Rain in February

These past few days have been very warm here. It's like spring is already here, and it's only February! Today, rain came instead of snow--another reminder of the warm weather. I did enjoy the rain, though. I am grateful for the gentle drizzles we got today. Also, rain often reminds me of two great songs that make me happy: "Singing in the Rain," and Coldplay's "Rainy Day".

Paper Towels

I cleaned the refrigerator to get ready for cleaning checks. Damp paper towels proved to be an effective tool to wipe the entire appliance clean, inside and out. Thank goodness for paper towels, such useful things they are.

A Hobbit-Style Birthday

One of my roommates had a birthday today, and he decided to do something special. After he was done with school and work for the day, he made lots of cake and bought lots of ice-cream to share with everyone around him. I called this a hobbit-style birthday because in the first "Lord of the Rings" novel it is revealed that when a hobbit has a birthday, they give presents to everyone. My roommate chose to celebrate his birthday with a generous act of service and friendship because he found more value in giving cake than receiving it.

I am grateful for my roommate's kindness, and that he had a very happy birthday. :)

New Quarter Designs

I took care of laundry tonight, and as I did so I noticed some neat new designs on a couple of my quarters. One was a 2010 Arkansas Hot Springs quarter, and the other was a 2013 Ft. McHenry quarter. It's been a while since we've had new quarter designs, and I like these a lot.

Vocal Sound Effect Skills

A few years ago I became very interested in contemporary a cappella music, so I started to learn how to beat-box. I went online to learn some basic sounds, including a vocal delay effect that sounds like a very convincing echo. Then, I just listened to music and practiced mimicking drum sounds. Since I've been at this beat-boxing thing for a few years, I now enjoy using it for a cappella music or even as an "interesting fact" when I introduce myself. I have a lot of fun putting smiles on people's faces when I make convincing drum and echo sound effects with only my mouth and voice.

Today, I am grateful for this random skill. I am grateful that I've been able to learn it, develop it, and use it to brighten someone's day.

Cookbooks

I really enjoy cooking, when I can. Cookbooks often give me inspiration for my next fancy homemade meal. One of the things that makes it fun is the fact that recipe books are not law books. You can follow the directions, but change what you want to to fit your needs and tastes.

Leisure Reading

Today I am grateful for the books I read for fun, for leisure. Like many other college students, I don't do this activity very often because of the reading and writing and other work I do for school, a job, etc. But today, I made some time to sit down with a book and read for fun. I enjoyed it, and I am grateful for it.

Ice

Putting the dangerous aspects of ice aside, I am grateful for its beauty. Ice is shaped by humans and nature alike to create beautiful structures and sculptures that leave me speechless. Another reason I'm grateful for ice: the exciting result of freezing rain. Again, I recognize the danger of such a phenomenon, but when cold temperatures freeze recent rainfall to the point that the sidewalks on campus are basically a giant, flawlessly smooth skating rink, the result is fascinating and quite fun.

Grocery Shopping

I am grateful for the general act of shopping for groceries. I can be quite resourceful about buying cheap and healthy food on campus for lunch and dinner, but it is very refreshing to have plenty of food for yourself at your own apartment. The grocery bill wasn't cheap, but it is so worth it to have food here, where I live.

My Iron

The job that is asked of and completed by a heated iron is certainly not easy. There's always a wrinkle somewhere on the shirt that needs to be ironed out. I am no expert in ironing clothes, but when I do the best I can, the end result is well worth the heated effort. Because it is always so nice to be able to have clean, warm, wrinkle-free clothes, I am grateful for my iron.

My Coat

I am grateful for my coat, which has kept me warm throughout the winter season so far.

Singing in a Tunnel

It is a local custom to gather under a certain tunnel on campus every Sunday to sing hymns for an hour. This is my third year in college, and I have never attended this weekly event. But, some friends invited me to go with them, and we had a wonderful time. I truly believe in the power of music, especially sacred music. The hymns inspired me, as did the experience of singing in great company.

Costco, and the like

As I was arriving at my apartment complex, I saw someone unloading food from his car. He clearly had a lot of food to carry to his apartment, so I offered to help. He had indeed bought so much food from Costco that it would take several trips to unload it all. The person happily accepted my help. Even with the two of us it took three trips.

The reason I am grateful today for large stores like Costco is not just because of the products they make. I am grateful there was so much food to carry because that situation provided me with an opportunity to serve someone who lived in my apartment complex.

Legos

I spent part of my Valentine's Day evening watching The Lego Movie with a friend. I love Legos. I have loved Legos for many years, and this movie did not disappoint. Those plastic building blocks were a staple of my childhood imaginings. I am very grateful for Legos.

Also, hope your Valentine's Day was a good one!

Dirty Work, with a Breath of Fresh Air

Today, I am grateful for the breath of fresh air I get to enjoy every time I go outside to take the garbage out.

Roller Skating

It's funny that I went ice skating a few weeks ago, and tonight I went roller skating. I am grateful for the fun I had roller skating. I became successful at navigating the circular skating track, and I am grateful for that progress. Great activity, good music, great people.

USB Drives

USB drive, jump drive, memory stick, whatever you may call it, I am so grateful for those devices that allow me to take digital files with me from my apartment to school and back again. It is so convenient and so helpful.

Making Valentines

I made Valentines cards a couple of times this week, and I enjoyed it so much. Like Christmas presents, I get at least as much joy-if not more-from making them as I do receiving them. Tonight I had such fun in getting involved with a group project to make valentines for some of our local church leaders that we appreciated and admired.

The Thought to Pray

I know from scripture and experience that when the thought comes to my mind to pray, I had better pray. Today, I was a bit depressed and I had that thought. I stopped what I was doing and said a sincere prayer to God. I am so glad I did. I felt much better afterwards, and I had a better idea of how I can rise above my present plight. I am grateful for the impression to pray.

A Clean Kitchen

There are things that are better and more fulfilling than a clean kitchen on a Saturday night, but in my opinion it is a relatively small group of things. I am grateful that I could make the time to do some cleaning tonight, and I am grateful for the fulfilling feeling of a freshly cleaned kitchen.

An Inspiring, Encouraging Concert

I am grateful to have talented friends, especially those who put together a wonderful evening of music and comedy tonight. I attended the concert to support my friends, and I walked out more encouraged and uplifted than I had been all day. Each song my friends performed filled me with more hope and faith in myself, in the future, and in God. There were many other events going on tonight that I could have attended, but I am so glad I attended this concert.

Progress in a Salsa Routine

Dancing is fun, especially with other people. I also enjoy dancing a choreographed routine. I've danced salsa before, but not very much. This evening, at a dance practice, I am grateful that I made great progress in learning a salsa dance routine.

Late Library Hours

I am at the campus library right now, wrapping up another round of school work. I am ready to call it a night, because it has been nighttime for 4-5 hours. I am grateful that the library is open late at night so I can come and work, review, and learn to prepare for the school day tomorrow.

"Make It A Great Day!"

One of the emails I received this morning came from my landlord. It was a reminder about rent. Yeah, the usual stuff, but the closing statement of the message struck me. It said, "Make it a great day!" I liked that statement a lot.

I have always given the usual "have a great day" statement when I conclude a meeting or a message. This alternative I saw in my email this morning is much more encouraging and empowering, I think. It acknowledges the fact that I am ultimately responsible for how my day goes, particularly how I feel about it. It is fine and good to wish someone a good day, but I think it may be better to encourage someone to make this day a great one.

Therefore, I am grateful for that encouraging closing remark in my inbox this morning.

Printers

I had a lot of things to print today, and the printers at the library did their job wonderfully. I am grateful for good quality laser printers.

Fellow Church Music Leaders

In my local congregation, I am one of the people who is responsible for organizing music activities in my local church services. This evening, I met with two other music leaders, who are friends of mine. We had a great discussion about upcoming activities, especially a music fireside for Easter. I am grateful to be able to serve alongside these great people. It is a pleasure to serve with them.

Marker on Marker

I learned something rather random and fascinating today. My job involves organizing library items, including CDs. Normally, I would work on another project during my hours "off-desk", but today I started to help out with updating CD labels. I was shown how to erase the fine-tip permanent marker ink from the CD: loosen it up with a dry-erase marker, wipe off the dry-erase residue, then all of the marks from the marker come off easily! I had never seen that happen before. Well, I had, but it never really clicked in my mind until today. Use a marker to erase another marker? Cool! I am grateful for this small "Aha!" moment.