Thankful and Blessed

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It's hard to believe that it has been three months since I last wrote. Things have been crazy around here but since I have a little bit of down time today I thought I'd take the chance to be thankful publicly.

Above all, I am thankful for my relationship with a loving God who offers me peace in the midst of trials and storms, grace in my shortcomings, love and encouragement in my daily life, protection from this crazy world, and an everlasting life with Him to look forward to.  I cannot imagine living life without His presence, without the knowledge that He is for me and He is with me always. 

I am thankful for my parents for so many reasons. My childhood was ideal, I wanted for nothing --each of my physical, spiritual, and emotional needs were always met and were met with love, support, encouragement, discipline, hope, and laughter.  Now my children get to experience that same love and support and it is a blessing to watch.

I am thankful for my brother Brian and my sister Shannan.  Growing up we fought often and although our relationships today aren't what they could be, I love them and I'm grateful for the many memories we've made together.

I am thankful for Jason.  We have had peaks and valleys, some very high and some very low, and yet God is still working in us to grow us into what we vowed and promised to be for each other 6 years ago. I am thankful for the work he does for our family and for the way he gives so generously. There is nobody else who I'd rather fall asleep with and wake up beside each day.

I am so thankful for Riley ~ What a blessing we were given almost 4 years ago. Her personality, her spunk, her creativity, her wit, her imagination....I am amazed.  She is so smart and so funny and honestly is just so much fun to be around.  I am thankful for her spirit, for her love and trust in God, for her grace and patience as a big sister, for her morning hugs, for her made up songs, and most of all for her kisses and "I love you"s.

I am so thankful for Logan ~ It's hard to believe that I doubted I'd be able to love another child.  From the beginning Logan has shown us her own personality.  She is possibly the happiest person I know.  Her smile, laugh, and constant joy are uplifting.  She loves to dance and listen to music and she is starting to sing some of her own tunes! I adore the times when we are rocking in the darkness and she curls her head on my neck and I just listen to her breathe.  I'm thankful that her health is perfect now and all of our worries have been erased, God is good! I can't wait to hear more from her sweet voice as she continues to learn to talk.

I am very thankful for my dear friends.  I have some wonderful people who I call friends who have laughed with me, cried with me, celebrated with me, grieved with me, encouraged me, prayed with and for me, and who love me unconditionally.  I am blessed to have fun-loving, Godly friends to lean on in all circumstances.

I am thankful for our new house.  Our old house was just too small. We were happy there and were surrounded by great neighbors but having more space and being in a different part of town have been wonderful blessings for us.  I am thankful that we were in a position to afford this house and build it the way we wanted it.

I am thankful for my career as a teacher. I take my role very seriously and pour a lot of myself into the kids in my classroom. I love the moment when a child accomplishes something new, meets a goal, exceeds his own expectations because of something I have done to help.  I have learned a lot about life from watching and listening and guiding young lives who come from many different types of homes and situations. I am blessed to work with people who also love kids and are willing to work together to make life and learning possible for the ones entrusted to us on a daily basis.

I am thankful for my freedom.  I take so much for granted and I know that it is because of so many willing to sacrifice on my behalf that I am able to do so.

I hope that you are able to see how many things we truly have to be thankful for and count them all as blessings.  Happy Thanksgiving!