Yes, I know, I know! I didn’t blog yesterday or the day before, but don’t worry, I still am going to write about 30 thanksgivings in 30 days– I just have to play catch up a little bit. So here it goes:
Day 3: My home.
When I say “home,” I don’t even necessarily just mean my house; I mean my street, my town, my state. . . everything! It’s kind of funny because before I was born and I when I was just a wee lass, my family moved around a lot, but we moved here before I turned six, and we’ve lived here ever since. So I can truly say that I’ve grown up in this area. I’ve just recently started thinking about that because both of my siblings moved around for a lot of their childhood, and some of my friends moved here in middle school, but I’ve grown up here! I know the area very well; I love the feeling of being so familiar with where I am, and who lives in my town, and which places I go to. And then, there’s my actual house too. I’d never really thought about how I’d lived in this house most of my life, but it’s true. For that reason alone, I love my house! I’m so thankful to God for being able to live in one place for so long and to love it and love the area, and be able to grow up with the same friends, the same neighbors, the same stores, and the same parks. It’s really awesome! The only downside is I’ve developed into quite the homebody. I might love my town too much. But that’s okay because at some point I know that I’m going to have to move, and then I’ll be able to start a whole other adventure somewhere else.
Day 4: Trees
One thing I love about this area is all the tall trees. I love trees! I love the shade they give. I love the sound when the wind rushes through their leaves. I love the smell of fresh pine. I love the rich colors of the leaves in the fall. I also love the beauty of the trees when they’re bare and cold during the winter. I love the feel of smooth beech bark on my hands. I’m so glad God created trees. And I’m so so glad that they’re are trees where I live– and lots of them. One of the great things about this area is since there are so many pine and hemlocks, you’re always going to have some color, even during the winter. And oh how I love walking outside after a snowfall and seeing the branches heavy with snow!
Trees are strong. They’re fortresses of the forest. They’re sturdy and trustworthy. They don’t back down even during a storm; they keep standing. They provide a haven for birds and small critters. I guess you can learn a lot of lessons from trees. One of the trees next to our house got struck by lightning and a few days later the wind knocked top of the half down. It’s gone through trials, but it’s still there, tall and confident. Trees are courageous.
Just looking out my window, I can see dozens of trees stretching out to the horizon (the wonderful thing about living on the third floor). I wonder how I could live without my trees.
