30 Things that Make My Life Better

Categories:Mixed Bag
    I have never been more aware of how difficult life is than I am now.  I have people close to me who have lost children, who are walking through divorce, who live in the darkness of depression, those who have been hurt so deeply they lose all trust and embrace emotional isolation. In fact, I have been that person.  Hurting people are my people.
    So.  Every now and then.  Or honestly, more than that, in spite of the suck and the heavy, we need to savor some sweet. My life is better and richer and more enjoyable because of these rather tiny things…
  • vanilla milkshake from McDonalds (yummier than Chick-Fil-A and Bruster’s and not-as-bad-for-you, I think)
  • listening to my girls pray
  • a succinct explanation captured in just the right words (rarely happens for me…)
  • pee-in-your-pants, gasping-for-air laughter
  • an easy exercise day (not necessarily a light one – just one that’s not agony with every step)
  • small surprises (bigger ones tend to freak out the planner in me – that’s very sad, I know)
  • a big, Sunday meal cooked by my Mama (FRIED CHICKEN!!!!!)
  • people who know me and get excited to see me (as opposed to people who know me and don’t get excited to see me)
  • hormonal balance
  • dishes that don’t take long to wash
  • new episodes of Gator Boys and other favorite shows
  • good hair days
  • reading the Sunday paper
  • justice
  • new restaurants
  • the absence of fear
  • deep, deep needed sleep
  • adult Halloween parties
  • a good hard sob that leaves me with gigantic eyelids and a killer headache (not often, mind you – but there’s a purging and an honesty that takes place in that kind of cry)
  • offspring who wake up happy
  • returning home after a weekend away
  • naps
  • a completed To Do list
  • beauty
  • finding a recipe that I already have the ingredients for
  • contagious enthusiasm
  • planning vacations
  • Scripture that speaks right to my need
  • warm chocolate chip cookies
  • grace

I am thankful for my abundant life – an abundance of blessings and joys and smiles and belly laughs and tears and challenges and frustrations and freedoms and treats and twists and turns and surprises and…I am thankful for it all. But most of all I am thankful for Him who is responsible for all the good around me, for anything good in me, and for anything good that ever comes from me. He is Goodness.

The Beholder
The difference 365 days & Jesus can make...

4 Comments

  1. LindZHaselden
    December 30, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    Reading the Sunday paper…Do people still do that :)? But hormonal balance, a completed To-Do List, and warm chocolate chip cookies would rank high on my “make-me-happy list” too :).

  2. Danielle
    Danielle
    January 2, 2015 at 12:28 am

    Naps, hormonal balance, and finding a recipe that I have the ingredients for – these are also a few of my favorite things 🙂

  3. Martha Davis
    Martha Davis
    January 20, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    Cookie, I love this post! And despite what I have perceived and the obvious gap in our ages, we have a great deal in common. I was thrilled to discover that little surprise because I have admired you since I had the chance to spend a little time with you at a bridal shower given by the Lane aunts at Aunt Velma’s home. That day, I got the first glimpse of your heart and the young woman that God was molding. And I thought to myself for the first time that I wish I had a daughter.

    At this stage of life, I have never been as aware of hurt as I am now. Many of the same things you mentioned here but some that have shaken me to the core.

    Today, I randomly stumbled across this post and on your list of 30 things. And in that list, I saw the word “grace.” That thing I needed a heaping, Sunday-dinner kind of helping of. Thanks for triggering one of those crying jags that swells the eyes and cleanses the soul by dipping that big serving spoon into the bowl and bringing it out with grace overflowing.

    I have missed you!

    • Cookie Cawthon
      January 20, 2015 at 9:31 pm

      Martha,…this! Thank you for speaking life to me, encouragement, and the beautiful words of a kindred spirit. Thank you for checking out the blog!