Every year at Thanksgiving, our family tradition is to go around the table and name one of the things we are most thankful for in the past year. It's such a great way to refocus on the reason we are all together (besides food, of course!) and stay updated on what's going on in our lives. With a rapidly growing family that was big to begin with, I love hearing about the best things that happened in the last year and sharing stories of my own.
This year it took me a little while to figure out what to say. This has been a good year in many ways, but it has also been an incredibly difficult year. With a sad anniversary looming and the feeling of loss in our hearts, holidays (while beautiful) remind me of what we came so close to having but never got. In all honesty, this next month will be difficult for both of us.
And yet there is indeed so much to be thankful for in the midst of some sadness. This year, I realized I am thankful to be a part of something bigger than myself that came into my life at the perfect time. I am thankful to serve and be focused on something other than what's going on in my own little life and world. This year, I was thankful for The Good Story.
If you haven't heard of it before, The Good Story is a non-profit organization that began because two creatives had the dream to help missionaries across the world tell their story. In an increasingly digital, visual, and instant age, many times these brave people who live around the world are lost in their methods of communication and don't know how to effectively tell the story of the amazing things God is doing in their lives and work.
Enter The Good Story. 'Ambassadors' in the form of creatives all across the country volunteer their time and services to missionaries who need just that. They train people in how to write a newsletter using MailChimp, they design prayer cards for families, they take portraits for people who need these updated prayer cards, and so much more. I found the organization through my good friend and have never looked back.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to record a few training videos on social media and photography that will be used to teach missionaries how to use these forms of communication to keep in touch with family, friends, and supporters. It was a crazy few days of filming, but somehow we finished ahead of schedule. Kelly, one of the founders, drove across Virginia to help out and Matt, another ambassador, flew in all the way from Texas. I've never seen a little team come together so quickly and accomplish so much.
So today, I'm thankful for The Good Story. I'm thankful for the work they are doing and the needs they are filling. I'm thankful that not everything is about me and the little area where I live, and I'm thankful to know there's so much more out there than what I can say. For that, I give thanks.
And just so you can see how much we loved each other after just a couple crazy, jam-packed days together, here's our 'sufficiently awkward' Yorktown beach selfie.
