Giving Thanks

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever." 

Psalm 107:1

If you are a Facebooker, you may have seen the people doing "30 Days of Thanks" where each day they put something they are thankful for.  I haven't done this on FB, but here goes:

I am thankful for a gracious, forgiving, merciful God that loves me more than I can imagine.  A loving Father who has so abundantly blessed me and continues to do so every day.

I am thankful for my parents (and my bonus parents).  I'm thankful for a great childhood, for strong values, and for the unconditional love they have given me for (almost) 27 years.  I'm thankful for Carol and Wade and the roles they have played in my life and the lives of Mom and Dad.

I am thankful for my brother and sister and the relationships we have.  Because I was the baby growing up (and Ginny and Robbie made sure to throw that around when they didn't get their way), I was always protected and loved.  And although Shelby didn't come around until later, I am thankful for her friendship and love through the years, through the good and the bad.  (Writing this sparked some childhood memories that are family favorites.  I may write about those one day.  You have been warned.)

I am thankful for my girls, old and new.  Even though we are not blood sisters, these girls know my heart just as well.  We celebrate together; we mourn together; we pray together.  We laugh, we cry, we yell, but most of all we love.  We've been through marriages and divorces and babies and deaths.  No matter how far we live from each other or how long it's been, I will love these women and be forever thankful for their friendship and love.

I am thankful for my health.  There are so many who are sick, who don't have the ability to get up in the morning and walk and talk and drive to work.  There are so many who have lost loved ones due to illness.  I am thankful that God has given me a healthy, properly-functioning body with all 5 senses in tow and working, healthy organs.  I am thankful for 2 arms and 2 legs and 10 fingers and 10 toes.

I am thankful I have a job.  Although it would be nice to win the lottery or make millions.  I am thankful I have the means to put gas in my car and pay my bills.  I will admit that I do complain sometimes about getting up early or having too much to do and not enough time to do it during the day.  But I am grateful for the income.  I'm also thankful for the ability to work.  And for the fact I don't have things handed to me without putting in the effort to get it.

I am thankful that God has given me a second chance at love.  God has proved to me over and over again that my will is not what happens.  It's His, and I could not be happier with the way things have played out.

I am thankful I have a bed to sleep in every night and a roof over my head.

I am thankful to be able to freely go to church and not be condemned for it.

I am thankful for the pets I have had and the memories made with them.

I am thankful for my love of music. 

I am thankful for the gift of laughter.

And, believe it or not, I am thankful for ALL of the trials in my life.  Some have been worse than others, some deaths harder to bear.  However, I know that each event has helped mold and shape me into the woman I am today.  I've said it before, but I know that the things I have been through teach me how to be a stronger Christian and a better woman.

I am thankful that I have so much to be thankful for.  My list goes on and on, and I thank God every day for that.

"How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you."  

Psalm 31:19