31 Things for Which to Be Thankful

Earlier, when the pecan and pumpkin pies were in the oven baking, I had some time to think about what I'm thankful for.  Now that that dishes are done and the guests are gone, I can take the time to write everything down.  (I should be going to bed right now, but my mind is too active for some reason and I can't sleep...) I've got 31 things - one for each day of November - but first I want to say three things: 1) These are not in order of importance, per say; 2)There are way too many things that I should be grateful for than I can list here; 3) Thanksgiving is a good time to give thanks, but, as a child of God, thankfulness should define my life, not just on one day, or even one month.

1) I'm thankful for Jesus Christ, and the salvation He gave to me through His death on the cross.  Who am I for Him to chose to save me?  It's only because of his mercy and grace that I can be called His today.

2) I'm thankful for my family.  There is not one of my siblings that I would not want to be in my family.  I've missed them so much over the past few weeks, especially my baby sister Regina.

3) I'm thankful that I can attend Liberty University this semester.  It has been such a blessing to be in a Christian environment, where every class starts with prayer, where it is not unusual to talk about God in the middle of English or Aviation class, and where the importance of salvation through Jesus Christ alone is proclaimed.

Fall at Liberty University.  Photo taken by David Duncan.

4) I'm thankful the Lord provided the finances for me to attend this semester.  I have no idea how I'm going to pay for next semester, let alone next year, but I know that if this is what the Lord wants for me, he will provide.

5) I'm thankful for my church where the Word of God is faithfully preached.

6) I'm thankful for where I live.  I firmly believe that Virginia, specifically Southwestern/Central Virginia, is the most beautiful place in the world.  If you don't believe me, come and visit, and that should settle all doubts in your mind.  But I will admit, this is my own subjective opinion.  

7) I'm thankful for the lessons that God has been teaching me.  Some of them have been quite painful, but it's for my good.  God has had to show me, that I'm not such a great person as I think I am.  He has humbled me, and shown me the sin in my life.  I'm not any better than so-and-so.  I am in desperate need of the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse me from my sin.

8) I'm thankful for aviation.  God has given me something in life to be passionate about.  I used to feel like I had no direction in life.  My life goal has always been to glorify God, and to be a godly wife and mother, but I had no clue what to do with my life.  I couldn't just sit around and wait for Prince Charming to come along!  Aviation is that one think in life I can work towards, and love doing.

9) I'm thankful for my roommate.  I can't complain about having a bad roommate, so I'm especially grateful after hearing some roommate horror stories before.  We get along quite well, even if my bed does squeak horribly and annoys her, and she throws all her stuffed pandas up on my bed.  ;)

10) I'm thankful for good food and a warm place to sleep.

11) I'm thankful for the good friends at Liberty that the Lord has put in my life, that gang that I hang out with.  There are times, when I'm hanging out with my friends, that I just have to stop and thank the Lord for them.  I've never laughed so hard in my life before.  Or done such silly things as fitting 5 people in a Mustang convertible with dance music playing!

12) I know I've said I'm thankful for my family, but I want to specifically thank God for my sister Grace.  At 14, she's such a mature young lady, and I can honestly say, one of my best friends. A year or two ago, I would have never dreamed that I would say that, so I also want to thank God for changing the attitudes of both of us and maturing us so we could have the friendship that we have today.

13) I'm thankful that the Lord has infinite patience with me, even when I fall into the same sins over and over again.  Even when I'm ungrateful for the things I have.  Even when I chose to spend time on Facebook instead of time with him.  In spite of all that, He has never left me.

14) I'm thankful for hobbies.  How boring would life be if it were all work and no play?  I'm thankful for guns and target practicing, screaming and cheering at hockey and football games, watching Tim Hawkins videos on YouTube, and rides in Steve's Camero or Pontes' convertible Mustang. Yeah.

15) I'm thankful for an education. I find such satisfaction in knowing that I'm learning and using the mind God gave me.  The mind is like a muscle, and sometimes, it can be quite enjoyable exercising it.  Gives me a sense of accomplishment, if you know what I mean.

16)  I'm thankful for professors that truly care about me.  For Mr. Harcup who has been trying to help me get a job, and Mr. Reichard who has helped me with my resume (it looks spectacular now!), to name just a couple.

17) I'm thankful for all the people who have given me rides to and from the airport and Walmart and church.

18) I'm thankful for the Bible.  Not only is it the greatest work of literature, but more importantly, it is the inspired Word of God Himself.  

19) I'm thankful for all the people who are praying for me, my education, and my walk with the Lord.  Without their prayers, I don't think I could make it.

20) I'm thankful that the Lord is King Eternal.  He is all-powerful, and nothing is out of His control.  He is a good, just, and righteous King, and He reigns! 

21) I'm thankful for this country we live in.  No other country has a history like ours, a system of government like ours, nor was any other country founded on Biblical principles like ours.  We have a rich heritage, and I'm immensely grateful for it.  

22) I'm thankful for the Church down through the ages.  I'm thankful for the martyrs who gave their lives for the Gospel.  I'm thankful for the Reformers who called the church back to the Word of God.  I'm thankful for the preachers who faithfully preach the Word.  I'm thankful for men, like the Westminster Assembly, who, through much prayer, thought, and debate, wrote down an organized system of doctrine so that we can search the Word ourselves to see if such doctrines are true.  And I am thankful for the hymn-writers who, over the centuries, have written such beautiful songs of praise and thanks to God. 

23) I'm thankful for writing.  How else could we communicate reliably from person to person, let alone from generation to generation.  From newspapers, to history books, to letters, to blogs, we can share facts, thoughts, and feelings without the distortion of the "telephone game" happening.

24) I'm thankful to be strong and mostly healthy.  I may not be happy about my waist size, but that is my own fault.  I really have nothing to be dissatisfied with.  

25) I'm thankful for science.  I say that because it is true, "the heavens declare the glory of God."  When we study the world around us, there is in my mind no doubt that there had to be an Intelligent Designer.  From the stars above us, to the Laws of Physics and Aerodynamics, there is so much beauty and order in our world for it to have all happened by chance.

26) I'm thankful for the small, simple joys of life.  My kitties, coffee, beautiful music, a good book, a beautiful spring day.

27) I'm thankful for God's faithfulness and His promises.  He has said that He will never leave me nor forsake me.  I know that nothing can take my Savior or my salvation away from me.  And I know that all things are meant for my good, even when I can't see how.

28) I'm thankful for the steadfast hope I have that I will stand before God in Heaven one day worshiping 
Him with all the other saints.

29) I'm thankful that God listens to my prayers.  There is absolutely no reason that He should listen to me, but He does!  In facts, He wants to hear my prayers!  How amazing and glorious can it get?

30) I'm thankful for the soldiers who have, are, and will be serving our country.  They are protecting us at the risk of their own lives.  I especially remember them as they are away from their families and homes on Thanksgiving holiday.  So here's a big "thank-you" to all the veterans, to all the active-duty military, and to all the young men and women know who are in ROTC and whose goal is to serve or the Reserves.  

31) I'm going to close with a hymn that specifically praises and thanks God for who He is and what He has done for us.

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;

Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,

With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;

And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;

And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;

The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;

The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;

For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Written by Martin Rinkart, c. 1636.  Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1856.

You might be an aviation student when.....

.....you get information for a speech in Public Speaking from the Airport/Facility Directory, the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board, and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).

....your idea of a fun study time is sitting with a group of student pilots translating METARs and TAFs.

....you get depressed from reading weather forecasts that predict low ceilings and visibility for the rest of the week.

....class gets cancelled because the flight simulator is broken.  (True story, my flight block was cancelled this morning because both sims weren't in working order.)

....your biggest goal in life is to get your butt up in the air, whilst everyone else is content with letting gravity keep theirs on the ground.

....the biggest excitement for the week was Delta bringing the A319 into Roanoke for a daily flight to Atlanda.

....you don't consider homework a chore, but something fun.

....You start thinking about how long it would take to get to Walmart if you had to go through a pre-driving checklist and inspection of the car.

....you hear the sound of an airplane engine while walking down the street, and you immediately start scanning the sky to catch a glimpse of it.

......you wake up at 6 AM, memorize the before start-up checklist along with some chair flying whilst gulping hot coffee, get to the airport, run through the checklists from before start-up to after landing on the paper trainer (while consuming more coffee), do a pre-flight on a C172, get back to your dorm, brew more coffee, and your roommate is still asleep.

If you have two or more of these symptoms, you may have a serious illness called Acute Aviation Infatuation Virus, also known as the flying bug.  The only cure is to get in a plane and fly for a few hours.

Time flies....

...when you're having fun, so they say!  And it's true.  I can't believe that I've been at Liberty University for two weeks already.  In some ways, it seems like it was just last week my family was dropping me off, but in other ways, it feels like it's been a couple months!

So much has happened.  I turned 19 on Wednesday.  I've already had my first paper due.  First quiz in AVIA 102 was on V-speeds, and I aced it.  (woooohoooo!!!!)  Tuesday, I had my first flight block with my instructor, and Thursday, I got to run through the pre-flight checklist with just a little help from my instructor.  Hopefully I'll have my first flight in a two weeks or so!!!!!  All my professors are great, and I seriously am enjoying every single one of my classes (even English 102 and Public Speaking, which is saying a lot from me!).

The Lord did some cleaning out of bad influences in my life the first week of classes, which has been painful, but good for me, and He has given me some of the best friends to encourage me and pray for me.  It's been a long time since I've had such a love of learning, and a joy in just living!

My roommate and I are at my family's house for the weekend right now.  It's nice to be home for a little while, and get a good home-cooked meal.  I never knew I could crave grilled chicken and mashed potatoes and cheesecake as much as I have these past days!

Krysti, my roommate is great.  As I write this, she's playing beautiful music on our piano.  The only "roommate rivalry" that we have is when I have to get up really early and be very quiet so as not to wake her!  Even that isn't that bad at all, just a minor inconvenience.

For anyone who's wondering, I haven't started gaining the freshman 15 yet.  It's a 1/2 mile walk to the dining hall from my dorm, so I joke that I walk off everything I eat.  I probably walk about 3 miles a day just to and from buildings and bus stops...not counting the numerous times I get lost on the fourth floor of DeMoss and end up walking in circles...and half of that walking is up hills or flights of stairs!  I'm eating a salad with almost every meal, and staying away from pizza and hamburgers.....most of the time.  The only bad health habits I've picked up on is 1) not eating breakfast, and I'm trying to eat at least oatmeal in my dorm before I leave at 6:30 in the morning for my flight block; 2) not getting enough sleep since, as a pilot, I'm required to have at least 6 hours of sleep every night before I fly - personally I need at least 8 hours to function well - so I'm trying to not stay out too late and then watch music videos until 1 in the morning.  That needs to change too.

Before I close, I'm just going to say that my goal is to write an update on this blog once or twice a week.  I need to keep a record of my college life....all the new things I'm learning, how I'm growing with the Lord, the crazy people I hang out with, the flying stories I'll have.  This is as much for my own benefit and record as well as anyone else who can gain anything from my random thoughts!

In Christ,
Abigail

A true story.....

Once upon a time there was a teenage girl who was very tired and trying to fall asleep (a.k.a. me).  But the family dog kept barking, presumably at some wild animal, right outside the window.  And it kept barking, and barking, and barking even though I had told her several times to be quiet!  And I kept getting more and more upset.  Finally, I muttered to myself, "If that dog keeps this up one more time, I will yell at her in Shakespearean English....."  So I carefully raised the window blind.  (Now you need to understand something - my brother measured the window wrong so the blinds are too small, and are prone to falling down at random times.)  The dog started barking again, so I screamed through the open window "SHUT UP YOUR BISCUIT-TRAP OR I'LL BEAT YOUR BONY BUTT!!!!"  Crash!  Bang!  The window blinds fell down at that exact moment.  And my sister who was supposed to be asleep rolled with laughter from the top bunk.  I couldn't help myself, we both laughed so hard that we snorted, then laughed even harder until our sides ached and our voices got hoarse.  Let's just say that it took a very long time for either of us to go to sleep.  Oh, and the dog started barking again.........

Bday wish list

Aggghhhh!!!  Life is so busy!  It seems as if I haven't had time to even THINK any more!  Basically, I don't have anything interesting to write about...unless y'all want to hear about cleaning houses and washing saris to sew into skirts....so I just compiled a wish list for my birthday (which is coming up in three and a half weeks!), and going off to college (just 11 days away!!!).  Some of these are serious, others are just for humor.

• American Duchess shoes, size 7.5. 

They would look so cute with anything from slacks to jeans to modern skirts and dresses!  Besides, I wouldn't have to hide my feet any more when I wear my Colonial dresses....lets just say that Dansko clogs are not the most historically accurate shoes....  LOL.

• Brown riding boots such as these to pair with jeans and skirts (so for those mid-calf skirts, I don't have that awkward two or three inches of bare leg from the hem of the skirt to my shoes!  And I don't do leggings.....)

• Peep-toe shoes like these from Blowfish Shoes in black distressed linen.  I'd like a pair in white.  They look so cute with 50's dresses!

• A P-51 Mustang would be awesome!

as would a P-40 Kittyhawk

 

or the well-loved Piper Cub (same as missionary Nate Saint flew when he was killed in Ecuador) 

Or a F-14.  Or and A-380.  Yeah, it would be so special if I could take my first solo flight in one of these amazing planes.

• Dresses. I love dresses.  Like these from eShakti:

Or from ModCloth:

(I like blue, and retro style if you can't tell!!!)

• A computer (necessary for college!).  Just please, not an Apple or a Dell.  

• An all-expenses-paid vacation to Scotland and Ireland. Or Jamaica.  Or anywhere for that matter.

• Books!  And the time to read them!   There's so many books I want to read.  Maybe it's because I like history, or maybe it's because I enjoy learning, but I want to read so many of the classics.  I want to read everything from Jane Eyre to The Pilgrim's Progress to Mein Kampf.  And I want to read stories about flying.  

• New camera.  Mine died about a year ago, and since then I've relied on my brother to take pictures for me.  But my brother will not be around forever....and I need some way to not only take pictures of my skirts for my Etsy shop, but also to document my college experience!  

• Mexican Train dominoes!  If you haven't played this game, then you are missing out on a lot of fun!  I love playing this game with my church family.  We get so silly making fun of each other and threatening to never talk to each other again and telling the pastor's wife to be nice!  I've never laughed so hard as when playing Mexican Train!

• Vinyl chalkboard and chalk pens.  This would be so cute to put on my dorm room door to write notes to my roomie or to put schedule reminders to myself!

 

• A 50K scholarship would be really nice.  (LOL, don't we all wish for that!)

• Hats.  Have I ever mentioned that I do like to wear hats?  I think the 1940's pillbox, fedora, and newsboy hats are so cute, and I don't understand why more girls and women don't wear hats anymore!  Hats are cool.

• Customers for my business.

• Winter coat.  Mine's kinda looking threadbare.....but maybe I can mend it and replace some missing buttons to last this winter.

That's my birthday wish list, full of random stuff that I want, but probably don't need.

And of course, last but not least, my biggest birthday wish is for a wonderful birthday with my family, boyfriend, and roommate (who's birthday is the day before mine!  Eeeek!!!!!).  :)

Sorry for the lack of posts....

but I've been crazy busy lately.  There's a lot I want to post about, but needless to say, between working two jobs and running my Etsy shop (I've got another shipment of saris coming in later this week, so I've got plenty of sewing to do), I don't have much time for anything else!  So, please, bear patiently with me!  :)

Class Schedule

I am now registered for all my classes at Liberty, and, thank the Lord, I got all the classes I needed/wanted.  Because the School of Aeronautics is not on the main campus, but at the airport, I wanted to get all my aviation classes on the same day so I'm not commuting back and forth from main campus to the airport everyday between classes.  I've got two aviation classes, two Honors courses, and two general education classes.  And a flight block for actually getting in the plane behind the yoke and flying.  Total: 16 credits.  I think I can handle that pretty well, but I'm not sure how running my business is going to fit in.....

A random fashion question.....

What do I wear at college?  I just posted about this over my other blog, Old-Fashioned Beauty.  More or less, with a dress code that calls for slacks or pants or khakis, and a collared shirt, I'm needing some suggestions on cute, inexpensive outfits!  I don't want a boring polo shirt here.  Blouses are almost a must so I can wear them with skirts too, vintage style preferred.  Sewing pattern ideas are accepted.  :)

Doctors' offices are crazy

So, before I start classes at Liberty I have to fill out a health form and get all my medical records to prove my immunizations.  Sounds easy, right?  Not.  Turns out our local family physician doesn't have any immunization records for me.  Finally, we managed to contact the main health records office, and they found me in their system.  But they didn't have the records for when I was a baby!  So to contact the heathcare provider I had way back then, 18 years ago.  "Oh, if you haven't been in our office in the past 7 years, we don't have your records.  We throw all records away after 7 years....."  Oh really?  That's smart.  Really smart.  Then, hallelujah, we got a phone call from them: "We just found your records.  They were in a bin, ready to be shredded."  Phew.  Close call there.  Now I can prove that I really was vaccinated as a 1 year old! But now, I still need to get a couple more vaccinations and tests.  Did I mention I don't like getting shots?  I do not enjoy getting poked with needles at ALL.  Anyways, I'll be fine.  I think.  On a slightly less stressful note, I need to set up an appointment with the eye doctor so I can get contacts.  Contacts will be so much nicer than glasses.

On a different subject, remember those cute little duckies I posted a picture of?  Well, we only have one of the original six left, thanks to our dog, cat, or a chicken hawk or coyote.  Poor little ducky is sitting a box on our porch now, squeaking because he's lonely.  :(

Instead of complaining....

I'm going to be thankful.  It's been a stressful week.  I've worked every night this week, and had a 5-hour cleaning job yesterday, and I've got to go to work again tonight.  Add in searching for and filling out applications for student loans......I'm one cranky person right now.  So as I tiredly scrounged around for something to eat for lunch, I thought about posting on this blog, and as I thought about what to write about, only lots of whining and "I'm so tired" complaining came to mind.  But then I realized I need to stop.  Now.  What about all the good that happening in my life right now?  So, here's some things I thought of that I can give thanks for, even if they are seemingly small in the big picture of life.

My duckies.  They might be stinky and messing, and I might hate having to get them from their stinky, messy cage to feed them, water them, and let them go for a swim in the blue plastic kiddie pool.  But they are so funny!  I love giving them a "shower" by spraying the water hose on them.  They stand on tip-toe and point their beaks into the water, making little cheeping noises the whole time.

The kittens.  Ulrich and Mitzie are so fun to watch while they chase each other around my bedroom.  It's hilarious how they'll hide under my bed and when I unsuspectingly walk close by, they jump onto my feet.  The way I scream is probably even funnier though.  :D

My dad.  I'm grateful for his help with the loans and everything.  I'd be lost without his advice.  And I'm thankful for him being willing to have him and Mom co-sign so I could get a better interest rate.  

My mom.  She took my skirts that I sewed to the Farmer's Market today.  I may have only sold one, but at least I sold one at all!  I'm hopeful that my business will take off.  So I'm thankful that she willingly took my skirts and business cards.  And I'm thankful for that one skirt that sold.  

My work.  I may be so tired and stressed out, but I really should be grateful for the money I'm earning.  It's God's means of providing for me and for my school.  And there are times I get irritated with some of my co-workers *clears throat* but they really are great.  I'm thankful for their friendships.  And they do make me laugh......so hard I've got tears running down my face.  

My God.  God is so good to me, and I'm so thankful that I can call Him my God, my Father, my Savior.  He's not just out there somewhere, not taking an interest in the affairs of men.  He not only cares about man-kind, but He cares about *me*.  I don't deserve it, but He still loves me.   Even when I'm an ungrateful, whining, complaining brat.  I really don't thank Him enough.


P.S.  Photos courtesy of my brother.  Check his other pictures out at:  www.flickr.com/photos/notaperfectpilot!

Putting my trust in God

A major part of my journey through college is learning to trust God, mostly in financial matters.  Trust is harder than it sounds.  Just think about it for a second.  It's easy to "trust" God when everything is going just fine, and I can see how God is providing for me.  But the second that something doesn't seem to be working out, I start questioning if God really cares about me, wondering how this is going to work out.  But is that trust?  A real casting of my burdens on Him?  I don't think so.  Trust means that I need to be confident that He will provide for me in His way, in His time, even when I don't seem to understand how He's going to do it.  Trust means that I need to be willing to take whatever He gives me without complaining, even if I don't like it.  I need to be filled with the realization that He does what is truly best for me, even though I don't see how it can possibly be for my good.  That is trust.  It's not easy.  I'm slowly learning, but it is slow.  Sometimes I think I've learned my lesson, and that now I am trusting God, but then I start doubting and questioning all over again.  I think this is going to be something I will probably be struggling with for the rest of my life.  But that's okay, because God is sanctifying me through this.

Philippians 4:6:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Matthew 6:34:  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.