Top

Christianne Squires is an intern spiritual director through the Audire School for Spiritual Direction and is completing an MA in spiritual formation through Spring Arbor University. She is a writer who lives in Winter Park, FL, with her husband and their two cats.

Join Us on the Journey

Currently Featured Posts
Search

My Backstory

Explore more of my story on my previous blog, “Lilies Have Dreams.”

Recent Additions to the Knapsack

A Prayer from St. Teresa of Avila

Christ has no body now but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion must look out on the world.

Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good.

Yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.

My Prayer of Mission: Isaiah 61:1-3

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Monthly Archive
Category Archive
Post Archive

Clicky

Monday
18Jan2010

Celebrating 31

DateMonday, January 18, 2010 at 11:45PM | in

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:

  1. The beautiful letter Kirk wrote and snuck in my backpack for me to read on the plane today.
  2. Good friends.
  3. My mom.
  4. A beautiful children’s book on peace my friend Katy gave to me. 
  5. Laughter.
  6. Access to water. 
  7. Food, shelter, and clothing.
  8. A heart that breaks for redemption and peace.
  9. A voice that loves to sing worship to Jesus.
  10. Follow Me to Freedom, a cool book by Shane Claiborne and John M. Perkins that Kirk gave me for Christmas.
  11. My silver butterfly ring, another Christmas gift from Kirkum.
  12. 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.
  13. Sudoku puzzles.
  14. Free wi-fi.
  15. Quiet moments.
  16. My 2010 Moleskine notebook planner.
  17. Text messaging.
  18. My nonviolence mentors over this past year: Gandhi, MLKJ, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and John Dear.
  19. Grits.
  20. My MSFL cohort at Spring Arbor.
  21. My spiritual director and my Audire supervisor.
  22. Prayer.
  23. Diva and Solomon.
  24. Kirk’s smile.
  25. Zoey, the white Jetta that keeps on going, even at 130,000 miles.
  26. Brother Merton, my vintage Smith-Corona typewriter.
  27. New glasses.
  28. Health.
  29. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. (Great music. Check out the Once soundtrack or the new Swell Season CD.)
  30. Beauty.
  31. 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?

Comment6 Comments | | | Print ArticlePrint Article

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

EmailEmail Article to Friend

« Noticing God in Everyday Life | Main | Interiorities: "Restore My Soul" »

Reader Comments (6)

Happy birthday!! :o) I love your list and love that you have all these beautiful things to celebrate. Woot woot!!

I'm particularly thankful lately for the ways in which I continue to see love growing in my marriage. I'm thankful for the ways God has humbled me and continues to teach and gently lead me.

January 19, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterkirsten

Happy Birthday! May you find unexpected blessings this year.

You know, I've been worried about Mirren having a birthday so close to Christmas and the holidays, but when I see you and Kirsten celebrate it makes me less concerned.

As cliche as it might sound, I'm thankful for baby sighs and baby cries and baby toes and the sweet baby nose. I've never been a huge fan of babies in general, but this one is so precious to me.

January 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterSarah

@Kirsten: It's such goodness to hear how love is continuing to grow in your marriage. It's amazing thing to discover how much more there always is to learn, isn't it?

---

@Sarah: Oooh, these words made me smile with gladness for you. You're a mama now! Such a crazy thought, and yet it feels me with a sense of calm for you. So glad you're soaking it all in, my friend.

January 20, 2010 | Registered CommenterChristianne

Hey my friend. I am just now getting here to actually sit down and concentrate on what I am reading. My life has become lets say "complicated" now that I have a statistic's class that is going to drive me to use some serious profanity before I am finished. So, that is what I am working on at the moment, but decided to give myself and break and pop over here before plowing on through this thing.

There are a few things I will point out that stands out to me from this blog.
First, the butterfly ring.........I remember we had a brief conversation about the symbolism of that a while ago. That is so neat that Kirk bought that for you. He seems like a really warm and thoughtful person from the things you have said about him. Of course you have expressed so many beautiful things here relating to God and your relationship with Him.
But, being the rowdy person I am, the things that stick out are the funny ones.
Free Wifi? Got it. Grits? Uhhhh Not so much. Text messaging? I hate it. I have completely banned Text messaging from almost day one. When I first got my cell phone, a few of my friends were obsessed about sending those blasted chain texts. I told them to stop then when they did not I had it blocked. That was several yrs ago and I am still text free.

You have named your car and your typewriter? That is funny. Do people use typewriters these days? I used to have a Smith Corona electric typewriter years ago and I don't know what happened to that thing. I think I will call my mom to see if she knows. If it even exists it is probably packed away somewhere in my Dad's outside building......no mans land. Snakes could be mating in that place. I never step inside that thing.

If I wrote down everything I am thankful for it would be an extensive list. I don't think I realize how blessed I really am. I think about the things that have happened in Haiti and it is heartbreaking. It has made me do some soul searching on what it means to have things I take for granted from day to day.

January 21, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterTammy

All of these are reasons to celebrate... but I already thought you were reason enough. So glad that somehow we stumbled upon one another's blogs. :-)

January 23, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterChristina

@Tammy: You're so right! We did have that conversation about butterflies way back when. I simply love this ring he gave to me. I like that it represents a long-standing conversation.

I agree with you about the many blessings. What happened in Haiti has made me more conscious of this, too. Several things on my list were birthed out of the consciousness that came from Haiti's devastation.

And yes, I do love grits. Only recently discovered them. Now I can't get enough! :)

---

@Christina: Awww, shucks. You're sweet. As always! And I'm glad we found one another, too.

January 24, 2010 | Registered CommenterChristianne

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>