And Be Thankful

The Thanksgiving holiday is a time to pause to be thankful. It is one of my very favorite holidays because I think that being thankful is essential to joy and contentment in life: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” -Colossians 3:15-17.

Since I live in a country that does not celebrate Thanksgiving (in fact it is on the level with Independence Day on this side of the pond), I thought it would be good to name five unique things about living in Cambridge that make me grateful to be here. There are so many wonderful things to be thankful for in life but that would be a very long list and since my blog is focused on life in Cambridge, I will focus on just these things.

(1) Cycling. I am thankful that you can cycle anywhere in Cambridge. I am collecting photos of all the unique bikes in Cambridge. You may get wet on your morning commute but you will not have to wait in traffic.

It was a wet ride to work this Thanksgiving morning!

(2) Kings Parade. Located in the city centre, I get to pass by Kings Parade regularly. It is a magnificent group of buildings that really takes your breath away when you round the corner and approach Kings College Chapel.

Gigi and Amelia earlier this week doing some Christmas shopping

(3) Living next to the River Cam. I love being able to run by the river in sun, rain, fog and any other weather condition. I also enjoy watching the rowers on the river.

My morning run on Tuesday

(4) Roundabouts. When we first moved, a friend asked me to name three things unique to Cambridge that I liked. I was really missing home, so it was a good challenge. One of them was roundabouts. I really like roundabouts! We live close to one of the big roundabouts in the city so I get to go around frequently.

Roundabout

(5) Food. England is not known for its food. We have eaten at a few good restaraunts and at several mediocre ones. But I enjoy the food here in its freshness and less preservatives. Good food is reasonably priced AND the best of all is that I have my groceries delivered to my kitchen once a week!

Cupboard

(5) It was a tie… Travel. I am thankful for the proximity and ease of travel to so many places. Flights to Switzerland were running at £9 ($14) one-way last week… that is less than a stop for lunch at a cafe! We did not go last week, but I am thankful for the opportunity to discover new places.

Switzerland

What are you thankful for about where you live? Or thankful for in general?

I miss being in America today celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends AND I am thankful to be here. I think that the AND is important because a thankful heart does not ignore or wish away sadness or longings but is able to be thankful even during those times.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!