With a Grateful Heart

You know you're in the real world when you spend your first Thanksgiving away from home.  Today, instead of sleeping in before going to my grandmother's house for Thanksgiving, I woke up early to be at Gobble Gobble Give.  Instead of driving 5 minutes across Darlington to be at my grandmother's house, I rode with strangers for over 2 hours around the city of Nashville.  Instead of spending the day with my family, I spent the morning with complete strangers and the afternoon with my roommate's family.  

However, today, instead of making a conscious effort to think about what and who I am grateful for, I was automatically and overwhelmingly grateful for the roof over my head, the 2 jobs I have that sometimes overwhelm me, and the opportunities that I am blessed to have had.  A few months ago, I came back from a trip to Kenya with my eyes opened to the poverty in the world.  However, today, my eyes were opened to the poverty of those just around the corner.  There were so many people that we came in contact with today who were so excited to have a warm meal and others who were just looking for a warm jacket or a blanket.  Today, with a high of 40, was COLD.  I was slapped across the face (figuratively) with the realization that I was complaining just yesterday about how my feet were cold at work when I was inside.  These people live outside in weather that is below freezing and are just thankful for a blanket.  

Today, I am beyond grateful for all that God has given me.  I am grateful for the roof over my head no matter how annoying my neighbors can be.  I am grateful for the jobs that pay my rent and buy my groceries even when I do not want to go.  I am grateful for the food that is currently sitting in the refrigerator and the kitchen after Thanksgiving dinner.  I am grateful for my parents who have given me opportunities and support throughout my life.  I am grateful for my brother, my cousins, and all of my other family members who I miss while I am so far away.  I am grateful for old friends and new friends who I will always remember and appreciate.  But, above all, I am grateful for my faith in Jesus and the comfort that He gives me on a daily basis.  I am grateful for His love and mercy.  I am also grateful that He provides for the homeless on the streets of Nashville and around the world by moving the hearts of His people to start these movements.  We are His hands and feet, and God provides for the needy through His people.  

So, while I miss my family at home, and I definitely wish that I could have spent time with them today, I hope to start a new tradition for myself in giving back.  I hope to spend at least a portion of the holiday giving to those who are less fortunate than myself even if only for the selfish reasons that it brought me joy to see the smile on those people's faces and it gave me a grateful heart that I hope to keep throughout this holiday season and beyond.  I can honestly say that although I am nine hours from home and family, today was the best Thanksgiving I can remember having.  

New City, New Experiences, New Blog

Hi friends! So, I randomly got in the mood to look back at my semester in Australia this past week which then led me to my old blog.  And the result of that little trip down memory lane is a new blog with new experiences out of college.  For an intro, here are a few fun facts: 

1 - I currently live in Nashville and have loved every moment of being here.  I do, however, have the travel bug and plan to move somewhere new and exciting once I finish school.  

2 - I moved to Nashville to attend graduate school in counseling, but this summer, I decided that being a counselor is not for me.  So, I have changed my career path to nursing and am working on a second bachelors degree.  I may have taken a slight detour to get to where I need to be, but I know that the skills and information I learned will be useful in my career as a nurse. 

3 - I have a current slight obsession with NEEDTOBREATHE (after going to their concert a few weeks ago).  And by obsession I mean that it is pretty much all I am listening to in the car and my room right now.  :)  

4 - I am working 2 part-time jobs right now, and while I enjoy them both, I have realized that I am extremely ready to be settled in a career.  I want a "big-girl job" now... 

5 - I love God, love music, and love my family and friends. I also love fall, the mountains, the leaves changing colors, and a morning sunrise. 

6 - I am not exactly fond of the traffic here and would appreciate better public transportation.  I would love to live somewhere that allows me to walk, ride a bike, or take some form of public transportation everywhere I need to go. 

7 - I love new experiences and new cuisines, and I have learned that Nashville is a hidden gem for foodies!!!  

And now, I have a little rant to share, and I am sorry if you do not agree.  I know that opinions can be biased based on personal experiences, and this is definitely based on my personal experience.  So, those of you who have had different experiences, feel free to share, because I would appreciate hearing them.  

Sorry everyone, I am going to step onto my soapbox for a minute here and explain something.  I do not often go downtown Nashville and really only venture there when I absolutely have to, because there is so much traffic and there is not much there except for the bars lining Broadway.  However, pretty much every time I do, I hear some form of a catcall.  In talking with my roommates and friends, I know that I am not the only one to experience this.  Can I just take the time to say that this is not flattering to us women?  And I am going to take a guess that men probably do not appreciate it either.  I know that this does not only happen to women, but all I can do is discuss how I feel and what I have experienced. And, therefore, I am going to establish that I do not feel appreciated or complimented by a whistle.  It is actually quite the opposite.  I feel degraded and embarrassed.  I am not a dog, so please do not whistle at me.  Nor am I a piece of meat to be critiqued by the size of my body parts, so the vulgar, sexual comments are most definitely not appreciated.  I am a human being with thoughts and would like to be treated as one. 

We have to stop looking at each other solely based on appearance.  It allows media outlets to continuously use scantily dressed men and women to sell a product that has absolutely nothing to do with a person's body.  I am sick and tired of seeing women wearing scraps of clothing trying to sell burgers (that there is no way they have even taken a bite of), perfume, or even cars.  I hate seeing men in underwear on a commercial. We are people, not objects, so it is time we treat each other as such.  

Okay, I'm done and have stepped off the soapbox for now.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday afternoon and a great end of September.  This year has definitely flown by for me! I cannot believe that it is almost October already!