But it's Thanksgiving. And that means I have a lot to say. And a lot to show you. Fasten your seat belt - I'm going to blow your socks off! I have never uploaded this many pics to a post before ever in my little bloggy life. Thanksgiving deserves a little wow factor, don't you think?
I haven't been posting daily what I am thankful for, not even on facebook where it is so easy to jot down a little blurb. I have so enjoyed reading all the other thankful statuses, though. I've just been ruminating on all my blessings, enjoying them in my head & trying to order them up so that I can share them in a way that makes sense *grin* Here we go!
 |
| I thank God for saving my soul. I don't know where I'd be without Him. I have a sneaking suspicion it would be somewhere with locked doors & white jackets. For reals. |
 |
| I am thankful for God's Word. It is a treasure. And I am thankful for the many good books that help me to study my Bible. This year I read two books, "Choosing Forgiveness" & "Choosing Gratitude" Life.Changing. |
 |
| I thank God for Michael. I didn't know what this kind of love would be like, but it's very, very good. |
 |
| My family. What a beautiful, crazy, wonderful mess we are. I wouldn't trade any of them for all the riches in this world. |
 |
| Every once in a while I get a little panicked. The world is a disaster zone - economic crisis, revolution, war, orphans, terrorists... Then I witness moments like this - four little girls singing their hearts out with love for Jesus. And I have hope. Thank God for hope. |
 |
| Thank God for home. A place for the sunlight to stream in. A place to create - ornaments, sewing projects, what-have-yous... A stocked pantry with more food than we should eat. Blessed. |
 |
| Thank God for our truck. It was a desire of Mike's heart to have a truck. It was a need. Here is our answer to prayer. Thank God for meeting our needs & satisfying our desires. |
 |
| Thank God for my job. This is my little lab office - the laminar flow hood where I draw doses. I'm grateful I have a place to work & a reasonable amount of skill to do the job. |
 |
| Thank God for technology. I love my iphone. I love my ipod. My iphone helps me stay connected & entertained. My ipod keeps me company on the many road trips I take for work. |
 |
| Thank God for friends. And we are talking the good kinds of friends - the kind that will tell you when you look pretty but also tell you when you act ugly. Iron sharpening iron... |
 |
| I thank God for my health. There are days when I feel 'off' but I am a healthy girl. I thank God that I can get out & run & get this happy glow. |
 |
| Thank God for flowers. Their beauty is beyond comparison, and such variety! |
 |
| Thank God for dogs. Especially Coco. Where else can you get such unabashed adoration? |
 |
| Thank God for my G's. These two are cute, wise, fabulous, & they love God. Thank God for a heritage in my family that honors Him. T |
 |
| Thank God for a quiet place of refuge - our cozy bed. It's an excellent place to escape to. |
 |
| Speaking of escape, thank God for good stories. There's nothing quite letting the words of a story create an entire universe in your mind. |
 |
| Thank God for coffee & the gift of a coffee grinder. I love me some hot brew; it always hits the spot! |
 |
| Thank God for functional plumbing & hopefully the end of our disastrous sewer saga. I hope I have learned to be thankful for clean water & properly flowing pipes. It's not a small thing. Thank God for air conditioning. This old window unit isn't pretty, but it came with the house & it works like a champ. |
 |
| Thank God for the seasons. I like to gripe about winter. But the truth is, it if were gone for good & never came back, I would feel like my world was missing something. So I'm grateful for the changing of the seasons. I am grateful for the full color illustration it presents of the Lord's faithfulness. |
 |
| It probably seems goofy, but I thank the Lord for this file box. It wasn't expensive. It isn't fancy. But it allows me to keep my sanity in a clutter challenged home. And for that I am grateful. |
 |
| This is a pic of my migraine eyes. This summer I looked like this A LOT. It was hard for me to deal with. And yet I thank God for it because that crazy cluster of awful headaches caused me to learn many things about my God. He is good all the time. He will not leave me alone in my suffering. He has a purpose for all that He does & allows. He will provide what I need in every situation. And.So.Much.More.
|
As I was drawing up my list of gratitude, I had to include many more things...
*my church & faithful pastor
*my country - what a blessing to be free!
*opportunities to grow & be stretched - October Unprocessed & the Indy Mini come to mind
*music...it colors my every day, filling my mind with happy thoughts & drawing my heart to God's
*imagination, the ability to dream, pretend, make believe
*opportunities to serve, to give, to help, to live outside of myself
*safety from day to day
There's no doubt the blessings have been flowing down on my life. I cannot live one day without praise to the Lord for all He has done for me. And I feel challenged by all of this goodness. Did the Lord give me salvation so that I alone could enjoy it? Did He give me peace, joy, love, a warm home, financial stability, a family, & so many other things so that I could thank Him & then sit back to soak up the enjoyment? I'm starting not to think so. These blessings are not meant to make me comfy & cozy & set me up for a nice little life. No. I'm thinking the Lord has blessed me so that I can learn to share those blessings with others. Share the Gospel. Share the fruits of the Spirit. Share the financial blessings, the warm home, learn how to be family for someone who doesn't have any...so much to think about.
And finally, I'm thankful for each one of YOU. A big, warm, Thanksgiving hug goes out from me to you. It means so much to me that you would choose to read my blog - there are zillions of other blogs out there that are more consistent, more entertaining, that have better pics, more profound or funnier thoughts, & way better giveaways...& yet here you are. You're the best. Thank you.
And,
Happy Thanksgiving!
2 comments:
So SO thoughtful and encouraging. I enjoyed reading all of this. It is good to show gratitude and you did it in such a meaningful way. I wish I would take the time to put into really good blog posts so that I could have my thoughts and day-to-day life recorded. The days are so full and I want to remember every piece of them. Most of all I want to bring glory to God and I think you do that well through your words. It's edifying to read! Happy Thanksgiving.
That's quite a list. I really like how you added pictres of everything. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Post a Comment