything into enough.

This is November, a month in America to be thankful for all things, 

but the practice shouldn't end on the 30th.

How have you been thankful lately?

mixtape | senior slum

This is the playlist I'm listening to in the middle of the semester.

It's the perfect mix of sound for school stress and homework.

Enjoy!

Songs:

1. Bilgewater || Brown Bird
2. Play It Right || Sylvan Esso
3. Oats In the Water || Ben Howard
4. Every Other Freckle || alt-j
5. My Silver Lining || First Aid Kit
6. How || The Neighbourhood
7. Filthy Dirty South || Rising Appalachia
8. Breezeblocks || alt-j
9. Hey Mami || Sylvan Esso
10. Stay Gold || First Aid Kit
11. The Wolves || Ben Howard
12. Sweater Weather || The Neighbourhood
13. Down To the River || Brown Bird
14. Wolf || First Aid Kit
15. Occupy || Rising Appalachia
16. Fitzpleasure || alt-j

Dear Nathan,

Dear Nathan,

I talked to you on the phone the other day and it was great.  I still laugh when I think of the tandem bike you and your roommate bought, whom you have chosen to call Sheila. I laugh at your story of telling your teach' that you had Sheila chained up outside. You are proof that a funny bone that doesn't hurt exists.  I'm still getting on Frank to write his letter to you; he's already eaten the Buffalo jerky we got for you, but I'll get you some more.  And truth be told, I ate the dried mangoes we got for you. But every time I get a Reese's peanut butter cup, I only eat half of it so that I can give the other half to you ;)

Other than that, we have both been ready for me to be done with school. It looks like I will be in school, technically, until next August. Bleh. But on the A-side, Frank and I are happily playing with the diea of taking a few years off before we go back to school. So that's pretty nice.

The other evening I was thinking of you when I pulled out my French-English dictionary that you gave me many years ago.  I was looking up a word or two from a phrase I heard in a song, and I couldn't help but remember when you gave this to me. You got it for me, so selflessly, from your school's book fair, despite everything going on in your life at that time.  You got it for me because you knew I was taking French in high school and thought I'd like it to keep my French up once I graduated.  You are the sweetest brother ever, no matter what. And I love you no matter what.

Dear sweet brother, I hope you have an excellent week, and Frank and I can't wait to see you for Thanksgiving.

Love,
Jessica

purposeful: activity

One of the classes I'm taking this semester is a health science class.  It's not quite what I've expected it to be, but it's not bad.  Something I've learned to be more mindful of is purposeful activity. At first we discussed that purposeful activity [in our minds] was activity that included multi-tasking. For instance: walking while talking to a friend. These kinds of multi-activities are not bad. They're very good. But what she was implying was that there's activity that we have a chance to do daily that we pass up regularly due to our society of efficiency.  In grasping this mindset, I've been more mindful of the activity I choose to do daily.  This looks like: opening the automatic door with my hand instead of the handicapped button; walking the quarter mile through the woods to get to class rather than driving a mile around to get there; and not taking shortcuts to get chores done. All these opportunities to use the muscles and ligaments, perfectly put into place, are often passed by in our very lazy society.

On another side of the coin, there can be purpose in every action done. As I've mentioned already, Adlerian therapists have this idea that every action has a purpose; if you file a paper in the wrong folder, there was a purpose for it.  It's a little outlandish, honestly.  But I can agree with the principle that you can give purpose to what you do.  When you are mindful of where you are going, of how you are stepping, of what you think about while you're going there, of who you are speaking to, of how you are speaking to them, of your body language while you are speaking and listening - you can really absorb every moment you live.  You can give a purpose to the way you are around others; you can give a purpose to the way you choose to carry yourself.  Purpose can be found in or given to any action or word that departs your body; be mindful of that purpose.

fair weather.

Saturday was our designated date night for the week.

It was the Saturday of my desperately needed Fall break, and this was our chance to relax and have fun (because when you're a student with 19 credit hours, 15 hours of work, Senate rep, and a wife, even fun can be exhausting).

We:

ate chocolate dipped ice cream

ate a Chicago-style Polish sausage and veggie gyro

viewed the beautiful hand-made crafts

looked at all the art work

oogled over the homemade wine selection winners

pet cows {Frank actually pet one this year!}

spent lots of time with the bunnies - that was our favorite part

I got to pet a bunny

braved a chairlift

{we thought that would be the least scariest thing to ride, but it was not...}

viewed the beautiful world at night from the lift

and enjoyed being South Carolinians on the fair 70-degree, clear night at the fair.

Can't wait 'til next year!

left hand free || alt-j

In [late] honor of their new album completely coming to Spotify, I give you alt-j at their newest.

This album is all I've been listening to this week.

word of the month: purposeful.

The word to focus on for the month of October is "purposeful."

To have purpose is to recognize the importance of your very being; it is also to see the importance of what and who is around you.  As the Adlerian counselors say, "Everything you do has purpose." While I don't fall in line entirely with their way of thinking, I can agree that we can give purpose to whatever we do.  So here's to the beautiful month of October - the only time of the year that it's fun to be a South Carolinian.  And here's to being purposeful.

the fall and the need to be free || river city extension

today's song of the day

This is a good song for the month of October.

Love it.

Happy October peeps!

mindfulness: depression, suicide, and the Christian life.

Something valuable that I have taken away from chapel this week is the *reminder* that being a Christian, believing in Christ as my salvation, means that my weakness is not taken away but is used to bring God glory. Depression is a darkness that plagues everybody. Regardless. For the Christian it is hard to accept and admit that depression is a normality of the human life, and often times attempts to remedy depression come in forms of, "Have you been spending time in the Word? Have you been spending time with God? Have you been praying?" As if these things alone ward off the darkness of depression. The thing to realize is that God's grace is sufficient; His glory is FOUND in our weakness - He does not take it away from us or keep us from ever experiencing it. Recognize the words of Paul when he says, "So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I [cried out intensely] to the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. The advantage, I would say, in being a Christian in this life is that we have a hope that is not easily found elsewhere, and therefore have a way to cope, showing the grace that God has given us, and boasting in the strength God - and God alone - gives us to go on.

One thing to remember from Scripture about depression and suicide is that you are not alone. Authors all throughout Scripture have been present in your feelings.  The Psalmist for example: "All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away." (Psalm 38:9-11); "Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God." (Psalm 69:1-3). Depression and thoughts of suicide are not "un-Christian" - they are anything but. However, allowing those thoughts and feelings to overwhelm until the point of a demise that extends pain to those beyond your own skin is not the path intended (for anyone) but especially not for one who finds their hope in the Lord.  If you know you struggle with thoughts of worthlessness and the idea of your life ending in your own hands; if you find yourself in desperation; if you have overwhelming feelings of helplessness and hopelessness: tell someone you trust.  Let yourself be helped.  Let yourself be encouraged.  For those who have someone to come to them with these painful thoughts: do not ignore! Do not take for granted! Do not ask them about their spiritual life! Be a person to talk to; to listen.  Help them find the help they need.  If you feel like you have no one around you to talk to, or no one you can trust, or need someone to talk to at 2 in the morning, you have a resource available to you: call the suicide hotline (1-800-273-8255) where are someone will always be available to talk to who will listen to you and help you in whatever way you need. Depression (especially as a Christian) is a part of being an incomplete human; but find your hope in the Lord, even in your circumstance and be reminded that your pain is not for naught.  It is hard; your pain is valid; but you are not hopeless. God's strength is enough to help you continue; you have worth.

happy first day of fall!

To celebrate the first day of Fall, and to celebrate the close of a great summer, Frank and I set up a fire in our yard, invited a few of our friends over, and hung out. IT was great, relaxing, and much needed. I also took a surprisingly good picture of fire licking the paint off of the wood we used.

Happy Autumn, everyone!