Did you make a list of 30 things that you were thankful for during November? Would you be willing to share it? If so, please post it to this blog as a comment.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to share the good.
1. life everyday 2. finding my husband 3. my life with my husband 4. my relationship with my daughters 5. finding a church and a pastor that I enjoy 6. the change in my religious beliefs 7. my grandchildren 8. good health and all my working senses 9. this beautiful earth 10. Joyce Meyer 11. being born in the USA 12. my friends 13. being the type of person that people want to be around 14. love 15. sunrises, sunsets and the changes in the seasons 16. freedom 17. memories 18. cameras 19. music/rhythm 20. laughter 21. food--plenty of food 22. time 23. the men and women who volunteer to join the armed services and risk their lives for the safety and freedom the rest of us enjoy everyday 24. teachers 25. faith-hope 26. caregivers /volunteers 27. the God given strength that it takes to get through the difficult times--financial difficulties, the birth of our first child with a birthmark on her face, a devastating tornado, cancer, and the death of my best friend and the love of my life. As I've suffered through the pain, I have developed a closer relationship with God. 28. heat & air conditioning 29. my natural talents 30. being able to understand the importance of being thankful and appreciative of everything that I have & feel.
Jeff, I am not going to list all 30. I had the usual wife, kids, family, and each day I picked one peson of the above to focus on. I added the following few random things on my list. 1. music 2. laughter 3. Colorado Rocky Mountains 4. The day I met my wife 5. The ability to think (which my wife believes is a limited ability)ha 6. Jeff Brinkman 7. my dad's theology 8. freedom 9. a $40.00 steak at Mortons 10. Allison Krous's voice 11. Grace Thanks for pushing me to think about this stuff Erik B
A MONTH OF THANKSGIVING – November 2008 By Donna Jones
November 1 I am thankful that my best friend’s husband, Ernie, has gone to be with the Lord and is not in pain anymore. November 2 I am thankful for beautiful fall days with warm temperatures, awesome color of the trees and time spent with my husband. November 3 I am thankful for another beautiful day and old friends. I am having dinner with two good friends from my early school years. One has been a friend since we were 6 years old, 1st grade, that’s 46 years! November 4 I am thankful that today is the end of a long presidential campaign. We are blessed to live in this country and I am thankful for the freedoms we enjoy. November 5 I am thankful for God’s beautiful creations. I opened the blinds this morning and looked out at our large backyard. The sun was bright red and just coming up over the horizon and then towards the back of our property was a deer. I love to see deer, I always send up a thank you when I get to see one. What a beautiful “good morning” God gave me this morning. November 6 I am thankful for my job and the flexibility I have with it. I work from home now and really feel blessed that I can do this. I feel like I work more / longer but I can run errands and take the dog for a walk and work in the yard and I don’t have to drive in rush hour traffic, so it all evens out. Another blessing is my boss. He was born the year I graduated from high school but we have been able to work together without the age difference coming out. November 7 I am thankful for a husband that is so “handy” around the house. When something breaks around the house, my husband knows how to fix it and if he doesn’t he gets on the internet to figure it out or starts calling people to get ideas or visits Lowe’s or Home Depot. He is very resourceful. Last night when he was driving home from work he called so I told him about a “little” issue I discovered in the basement bathroom. After some investigation on his part, he discovered our 10 month old grinder pump had stopped working and so ..you know what….was backing up. He was up to 3am working on it and left this morning with the old/new pump in the trunk of the car and a call into the vendor. I am confident it will be taking care of. What a great husband he is! November 8 Today I am thankful for friends and special events. Tonight we were invited to spend the evening with Hap & Susie Graff at the Hillcrest Ministries Gala and Auction. When we arrived it was like being in church on Sunday morning there were so many friends from our church. What an awesome surprise. Then we got to learn more about Hillcrest Ministries and the people involved and the people who’s lives they touch. It was a wonderful evening. What a blessing! November 9 I am thankful for our church, not the structure although it is very nice, but the love and the caring our church family enlightens the structure with. November 10 Today I am thankful for my husband, again. You see, 9 years ago today my husband proposed to me in a wonderfully romantic way in front of friends and anyone who watched channel 5 weather at 6pm. It is even in writing in front of Union Station on a brick. So we have now been together for 19 years. Although we get on each others nerves sometimes he is still my soulmate and best friend. November 11 Today is Veterans Day. I am thankful for our country and the freedom’s we enjoy because of our Veterans. Our youngest son is in the Army Reserves and we are so proud of him and the commitment he has made and continues to make. We are so blessed to live in the United States of America and are so fortunate to have so many people who make the sacrifice to protect our country. November 12 I am thankful for music. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was singing in front of groups at the age of 5. Music touches my soul and brings me to tears with its beauty and meaning. This time of year brings my favorite kind of music, Christmas music. I can never get enough of it. November 13 I am thankful for my brothers. I have three of them, all younger than I am. When we were growing up we were always playing, fighting, playing, fighting. I would have to bribe them with baking them cookies to get them to play girly things and to pick me to be on their sports teams. Now, we don’t see each other that much but it is always a delight to talk to them or e-mail with them or spend special times with them and their families. I am blessed. November 14 Today I am thankful for our home. Our home has been described by friends as comfortable and homey, I would agree. We have enjoyed this home more than any other. The back yard, which is huge, has been a source of entertainment just by the presence of God’s creatures just about daily. It is a constant source of things to do and there are so many places to sit and enjoy the view, inside and out. November 15 Today I am thankful for grandchildren. We drove to Tulsa, Ok for a baby shower for our daughter-in-law today. It will be our ninth grandchild. Grandchildren are awesome! We have had some wonderful times with our grandchildren and we have had many a conversation after they have left expressing our concerns for parenting styles and life choices of our children. Grandchildren will cause us to do crazy things like drive two hours out of our way to spend 30 minutes with them just to get a hug or stop doing our “to do” list to play ball or read a book. Also, there is nothing like getting a special card, art work or phone call from a grandchild to bring a smile to our face and put joy in our hearts. November 16 Today I am thankful for safe trips. We just drove to Tulsa this weekend. I am always excited to make trips either by car or plane but I always think when we are pulling away from the house, “is this the last time I will see our home?” This probably has something to do with why I try to always have a clean house when I leave on a trip….just in case. I don’t worry about it because I trust in the Lord’s plan for me. I just always send a pray up for safe travels when we are leaving and a thank you when we get home. Now if it is a plane trip I always say an extra pray when the plane is taking off and when it touches down. I am not crazy about flying but I love getting to places in just a few hours. We have been so blessed to see so many beautiful places God has created. November 17 Today I am thankful for my parents. They are both still with us. They have been married for 53 years. They worked hard when my brothers and I were growing up and now they are both retired but manage to keep busy. They travel some but mostly they stick close to home. They are always there when we need them. They take care of all the grand-dogs when needed, even when the need means more than one. For 52 years they have been only a cry or a phone call away. What a blessing! November 18 Today and everyday for the last 2 ½ years I have been thankful for our bed. My husband researched what type of bed to get for six months at least. He did good! I tell him all the time how much I love our bed. It is so comfortable and big. It is awesome! November 19 Today I am thankful for my excersie buddies. I am in the church over 50 kick boxing class. We have meet two nights a week since January. We have such fun and at the end of each class we share our life concerns along with a devotion. What wonderful friends they have become. November 20 Today I am thankful for God’s grace. I acted poorly today to a complete stranger. She started it but I didn’t have to add to it. Shame on me. As I was driving away I asked God to forgive me for treating her rudely. I certainly didn’t ask Christian like. It was hard to accept God’s grace, even now, I am ashamed of myself all over again but I believe that God has already forgotten it and has granted me grace for things I haven’t even asked grace for yet. God is good! November 21 Today I am thankful for my health and the health of my husband. With family and friends that we love going through illnesses we are reminded that we are so blessed to be able to do whatever we want with no limitations and we are on no medications. Oh, we work at it some but for the most part we are just blessed for our health and the ability to be there for our friends who need us. November 22 Today I am thankful for family. We hosted Thanksgiving Dinner for my husband’s family today. My parents came too. Two people drove from St. Louis, the rest from Columbia, MO (except for my parents who came from Blue Springs). It was really nice to visit with them and share a meal. It was so loud sometimes it was hard to hear but when we all gathered in the dining room to share a story and a pray it was just special. What awesome, special people we have in our lives. November 23 Today I am thankful for hugs. I got to wake up to a hug from our youngest grandson who spent the night with us. When we went to church I got hugs from friends every time I turned around. At home, I got a hug from my husband and more from our grandson and then our grandson’s Momma. I went to bed being hugged by my husband. I love hugs and I feel like God is hugging me through the people He has put in my life. Hugs are a blessing. November 24 Today I am thankful that there are only six more days of this exercise of thanksgiving left. Is that bad? It is hard to do this everyday but I promised myself I would do this for you Jeff. Some days are easier than others and I go through each day looking for the “topic” for this day or the next. I am truly so blessed. I guess I am thankful that this exercise has pointed out to me just how blessed I really am. You are so smart Jeff! November 25 Today I am thankful for my oldest niece. Her name is Amanda. She graduated from college last December and joined the Peace Corp. In July she left for Honduras. She will be gone for two years and three months. Amanda is teaching people in remote villages how to grow crops. She lives with a host family right now but will have her very own two room shack in January. She has chased tarantulas out of her bedroom and learned to wash her cloths in a stream. This is a girl who has had every comfort a young women in America enjoys. Amanda is my hero. She is so brave. I pray for her safety and use to these people who are embracing her everyday.
November 26 Today I am thankful for cousins. I have close to a hundred of them. My Mom was nine of ten children so there were always cousins. I have two of them that I am very close to. We have always been close. One is one year older than me and one is one year younger. We send each other silly gifts, silly e-mails and call to check on each other. One has lived with Lewis and I off and on for the last year and a half while she goes through some “life” things. We all have our own friends but when we really need to “let down” we will call each other and one of us needs us we are throwing clothes on as we make our way to their sides. They are like sisters and I am truly blessed and thankful to have them in my life. November 27 Today is Thanksgiving. What a wonderful day of the year. To me it is about slowing down and truly being mindful of how blessed we are. It is about reaching out to people, one of my favorite mission programs at church is the grocery sack “Thanksgiving Dinner”. The news broadcasts and KC Star seem to be slanted toward the good in people. Hugging family is a bonus to this day. November 28 Today I am thankful for our children. Between Lewis and I we have four. I have three and Lewis has one. My daughter has been estranged from us most of her adult life. Thankfully her daughter lives with he Dad and so we get to be apart our granddaughter’s life. My oldest son has three children, all by different women/girls and not ever married to any of them. Again, thankfully we are close to two of these mothers so we get to be part of two of these grandkids life’s. My youngest son doesn’t have any children (that we know of) and he is in the Army Reserves which he has embraced and has caused him to mature. Lewis’ son is the oldest. He has four children and one due very soon. They are from three different women but he has been married to the mother of all but one of the grandchildren. Well, one grandson is a son of his current wife, so his step son. We have stayed close to all the parents of these grandkids so they are all a part of our lives. When I put all this information down in writing I wonder why I am thankful for this tangled mess. I am thankful because our children still love us even though we were not very good parents at times. Our kids went through “stuff’ because of our choices and have hung in there to still be a part of our lives. They are good kids and we are thankful to have them “messing” up our lives. November 29 Today I am thankful for the season of Christmas. I love the music, the lights, the decorations, the gatherings between friends and families, the food, saying Merry Christmas but most of all I love the feel of God’s love in my heart and the hearts of so many. I’m thankful God loved me enough to send His only son to save me so many, many years before I was even thought about. Merry Christmas! November 30 Today I am thankful for our pets. We have a spoiled rotten basset hound named Bogey and a wonderful cat named Lucky. Bogey is 11 years old and we both swear he will out live us just to spite us! He sheds, drools, stinks and wanders….and we love him to death. He really has Lewis’ number and gets treats all the time from him. Our cat we rescued from the Costco parking lot about five or six years ago. He was an adolescent kitten and was starving to death. We took him home, fed him, and gave him shelter for one night that has turned into years. He is a wonderful cat and an awesome companion. Our pets demonstrate the same type of unconditional love for us that God offers us. I think God gave us pets to show us how to love unconditionally.
1. God 2. Jesus Christ 3. Kelli 4. My parents 5. My kids 6. All my extended family & friends 7. My dogs 8. Friends I haven't met yet 9. Everyone at Woods Chapel Church 10. Doing dishes 11. Music 12. Service 13. The 5 senses 14. A cold beer 15. Vacations 16. A roof over my head 17. Every meal 18. A warm fire 19. Lake time 20. Mobility 21. A funny movie 22. The internet 23. Smiles 24. Bacon 25. Sports 26. Education 27. Christmas time 28. Memories 29. Hope 30. Love
Jeff, I'm thankful that you suggested this exercise - pretty amazing when you think about it. 1 - Parents 2 - God's love 3 - Pets 4 - Doctors and medicine 5 - That the election is over 6 - Music 7 - Internet 8 - A new job that I love 9 - A church "Home" 10- Exercise 11- comfortable & warm home 12- A new special friend 13- So many other lifelong friends 14- Sunsets & sunrises 15- My ipod 16- Wisdom 17- Gospel Choir 18- Kickboxing class 19- Good health 20- Good books to read 21- Fun! 22- Having enough to eat 23- Love in general 24- A car that runs 25- Family 26- That I sold my pontoon boat 27- My brother who's 60 today 28- My grand-nephew who's 1 today 29- Good neighbors 30- Appreciation of all these things and more
1 - Jesus dying for me 2 - my husband 3 - terri and teresa 4 - freedom in America 5 - erik and autumn 6 - music 7 - a warm and comfortable home 8 - my parents 9 - hope for the future 10 - my other friends 11 - rest for my body 12 - emotions and ability to feel 13- babies and little people who give me joy 14 - opportunity to rest soon 15- jeff brinkman, clay withers, Kris Bartman 16 - my job 17 - the Psalms 18 - the beauty of nature 19 - provision 20- ideas 21- my school community 22 - safety for my family 23 - the church we attend 24 - life group 25 - payday 26 - transportation 27 - thankfulness 28 - peace in my life 29 - love 30 -weather changes
Jeff, Thanks for challenging us to do this - I have been blessed by this experience.
1. Sunshine 2. Airplanes 3. Cooking with real butter 4. Gospel music 5. Stained Glass 6. Monuments to peace 7. Rain 8. Children of all ages 9. Carousels 10. Really soft scarves 11. Comfortable shoes 12. A Doctor who really understands me 13. Jim Rubino 14. Kris & Jennifer Bartman 15. My Woods Chapel Music Family 16. Disciple Bible Study 17. Cindy Blessen 18. Jennifer Kohl 19. Pedicures 20. Massages 21. Gorgeous sunsets 22. Those big round shower heads 23. French onion soup on a cold rainy day 24. Richard Root – my best friend at work! 25. Cats, cats, cats!!!! 26. Thinking clearly 27. Restful sleep 28. Taking some vacation 29. A God who knows all about me and will always love me 30. Home
My son and I both kept a 30 days of thankfulness list - placing it on the refrigerator to look at daily. Here's Perry's list (age 10)...
1. My parents 2. What I have 3. My friends 4. School 5. Life 6. Getting signed up for sign language club 7. weekends 8. Going to MU games 9. Downloading songs on my iPod 10. Watching Monday night football with my dad 11. Staying over at my grandparents 12. Going to bookclub after school 13. Going to school 14. Getting invited to my friend's birthday sleepover 15. Getting together with my family 16. Going to a Japanese restaurant with my grandparents 17. Starting on my Indian project 18. Having time to read 19. Going to choir 20. Going to basketball practice 21. The weekend 22. Watching college football with my dad 23. My cousins coming to town 24. Spent the night with my cousins 25. Going to the Sprint Center to the KU game 26. Having a sleepover with Chandler 27. Thanksgiving 28. Having a day at home 29. Going to the Border Showdown 30. The Chiefs winning
This list is priceless to me and will be kept in his scrapbook. Thanks for challenging all of us - young and old - to be thankful this past month.
1 God to which nothing would exist without 2 Gift of Jesus Christ who died for my sins 3 My pastor for being a humble, prayerful, loving man 4 My husband to whom I love very much and he can cook yahoo! 5 My four boys being healthy, intelligent, loving individuals to whom I can live vicariously through LOL 6 My first daughter, Amy, who I think of as my own (my oldest son’s wife) 7 My grandbabies- because there are no cuter babies out there 8 My second daughter, Lois, who I love dearly too (my second son’s wife) 9 Hugs 10 Little old ladies that share their life stories with me 11 Email because that means someone was thinking of me 12 Health 13 My house – because it is like I am in a treehouse – too cool 14 My dog because he is cute and cuddly and I will hug him and squeeze him 15 Goodness in humanity 16 For the many gifts God gave me: artistic and otherwise 17 For diversity - without it, life would be boring 18 For truthfulness wherever it is 19 For all 4 seasons because it is like getting new window treatments and furniture 20 The excitement of a child – how good that feels 21 Coffee because it helps me to wake up and gives me a golden smile; I’ll bleach my teeth someday. 22 People that realize the earth is round and there is another side to any story and actually 'ask'. 23 Being born in the USA - Freedom compared to the rest of the world 24 For a dirty house – because that means I wasn’t alone 25 For God’s Word because it gives me direction and grounds me 26 For God not forsaking me even though I am not blameless 27 Little old men that think they are still teenagers 28 WCC and all that it offers – home, family - she sighs 29 Popcorn and a good movie 30 Lemons to make lemonade - because I have to work on the sugar. Makes me better.
I am thankful for…
ReplyDelete1. life everyday
2. finding my husband
3. my life with my husband
4. my relationship with my daughters
5. finding a church and a pastor that I enjoy
6. the change in my religious beliefs
7. my grandchildren
8. good health and all my working senses
9. this beautiful earth
10. Joyce Meyer
11. being born in the USA
12. my friends
13. being the type of person that people want to be around
14. love
15. sunrises, sunsets and the changes in the seasons
16. freedom
17. memories
18. cameras
19. music/rhythm
20. laughter
21. food--plenty of food
22. time
23. the men and women who volunteer to join the armed services and risk their lives for the safety and freedom the rest of us enjoy everyday
24. teachers
25. faith-hope
26. caregivers /volunteers
27. the God given strength that it takes to get through the difficult times--financial difficulties, the birth of our first child with a birthmark on her face, a devastating tornado, cancer, and the death of my best friend and the love of my life. As I've suffered through the pain, I have developed a closer relationship with God.
28. heat & air conditioning
29. my natural talents
30. being able to understand the importance of being thankful and appreciative of everything that I have & feel.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI am not going to list all 30.
I had the usual wife, kids, family,
and each day I picked one peson of the above to focus on. I added the following few random things on my list.
1. music
2. laughter
3. Colorado Rocky Mountains
4. The day I met my wife
5. The ability to think (which my wife believes is a limited ability)ha
6. Jeff Brinkman
7. my dad's theology
8. freedom
9. a $40.00 steak at Mortons
10. Allison Krous's voice
11. Grace
Thanks for pushing me to think about this stuff
Erik B
A MONTH OF THANKSGIVING – November 2008
ReplyDeleteBy Donna Jones
November 1
I am thankful that my best friend’s husband, Ernie, has gone to be with the Lord and is not in pain anymore.
November 2
I am thankful for beautiful fall days with warm temperatures, awesome color of the trees and time spent with my husband.
November 3
I am thankful for another beautiful day and old friends. I am having dinner with two good friends from my early school years. One has been a friend since we were 6 years old, 1st grade, that’s 46 years!
November 4
I am thankful that today is the end of a long presidential campaign. We are blessed to live in this country and I am thankful for the freedoms we enjoy.
November 5
I am thankful for God’s beautiful creations. I opened the blinds this morning and looked out at our large backyard. The sun was bright red and just coming up over the horizon and then towards the back of our property was a deer. I love to see deer, I always send up a thank you when I get to see one. What a beautiful “good morning” God gave me this morning.
November 6
I am thankful for my job and the flexibility I have with it. I work from home now and really feel blessed that I can do this. I feel like I work more / longer but I can run errands and take the dog for a walk and work in the yard and I don’t have to drive in rush hour traffic, so it all evens out. Another blessing is my boss. He was born the year I graduated from high school but we have been able to work together without the age difference coming out.
November 7
I am thankful for a husband that is so “handy” around the house. When something breaks around the house, my husband knows how to fix it and if he doesn’t he gets on the internet to figure it out or starts calling people to get ideas or visits Lowe’s or Home Depot. He is very resourceful. Last night when he was driving home from work he called so I told him about a “little” issue I discovered in the basement bathroom. After some investigation on his part, he discovered our 10 month old grinder pump had stopped working and so ..you know what….was backing up. He was up to 3am working on it and left this morning with the old/new pump in the trunk of the car and a call into the vendor. I am confident it will be taking care of. What a great husband he is!
November 8
Today I am thankful for friends and special events. Tonight we were invited to spend the evening with Hap & Susie Graff at the Hillcrest Ministries Gala and Auction. When we arrived it was like being in church on Sunday morning there were so many friends from our church. What an awesome surprise. Then we got to learn more about Hillcrest Ministries and the people involved and the people who’s lives they touch. It was a wonderful evening. What a blessing!
November 9
I am thankful for our church, not the structure although it is very nice, but the love and the caring our church family enlightens the structure with.
November 10
Today I am thankful for my husband, again. You see, 9 years ago today my husband proposed to me in a wonderfully romantic way in front of friends and anyone who watched channel 5 weather at 6pm. It is even in writing in front of Union Station on a brick. So we have now been together for 19 years. Although we get on each others nerves sometimes he is still my soulmate and best friend.
November 11
Today is Veterans Day. I am thankful for our country and the freedom’s we enjoy because of our Veterans. Our youngest son is in the Army Reserves and we are so proud of him and the commitment he has made and continues to make. We are so blessed to live in the United States of America and are so fortunate to have so many people who make the sacrifice to protect our country.
November 12
I am thankful for music. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was singing in front of groups at the age of 5. Music touches my soul and brings me to tears with its beauty and meaning. This time of year brings my favorite kind of music, Christmas music. I can never get enough of it.
November 13
I am thankful for my brothers. I have three of them, all younger than I am. When we were growing up we were always playing, fighting, playing, fighting. I would have to bribe them with baking them cookies to get them to play girly things and to pick me to be on their sports teams. Now, we don’t see each other that much but it is always a delight to talk to them or e-mail with them or spend special times with them and their families. I am blessed.
November 14
Today I am thankful for our home. Our home has been described by friends as comfortable and homey, I would agree. We have enjoyed this home more than any other. The back yard, which is huge, has been a source of entertainment just by the presence of God’s creatures just about daily. It is a constant source of things to do and there are so many places to sit and enjoy the view, inside and out.
November 15
Today I am thankful for grandchildren. We drove to Tulsa, Ok for a baby shower for our daughter-in-law today. It will be our ninth grandchild. Grandchildren are awesome! We have had some wonderful times with our grandchildren and we have had many a conversation after they have left expressing our concerns for parenting styles and life choices of our children. Grandchildren will cause us to do crazy things like drive two hours out of our way to spend 30 minutes with them just to get a hug or stop doing our “to do” list to play ball or read a book. Also, there is nothing like getting a special card, art work or phone call from a grandchild to bring a smile to our face and put joy in our hearts.
November 16
Today I am thankful for safe trips. We just drove to Tulsa this weekend. I am always excited to make trips either by car or plane but I always think when we are pulling away from the house, “is this the last time I will see our home?” This probably has something to do with why I try to always have a clean house when I leave on a trip….just in case. I don’t worry about it because I trust in the Lord’s plan for me. I just always send a pray up for safe travels when we are leaving and a thank you when we get home. Now if it is a plane trip I always say an extra pray when the plane is taking off and when it touches down. I am not crazy about flying but I love getting to places in just a few hours. We have been so blessed to see so many beautiful places God has created.
November 17
Today I am thankful for my parents. They are both still with us. They have been married for 53 years. They worked hard when my brothers and I were growing up and now they are both retired but manage to keep busy. They travel some but mostly they stick close to home. They are always there when we need them. They take care of all the grand-dogs when needed, even when the need means more than one. For 52 years they have been only a cry or a phone call away. What a blessing!
November 18
Today and everyday for the last 2 ½ years I have been thankful for our bed. My husband researched what type of bed to get for six months at least. He did good! I tell him all the time how much I love our bed. It is so comfortable and big. It is awesome!
November 19
Today I am thankful for my excersie buddies. I am in the church over 50 kick boxing class. We have meet two nights a week since January. We have such fun and at the end of each class we share our life concerns along with a devotion. What wonderful friends they have become.
November 20
Today I am thankful for God’s grace. I acted poorly today to a complete stranger. She started it but I didn’t have to add to it. Shame on me. As I was driving away I asked God to forgive me for treating her rudely. I certainly didn’t ask Christian like. It was hard to accept God’s grace, even now, I am ashamed of myself all over again but I believe that God has already forgotten it and has granted me grace for things I haven’t even asked grace for yet. God is good!
November 21
Today I am thankful for my health and the health of my husband. With family and friends that we love going through illnesses we are reminded that we are so blessed to be able to do whatever we want with no limitations and we are on no medications. Oh, we work at it some but for the most part we are just blessed for our health and the ability to be there for our friends who need us.
November 22
Today I am thankful for family. We hosted Thanksgiving Dinner for my husband’s family today. My parents came too. Two people drove from St. Louis, the rest from Columbia, MO (except for my parents who came from Blue Springs). It was really nice to visit with them and share a meal. It was so loud sometimes it was hard to hear but when we all gathered in the dining room to share a story and a pray it was just special. What awesome, special people we have in our lives.
November 23
Today I am thankful for hugs. I got to wake up to a hug from our youngest grandson who spent the night with us. When we went to church I got hugs from friends every time I turned around. At home, I got a hug from my husband and more from our grandson and then our grandson’s Momma. I went to bed being hugged by my husband. I love hugs and I feel like God is hugging me through the people He has put in my life. Hugs are a blessing.
November 24
Today I am thankful that there are only six more days of this exercise of thanksgiving left. Is that bad? It is hard to do this everyday but I promised myself I would do this for you Jeff. Some days are easier than others and I go through each day looking for the “topic” for this day or the next. I am truly so blessed. I guess I am thankful that this exercise has pointed out to me just how blessed I really am. You are so smart Jeff!
November 25
Today I am thankful for my oldest niece. Her name is Amanda. She graduated from college last December and joined the Peace Corp. In July she left for Honduras. She will be gone for two years and three months. Amanda is teaching people in remote villages how to grow crops. She lives with a host family right now but will have her very own two room shack in January. She has chased tarantulas out of her bedroom and learned to wash her cloths in a stream. This is a girl who has had every comfort a young women in America enjoys. Amanda is my hero. She is so brave. I pray for her safety and use to these people who are embracing her everyday.
November 26
Today I am thankful for cousins. I have close to a hundred of them. My Mom was nine of ten children so there were always cousins. I have two of them that I am very close to. We have always been close. One is one year older than me and one is one year younger. We send each other silly gifts, silly e-mails and call to check on each other. One has lived with Lewis and I off and on for the last year and a half while she goes through some “life” things. We all have our own friends but when we really need to “let down” we will call each other and one of us needs us we are throwing clothes on as we make our way to their sides. They are like sisters and I am truly blessed and thankful to have them in my life.
November 27
Today is Thanksgiving. What a wonderful day of the year. To me it is about slowing down and truly being mindful of how blessed we are. It is about reaching out to people, one of my favorite mission programs at church is the grocery sack “Thanksgiving Dinner”. The news broadcasts and KC Star seem to be slanted toward the good in people. Hugging family is a bonus to this day.
November 28
Today I am thankful for our children. Between Lewis and I we have four. I have three and Lewis has one. My daughter has been estranged from us most of her adult life. Thankfully her daughter lives with he Dad and so we get to be apart our granddaughter’s life. My oldest son has three children, all by different women/girls and not ever married to any of them. Again, thankfully we are close to two of these mothers so we get to be part of two of these grandkids life’s. My youngest son doesn’t have any children (that we know of) and he is in the Army Reserves which he has embraced and has caused him to mature. Lewis’ son is the oldest. He has four children and one due very soon. They are from three different women but he has been married to the mother of all but one of the grandchildren. Well, one grandson is a son of his current wife, so his step son. We have stayed close to all the parents of these grandkids so they are all a part of our lives. When I put all this information down in writing I wonder why I am thankful for this tangled mess. I am thankful because our children still love us even though we were not very good parents at times. Our kids went through “stuff’ because of our choices and have hung in there to still be a part of our lives. They are good kids and we are thankful to have them “messing” up our lives.
November 29
Today I am thankful for the season of Christmas. I love the music, the lights, the decorations, the gatherings between friends and families, the food, saying Merry Christmas but most of all I love the feel of God’s love in my heart and the hearts of so many. I’m thankful God loved me enough to send His only son to save me so many, many years before I was even thought about. Merry Christmas!
November 30
Today I am thankful for our pets. We have a spoiled rotten basset hound named Bogey and a wonderful cat named Lucky. Bogey is 11 years old and we both swear he will out live us just to spite us! He sheds, drools, stinks and wanders….and we love him to death. He really has Lewis’ number and gets treats all the time from him. Our cat we rescued from the Costco parking lot about five or six years ago. He was an adolescent kitten and was starving to death. We took him home, fed him, and gave him shelter for one night that has turned into years. He is a wonderful cat and an awesome companion. Our pets demonstrate the same type of unconditional love for us that God offers us. I think God gave us pets to show us how to love unconditionally.
1. God
ReplyDelete2. Jesus Christ
3. Kelli
4. My parents
5. My kids
6. All my extended family & friends
7. My dogs
8. Friends I haven't met yet
9. Everyone at Woods Chapel Church
10. Doing dishes
11. Music
12. Service
13. The 5 senses
14. A cold beer
15. Vacations
16. A roof over my head
17. Every meal
18. A warm fire
19. Lake time
20. Mobility
21. A funny movie
22. The internet
23. Smiles
24. Bacon
25. Sports
26. Education
27. Christmas time
28. Memories
29. Hope
30. Love
DT
Jeff, I'm thankful that you suggested this exercise - pretty amazing when you think about it.
ReplyDelete1 - Parents
2 - God's love
3 - Pets
4 - Doctors and medicine
5 - That the election is over
6 - Music
7 - Internet
8 - A new job that I love
9 - A church "Home"
10- Exercise
11- comfortable & warm home
12- A new special friend
13- So many other lifelong friends
14- Sunsets & sunrises
15- My ipod
16- Wisdom
17- Gospel Choir
18- Kickboxing class
19- Good health
20- Good books to read
21- Fun!
22- Having enough to eat
23- Love in general
24- A car that runs
25- Family
26- That I sold my pontoon boat
27- My brother who's 60 today
28- My grand-nephew who's 1 today
29- Good neighbors
30- Appreciation of all these things and more
1 - Jesus dying for me
ReplyDelete2 - my husband
3 - terri and teresa
4 - freedom in America
5 - erik and autumn
6 - music
7 - a warm and comfortable home
8 - my parents
9 - hope for the future
10 - my other friends
11 - rest for my body
12 - emotions and ability to feel
13- babies and little people who give me joy
14 - opportunity to rest soon
15- jeff brinkman, clay withers, Kris Bartman
16 - my job
17 - the Psalms
18 - the beauty of nature
19 - provision
20- ideas
21- my school community
22 - safety for my family
23 - the church we attend
24 - life group
25 - payday
26 - transportation
27 - thankfulness
28 - peace in my life
29 - love
30 -weather changes
Jeff, Thanks for challenging us to do this - I have been blessed by this experience.
janet
1. Sunshine
ReplyDelete2. Airplanes
3. Cooking with real butter
4. Gospel music
5. Stained Glass
6. Monuments to peace
7. Rain
8. Children of all ages
9. Carousels
10. Really soft scarves
11. Comfortable shoes
12. A Doctor who really understands me
13. Jim Rubino
14. Kris & Jennifer Bartman
15. My Woods Chapel Music Family
16. Disciple Bible Study
17. Cindy Blessen
18. Jennifer Kohl
19. Pedicures
20. Massages
21. Gorgeous sunsets
22. Those big round shower heads
23. French onion soup on a cold rainy day
24. Richard Root – my best friend at work!
25. Cats, cats, cats!!!!
26. Thinking clearly
27. Restful sleep
28. Taking some vacation
29. A God who knows all about me and will always love me
30. Home
InkyLynne
My son and I both kept a 30 days of thankfulness list - placing it on the refrigerator to look at daily. Here's Perry's list (age 10)...
ReplyDelete1. My parents
2. What I have
3. My friends
4. School
5. Life
6. Getting signed up for sign language club
7. weekends
8. Going to MU games
9. Downloading songs on my iPod
10. Watching Monday night football with my dad
11. Staying over at my grandparents
12. Going to bookclub after school
13. Going to school
14. Getting invited to my friend's birthday sleepover
15. Getting together with my family
16. Going to a Japanese restaurant with my grandparents
17. Starting on my Indian project
18. Having time to read
19. Going to choir
20. Going to basketball practice
21. The weekend
22. Watching college football with my dad
23. My cousins coming to town
24. Spent the night with my cousins
25. Going to the Sprint Center to the KU game
26. Having a sleepover with Chandler
27. Thanksgiving
28. Having a day at home
29. Going to the Border Showdown
30. The Chiefs winning
This list is priceless to me and will be kept in his scrapbook. Thanks for challenging all of us - young and old - to be thankful this past month.
Lori
Babs is thankful for:
ReplyDelete1 God to which nothing would exist without
2 Gift of Jesus Christ who died for my sins
3 My pastor for being a humble, prayerful, loving man
4 My husband to whom I love very much and he can cook yahoo!
5 My four boys being healthy, intelligent, loving individuals to whom I can live vicariously through LOL
6 My first daughter, Amy, who I think of as my own (my oldest son’s wife)
7 My grandbabies- because there are no cuter babies out there
8 My second daughter, Lois, who I love dearly too (my second son’s wife)
9 Hugs
10 Little old ladies that share their life stories with me
11 Email because that means someone was thinking of me
12 Health
13 My house – because it is like I am in a treehouse – too cool
14 My dog because he is cute and cuddly and I will hug him and squeeze him
15 Goodness in humanity
16 For the many gifts God gave me: artistic and otherwise
17 For diversity - without it, life would be boring
18 For truthfulness wherever it is
19 For all 4 seasons because it is like getting new window treatments and furniture
20 The excitement of a child – how good that feels
21 Coffee because it helps me to wake up and gives me a golden smile; I’ll bleach my teeth someday.
22 People that realize the earth is round and there is another side to any story and actually 'ask'.
23 Being born in the USA - Freedom compared to the rest of the world
24 For a dirty house – because that means I wasn’t alone
25 For God’s Word because it gives me direction and grounds me
26 For God not forsaking me even though I am not blameless
27 Little old men that think they are still teenagers
28 WCC and all that it offers – home, family - she sighs
29 Popcorn and a good movie
30 Lemons to make lemonade - because I have to work on the sugar. Makes me better.
Barbara Falbo