Thankful Tuesday: It’s almost Christmas!

• Children singing “Away in a Manger” and sharing the stage with one of the best double bass players in San Francisco this past Sunday. I love my church.
• I’m thankful that we got to come back to a community here in SF that welcomes and loves us and confounds me with its teaching.
• I’m thankful for Christ Church in Austin and that I can simultaneously ache for its post-service bagel time while loving the post-service donut time at City Church. Two communities this past year and two remarkable groups of people in our lives.
• For pictures finally being  nailed into the walls in my house!
• For an office (in our apartment) that is slowly evolving into a cozy little space for me to make all these words I’ve been making.
• For some REALLY fun exciting wonderful news I can’t wait to share with you soon.
• Hot chocolate with whipped cream on top
• Caroling with our kids and our Young Life staff and committee friends in a trolley around San Francisco last night. How beautiful is this city I live in?

• Making a photo book of 2012 and getting to be reminded of how my boys have grown and how much goodness I got to share with my little family this past year.
• I’m thankful we got to live in Austin for 14 months and that Chris and August got to build huge cardboard spaceships in the backyard.
• I’m thankful that now we get to walk to the Presidio whenever we want and hike through the woods in the middle of the city.
• For plane tickets that will carry us away to our family on Thursday morning.
• For the joy of getting to share my little boys with their grandparents for a little while. I love that feeling leading up to traveling, when I keep thinking how much they’re going to love it when Brooksie sings to himself or August shares all his favorite facts about cheetahs. You know?
• On Sunday, Chris and I had to remind ourselves that we just need to let go of the need to accomplish tasks on the weekend in order to feel good about how we spent our time. We’re accepting (sometimes) that as long as we have tiny children, nothing is ever really going to be “finished.” There’s a lot of freedom in that, even if would have loved to have had my house looking cute by, like, four weeks ago.
• Sunday afternoon forts made out of couch cushions. They’re a good spot for watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
• A dinner out with friends Saturday night.
• For my husband’s mastery of all things cheese and for how that gets us invited to the coolest parties. When I described Chris’ talent to August as being “The Cheese Master!” He said that when he grows up, he wants to be The Cheese Master, too. Yes, some children argue on the playground about how their dads can beat each other up. Mine will brag on his dad’s knowledge of Triple Creams.
• For babysitters (Kaili and Ben! Bo and Caitlin!) and nap times and dishwashers and clothes washers and garages and all the gifts that help me stay less crazy than I would be.
• For the gift of learning to say no. It’s still hard for me, but I’m thankful for how I’m learning to deliberately resting during the Advent season.
• For the homemade potato soup Chris made Sunday night. Carbs are a beautiful thing sometimes.

Christmas is seven days away, people! What are you thankful for?