just early prep for 'turkey day'

We've had a lot of grateful people down on the green lately. A lot. I hear 'thanks' more and more everyday....and it isn't just a slurred out, quickly and lightly thrown out thanks, it is a sincere, 'this means more than I can put in words' thanks. And we're just giving out breakfast. (well, that isn't all we're doing, I hope, : ) but it's all that it looks like we're doing) And also a lot of 'God bless you's ..... and I guess what I'm thinking right now is, He definitely already has..... And a lot of it is from those same people lately. And also, how differently God's blessing looks than...well, the world's view of it, but I won't get into that (go read the beatitudes)

I just wanted to say thanks. It's hard to be around so many grateful people and not have things to be thankful for. so here goes:

Erin, thanks for all the planning, time, money, driving and effort.....and definitely love that you have put into all this. It has been so amazing to have someone to scheme with. Hopefully we can scheme with each other in separate states as well. : ) (I'm planning on it at least...) You've been amazingly unselfish about all of it, and, yeah, well, it's been a good time. Thanks so much for helping me cook and do dishes too!

Barbara, it's been awesome hanging out with you on the green. We seriously appreciate your well-organized brain (considering that even the we Erin's together quite often forget detailed things....like forks, or plates....or something else that's sorta, well, essential : ) and I think everyone on the green is forever grateful for all the cherries and bananas that you bring(and the collective 'steve' too). You've also been so busy, what with wedding plans and work right after......basically you're amazing too!

And I also feel a huge amount of gratitude toward God.... He has provided food for us, friends for us, words for us, and love for us...... I have learned more than I think I realize from meeting all these people and the words they have spoken to us......and seeing God's heart in yet another place. You just can't get away from it, it would seem.
And I'm okay with that.
Sometimes what we do seems really small.... really, we're just feeding a few people downtown in a city of average size in a world with billions of people.
But Jesus is there.
And maybe everything that involves Jesus is really small in one sense......and also really large in another.
I'm perfectly content with small when I look into someone's eyes in the morning over a plate of pancakes.

I'm really grateful that we all got this chance to try and love people as Jesus would.

(Erin and Barbara, sorry if I embarrassed you, but it is true, you know. : ) also, I'm not really sure if anyone else reads this or not, so, there you have it. )