Today is a special day for several reasons: 

1. It is my 31st birthday. 
2. It is the official start date of my new and beautifully amazing job.
3. I spent the day meeting a great group of co-workers while traveling across the country in an unexpected training trip to the Pacific Northwest. (!!!)
4. I have the privilege of sharing this day with the honorable Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

As I write this, there are 10 minutes left of West Coast time on my birthday. In these last moments of the day, I thought I’d share a quick list of 31 things I’m celebrating and/or thankful for right now. So without further ado, here goes … 

My “Celebrating 31” List:

• A beautiful children’s book on peace my friend Katy gave to me. 
• Laughter.
• Access to water. 
• Food, shelter, and clothing.
• A heart that breaks for redemption and peace.
• A voice that loves to sing worship to Jesus.
• Follow Me to Freedom, a cool book by Shane Claiborne and John M. Perkins that Kirk gave me for Christmas.
• My silver butterfly ring, another Christmas gift from Kirkum.
• The chance to work for an amazing company with an incredible mission and a unique approach, alongside a group of truly talented, good-hearted, and enthusiastic people.
• Sudoku puzzles.
• Free wi-fi.
• Quiet moments.
• My 2010 Moleskine notebook planner.
• Text messaging.
• My nonviolence mentors over this past year: Gandhi, MLKJ, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and John Dear.
• Grits.
• My MSFL cohort at Spring Arbor.
• My spiritual director and my Audire supervisor.
• Prayer.
• Diva and Solomon.
• Kirk’s smile.
• Zoey, the white Jetta that keeps on going, even at 130,000 miles.
• Brother Merton, my vintage Smith-Corona typewriter.
• New glasses.
• Health.
• Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. (Great music. Check out the Once soundtrack or the new Swell Season CD.)
• Beauty.
• Contentment in who God created me to be.

Thanks for sharing a few moments of this special day with me! I’d love to turn the question back to you: What are you thankful for in this moment?