May Insta-Review

Instagram photos in the month of May (follow me on instagram - @melissamonte)
#montephotoyear

To see the previous InstaReviews
January
February
March
April

Gratitude

These past few months have had a lot of unexpected difficulties. Some external, some internal but it's made it difficult for me to sit and write. I had dinner with an old friend today where we talked about writing and the great things it does for us in our lives. And I realized how infrequently I have been blogging lately. And not that I have a large readership that needs to hear every thought (but thanks Mom for still reading this!) but it's good for me. Good to be vulnerable, to be honest, to practice writing and continue to develop this skill, and to just sit down and be still for a moment.

So in this season of difficult moments I feel it's best to just share a few things that I am grateful for in this season:

• I'm grateful for music and an iTunes account full of the music I need to move my soul. 
• I'm grateful for friends who challenge me, who affirm me, who sit with me in moments of silence when I feel too much, who pray for me when I text them, who give me hugs (even when they don't like giving hugs), who listen to me ramble on while I verbal vomit, and who would be there for me whenever I need them. 
• For hard situations that force me to rely on Jesus and challenge me to be a better leader. 
• For a church that worships in such a deep way that I can feel it tangibly every time I go. 
• For a supervisor who since day one was in my corner and on my team. Who told me exactly what I needed to do and was always my advocate. 
• For all my students - every single one of them - who teach me daily to love others as Jesus loved others. 
• For parents who support my ministry and my vocation because I know who rare that can be in my line of work. 
• For a God who is loves me more than I can ever understand - who is crazy about me and wants to spend time with me, who speaks to me and sits with me, and who has never abandoned me. 
• For a car that can take me places where I need to go and for a place of consistent safety for me. 
• For a phone that connects to me friends who live far away or who are far away for the moment. For text messages, voicemails, and phone calls. 
• For books and stories that inspire me and challenge me. For language that speaks to the soul in ways I could never really articulate and for the magic within. 

So for the many people and the many things I am grateful for, I can end this night (or start this morning depending on how you look at it) with a full heart.