Something Beautiful

My family has a thanksgiving tradition before we all go through the line and fill up our plates with delicious thanksgiving fare we go around in a circle and say what we are thankful for. We used to have a rule that you couldn't repeat what someone else had said; it makes you think a little more.  This year as we stood on my parent's lawn in the sunshine and beautiful weather, I was moved to tears by the things my cousins and aunts and uncles are thankful for: their spouses, their children and grandchildren, and the example and legacy that has been left to us all.  A cousin was thankful for her husband who works hard so she can stay at home with their boys. Another cousin was thankful for her husband's sense of humor. Even the kiddos said that they were thankful for their cousins and the time that they get to spend playing together.  I was so moved by the love that is so clearly evident in all of their relationships. I was so moved by the way our family has grown and

I had a conversation with some friends tonight, and we briefly touched on a subject that is very interesting to me because I have made myself an experiment in this very area. We were discussing a movie (which I have not seen) and a comment that a woman in the movie makes about how her degree on the wall doesn't keep her warm at night. I believe at the end of the movie she makes a decision to change her lifestyle to reflect what she actually wants. Again I have not seen this movie, so this is based off of my thoughts of what the people I was talking with said. This subject is fascinating to me because I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I really want out of life. I had many people tell me what they thought I should do or be, all of whom I am sure were well intentioned. However, at the end of the day I had to be the one to decide what I wanted and why I wanted it.  I am very good at economics. It is how my brain works. It just makes sense to me. It took me years to rea

I believe in impossible things. I believe in them because with God nothing is impossible. He is able to do far more abundantly than all we could ever ask or imagine. I have faith for impossible things because God in His infinite goodness has allowed me to experience the impossible in my life. I don't always do a good job remembering this, but on November 1st I always remember that God is able to do the impossible because this is an anniversary of the impossible happening in my life.  I call days like today a day of remembrance. I look forward to them. I have great expectations about them. I remember what God has done and anticipate what God will do. I have several of these days scattered throughout the year, but I am particularly fond of this one.  November 1, 2003: The day that I realized that I was alive for a reason. As someone who struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts in my early teen years, that was a major realization. On a very cold morning, I stood looking at