MOTh: Day 5

3 Gifts Acorn-Small

I'm really excited about today's post, even though I've only thought of one answer, currently.  I'm a big fan of acorns, you see.  We had this massive oak tree in our backyard when I was younger, and I used to look up at that thing and absolutely  marvel.  Think of what that tree has seen!  Think of the people who climbed its branches when it was young.  Think of the storms it weathered and the hot sun it deflected.  Think of the red clay it overcame.  Think of the tiny acorn from which this giant came.  The acorns that came from this tree would invaribly be the bane of my existance when I ran through the yard or when I was outside and hungry but unwilling to go inside (nothing is worse than watching a squirrel happily eat an acorn when you're hungry).  But, I'd always end the experience with remembering the wonder of the acorn.

1. I'm thankful for my faith.  The Bible talks about being able to do miraculous things with the faith of a mustard seed.  Personally, I'm never sure if Christ means a faith the size of a mustard seed of a faith like that of a mustard seed, but, for the purpose of this blog post, we'll just go with the common opinion of the comparison of size (because, frankly, I think a tiny mustard seed must have tremendous faith to grow into such a hearty, pungent plant).  Sometimes, my faith is so tiny it's invisible even to myself.  Sometimes, I fancy it's so big that I could fill houses with it.  But, mostly, I figure my faith is tiny-acorn-small, steadily growing toward mighty oak-dom.
2. I'm thankful for the tiny paper crane that sits on the shelf next to my kitchen.  I wish I had a picture of this thing to show you, but I don't; sorry.  This is the smallest piece of origami I've ever seen - probably also tiny-acorn-sized - and it was given to me by one of my students at my last school.  Written in the tiniest handwriting I've ever seen on the wing is a message: "I love you."  "Don't forget me, teacher," the child said to me when she placed it in my hand.  That was always their request: "Don't forget me."  It seemed strange to me that this is what they would ask, but, as I sit and think about it, it begins to make sense to me.  I'm not going to do them the disservice of trying to explain it, but I'm sure that if you think about it, too, you'll begin to understand.
3. I'm thankful for each and every square on my calendars... all three of those bad boys are incredibly important to my life.  I used to mock people who were so dependent on calendars, not because I could remember things, but because I didn't like the idea of being so confined to something like that.  I liked being able to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.  Unfortunately, that usually meant that I ended up doing nothing at all, because nothing got planned.  My calendars help keep me organized, so that I can spend quality and effective time with the people I care about, and that makes me thankful.