Thursday, November 22, 2012

Lucky girl.

A month of status updates...

Nov. 1: I realize most of you don't care what I'm thankful for. I also know we should be mindful of gratitude everyday and blah, blah, blah. Too bad. Facebook is narcissistic at the core and it never hurts to remind ourselves of all the good in our lives.

On this first day of the month, I'm thankful for authors who say something that makes me want to be better or live more fully or think about something in a new way.

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." ~Mark Twain

 
Nov. 2: This sounds like I'm being facetious, but I'm really not at all...
I'm honestly thankful for the way Facebook has allowed me to get reaquainted with- and see the wit and foolishness in- old friends I haven't seen in a while or those I only knew by name only. I laugh so much everyday because of people like Kevin Griffith, Brandy Groce Pruitt, Jessica Cossel, Becky Ballard, and Brent Burris.
 
Nov.3: I'm thankful for parents who showed me how animals, both stray and pet alike, should be treated; for my 12 cats, none of which are here because I thought, "man, I'd really love some cats."; for my beloved dogs, Lucy and Willie, who have been my best friends for six years; and for a community where people know the names of most of my herd. 
Nov. 4: I'm thankful for secret-keepers, "good luck" text senders, surprise mid-race cheering sections, and for those who would've been there if they could have/I would have let them. Most importantly, I'm thankful to have been raised by a father who would've supported me and whose own work ethic motivated me to keep going and a mother who didn't get too mad when I told her only when it was over.

Oh, and I'm thankful I didn't die either.
Nov. 5: I'm thankful for the man and father my dad was, for the 30 years I had with him, and for the person he inspires me to be.

Love and miss you today and everyday.
Nov. 6: I'm thankful for my niece, Isabella Morgan. I love her little southern accent, one that seems thicker when she's doing pet voices. I appreciate her masterfully endearing combination of foolishness and thoughtfulness. I enjoy trading silly faces with her at Jones' as her mother tells us that is isn't good manners. I'm inspired by the way she'll dance, greet waitresses and store employees, and play pretend with reckless abandon.
She just makes every day better.

Nov. 7: I'm thankful for friendships in the unlikeliest of places; and for people who, by all logical accounts, I would disagree with on every issue, but who I just adore; and for those many miles away who still find ways, through letters, cards, emails, and texts, to make my life so much better.

I'm just grateful for the wildly diverse group of people I'm fortunate to call my friends.
Nov. 8:  I'm thankful for fireplaces and coffee. I'm pretty sure one of the reasons I sleep so little is because I'm just excited to get up, start coffee (don't knock Folgers...have you tried the vanilla biscotti "gourmet" version? It's delicious), sit in front of the fireplace with Wendell and watch MSNBC (just pretend that says Fox News, Neal Poindexter).

I thankful for little things like this that start my morning right...and for the great job I get to go to afterward. 
 
Nov. 9: I'm thankful for the relationships my sisters, mom, and I have. I honestly don't know three people who are funnier, willing to be more foolish, or with whom I'd rather be around. Trust me, what you see on here is only the half of it...we're even more ridiculous than it seems. 
Nov. 10: I'm thankful for Terry Staley. Because we find the same things funny, because we can acknowledge "it is what it is," but still have a lot of joy in our lives, and because we "solve" the world's problems every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I know how lucky I am to call her "friend"....AND that when lightning inevitably strikes me in that library office, she's surely going down with me. ;)
Nov. 11: I'm thankful for friends who know what 16-year-old Cumberland County Friday nights were like, who waded in creeks and jumped on hay bales and went roller skating with me, whose mother's kitchen I know like my own...and who have become even better, more authentic friends since we've gotten so incredibly old:)
Nov. 12: I'm thankful for those 45 minutes of my life I got back when I decided go ahead and turn "Magic Mike" off and not finish. I would one gabillion percent choose Conan over any of those fools anytime.
 
Nov. 13: I'm thankful for little things - whether it's a project, book, or TV show - that give me something to look forward to and make the workday more fun.

Sorry, Zach, it's not the UK game...new episode of New Girl and a checkerboard to work on tonight!

Oh, Nick, how I love you.
Nov. 14: I'm thankful for really pretty things that, when I take the time to notice them, make me smile. I'm fortunate to live in such a beautiful place.

Did you all notice the frost flowers this morning?!
Nov. 15: I'm thankful for Caroline Kraft...and Centre College for bringing us together. Who knew that the girl in pigtails (she had been at dance team practice) standing in Yerkes 306 in the fall of 1998 would be the same girl I would travel all around the world with 13 years later; the one people in Cumberland County would recognize in Houchens because they've seen her picture so much on facebook; the one who would remember Dad's birthday two years after he died; the one who knows where mugs are at both my house and my mom's; the one who karaokes 9 to 5 with me at my sister's wedding reception; the one who has enjoyed coffee with me at cafes all over Chicago; the one I absolutely consider my family ...?

Actually, I should've guessed it...the white, mid-calf socks and jean shorts we were both wearing that day had to be indicative of something special.

I'm thankful for best friends.
Nov. 16: I'm thankful for those kicks in the pants that remind me to get over myself. Situations may suck, but I can choose to not have pity parties.
...
And for homemade bread and the perfect cup of coffee.
...
I realize those make no sense together.

Nov. 17: I'm thankful for authors/books that have inspired me this year to try more, work harder, laugh more often, or take more time to self-reflect, but not take myself too seriously.
Nov. 18: I'm thankful for wonderful in-laws-by-extension. My sisters have happy lives, supported and loved by great guys with families who have opened their arms to all the Turners. I'm glad to be tied to the Morgans and the Edwards.

Plus, they sure can dance.
Nov. 19: I'm thankful to have grown up on such a beautiful farm and to still feel so content and in awe when I walk it now.
Nov. 20: I'm thankful for those memories that keep me from being bitter about waking up at 3:30 am fairly often. Thanks, CLT, for beating and banging around the kitchen in the pre-dawn hours nearly every morning. I'm pretty sure: 1) those are the best biscuits and gravy and eggs I'll ever eat. 2) JNT did a lot of cussing under her breath between 4-6 am.
Nov. 21: I've never understood the "I'm glad [insert bad thing] happened because I learned [xyz] or it led me to [xyz]" mantra. I can't think of one bad or sad thing that has happened to me that I'm glad about; that would seem to give that person or that circumstance too much power. What I am grateful for, though, is self-respect and strength, products of growing up in a household where I saw it and where it was expected, that allows me to not stay bitter; to still see potential; to laugh at those people who foolishly ran from awesomeness.;) That's right; I am apparently incredibly arrogant at 5 am.

I'm grateful for pride, and "not like the kind in the bible that turns you bad." (And as always, I'm grateful for the Avett Brothers;))
Nov. 22: I'm thankful for thoughtfulness without motive; for kindness shown to those who don't see it very often; for unexpected stories that brighten my day and make me so very proud; for a mother who happens to be the best person I know.
Yesterday, a woman in the library and I were talking about elementary schools. One of the first things she said was, "I remember picking kids up from school and seeing your mother stand at the buses and hug every child and tell them she loved them. That was probably the only time of the day that a lot of those kids heard that." It almost makes me cry even typing it on here. I know we joke and make fun of each other on here, but I hope everyone knows how proud I am to be Jackie Turner's daughter. 
Happy thanksgiving, all.

4 comments:

  1. Happy Thanksgiving to you, Liza! I am so thankful to be able to say my life is full of love and joy because of three wonderful thoughtful daughters. You, Leigh Ann and Adrienne are and always will be my source of love, strength and courage. Each of you have shown me how to live life to the fullest. You have also shown me that life goes on no matter how difficult the circumstances. (BTW...we can laugh and cry with the best of them) We truly are so very fortunate.

    Lots of Love,
    Mom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Quit saying things so perfectly, Mom, so I can formulate a response better than "ditto.":) YOU do all of those same things for us. Love you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Liza (and Jackie) - November 22's entry is just the sweetest thing. Jackie, you are quite a lady!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, we think YOU are quite the lady:) xoxo

    ReplyDelete