Giving Thanks

Yesterday was filled with cooking and hosting and conversing, so today I write to give thanks for just a few of many good gifts including

Good music.

Good books.

Work that I enjoy and that allows me to be with my baby girl yet gives me something outside the home and meaningful to do to prevent me from going crazy.

A loving, faithful husband.

A happy, healthy baby who is developing so well. Specifically, I am grateful for each of her heartbeats from the first few we heard at the first ultrasound to the ones I recently felt under her tiny ribs as I laid her down to sleep.

Birdsong.

Variety in food. Cardamom, toasted almonds, pupusas, cumin, heirloom veggies, fresh baked bread, dim sum. I love food.

Mystery. Life would be so much blander if everything could be explained. Rather, there is so much that is inexplicable like giant, underground ant colonies; the beauty of fall trees; the migratory patterns of some species. It all so beautifully reflects the mystery of God himself -- although he has graciously revealed many of his attributes, in the end, he cannot be explained and his essence cannot be fully known.

Cars, the highway system, and passenger planes that get me quickly to those I love, and phone calls, Skype dates, Google hangouts, emails, Facebook messages & status updates, and blog posts for when I can't see them in person.

Happy Thanksgiving one day late!