Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had in a while. I woke up this morning with my heart so full of gratitude.

The day started off with a group of girlfriends and I heading to a Spiritual Girls Retreat put on by University of Texas College Life. The leadership had asked “older women” (that still makes me laugh that I’m in that category now) if we’d be willing to come and offer short mentoring sessions for the college girls attending the retreat. Cue a huge YES from me because mentoring and getting to talk life with younger women is one of my favorite things.

The retreat was held at a camp just outside of Austin. The drive out there was beautiful, but the hearts of the girls we got to meet with were even more so. When our time was over, we all loaded back into the car and couldn’t stop talking about the conversations we’d had. It was so fun to see how God orchestrated divine appointments for each of us, and how the Spirit had worked so powerfully in the short time we spent with each girl.

Before we headed back to Austin, we stopped at Spicewood Vineyards for a wine tasting. The rain had stopped, and the afternoon had turned into a beautiful one – cool, cloudy, and breezy. There was a wedding happening, and as we watched the bride walk down the aisle, we were all reminded what a gift love is.

After the ceremony ended, a man who was sitting at a table next to us with his girlfriend came up and let us know he was about to propose. He asked if we’d take a few pictures of the moment. Of course, we said yes. After she said yes, we all cheered and raised our glasses to them, gushing with the sweetness of the moment. A few minutes later, we were invited to head down to the wine cellar with them to celebrate further with a bottle of sparkling wine. We laughed, heard the story of how they met, and toasted again to their new adventure. We took photos, and celebrated with these strangers who now felt like new friends. It was such a special gift, an honor to be invited into this moment with them.

We finally left the vineyards and headed back to Austin to meet friends at one of our favorite spots, Contigo, to celebrate Taylor’s birthday. All of our people were there. We got to hug friends we hadn’t seen in a while, catch up and laugh with people who feel like family, and toast to Taylor with Old Fashioned cocktails. When Taylor woke up this morning, I asked him if he felt loved. He nodded his head, and I said, “You are.” He looked at me, smiled the smile of a person who feels safe and said, “I know.”

……………….

As I was reflecting this morning on all the events of yesterday, I think I’m most thankful for how God shows up when we invite others into our lives, and when we have the courage to step into the lives of people around us. A 30 minute conversation with a college girl, a celebration with strangers, spending the night with friends who are family; it all happened because we all – college students, my girlfriends and I, a man proposing to his girlfriend, our long-time friends – chose to step into each others lives and show up for one another.

 
Remember that community I was talking about yesterday? Here they are (some of them at least) crowded in our living room last night. They are my favorite, and I’m so thankful for them. Wishing you some sweet time with your people this weekend! 

I’m 28, but this is the first time I’ve had an actual lunch break at my job. A lunch break other than an eat-at-your-desk-while-you-really-just-keep-working lunch break.  I’d highly recommend it.

Typically, I eat outside to get away from the hustle around my desk, and to let my brain air out for an hour. Most of the time, I bring a book.

Today was rainy, so I found a spot inside to read one of my current books, Present Over Perfect. (Sidenote: if you haven’t checked out this book, you should. It’s been changing my view on life big time). It’s all about slowing down, and giving up striving and proving for a life of connection and purpose. It’s about giving up the desire to be the best, to be everything, in order to show up for your actual life and dig deep into the people and work that are right in front of you. The particular chapter I read today talked about prayer, and how we approach God. The writer confessed that she struggles with asking for help in prayer because she doesn’t think she deserves to be helped.

I’m not sure about you, but I completely related to that. It’s a “you dug your grave, now lie in it” attitude about prayer. I struggle to pray about things I deem not worthy of God’s attention, and it helps me feel like I’m the one in control, like I can handle it, when really all I’m doing is building a wall between my heart and Jesus (the Jesus who loves me like crazy, and is my help). This sentence struck me the most:

“In the same way that I didn’t allow myself to be taken care of by people, I didn’t know how to let myself be taken care of by God.”

It hit me because Taylor and I have been walking through a hard season. We’re exhausted, having hard conversations, and grappling with expectations and failure. There’s a lot of unknown, a lot of battling fear, a lot of tears. Through it all, our friends have rallied around us. I’m beyond thankful for our community. But, I’ve noticed that I’m not great at accepting help from others. My tendency is to buckle down and push through. It’s something I’ve noticed, and something I’m working on in this season of learning to slow down: stop, listen, accept, receive. Be.

I’m thankful for an hour of reading, for words that speak life to my soul. I’m thankful that Jesus meets me in my office break room to remind me I’m loved, and to challenge me with what it looks like to let myself be taken care of by people, and by Him.

P.S. I’m also really thankful for that Steak, Quinoa & Kale Salad from ALC Steaks you see in the picture because DELICIOUS.