Thankful

Given that Thanksgiving is just one week away I found it fitting that my first post be about what I am thankful for.  The below list is really in no particular order or format.  I considered giving you a top ten but that is just too limiting. If you find that more than ten is just too many for you to read, then feel free to stop at ten but you might miss out on a really good one later down in the list. ;-) 

Remember these are in no particular order but the top three are the three things that are always at the top of my lists of blessings and ALWAYS in my heart.

1.  I am thankful for the Lord and my faith.  It is truly unimaginable to me that the Lord knows me better than I know myself and yet loves me as much as He does.  I am not worthy, but I am truly grateful.  I also have to share that every time I think of this I remember that one of my most favorite people, Pastor Randy, (who you will learn more about later no doubt) always says that God knows you so well that he knows every hair on your head, even the gray ones, and loves you so much.  Remember that this Christmas season and you will feel blessed.

2.  I am thankful for my husband, Charles (you most certainly will hear about him a lot).  He is amazing.  He loves me exactly the way I am and I am not even sure I always love myself that way all the time, but he does.  I'm not saying that marriage is always easy but it is absolutely worth any tough times you endure when you are with the perfect guy and he is perfect for me.

3.  I am thankful for my daughter, Melanie (you will probably hear more about her than you care to but oh well....it's my blog!).  She is my heart.  She is just a bundle of energy and brings us pure joy.  She is currently three years old and she amazes me daily.

4.  I am thankful for the jobs my husband and I have.  I have been in education for 16 years and my husband is in the sports industry.  While there are days that our jobs challenge us we truly love our careers and are SOOOOO grateful that they enable us to make a lifestyle for our family that brings us so much joy and so many blessings.

5.  I am thankful for all the material things that we have.  We live in a nice little four bedroom home in Reno, Nevada.  We have all the typical things that many people have: cars, TV's, computers, etc.  We vacation at least once a year, visit family as often as we can, and make sure that every weekend is full of fun family time.

6.  I am thankful for the seasons.  I know this may sound a little odd but I lived in Phoenix for years and there seemed to only be one season there, summer.  There was summer in December where the days were sunny and nice and the evenings cool, requiring a sweater or jacket.  Then there was Summer of Hell where the temp never got below 80 and you had to break speed laws to get your groceries home before your ice cream would melt and your milk would spoil just from the fact that it would take your car 20 minutes to cool down to a comfortable temperature no matter how high you cranked the air.  Now I live somewhere where we have all four seasons.  In the winter we have snow and even get to miss school for snow days, in the spring you get to watch the flowers bloom and all the baby animals in nature are born, the summers get warm but you cannot melt your tennis shoes to the concrete by standing still for too long, and my favorite, autumn.  I love the changing leaves, the cool, brisk evenings and mornings, and all the traditions we have started for the months of September through November.

7.  I am thankful for my friends.  I have friends all over the world and I love them all.  I am at an age where I have friends from the different stages of my life and I love the fact that the Lord has placed people in my life exactly when I have needed them or they have needed me.  I love that my friends are there to laugh with me, cry with me, cheer for me, support me, pray for me, and love me.  I love even more that they give me the privilege of returning all those wonderful gifts. 

8.  I am thankful for my parents.  They raised me with morals and values that have served me well.  They set amazing examples of what hard work, perseverance, love, compassion, respect, and just being an all around good person is all about.  We lost my mom seven years ago to pancreatic cancer (which you will also learn more about) and my dad is currently battling lung cancer.  Hard times.  However, I am so honored and privileged to have had them for as long as I have and they will always be a part of my daily life.  Being a parent now I am especially grateful for the fact that they put up with me all those years.  I am soooo grateful they set such a great example of what parenting is, it has really come in handy raising Melanie.

9.  I am thankful for my sister, Tina.  She is my best friend.  It wasn't always that way but it sure is now and I couldn't be more grateful for that.  She is so good to me and is an amazing aunt.  We love her husband, Larry, too.  They live in Oregon but we visit often and every visit is a blessing.

10.  I am thankful for family.  I have amazing aunts, uncles, cousins, and inlaws.  We may not get to see them as often as we like but they truly bless our lives in ways that cannot be measured. 

Congrats.....you did make it through the first ten.  But wait there's more!

Here are just a few more things I am thankful for......

11.  I am thankful for sports.  Professional sports employ my husband and keep him happy.  Name a sport, he's a fan!

12.  I am thankful for the Food Network.  I love a TV channel that you can keep on all day and not see one offensive thing and learn so much from and be entertained.  Plus we try an occasional recipe and it is always yummy!

13.  I am thankful for reality TV.  I have no explanation or defense, I just like it.

14.  I am thankful for music.  I love to sing and dance.  I love country music, great messages and yes, singing would help me feel better if my dog died, my truck broke down, or my man left me. :)

15.  I am thankful for Starbucks.  I love them especially this time of year.  Pumpkin spiced non-fat chai latte please.

16.  I am thankful for my daughter's teachers.  They are amazing and she LOVES her preschool.  That does this Mommy's heart good.

17.  I am thankful for our military.  Not only do they protect us and fight for freedom for everyone but my dad was a proud member of the United States Army and our life was wonderful because of it.

18.  I am thankful for Forced Family Fun (FFF).  As a child it was game nights with popcorn with M-n-M's in it and rootbeer floats.  We are replicating and adding those to our family today and I LOVE it. 

19.  I am thankful for date nights with my husband.  Whoohoo for restaurants that don't have kid menus!

Well I could go on and on but I think I will stop at this point and just summarize by saying there are countless little things that make me thankful to God for the life that I have been given and the life that I live.  My Thanksgiving prayer is that everyone has countless things to be thankful for and while we cry, struggle, and pray through the tough times, we don't lose sight of those big and little blessings.  Take Care and God Bless!  Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!