Fall Ramblings

It was cold outside today. (Well, I say cold, but it was really above 40 degrees. That's "cold" for where I live.) I enjoyed wearing my jacket and scarf and boots. There's something about season changes that always gets me excited. And the beginning of winter is particularly exciting because of the holidays.

I love the holiday season. I love the food, the decorations, the presents, the laughter, the memories, and the joy that abounds in them. It's Thanksgiving break right now, and I'm so thankful. (No pun intended.) I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing week, where I can just chill, catch up on Psych, and also get a few things done that I've pushed back. I'm looking forward to the food and the games. I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and with God. Yes, I'm looking forward to a lot of things.

But I'm also thankful for a lot of things right now. Here are five things that I am thankful for right now:

1. God's love for me. I read Psalm 22 this afternoon, and I became so amazed at God's grace and power and love! You should go read it too!

2. Sweatpants. They're comfy, warm, slightly too big, and perfect for cloudy fall days.

3. Psych. I've already mentioned this before in this post, but I've been catching up on Psych. My sister and I finally got our hands on the seventh season and we are going to be done with it shortly. (We watched five episodes yesterday and two so far today.)

4. A Christian home. I grew up in a Christian home, and for that I am very thankful. I have such a firm foundation to stand on! I am not saying that Christians who come from non-Christian homes are not as good as those who come from Christian backgrounds, but I am just saying that this way I am thankful that God has given me such a blessing!

5. Possibilities. I often take for grated all of the possibilities that I have. For example, this week is going to be full of possibilities. My family is taking a mini trip to Houston. I may paint me room. I  have so many opportunities that many people don't have, and for that I am thankful.

To God be the glory.

Hannah

Crayons and Disney Prinsesses

There's something about a new box of crayons that has always fascinated me. I treat the new crayons with reverence and make sure not to press too hard when using them. I try to keep them pointy as long as possible. I only use the new ones for detailed work; old ones will suffice to color the sky and the grass; the new ones must be used for faces and dresses. I've always been that way and I believe that I always will.

Today I got out some Disney Princess coloring books, an almost new box of crayons, and my Disney station on Pandora. There's something about doing something that I used to do as a child that brings me joy. Memories come up, and for a moment, I'm a child again, coloring Ariel's hair bright red. I'm listening to the music of the only kind of movies that I watched back then, singing Under the Sea and Be Our Guest.

My three younger sisters and I looked at all of the old pages in our coloring books, pages with careful coloring and interesting color choices. We tried to remember who drew what so that we could label the pictures. It's amazing how I can remember so clearly what I drew. I also got pretty good at identifying who drew what based on drawing style. My sister Rebecca always used unexpected colors (and generous amounts of blush). Elisabeth most likely wasn't quite as careful in finishing every last detail, unlike Abigail, who colored the whole pages carefully and with a heavy coat of crayon. I have always been the careful one, coloring precisely and completely. I color lightly and with soft colors.

Sometimes I want to go back to being a little girl again. I want to play Barbies with Rebecca and watch The Incredibles, thinking that this qualifies as an action movie. I want to play House in the backyard during the fall, pretending that leaves and grass makes soup. I miss tickle fights and reading American Girl books. I miss a lot of things about being little.

But at the same time, I also love being sixteen. I love being able to stay up late watching real action movies. I love baking desserts and being big enough to put them in the oven. I love wearing make up and going to formals. My relationship with God has grown so much. I can drive and type and do so many things that I couldn't do as a little girl.

What makes me sad, though, is when people grow up too fast. You only get to be eight once, don't waste it pretending that you're ten. I'm only going to be sixteen once, and I'm determined not to waste it. I'll have plenty of time to be an adult later. For now, I'm going to be sixteen.

But no matter how old I am, I will never be too old to listen to Disney movies with coloring in my princess books.

Hannah 

Story Time

I love stories. I always have and always will. I love to read them, watch them, write them, and hear them. Now, as I have already said, the best story of all is the story of Jesus Christ, but there are other stories that are pretty cool, and over the years, I have absorbed quite a repertoire of stories that I enjoy. 

When I was little, Mom would read my sisters and I books. We would all sit on the couch in the afternoon for about an hour or so and listen to her read us books like Little House on the Prairie and The Chronicles of Narnia. We called it story time. As I grew older and learned how to read those books myself, story time became more flexible. I was constantly reading. I read American Girl books and countless Nancy Drew books. I read stories about princesses and dragons, spells and fairies.

Image found on Pinterest

During high school, the size of the books I read grew. I read classics, like Homer and Jane Austin, and epics, like Harry Potter. I read fairy tales and adventures, historical and contemporary. I also started watching more movies and TV shows, which also have good stories. It's impossible for me to choose just one favorite book (besides the Bible, which would obviously win), but I will compose a list of a few special books.

Anything Jane Austin. I haven't read all of her books, but I will one day. My favorite is Pride and Prejudice, but I also enjoyed Emma.

Narnia. C.S. Lewis does a phenomenal job telling a story that stays with you for all of the right reasons.

The Hiding Place. This isn't a fiction book, but it is so inspiring.

Anne of Green Gables. I love Anne (spelled with a E)! Her quirky adventures and fiery spirit always make me laugh.

Harry Potter. If I really had to choose my favorite books, I would probably choose the Harry Potter books. They really are that good.

The Goose Girl. I really like any of Shannon Hale's teen books, but The Goose Girl is the best!

The Gallergirl Girls. Ally Carters books are so fun to read! This series was fresh and exciting to read.

There are so many more, but these are some of the top favorites. Another day I shall rant on about movies and television shows, but I'm done for now. After I end with this quote from Samwise that really summarizes why stories are so important to us. 

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.  
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for

Hannah

Thankfall

Thankfall. Yes, I know, Thankfall isn't a word. But I'm thankful. And it's fall. And I'm thankful that it's fall. So, Thankfall came into existence.

I've noticed, that the culture in America today, there's not a lot of thankfulness going on. There's a lot of consumerism. There's a lot of rush. There's a lot of comparison and envy. What happened to the thankfulness?

I'm not saying that I am always thankful. In fact, I'm not. Too often I find myself saying, "I want that." Or, "I wish I looked like that." Or, "I wish I danced like her." Too many times I pass over the many wonderful things that God has placed in my life without thanking Him for His gifts. But as the Bible reminds me, "Every good and perfect gift is from above." (James 1:17)

 

(Image found on Pinterest) 

This includes fall. God made the seasons and the years, and at the end of creating all of this He said, "It is good." (Genesis 1) God made the trees turn from green to orange and from orange to red. He made the days become shorter and the nights colder. He made weather perfect for camp fires and hot chocolate, sweaters and boots. He made pumpkins for everything-pumpkin-spice, carrots for carrot cake, and turkeys for thanksgiving dinner. And He said, "It is good."

It is good.

It is good.

Say that to yourself today. Rest for a moment and say, "It is good." That doesn't mean that you think all of your circumstances are good, and they may be the opposite. But thankfulness isn't dependent on circumstances. Thankfulness from God comes from the fact that He is good and has made good things all around you. Thankfulness in God blossoms from realizing that wherever you are and whatever you're facing, God is always enough for you. Jesus has set you free! And that alone is sufficient enough for you to be thankful for for the rest of your life.

As a challenge to be thankful this fall, I am writing down three things each day that I'm thankful for. Whether it be someone's laugh or Blue Bell ice cream, there's always something to be thankful for. The trick is, living a lifestyle that looks for these gifts from God and praises the God who makes every good and perfect gift. I'm challenging myself to live this lifestyle because it sounds so wonderful! Who wouldn't want to have thankfulness founded in God as their constant companion in all situations?

So I challenge you to be thankful this fall. Or, as I like to put it, be thankfall.

Hannah