It's Thanksgiving!!

Today is Thanksgiving Day. I love the holidays. Gavin has been so excited this year, asking when we're doing what, where are we going, what are we taking...and on and on. Then repeat. The older he gets, the more fun it is. I try to stop and see it through his eyes and remember what it felt like, instead of worrying about what I'm forgetting and what needs to be done. I almost feel like I'm succeeding today! It's an accomplishment for me, because normally I overwhelm myself with things "to-do."

This year, we decided to spend the night on Thanksgiving Eve at my cousin's house, and we had a great time. We didn't do anything special, just talked, watched tv, cooked, ate. The typical holiday stuff. It feels good to not be rushing and worrying - there is no agenda and nothing that needs to be done until at least Sunday. Awesome.

So I'm thinking about being thankful. I'm thankful for a lot of things, and I was reticent to list any of it on Facebook like so many do (and if you do this, I'm not judging you - seriously) - I have my reasons. Anyway, I thought I'd compile a short list of the things I'm thankful for:

1. The little dog chewing on my sock right now. It really makes me happy when I see how happy he makes Gavin.
2. School. My first semester back is almost over - only two more weeks. I'm glad it's drawing to an end, but I feel so blessed to be going to school, and I'm really enjoying it.
3. My family. They do a lot for me and I love them. I don't know many people who are randomly close to a first cousin like I am, especially when we have such a large family out there - but this works for us, and I am blessed by it every single day. (Love you).
4. My church family. I am blessed with a wonderful church/job. Fabulous people who live loving Jesus every day. People who think of me and my son, love us and care for us. People so easy to love in return.
5. My friends. There are a few from my church/work family that I'll know forever - no matter where we go. You're special to me! And a few friends I have that have been my friends for years.
6. My son. The love of my life.

Right now, I'm sitting in the kitchen, waiting on the W's to get back from the Turkey Trot. There's a turkey cooking. The dressing is ready to go in the oven. Potatoes still need to be peeled. Eggs boiling in a pot on the stove. It's Thanksgiving, and I feel thankful.

I'm A Groupie. Maybe?

Someone called me a "groupie" this week. Twice, actually. It didn't bother me, but I've been thinking about it. It was in reference to me and some of my friends propensity to attend concerts and speaking engagements by Christian artists. Who is coming? When are they going to be here? How much does it cost? Where are they going to be? And so on. When we hear of these events, we share them with each other. We get excited about it, we talk about it before hand...and then we discuss it at length once it's over. We compare speakers, musicians, our favorite things, what we hated...sometimes we argue. Mostly we just have a good time.

But that's not what I really want to talk about. What I'm really thinking about is this "groupie" thing. When I think of a "groupie," I imagine a sixteen year old, following around a rockstar or band, hoping to meet them or at least get an autograph. So when this person referred to me as a "groupie" (okay, I'm gonna stop putting it in quotation marks now) it didn't really seem like the right term. I don't follow a specific speaker or band, and I definitely don't try to meet whoever it is I'm going to see (ok, I did meet David Crowder, but that was by total accident, and I made a fool of myself with non-stop talking).

So who is it I'm following?

Who is it I want to see?

I guess it's Jesus. I never thought about it before. But I look forward to the music because I want to sing about Jesus and worship God. I want to hear the speakers because I want insight into things I don't know about the Bible, and I want the encouragement to live more like Jesus did.

I read Matthew 4:19-20 this morning: "Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him."

At once. Really? At once.

Maybe I don't have what it takes to be a groupie. When Jesus called His disciples, in this case, Peter and Andrew, they were ready and they went right away. That seems scary to me. I'm proud to be a Jesus Groupie, but I live this comfy life where I can work Jesus in mostly as I see fit. In my heart, I say, "God, I'll do whatever you ask me to." But it's the "at once" that I get stuck on.

There was a Friends episode once, where they "made plans to make plans." This is really funny to me, because I do that all the time. So I guess it the case of being a Jesus Groupie, I'm at least willing to be willing. Will that work for now?

BFF Forever

I realize that adding the "forever" after BFF is redundant, but I want to emphasize the "forever forever" part.

I have a great friend coming into town this weekend that I haven't seen in a long time. I've been thinking about her, how long we've been friends, and the path life has taken for us...I love her. She's my forever friend. The kind of friend you can not see or talk to for ages, and then you pick up right where you left off. All this led me to thoughts about friendship in general. Who you trust. Who you don't. Who the "users" are. There are those who need you to be their friend, but you don't really want to let them be yours.

I admit, I'm not one for titles and labels. In my adult life, I have only ever referred to one person as my BFF. If I feel particularly affectionate toward someone, I might refer to them as my "great friend" or "my best girlfriend" or something of that nature. But there is a lot to be said for the BFF. Can you have more than one? Is the title really necessary? I'll let you ponder these things, while I move on to my top ten list.

The top 10 things it takes to be a BFF (or at least mine, anyway)

10. A good sense of humor. I like to OLOL, and odds are, if you're my BFF, I'm gonna make fun of you. Return the favor whenever possible, and I'll know you love me too.
9. Honesty. A good friend will always tell you the truth in love. "I love you in Jesus' name, but you're being really selfish right now."
8. A little bit of class. See number 9. It always helps when you're "telling the truth in love" to say it nicely. No one likes a meany.
7. Integrity. This requires having a strong constitution that you live your life by. This one is my most favorite of them all. It means you don't lie or cheat. No funny business. No question marks over your head. If I look at you and there is a question mark hanging over your head about something, sorry. You're can't be on the BFF list anymore.
6. Faithfulness. You don't change. You have to be stedfast. I have to know that what I see is what I get, and there aren't any surprises. I don't like surprises. Keep my secrets.
5. Loyalty. You have to have my back, even when I'm wrong and stupid. You can tell me how wrong and stupid I am all day long (see number 9 again) but you have to stand by me.
4. Forgiveness. I make mistakes. But I know how to offer a good apology, and I'm gonna need some grace sometimes. (See number 8).
3. Selflessness. Being my BFF means sometimes, you'll have to put yourself aside and do what I want - or give me what I need.
2. Kindness. As previously mentioned, there will be mistakes made and forgiveness needed but you don't get to be mean just because you're having a bad day or you don't feel good. That's lame. I love you the way you are - but don't be a selfish meany.
1. Love. I Cor. 13:13 Three things will last forever - faith, hope and love - and the greatest of these is love. If I ever get a tattoo, that's what it will say - faith, hope and love...those are the things that last. To paraphrase Francis Chan, when you love someone, you'll do anything for them and you look forward to being with them.

I realize my top 10 list is comprised of mostly buzz words...but I like to look at it. These are the things I look for in a BFF, but also all the things I have to offer.