Before I left for the race I watched a video that stated, “the difference between people who are happy and people who are miserable, is their amount of gratitude.” a bold statement that got me thinking.
Before leaving for the race, I was so enthralled at the idea of living in a foreign country. I was excited by the thought of Thai markets and living in community, and learning to love and serve better. These ideas rocked my world. Daily I’d search for previous racers’ blogs and Instagrams, just trying to get a taste of what it would be like. Also during this time of dreaming, I downplayed the abundant blessings I had around me. God has been wrecking me in all ways possible, but this one was totally unexpected.
I’ve been wrecked with overwhelming gratitude.
God has been giving me little past glimpses of the simple times at home saying, “look how greatly I’ve blessed you.” I shared with my teammate about this overbearing sense of thankfulness of the things I have back at home that I took no notice of when I was there. The simple things like: driving my car with the windows down, my sister in the passenger seat, with One Direction and Bruno Mars always blaring. Getting invited by my grandma to come and make pineapple upside down cake and watching old movies with her till late at night. Sharing my dreams with my coworkers and them rooting me on. Sitting in a beach chair next to my dad, listening to classic rock watching the waves roll in. My mom and I sitting on the back porch just enjoying each other’s company and talking about what we’re passionate about. My friends and I going to Dunkin’ Donuts, just to chat way too often (the workers there probably hate us), taking my dog on walks and letting her splash around in the waterfall at buck creek.
I’ve been reflecting on these simple days and moments, wishing I had been more grateful.
God has shown me here in Thailand that you cannot take anything for granted. Things in life are not guaranteed. I think about that fact because just down the street from me here in Chiang mai, women are forced into a life filled with unimaginable things, just to get by. I think about this as I work at the wild flower home, not knowing what all the mothers we work with have gone through. I suppose God has been reminded me of things back at home to show me that no matter where I am, I can be grateful. In my mind, I expected fulfillment from living roughly 9000 miles from home. I expected to see God through radical experiences here in chiang mai. The sweetest things I’ve seen have been in the most simple of times.I’ve seen the father’s love through playing bingo with the sweet ladies at the wildflower home. Simply getting to be in air conditioning, I say a little prayer of thanks. My heart has been changed to see beauty in the mundane. This new lense of gratitude has made me see things clearer than ever before. Things here haven’t been easy, and things at home aren’t always easy, but viewing my life how God wants me to has been so lovely. I’m guessing that God has been making sense out of this statement of gratitude being correlated with happiness or misery. He’s teaching me daily to choose to be grateful in all things.
Also!!!! These are some photos of the wildflower home and the women& children that we’ve had the privilege of working with this past month and will continue to work at for this next month!!!!
