30 Days of Thankful: Day 11

Today I am thankful for the country that I live in, the freedoms that I have, and the men and women who have served this country to make it all possible.

I can only imagine what it would be like to live in a war-torn country, an impoverished third-world country, or under a dictatorship or some other restrictive type of rule/government. All I have ever known is the freedom I have to live how I want, work the job(s) I want, worship how I want, and to speak freely about my opinions and desires.

I hope that our country will continue the proud  tradition of allowing its citizens to live with the freedoms that our forefathers established and that our current soldiers and veterans have and continue to fight for. 

Thank you for your sacrifices veterans.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 10

Today I am thankful that I am an Aunt.

I am hopeful that there will be many more additions to my niece/nephew columns in the future, but for now I am excited about my new niece Sutton Grace.

She is the daughter of my brother and his wife. She has beautiful dark hair just like Claire did when she arrived, dimples, gloriously chubby baby cheeks, and looks so much like the perfect combination of David and Ashley.

I haven't even gotten to meet her or hold her, but just seeing pictures of her sweet face melts my heart. It is amazing how much love you can have for a practical stranger when they are family. I can't wait for my chance to get to know her. I am pretty new at being an aunt, but I am super excited about the prospects. Hopefully I won't disappoint.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 9

Today I am thankful for my big brother: David.

He has a huge personality and he has an even bigger heart. I love how generous and caring my brother is. He is definitely an extrovert (which I am not). He was friends with everybody in high school and not only that but he still maintains many of those friendships to this day. I never worried about telling anyone that he was my big brother, because they inevitably already loved him and thought the world of him. 

Poor David. He grew up with two younger sisters. He didn't have a prayer. He somehow managed by convincing our sister and me to play army with him and help him out when he was building forts in the woods. I am sure we drove him nuts though. I distinctly remember several car rides where he had to sit in between his sisters while we had singing contests to see who could be the loudest - belting out two totally different songs of course.

David and his wife Ashley

Growing up I used to worry that David would have trouble finding himself because he loved so many different things, but of course the worry was unnecessary. He has an amazing job that lets him interact with people on a daily basis - while looking out for them financially - which is 100% perfect for his outgoing personality. I don't get to see my brother often, but when I do get the chance to hang out with him it is always a good time. I am so proud of the man he has become, the family he has started, the dreams he has fulfilled, and the dreams he has for his future.

Proud New Dad (Oct 2012)

So today I am thankful for my brother.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 8

Today I am thankful for my sister: Dorothy.

Dorothy has become this amazing woman. She is driven, passionate, and has a unique way of looking at the world around her. I am in awe of the beautiful person she has become inside and out. Not that I ever doubted she would turn out well. I wish I got to see her/talk to her more, but I am so proud of where she is and what she is doing. I would have to say that I definitely consider her one of my closest friends.

 

However, we didn't always get along as well as we do now.  If you had grown up in the same house as us you might be surprise that I am saying all of these nice things about her. We got into some pretty serious disagreements and arguments growing up. In fact there were a lot of household items that we had to replace because they got broken during our tousles. The turning point in our relationship was definitely during my last years of high school or even when I moved away for college and we got some distance.

My last year of college and Dorothy's first we were both in the same town at the same school and we had some really great times. Those are some of the sweetest times and fondest memories that I have of my sister.I wouldn't trade Dorothy as my sister for all of the riches in the world.

I am so excited about the next big things that are going to be taking place in her life. She will be graduating from her masters program and getting married all during this next year. I am such a proud big sister and I look forward to participating in each of these big milestones. Even thought they kind of make me feel extremely old.

So today I am thankful for my sister.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 7

Today I am thankful for my dad.

Growing up my dad and I always butted heads. I refused to admit it at the time - which didn't keep my mom from pointing it out - but it was/is because we are so alike. Which I am now not as ashamed of. ; ) My dad is such a good man. I was and am so blessed to be his daughter.

He is dependable and wise. Also, he can fix just about anything...or at least is willing to try to fix just about anything. Pretty much every time Jared and I run into homeowners troubles and we don't know where to start, or that we cannot solve on our own we call up my dad. And he is gracious enough to come to our rescue whenever he can.

I definitely don't have the same kind of relationship with my dad as I do my mom, but that doesn't make our relationship any less meaningful. I have some very fond memories of changing out the starter on my first car and coming up with doghouse building plans with my dad. He is a true servant.

Whenever I think of Proverbs I think of my dad and whenever I think of my dad I think of Proverbs. He is always my inspiration for reading in that book of the bible. One of my favorite verses to quote in honor of my father is:

          Proverbs 16:31

          (ESV),³¹ Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

I cannot say whether his life is righteous, but I can say that he has certainly striven towards a righteous life. (And he went gray pretty early...) He has an amazing walk with the Lord and such a humble heart. He has been an extremely effective role model and spiritual leader for our family. And so with that said, today I am thankful for my dad. 

30 Days of Thankful: Day 6

I am going to take a break from being thankful for family members today and write a post in honor of the election. I know everyone is sick to death of hearing about it--at least I know I am. Each person is going to believe that his/her candidate is the right one to pick and for various reasons. I think the person in the White House has a lot of say, they represent our country and its values, and it is important who we vote in, but ultimately in the grand scheme of things it is going to matter little.

So, today I am thankful that ultimately God is in control.

Do I worry about the future of our country? Yes. Do I worry about the lack of Godly leadership? Yes. Do I let it keep me up at night? No. Because ultimately my God is sovereign. He knows what He is doing and He is in charge. Regardless of which party is in control of Congress or living in the White House -- God is in charge.

Does that mean everything will be wonderful and rose-colored? Of course not. People are flawed and fallen and make mistakes. And those mistakes have consequences that sometimes many people must pay for, but it all fits perfectly into God's plan for His people. He can use the good and He can use the bad. His way will always win out in the end. And He is where my confidence lies.

Thank you Jesus for taking the control out of our hands and letting us cast our cares* on you.

Today I am thankful that it is not up to mankind because ultimately...God is in control.

 

 

 

*1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV), ⁷ cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 5

Today I am thankful for my mom.

I have such a wonderful, loving, kind, sweet-spirited, and Godly mother. She is just another testament to God's grace and mercy in my life. There is nothing that I have done or could have done to deserve such a mother, but He blessed my life with her anyway.

I love my mom. I miss her when I haven't seen her for a few days or had a chance to talk with her.
If I need to talk something out with someone and Jared isn't available...she is my go to person.

She is always willing to laugh with me, rejoice with me, cry with me, or just console me. She is so wise and provides such Godly and trustworthy council.

I cannot express fully, in words, the gratitude I feel about the fact that she is my mom and I get to be her daughter. And I am doubly blessed because Claire gets to have her for a grandmother. I love watching the two of them play together. It has become one of my favorite past times.

So today I am thankful for my mom.