Today I'm Thankful for Mascara

Yeah, it's shallow, so what? Some days I'm not in the best mental place, and it's a stretch to find something to be thankful for that I also have the energy to write about.

So, today I'm thankful for Mascara. Why mascara, you may be wondering? Well, I was blessed with very long eyelashes, however, they may as well be invisible. Blonde blonde blonde!

So, mascara is invaluable. I've been using the same brand since I was 13 years old.

Shallow? Yes. But it makes me happy and more confident and THAT I am thankful for :)

Today I am Thankful For Ms. Helen Eisaman

Recently, on Facebook, Ms. Meadows (a teacher from high school) posted this:

"If you were a student of Helen Eisaman between 1965 and 2006 at Tivy and you would like to send her birthday greetings or have a classroom memory about her please send me a message and I will be sure she gets them on the occasion of her 70th birthday on April 11th. Please send your birthday wishes or comments by April 9th."

I had Ms. Eisaman for Freshman and Senior English at Tivy High School.

Here is the letter I have written and am sending to Ms. Eisaman through Ms. Meadows:


Dear Ms. Eisaman,

Happy 70th Birthday! I hope it is truly a wonderful one. I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how much you have impacted my life.

I first had you as a teacher for Freshman English in 1992/93. I was a silly little girl and "the elevator didn't always go to the top floor". At first, we didn't like your class. We thought it was, "Soooo hard!" When in truth, we were just so lazy. You taught us how to use the library, which still comes in handy as a grad student, despite the internet. You taught us vocabulary and grammar on a new and challenging level. You spurred us to read (and love) the classics. You taught me how to write a good paper, which is the most critical skill I could possess in higher education.

I had you as a teacher again, my senior year for Dual Enrollment English. If my freshman year you changed me academically, my senior year you changed me emotionally. Senior year was very hard for me. I had been through some traumatic experiences and turned inward. I had gained a lot of weight and lost a bunch of friends. I was insecure and lonely. I felt like you took me by the hand that year, and helped me onto my feet. Through your support, encouragement, and care I found some solid ground to stand on. I started believing in myself again, and I regained confidence that I thought I had lost forever. That year you taught me something that changed my life forever: I AM INTELLIGENT.

Armed with that knowledge and the confidence to back it up, I have excelled in my educational career. This summer I am taking my very last class for my Masters in Literature. So far, I have a 4.0 GPA.

I attribute so much of my success to you, Ms. Eisaman, and the things you taught me both academically and personally. Thank you for challenging me! Thank you for being hard when required and soft when necessary. Thank you for being my teacher and changing my life.

All my love,

Erin Mallory Brownlee


Thank you, God, for sending Ms. Eisaman to me when I needed her most.

Today I am Thankful for "The Prayer of Jabez"

My dad loaned me this tiny little book this weekend. He said it had changed his life. It is called, "The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkinson. I'm sure you've heard of it. I had heard of it, but had never thought twice about it.

I read it all in about an hour or so and it really made a lot of sense! The prayer itself seems simple:

1 Chronicles 4:9-10:
"Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that it not be to my sorrow! God granted him that which he requested."

But the book explains the power behind those words!

What really caught my attention was when the author said:
"Suppose Jabez had been a wife and a mother. Then the prayer might have gone: 'Lord, add to my family, favor my key relationships, multiply for Your glory the influence of my household.' Your home is the single most powerful arena on earth to change a life for God. Why wouldn't He want you to be mighty for Him?"

It was like a light went on in my head. God DOES want me to be mighty for Him! It was so simple, yet so profound.

I have been praying the prayer every day since Sunday. Good things are happening already, but more importantly, my attitude has changed. I haven't felt anxious lately about the "waiting" I've been doing. Waiting to be at home with my children, waiting to have another child, waiting to find my...direction. I feel safe. I feel like all of those things ARE going to happen. Like it has been Decided, and I just have to wait to see how and when.

Thank you, God, for sending me that little book, and thank you for the peace it is bringing me!

Today I am Thankful that I'm Getting my Masters Degree.

Well, it has been a hard road. I started working on my Masters Degree in Literature at Texas State in 2004. I got in a good 6 hours before I found out I was pregnant and then another 9 before Mackenzie was born. That second semester was killer. I was working three jobs, taking 9 hours and was pregnant. I don't know how I did it. Tenacity, I guess.

So then my baby was born, and I took a couple of years off. I went back in the Fall of 2007, but toward the end of the semester my marriage was ending and I had an early midlife crisis. My professors were kind enough to give me Incompletes. It took me almost a year to get my life together and finish up those Incompletes.

So now I only have 3 hours, or one class, left. After that I write my thesis, take the comprehensive exams, and graduate! Today I registered for that last class, and I am so excited! It's not going to be easy, that's for sure. The class starts June 7th and meets every Monday and Wednesday night through July 8th from 5:30-10pm. I'll be taking a medieval topics course on Chaucer. Now, I'm not crazy about Chaucer, but who I am crazy about is the professor teaching the course. Dr. Morrison can make any subject lively and fun, and I feel so blessed to have her as my last professor.

My student loan money came through, so that part is taken care of (for now anyway) and my husband is behind me 100%. As I said in a previous blog, my parents have always encouraged and supported me in my education, and I never could have done this without them and their love.

There were many times over the last six years that I almost gave up on my degree. I was scared, overwhelmed, frustrated, etc. But now that I'm registered for that last class, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know that I will finish and I will graduate with that 4.0 I've been so protective of. Thank you, God, that I've stuck with it and that this time next year I'll be gearing up for graduation!

Today I am Thankful for my American Citizenship

Our government, is in my opinion, a complete wreck. Don't worry, I'm not going to go into a diatribe on politics, I don't have the time or the inclination this afternoon. However, at lunch today, outside of the Texas Union here on campus, there was a presentation going on about immigration reform. It got me thinking about how blessed I am to be an American. Despite how angry I get at politics and politicians, and despite the flaws in our system, this is a wonderful country.

We are free in so many ways that other citizens of the world are not. I can freely practice my religion and share it with others! I can express myself! Even when I feel like our family is lacking and broke, we still have food in our bellies, a roof over our heads, and clothes on our backs. We are safe from oppression, and the things that we need to worry about are a fraction of those in other countries. We have clean water and hot water piped directly into our houses. Our streets are clean.

The other great thing about America is Americans. Our country has a huge heart. We are depicted across the world as cruel or ruthless because of our involvement in the recent wars, but without going into all of that---America is filled with loving and kind people. Our country is such that it engenders creativity, inventiveness, and passion.

I could go on and on, but what I'm trying to say is that I know that I am extremely blessed to have been born and raised in this country. I think the Republican party sucks. I think the Democratic party sucks worse. But I think America is wonderful, because I can say those things freely! As long as there is freedom, there is hope that someday there will be a political party that doesn't suck quite so hard.

(How's that for eloquence? )

Thank you, God, that I am an American.

Today I am Thankful for the Current Weather

I feel awful today, and am at work. My brain is covered in moss, and my eyes are bleary. I was having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for today that I could be short and sweet about. The weather today is wonderful, in my estimation. It's about 65 degrees, grey, and misting. I love it. I wish I was at home cuddled up with a good book and a cup of great coffee, but alas, I am here in my cube. Regardless, I am thankful that the weather today is the way I like it. I can't stand the heat and I don't like it anymore when it rains, because then I have to sludge through it to get to my garage after work. So today is perfect. Thank you, God for today's Weather!

Today I am Thankful for Laurels

I have two Laurels to be thankful for today! The first is my friend, Laurel Kimball, and the second is the Texas Mountain Laurels.

Laurel Simmons Kimball and I were first friends about twenty years ago. Our mothers were friends, and we were both home schooled, along with our brothers and sisters, so we used to all get together fairly regularly. Laurel was actually closer to my sister, Heather, because they were closer in age. (As I write this, I realize they are both named after purple flowers!) A few months ago Laurel and I became "friends" on Facebook, but we have grown into Friends. Although we don't get to see each other often, since she lives in North Texas, we communicate almost daily through email and Facebook. She has become a wonderful inspiration to me, both as a mother and as a person. Laurel is the most positive, insightful person I know and I am so thankful that she is my friend.

I am also thankful today for the Texas Mountain Laurel, my favorite tree! These beautiful, fragrant trees bloom for just a few weeks every spring and make me so happy. The blooms are so pretty, hanging in their purple bunches like grapes. They also smell like grape Koolaid, and the scent is intoxicating! Luckily, there are several of these trees right out side my building at work. Every day I pluck a bloom off of the tree and bring it into my cubical. The scent stays all day and consistently brightens my state of mind. Although I'm not fond of the bees that flock to the trees, they keep to themselves and don't seem to mind me sticking my nose into their business. Now the Monarch Butterflies have hatched and the trees are made that much more beautiful by their presence.

Two purple flowers. Two things that always brighten my day. Thank you, God, for Laurels!