my 5 thankfuls

Tonight I will write about what I am thankful for.

1. Bella
My mom rented a movie last week, and it has been sitting around in our house the whole time. Tonight was the last night we could keep it without a late fee (although that usually doesn’t stop us from forgetting to return it!) so she was going to pop it in tonight. I almost didn’t watch it with her, but after seeing a few seconds of the trailer online I decided it looked like a good find.

First of all, all of the previews were fantastic. I feel like there are all of these hidden treasures… inspirational films based off of true stories… that I don’t know about. A lot of low budget films or movies that don’t make it to the big screen and go directly to DVD may be easily overlooked, or even ones that may win awards but don’t make it big in the US. Needless to say, we scribbled down all of the names of the movies that were previewed. Ever browse through a video store for 25 minutes and reluctantly pick up one that you are skeptical about just because you’re sick of walking in circles? I’m hoping this list that we are compiling of films that actually look worth the time to see helps to remedy that very problem.

Anyway, the movie we watched was called Bella. It was one of the best pictures I have seen in a long, long time. It was built off of a foundation of solid values centering around family, friends, and love. It was so inspirational. The photography and videography is very unique, and at first, it seems to jump around a little. However, sticking with it does not leave you disappointed; what results is a beautiful story and an honest portrayal of life and love. I highly recommend it.

Two of my favorite quotes from the movie:

“The best way to make God laugh is to tell Him your plans.”
(The movie is based off of this quote).

“I used to worry; but then, I did some research and found out that 10 out of 10 people die.”

If you are interested in checking out this film, this link shows the trailer of the film + an interview with the man behind it all and his outstanding proclamation of his faith.

2. Jimmy John’s
Tonight was one of those nights where I waited too long to eat supper and then I was seriously ravenous. What better way to fix this than take a little trip to Jimmy John’s?

Around here, it is actually almost easier done than said. All that I have to do is walk out to my backyard, out the back fence door, across the field, across the street, and into JJ. I order my Billy Club with no tomato, I throw a bag of BBQ chips on the counter, pay for my meal, walk to the end, and the sandwich artist is usually standing there with my food all packaged up and ready. The service is THAT quick. I pay, and it’s in my hands. I walk out, and about 2 minutes later I’m walking in the door.

It’s crazy, really. Round trip, it’s about 5 minutes, and I can be chowing down on my meal. So you can see why when the hunger pains struck tonight, JJ was my very first choice. I am thankful for how close it is in these emergency situations. What else would I do?

3. My Health
*Knock on wood* I hesitate to even post this, but since this is my thankful list, I must say that I am very appreciative of my current health. It seems as though everyone is sick right now, and whether it’s the stomach flu or a cough & cold, it’s all spreading like wildfire.

My sister-in-law called today and proclaimed, “We’ve been hit.” My mom panicked, thinking our country had been attacked, when really Melissa went on to explain that her oldest daughter had come down w/the flu. Not 8 hours later, both her and my brother also joined the club.

Both of my sisters and their families have gone through it, as well. In fact, I baby-sat my sister’s kids for several hours the other night only to learn the very next day that her oldest son came down with the flu. Somehow, I have steered clear so far. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I washed my hands 3-4x that night. Can we say paranoid? Yeah, a LITTLE, and it's a good thing I was! And hey, anything to keep the sickness away!!

4. Chocolate
Always have been, always will be.

I know today isn’t a “Not Me Monday,” but I did NOT eat 2 pieces of chocolate cake today… no, that wasn't me.

5. My parents & family
After seeing the movie, Bella, tonight, it has caused me to be extremely thankful for the parents that I have been raised by, and the loving family that surrounds me. Not everyone has such a luxury. It’s not a choice of ours, really. We don’t get to pick our parents or our family; we’re born into it. And those of us who have been so lucky as to grow up in a family with at least even one loving member has more than a lot of people in this world.

I was talking to a friend last night who is going through training at the Women’s Pregnancy Center this week with another one of my friends. Last night she was talking about this very thing, and she made the point that we have no excuse. We really don’t. With as much as we’ve been given from even the family and surroundings we have grown up in, there’s no reason not to share the love and to live a God-glorifying life. It’s been set right in front of us! And there are so many out there who are lost, hurting, or scarred because of a broken family, poor examples, and a downright unfortunate upbringing.

Sometimes it is easy to look at those who make awful or evil choices and say, Why? How could they? But… do we know their story? How they were raised? What they were taught? What they lived with, and who they took care of? We don’t. And I’m not saying I have a perfect life or that anyone else does, either; we all have heartache or our own dose of baggage. Yet, those of us who have grown up in a Christian environment… truly, we have been so blessed. May we share this love in honesty and with a genuine heart, so that the joy of living in a life with Christ may be communicated to anyone who wonders how we have it… especially those who have never known how to find it in their own life.

Love you all!

T