Happy Monday :)

141. Getting to talk to sweet Carly on the phone and hearing her joyful giggle

142. A wonderful week back in Florida with my siblings (and off work!)

143. Being back in Texas (there's no place like home) :)

144. A fun Thanksgiving at work (yes, I worked, but it truly was an enjoyable day)

145. Late night laughter at Eyrie Park

146. Starting off the morning with a delicious soy cappuccino

147. Paul is off to Haiti again to work with Real Hope for Haiti, where he will be helping to care for cholera patients. Thankful that he has this opportunity; proud of his heart for those in need, particularly in Haiti.

148. The simple yet profound, convicting yet freeing truths expressed in last night's sermon (I'll try to remember to post the link when it shows up on the church's website; in the meantime, here's the passage we studied).

149. Fires in the fireplace and mugs of hot chocolate on chilly evenings

150. A brief visit with an out-of-town friend

and...Monday

I really do intend to write an actual, for-real blog post at some point. Seriously. I've even sat down and started to write several times in the past few weeks. Just haven't quite finished anything. It's a combination of being super busy and of having several somewhat vague post topics floating around in my head. But, maybe perhaps hopefully I'll have time soon; I'm heading off to Florida tomorrow for a week (i.e. I'm going to be off work for 7 WHOLE DAYS!). Yeah, I know; crazy, right? But anyway, in the meantime, here's this week's list of wonderful things for which I am so thankful:

121. This video of sweet Carly from Notre Maison, who is in the States receiving medical care. So excited and grateful God worked out all the details for her to come, and so thankful for the Celestin family who loved her before they'd even met her and who so diligently and faithfully pursued getting her here!

122. A lovely walk in the park with a friend.

123. Spontaneously spending the night with friends.

124. Playing tooth fairy for my 7-year-old cousin who lost a tooth on Saturday.

125. Peppermint marble mocha hot chocolate, to warm me up on a cool, drizzly day.

126. Random text messages that make me smile.

127. Vanilla tealight candles.

128. Evidence that my brother's fiancee surely has him wrapped around her finger :)

129. That God gives grace for each moment: "We appropriate the grace of our God -- in full and generous supply -- moment by moment by moment. One day at a time. Redeeming each hour. Drawing on His grace like a tulip opening to April sunlight, like oxygen in the bloodstream, like life itself. And leaving the future to Him." (Joni Eareckson Tada, "A Lifetime of Wisdom")

130. Beautiful Texas sunsets (even if they are coming ridiculously early these days).

Haiti Trip Report: Intermission

I haven't gotten caught up on the typed version of my journal, and I don't have the paper version with me at the moment, so before I post about the last few days of the trip, here are some general thoughts about my time in Haiti:

- Something that was really neat to see during this trip was just how far even a little attention or a smile or hug can go. . . My goal was basically to give as much individual attention to the kids as possible—talking to them, holding them, smiling at them, whatever. Nothing huge, but it was amazing to see how they responded. And just seeing that was more than enough to confirm for me that I was supposed to be there, just loving on them. I had prayed before we got there that God would give me His love for the kids, and He really did. The love He gave me for them and the joy in just being there with them was incredible. I can’t really even describe it; it was just such a blessing to be there and to get to interact with the kids.

- One of my favorite things about this trip was getting to know Carly better. Carly is about 4 years old, and Gertrude thinks that she might have had polio or meningitis. Because of this, she has problems with her legs and is unable to walk. She can pull herself up to standing, though, if she has something to hold on to, and she’s very good at maneuvering herself around in her wheelchair or scooting herself along the ground. She’s also very, very quiet most of the time, especially around people she doesn’t know well. You can ask her questions, and she’ll answer (at least, yes/no questions), but you have to either be listening very closely or watching her mouth to hear her answer. I spent a lot of time with her, and by the second day, she was following me around in her wheelchair. She also became more willing to talk, and by Sunday, she was actually shouting and laughing as we played. She also started reaching out to hold my hand if I was near her and already holding another child. Sunday night, too, I held her as she fell asleep, and then when I went to put her down on the mat, she was not happy, so I sat by her until she fell back asleep. She’s a very sweet girl, and it was neat to see her respond to even a little attention.