Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

 On this Thankful Thursday,

I pause to be thankful for a body.

I am thankful for eyes to see the beauty around me in the Pacific Northwest

(especially the breaks in the clouds during a rainy week).

I am thankful for a nose to smell the candles burning in the dining room and the diffuser in the bedroom.

I am thankful for ears to hear peaceful classical music and a Rosetta Stone Hebrew lesson in the background while I type.

I am thankful for the legs that carry me throughout the day and the little aches and soreness that remind me of all that they do for me each day.

I am thankful for the tastebuds that can make a simple meal or snack so enjoyable.

I am thankful for the ability of the body to repair while enjoying a night of sleep.

I am thankful for the fingers that connect effortlessly (most of the time) to my brain to type, play the piano, or write.

I am thankful for a heart that beats sure and steady without a noticeable thought.

I am thankful for the nerve endings that can sense a handshake, a pat on the arm, a hot burner to be careful of.

I am thankful for a spirit that feels love and care and compassion - 

that connects to people in unique ways.

Sometimes I want to complain ...

I want to utter discontent with the way I was created.

I wish I could run faster ...

I wish my body didn't change shape through different seasons of life ...

I wish I was taller ...

I wish I didn't need lenses to read and drive ...

I wish, I wish, I wish ...

but when I dwell on this body fairly ...

I am blessed.

I don't deserve God's goodness to me in the health and strength that I have.