Thankful!

I read a quote recently that said

"What if God only granted us today what we thanked him for yesterday"

~   That has been on my mind ever since an it's make me really thing about "Thanksgiving" what it means, what I'm blessed with, and what an awesome God we serve. 
I keep a prayer journal and one of my goals is to thank God for 3 different things a day, I try not to reuse the same ones.  I mean honestly 3 isn't that many things to be thankful for.  Surely we could come up with more, right?
So I've been asking my kids to tell me things they are thankful for and it's kind of commical but many are the same as mine.  I think it would be fun for me to do a little "interview" with each of them and blog about it, so I will work on that this month...

Today I will blog about some of my Thanks... Of course there are too many to mention, but here's my goal of 10 --- here  it goes:

1. I am thankful for my husband - I couldn't have asked for a better friend and partner in life.  Will listens to me, supports me, encourages me, and will not turn on my or stab me in the back like other "friends" do.  He is a great Christian man and has come a long way since I've met him. I'm proud to have him as my husband and love him.

2. I am thankful for Jaxen - My firstborn, my only boy, and has a heart of gold.  I am thankful that he is a part of my life and I am his mom.  I am thankful for his love and concern for others.  He is an observer, he notices many things, and takes everything to heart. He is genuine and a great kid!!!

3. I am thankful for my Madilyn - She's my "middle" child and likes to remind me of it ;) - She is the best helper and sweetest girl.  She loves unconditionally and is always there with a smile and a hug! Madi is my girl that wears her emotions on her sleeve, she is a pleaser, and loves everyone (and everyone loves her)!

4.  I am thankful for baby Kate - Kate is my child that makes me pray for "patience" more than anything... but she also makes me laugh and smile a lot!  She is a sweet little girl, hilarious, and a complete blessing to our family.  Her personality comes out a little more each day and the older she gets will prove to be interesting what 'personality' will stick.

5. I am thankful for what we've become - Many young couples do not go to church and do not see the importance of raising their kids in church.  Will and I find this very important.  We go to Church when the doors are open, we pray at home, read our bibles at home, and work to make sure we have a "Christian" setting within our home. I am thankful that we find this important.

6. I am thankful for what we have - Will and I work very hard.  Harder than we want to.  Will works 2 jobs and I work full time too.  We do all we can to provide for our family and not ask for handouts.  We are proud of what we have and are thankful that God has provided what he has.  We may not be "debt-free" we have a lot of medical bills, payments, etc BUT we give to others, we give to our church, we put food on the table....and we work hard for what we have. ....HOWEVER, in the same breath I will say I'd give just about anything to be able to stay at home with my kids, but that's not in the cards for us.  We couldn't survive financially at this point so I don't concentrate on that but on what we have instead.  We feel blessed to have jobs!

7. I am thankful for our Church - We have a wonderful Church family they support us, encourages us, hold us accountable, and are a COMPLETE blessing to all of us.  We've had some bumpy roads recently and our Church family was right there with us through it all.  They prayed for us when I couldn't find the strength to pray, they cried with me, they checked on me and my family, and they just went above and beyond to show that they truely love my family.

8. I am thankful for a roof over my head - I love my home, not because it's the prettiest house I've ever seen but because it's "ours" and we made it that way.  We worked countless hours to get it ready to move in to, we work hard to keep it as nice as we can, and it's our home. I have found myself being jealous of my friends that live in new, big, beautiful homes and I know we'll probably never be at that point but I am thankful that we have a nice home, a great place to raise our children, and a roof over our heads.

9.  I am thankful for family - We are blessed with families that raised us well and encourage us.  My parents have showed me what "strength" is and how to be an example to our children.  My parents showed me what 'hard work' is and how when you work hard you will benefit in the end. My parents always treated each of us equal and loved us all unconditionally, and that's my goal for my children as well.
I am thankful that I was blessed with a brother and a sister.  Although my time with my sister was cut short, I am thankful that I had her in my life for 16 years.  I am thankful that I have a good relationship with my brother and we've grown closer over the years.

10 I am thankful for JESUS - seems pretty 'generic' but I end every prayer with "Thank you for sending your son Jesus to die on the cross so that we might have a chance at eternal life in heaven" I probably say it without giving much thought.  However, I cannot imagine giving my one and only son for others.  The ultimate sacrifice was given and for that I will forever be THANKFUL!

...funny how when you start writing so many things come to mind.  Feelings of being blessed, , feelings of overwhelmingness.... but when you look at the BIGger picture you are reminded that we just have many things to be thankful for.