Oh Happy Day!

Happy Spring everyone!!! :) Indeed, oh happy day! Gorgeous sunshine, blue skies, and temperatures in the 70s with a nice little breeze. Trees are blooming - fresh, fresh air - my lungs feel inadequately small to take it all in.

I'm not sure why (do I need a reason, really?) but this past week was a bit of a "thankful" week. Perhaps I'm just a few months late - catching up on life - or perhaps I'm just EARLY :D HA. Let's stick with the latter option, shall we ;) Nonetheless, I got to the end of each day and felt the necessity to put together a thankful list. And so, here are the highlights. (yes, they have been edited for blog-publishing-general-public-viewing-anonymity-keeping purposes)

- monday nights with women talking about deeper things, yet bursting out in full guffaw over the intimately shared understanding of the word "HORMONES"

- coffee with hazelnut creamer (better known as "miss shen's happy drink" to my students)

- grad class where I sometimes learn how absurd is "the system" in which I live and work - yet somehow leave feeling inspired to keep giving & teaching within the camaraderie of my colleagues, whose passionate stories stir me

- the child in my class that randomly belts out lyrics to songs: "Boom Boom POW" or "don't stop, make it pop" or "the world is tuuurning- slooowly"

- strangers on the running trail near my apartment who smile back at me and on very special occasions, wave hello

- a neighbor of mine, who occasionally comes knocking on my door, "Gail. GAIL!!! you still alive in there?!?" :P

- the encouraging texts/voicemails/emails/fb messages/cards that seem to come precisely at JUST the right moments... subliminally whispering, "keep going. keep walking. keep hoping."

- the kid in my class that grins and gives me hugs "just because" or even, is keen enough in certain moments "are you laughing too hard or crying, miss shen? well. here's a hug." and then skips off

- bananas that are still a tad green (yes, I do bite them open from the upside-down CORRECT end)

- AND I could go on and on - and on - like I tend to ramble on voicemails :O But instead, wasn't sure how to best end this list. First inclination was my teacher cheesiness: "I'm so thankful for YOU, for reading my blog. And now, I hope you will also go forth and make thankful lists too!" Next thought was random... let's not go there :) In the end, I guess I honestly hope this blog will be seen as "a flower rather than a weed" through my transparency and life - so the top thing on my thankful list from this past week was... GRACE.
"Not grace to bar what is not bliss
nor flight from all distress, but this:
the grace that orders our trouble and pain
and then, in the darkness, is there to sustain." (John Piper)