Simple Joys

Today was a day full of reflecting and thought! Today was also a day of running! Alot of times the two go hand in hand for me and especially today because my training called for a 9 mile run. Yikes!
I decided I wanted to do a marathon about 2 months ago and I've been training for 5 weeks. The most I'd ever run at one time was 6 miles before I started training and that was when I was in a little better shape than I am now... haha. It's been an incredible experience already because I have tons of alone time to run and think. My thoughts today were full of blessings. I found myself looking around more than I usually do (mainly because I needed to take my mind off of "left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot"). I've been reading a book called, "Praise Habit" by David Crowder where he reflects on the things in his day that seem simple and ordinary and transforms them into a form of worship and appreciation for the blessing they really are. I listened to some good worship music and started to reflect on the things in my life that truly bring me joy and make me the happiest. Here are just a few:
-Sunsets and Sunrises
-Children
-Adults with childlike hearts
-Deep conversations
-Talking with my mom about life for hours on end
-Sitting in my dad's lap and acting like I'm still a little girl :-)
-Skype-Bible Studies with Josh
-Fellowship without masks
-Reading the words of God that fit my situation perfectly
-Quotes
-Driving by meadows and just taking in the country... feels so freeing!
-Baking desserts
-Art projects on my back porch
-Being outside
-Kayaking/ having "Barbarian Days" with Julie
-Roomie Hangouts
-Writing letters to the people I love
-Taking pictures of memories I never want to forget
-Reflecting on old moments (especially Wichita Falls ones)
-Playing competitive sports, adrenaline rushes!!!
-Journaling to Jesus
-Singing alone in my car
-Reading my favorite chapter, Psalm 51, and realizing that brokenness before the Lord is exactly where I need to be
-Music that brings me to joyful tears
-Movies that can get me so wrapped up in them that I feel like it's real life (basically, all movies) haha
-Seeing good in people that may seem unlovable at times
-Being with my extended family
-Watching a parent with their child and taking a mental note of how I'll teach my kids life lessons :-)
-Lunch dates
-Any water that I can sit by, listen to, watch...
-Running
-Watching the stars
-A nice, cold Diet Coke... duh.

That's all for now... these are some things that bring me joy and make me turn my face back to the Lord. My hope for this year is that I start turning my face back to the Lord more often. When my days get scattered with tons of homework or errands, I want every little thing I do to remind me of His love for me.