Thankful Thursday: where I am

It's Thankful Thursday time! I hope you have all had a wonderful week and are excited for the weekend ahead. When thinking about what I wanted to reflect on and share with you all today for Thankful Thursday, I had so many ideas. Most of them were vague and I wasn't sure how I could articulate them well. I realized that right now, what I am very thankful for is in fact, exactly where I am--where I am in life, location wise, and just plain and simple where I am.

God's blessings are so abundant, but often we don't recognize them, or make time to see them and give Him thanks. I have been so reminded by God's presence and perfection in my move to Seattle. His provision has been overflowing. Even in moments when I am completely overwhelmed, I feel like it is just a reminder from Jesus saying, "lean on me, I've got this." So today, I just want to express how thankful I am for where I am in my life and all the ways that God's perfect plan has me here.
Here are some examples:
When deciding where to go after graduation, I was looking in four main cities. I ended up having interviews in Seattle and New York, both were promising. After personal deliberation, prayer and discussion, I felt so at peace with the organization in Seattle. Now looking back on this decision, I can see the wisdom in it. I am so thankful to be here--closer to my brothers, in a completely new place, with no strings and no pressure.

Soon after my move to Seattle,  I landed on a church that I really love. (It is called Bethany Community Church.) This was a big priority and something that I was a bit worried about. God not only took care of it, He made all the paths there easy. I am so thankful for this.

Financially, God has provided where I have needed it, when I have needed it, and when I didn't see a solution in sight.

Having my family friends (check out this Thankful Thursday post to read more!) close by has been such a blessing. They have helped me have some sense of community and family along with providing me with meals, and whatever other support I need. (For example, they drove me to the light rail station so I could get to the airport last week when the roads were covered and snow and taking the bus was risky).

My roommates are very different from each other but are each such great people. I love our dynamics and our living situation. Moving in with complete strangers could have been a disaster, but it has been so pleasant, and we are all committed to keeping it this way. What a blessing!

Being able to see my family on a much more consistent basis has been so nice as well! I love being able to see them about once a month. Having the option, if I need to, or even just want the change of pace to be able to drive down for a weekend is incredibly liberating too.

I have been so blessed with keeping in good contact with some of my absolute best friends. It is great to have wonderful friends, and even better to be able to talk with them! Even those friends who have been a bit more challenging to keep in touch with, it is a great blessing to know that we can pick up right where we left off the next time we are able to chat.
My car situation was looking really rough right before I moved to Seattle. I ended up driving my mom's car to Seattle because my car wasn't reliable enough to drive the distance. She came by train several days later, helped me unpack and then drove her car home. A couple weeks later, after careful budgeting by my wonderful momma, she realized she could get a new car she was planning to get in a couple years and then give me her old car. For having no budget to think about a new car, this was perfect! I am so grateful :)

I even see back up plans in God's provision. This may sound silly, but I see how if one plan hadn't worked out, there would have been another plan in place to make sure I was taken care of. God is so good, not only that this is the case, but that He reveals this to us, and thus, shows us His love for us!

Being in a long distance relationship is tough, especially when you need to factor in vacation days when trying to see each other. Working with AmeriCorps gives me GREAT flexibility when it comes to days off. I need to be on track for 1700 hours of service, and if I am on track or serving extra hours, I can take days off. This makes trips to New York possible! God knew distance would be good and healthy, and that seeing each other was equally important!

I could go on and on and on. There are so many examples of how God has provided and made where I am such a wonderful place to be. I am just so thankful to have the freedom to try new things. I am thankful for the challenges and insight my AmeriCorps placement is giving me. I am thankful for being able to trust God completely even when I do not see the way. I am thankful for the joy and positive attitude God continues to give me along this journey and how He renews me each step of the way.

I am so happy to be where I am, and so thankful that I am here! It is an exciting, (sometimes/ often scary), and incredibly liberating and empowering time of life! Wooohooo to the post college, early career category!