Blessing 6: Decorating for Christmas

I love Christmas time, the decorations, lights and Christmas tree's. I love being about to decorate and having to very helpful and excited girls to help decorate. Each year the girls gets older it is more fun to have the participate in our family traditions. I am thankful for the time I had with them tonight and fun decoration we got to do.

Blessing 5: Gods Reassurance

I love how God confirms within me that what He has directed me to do is actually what I am suppose to be doing. When I had the idea to list out things I am thankful for, not just for 30 days but for a year, I was hesitant, but it was a thought in my mind that wasn't going away. So I decided to start it but still a little unsure if this is something that was for me or was it something God was wanting me to do to help me have a stronger appreciation for Him. As always, God is faithful to wipe away any doubt.

Today's devotion that I read was titled "Blessed Beyond Measure" It was about how, as women, are lives are so busy with day to day things that we sometimes just forget to stop an thank our Creator for all that He has given to us. When we take the time to stop and thank Him and praise Him we are actually enrich our lives more and those around us. How it is good for us to make list of what we are thankful for so that we realize all that He has blessed us with.

Thank you Lord for your direction in my life and for always being faithful to give me that extra assurance when I need it. Lord, your love for me is beyond any measurement I can express. I pray this list over the next year will open my eyes more to all that you do for me. Amen!

Blessing 4: Safe and Uneventful Travel

Today we traveled back home after the Thanksgiving holiday. Needless to say after the REALLY long trip over due to traffic upon traffic, we were praying for no traffic today. Thankfully the good Lord gave us just that along with two girls who happily played together, watched movies and even both took at nap at the same time. Man, can you ask for more than that!!!!

Thank you Lord for delivering us safely home and for giving us a day of no drama and no traffic. God is good!

Blessing 3: Potato Soup

Tonight I get to have my mom's potato soup. This is not a big thankful item, but sometimes it is the little things we forget to appreciate and this is one of them for me. It is one of my favorite things my mom cooks. I am sitting in her kitchen now as I type this and I smell it cooking on the stove. Yum!!!! Can't wait until it is done and I will have a big bowl. :)

Thank you Lord for a mom who loves to cook and can bless me with her yummy potato soup!

Blessing 2: Being Content

I am thankful that I can be content with where I am in life and what I have in life. Not always needing and wanting more things. Don't get me wrong there are things I want or would like to have but I am thankful that if even I never acquire them I am still happy and beyond blessed.

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" Philippians 4:11-13.

Counting My Blessings - A Year of Thanks.

I have a had a thought in my head for the past couple of days. I have really been humbled by several things lately. Different situations that I have been exposed to that have really made me stop and think about just how blessed I am in life. I have also been praying and talking with God about somethings I feel He may be starting to work or reveal in my life or really in our life....but I am not ready to share these things yet. Still praying and waiting for God to confirm within both Chris and I that this is what he wants for us to do. So until then....we will wait and trust Him to lead us.

So back to my main thought of being humbled by what I have in my life. We sang an old hymn at church on Sunday where it says "count your many blessing, name them one by one....then you will see all that God has done".  I know I have so many things to be thankful for but sometimes I don't think that I really stop and realize what they are so what I want to do is a Year of Thanks on my blog. I want to list out all of the things I am thankful for between now and next Thanksgiving 2012. I am hoping in by doing so I will truly have a Thankful heart in any situation that may come, good or bad.

Today on Thanksgiving I am going to kick this off.

Blessing 1:

I am thankful for my family, not just Chris, Katie and Bree but for my parents, brother, sister in law and nephew. This is the first Thanksgiving that we have spent with my family in three years. We have been too far away in the past to make it, but this year I am thankful to be here. Spend time with them and just appreciate the time we have with each other. There is an empty space for us all now, where Brad is not with us, but we know that in spirit he was with us today. As we sit to eat and I have dressing on my plate, I smile and think of how much he loved mom's dressing and would always have two or three or four pieces of it. Thankful for memories like that one to help us keep him with us.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to spend time with your loved ones!.

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18