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Random Thoughts for the New Year

I was cooking spicy black bean soup when I began to have a lot of random thoughts that I wanted to write down... So, here goes...

I miss the places I've been. I grew up out west and I didn't appreciate it as much as I wish I had. I miss Quaker Meadow Camp, going to USC football games, going to the Rose Parade each year, and In-n-out. I hope I will be able to help my children make the most of the experiences they have and help them learn to savor them. I never thought I'd end up living so far away that I wouldn't get to enjoy these things again and yet here I am. I miss those familiar things that I loved about my childhood.

Yet, of all the places I've lived, I loved Colorado the most. That was where I really felt like I fit. At the time, I lived there I never wanted to live in the South. Yet, the South is the second place I felt the most comfortable. I am thankful for the warmth and hospitality of the folks in the South. I learned to appreciate manners and politeness. I learned to write thank you notes...

Which leads me to my next random thought. I read a good quote yesterday in my Bible study that made me think about Christmas and learning to write thank you notes.

"In order for a gift to be truly given, it must be received. Without the recipient's acceptance and acknowledgment, the gift is, in effect, an offer."

Good food for thought... As I just typed it, I thought about how often we will offer to help a friend, but it isn't truly a gift until that friend takes us up on our offer and then we are able to give. There are many gifts that are given without expecting a response in return, but it is the response or thank you note that tells us what they meant to the other person.

I am looking forward to writing thank you notes with the girls this week as we get back into homeschooling. Growing up out West, thank you notes weren't common practice, but they were in the South. Even though I miss the West a lot, I'm thankful that I've had the chance to live in different places and learn from each place I've been.
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