thanks for your abnormalities

Thankfulness. 

That's what today is all about.

I love the tradition of setting aside a space to be with friends and family and to remember all that you have in your life to be thankful for. 

Yes, I know that everyday you should acknowledge what you have to be thankful for, but there is something about intentionality that is special.

Intentionality changes lives.

Or at least, it has changed mine. 

I have blogged in the past about those significant adults in my life who have shown me agape love.

The ones who had nothing to gain yet made sacrifices for me.

I'm really thankful.

Consequently, I'm a fan of the collective intentionality that accompanies Thanksgiving.

Today I would like to set aside time and space to say a special thank you to my parents. 

They're pretty frickin fantastic. 

Mom and dad... you guys are incredible individuals.

You have raised me in a counter-cultural way and for that I can never thank you enough.

You have taught me what it means to be a strong, independent and determined woman of God.

You have not only shown me how to take control of my life and declare my own person, you have taught me how to do that for the purpose of pouring all of me into the lives of the people around me.

I kind of thought that this train of though was the norm.

Ya know, the giving to others both tangibly and emotionally thing...

it's not.

Yeah, definitely not normal.

A few days ago I had the assignment to give a presentation regarding my life and the purpose behind my decided course of study,

I threw it together quickly (because let's be honest... a presentation about me doesn't exactly require research or study) and then presented it to my class.

They were dumbfounded.

So many questions... people just couldn't wrap their brains around the concept of doing whatever it takes to love.

Mom and dad, thank you so much.

I am so extremely privileged to have been raised in such a way that challenges the status quo. 

So Momma... you are one fierce woman. 

Your strength and independence inspires me and Madison is so many ways.

You taught me how to throw the metaphorical middle finger towards those who judge.

You're also super feisty and sassy.

It's great.

Scratch that.. it's fergilicious.

You don't take shit from anyone and that's impressive.

Along with your incredibly strong character traits come incredibly compassionate character traits.

You showed me the meaning of selflessness as I watched you give up everything to be Madison and my number one fan and encourager. 

I watched you spend all day working with your students and was amazed.

Your day with them did not end in the classroom.

You built relatinships with them and poured so much intentionality and genuine love into them...

You taught me how to love the difficult.

You have this knack for working with kids that nobody else can handle.

I watched your heart break time and time again for the lives of your students.

I also watched you take that broken heart and use it to repair theirs.

You repetitively let yourself be broken in order to make the necessary sacrifices to build them up.

Mom, you're a hero.

You're definitely my hero, but I can't claim ownership of this admiration.

There are so many kids out there that have had their lives changed by you.

They are also thankful.

Well dad, now it's your turn.

You are the real Mr. Incredible.

You, like mom, have given your life to others.

I can't imagine how incredibly taxing your work is.

I did only a fraction of it for one summer and I can attest that it was completely exhausting.

The good kind of exhausted though... like the glutton for punishment kind.

Like the I've literally spent the last 150 hours with middle schoolers yet all I want to do is spend more time with middle schoolers kind of thing...

But anyways

Dad, Daddy-O, Paps, Mr. Commissioner,

you live by example. Words are not needed, yet when you give them they are laced with wisdom.

You also have this weirdly awesome ability to create absolutely crazy, unsafe, intense yet doable, competitive, wacky, and super fun games that somehow can be translated into this deep, moral and spiritual lesson. 

It's seriously impressive.

You should probably write a book about it or something.

#bestseller

Keegan and I tried that whole game creation thing once... we came up with "a head of lettuce".

#subpar 

When you are preaching, God flows through you.

You are extraordinarily gifted in the communication department.

Your words hit hearts hard and people never really recover.

Point in case: the fat cow sermon. ;)

You not only connect to people from behind the pulpit though, your counseling skills are magnificent. You can connect with people with such ease and people are quick to let you in.

The number of people whom you have impacted in your life is innumerable. 

We can start with this girl though...

your faith has impacted me in so many ways. Because of you I have a raw faith.

I'm not the pastor's kid who has all of the answers,

I'm the pastor's kid who knows that she doesn't know shit.

Well that's not entirely true... I know the breadth and power of God's love. 

For that I am so thankful.

Dad, thank you.

My parents are really special.

If you don't know them, you really should.

That is anyway, if you don't mind your life being changed in radical ways.

My parents are abnormal. 

For that, I am thankful.