Days 21-30 of 30 Days of Thankful

Oh my goodness, it's so difficult to keep up with these...I've had them saved in an e-mail and didn't make it on here to post them!

 

Day 21 -- I'm thankful for growing up in a stable, not-too-strict, Christian home.

 

Day 22 -- I'm thankful to have a husband who appreciates and shares excitement for a lot of the same little things I do...like pears and snow.

 

Day 23 -- I'm thankful that we have the ability to provide everything for our kids that they need.

 

Day 24 -- I'm thankful for my fur babies...my kitties.  They're the sweetest little fuzz balls ever and one has managed to steal Hubby's heart (and he insists that he just isn't a fan of cats).

 

Day 25 -- I'm thankful for my daycare provider. 

 

Day 26 -- I'm thankful for cute things. 

 

Day 27 -- I'm thankful for generous people at work who bring in treats (like specialty bagels and cream cheese) to share with the our department.  Chocolate chip...yum.

 

Day 28 -- I'm thankful for our new family tradition of putting up our Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving morning.

 

Day 29 -- I'm thankful for 4 day weekends and at-home date nights on Fridays.

 

Day 30 -- I'm thankful for sleepy Saturday mornings in bed.  It's the only day Hubby and I get to spend a morning like this...though this particular day he is working.

Days 19 - 20 of 30 Days of Thankful

Day 19 -- I'm thankful for my health. I haven't had any major health problems in my nearly 30 years of life. My only surgeries have been c-sections and fixing my ingrown toenails. I conceived DD and LB with no problem and had healthy pregnancies. My little scare back in 2005/06 turned out to be something benign. God has blessed me with good health thus far, and for that I am thankful. 

Day 20 -- I'm thankful for the internet. It can be a problem and addiction at times, but it is also how Hubby and I met. For living several miles away from one another and practically driving to work together, just in separate cars, I don't think we had ever crossed paths. The internet has also helped me get in touch with people who I haven't spoken to or sending years and makes it easier to keep in contact in general. It makes my work a little easier. It makes Christmas shopping easier. It's a useful resource and it's strange looking back to when we didn't have it!

Days 11-18 of 30 Days of Thankful

Day 11 -- I'm thankful for my church family.  I've grown up in that church.  They've watched me go through the different phases of my life and they have been so supportive and encouraging.  I'm really thankful that my children can grow up in that church, too.

 

Day 12 -- I'm thankful for music.  It speaks to me in a way nothing else does. It's not the lyrics of a song that does it, though I do enjoy the words of most songs.  It's the harmony.  It's the arrangement.  It's the instruments.  It's the fullness of the sounds.  It's the beat, the rhythm, the phrasing, the complexity.  It cheers me up.  It calms me down.  It helps me cry when I didn't know I needed to.  It gives me chills.  It helps me concentrate.  I am so thankful for music.

 

Day 13 -- I'm thankful for the church choir.  I didn't know I could ever successfully direct or lead anything.  The people in that group are so much fun and they are so talented and make a wonderful choir.  I think what we present is God-pleasing and most of the time there is a moment in whatever song we're sharing that I'm moved to tears.  I've done things I never thought I could do, and several times the group as a whole didn't think we could accomplish a rather daunting idea I had, but we did and we did it pretty well.  Working with that group is very uplifting and we have a good time together.

 

Day 14 -- I'm thankful for our Pastor.  He's been with us for about 2 years now, I think, and while I loved our old Pastor, I think the new one has caused some necessary changes and he keeps us all in check.  I think he has facilitated a new life of the church and God is going to do great things with him.

Day 15 -- I'm thankful for the interim Pastor who stepped in while the search was going on for the new pastor and I was in the middle of one of the most difficult times of my life.  He wasn't around long, but every sermon he presented was something that applied to my life at the time.  I even asked my mother if she had talked to him about me because it felt like what he had prepared was specifically for me.  God worked wonders through him because when I was at my lowest, his sermons were exactly what I needed to feel convicted and start heading on the right path.

Day 16 -- I'm thankful for financial stability.  Hubby and I have both come from relationships that destroyed our credit and it's exciting to know watch things improve and help each other make it even better.  It's wonderful not to be stressed about money all the time.  We're not monetarily wealthy by any means, but we are comfortable with where we are and for that I am thankful.

Day 17 -- I'm thankful to be able to buy groceries and cook.  I'm thankful to give my family healthy meals that they enjoy...most of the time.

Day 18 -- This day of thankful falls on our 1/2 year anniversary.  I'm thankful to have a Christ-centered marriage.  It's difficult to maintain because I end up going to church alone nearly 100% of the time, but Hubby is open to discuss God's place in our marriage at any time and we hold each other accountable.  It's refreshing and encouraging and it makes me love H/him even more.

Days 8-10 of 30 Days of Thankful

Day 8 -- I'm thankful for our house. It's the first place where I've felt at home in years. I think it's perfect for our family and there is potential for expansion whenever our family expands. We have a beautiful large fenced in yard that's perfect for the kids and I feel safe here. When we were looking at houses online, Hubby pointed out this one and I didn't even like it. The kitchen is red and it looked kind of weird and it is a split level. I didn't want a split level. I agreed to look at it to humor Hubby and because my parents and daycare and the school are all within 3 miles of the location. I had no idea that it would feel like home as soon as I set foot in the door and I would fall in love with it immediately. We are so blessed to have this home. 

Day 9 -- I'm thankful for my first marriage. I think it was a mistake and it should have never happened, but if I hadn't gone through it I wouldn't have my sweet babies. I learned a lot from the experience and I know somehow it led me to where I am now. 

Day 10 -- I'm thankful for my ex-husband. Again, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have LB and DD. I learned a lot from the way he treated me. I learned the characteristics of someone I may not want to necessarily associate with and I learned what I want and deserve from my spouse. I learned about managing money and recovering from debt. What he and I went through has brought me closer to The Lord (after some major backsliding). So while I am not a fan of his by any means, I know was a significant part of the journey to getting to the place in my life where I am now. 

Day 7 of 30 Days of Thankful

Day 7 -- I am thankful for my husband on this 7th day of November, which marks the 2 year anniversary when we decided to make our relationship official...or at least realize that we both didn't want to see other people pretty much since the day we started talking.  Hubby has shown me that there are good men in the world besides my dad and that chivalry isn't dead.  If it weren't for him, I wouldn't know what it was like to be truly loved.  He's generous to a fault at times and he is amazing with our kids. I'm so incredibly lucky to have met him.

 

Days 1-6 of 30 Days of Thankful

Rather than posting these on FB where the posts will quickly disappear or be buried amongst many of the same kinds of posts and probably ignored, I'll post my 30 Days of Thankful here.  I have 6 days of catching up to do.  I'm always thanking God for something, so this isn't the only time I recognized the reasons why I'm blessed, but I don't publicly display my thanks on a regular basis.

Day 1:  I'm thankful for Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I don't know where I'd be right now if He hadn't saved me.

Day 2:  I'm thankful for BB.  He is such a good kid with such a sweet disposition.  I'm glad he gets to spend the time with us that he does and I sometimes forget that I didn't carry him myself.  He's sometimes not such a good example for his step-siblings, but other times he is the perfect example. I think in some way his dad and I wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for him.

Day 3:  I'm thankful for DD.  The first child I ever carried is the person who motivated me to fix my wreck of a life.  She's the reason I'm alive today and I don't think I'll ever be able to explain it to her.

Day 4:  I'm thankful for LB.  He is a blessing in another way.  If I didn't ever conceive him I wouldn't have ever known I was sick.  He's a follower with a tendency to back talk, but he has such a sweet spirit and is easily broken from misbehaving.

Day 5:  I'm thankful for my parents.  Despite turning my back on them in my first marriage they stepped up to protect me and give me and DD and eventually LB a place to stay.  They showed me what a God-centered marriage is supposed to be like.  They raised me in a stable Christian home and I wouldn't be who I am if it weren't for them.

Day 6:  I'm thankful for my job.  I feel like the powers that be have been extremely gracious since I started working there almost 2 1/2 years ago.  They gave me the chance to get back on my feet and recover from financial ruin.  They've trained me on things that I could use in the future.  I truly enjoy the work I do.