Thankful Thursday 🍂

Thankful Thursday 🍂

The Little Things Are Adding Up

Tuesday, we talked about the people we can overlook. The roles we don’t fully understand. The things we get used to receiving without always noticing the hands behind them.

Well… I’ve been paying attention. 🧡

And this week, there is plenty to notice.

My village has shown up like mad for The Twisted Compass. Sharing posts, telling people, passing this little corner of my heart around like something worth keeping.

I see you.

Every time you share something I’ve made or written, you’re giving it a little room in your own circle. You’re saying, “Here, take a look at what my friend is doing.”

That means something. Especially when you’re building a thing you love and still figuring out all the buttons. So. Many. Buttons. 😂

And I’m noticing the good at work, too.

Work partners who keep showing up, supporting our mission, and helping us move forward.

A team that takes the ball and runs with it. The taskmasters who follow through, keep things moving, and strive for excellence. The people who remember the details, ask the next question, and care enough to get it right.

Ideas are wonderful. People who help turn them into something that actually works? I am thankful for those people.

And an administration that sees us—our work, our efforts, and what we bring to the table. Being trusted, supported, and appreciated matters. It makes a difference in how we carry the responsibilities we’ve been given.

Tuesday’s thought follows me here, too: it’s easy to get accustomed to dependable people. To count on them so often that we forget to tell them how much they count.

I don’t want their faithfulness to become invisible just because it’s familiar.

So, to the people beside me doing the work and supporting our mission: I see you, and I appreciate you.

Then there’s Mike and the peanut gochujang ramen skillet.

The man loves it. And, well… what’s not to love?

There’s something deeply satisfying about feeding your people and watching them enjoy it. A skillet of dinner becomes one more little reminder that there is good happening right here, in the middle of an ordinary evening.

Apparently, some of mine comes with noodles.

And my home. Oh, I love my home.

Peace is abundant here, and I don’t want to get so used to that gift that I forget to be thankful for it.

A place to exhale. To settle in. To be with my people. A place where I can look around and think, I am so glad to be here.

There are plenty of things on the to-do list. There probably always will be. But I don’t need everything finished to appreciate the life happening in these rooms.

And then… fall.

I can feel it. It is glorious. 🍂

Yes, we’re in Florida. Yes, the afternoon may still have entirely different plans. Let me have my moment.

There’s a little something in the air that makes me want to linger outside. Take another breath. Pay attention to the season changing, even if it’s doing so very quietly and wearing flip-flops.

Earlier this week, I challenged myself to collect the little gifts. Write them down. Notice what I might otherwise hurry past.

Here are a few of mine: a village that shows up, work partners who care, a team that follows through, leadership that supports us, a husband happy about supper, a home full of peace, and the first little hints of fall.

Writing them down makes me realize how much an ordinary week can hold.

Everything doesn’t have to be great for it to be a great day.

And when someone has helped make it good? I want to remember to tell them.

🧭 Compass Heading

Notice the good. Thank the people.

🧭 Bearing

Before this day is over, tell someone one specific thing you appreciate about them. Let them know you saw it.

🧭 Compass Thought

Hebrews reminds us that God remembers the love His people show through serving others. That encourages me to pay closer attention, too—to the effort behind the help, the care behind the follow-through, and the people who keep showing up.

Gratitude is worth saying out loud.

📖 Compass Verse

“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

— Hebrews 6:10, NASB 1995

🙏 Compass Prayer

Lord, thank You for the good tucked into these ordinary days. For people who show up, partners who care about the work, and leaders who encourage and support us. For meals we get to share, peace at home, and little changes in the air that invite us to pause. Help me notice the hands behind the kindness and be generous with my thanks. Keep me from becoming so familiar with Your gifts that I forget how precious they are. Help me show up for others with that same care. In Jesus’ name, amen.

With a grateful heart and probably another bowl of noodles - find your way home.

~Karen 🧡

The Twisted Compass

Notice More. Love Well. Gather Often.