Skip to main content

My THANKSgiving

My 25 THANKS-givings in 2011:

1.  I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord in a way that challenges me in an area of my passion.
2.  I am thankful that life was not supposed to turn out the way I had planned it.
3.  I am thankful for a husband who knows me AND...loves me unconditionally, challenges me graciously, leads me humbly, and holds my hand through everything.
4.  I am thankful for parents who love and support me no matter what.
5.  I am thankful for siblings are truly are 3 of my closest friends in the whole world.
6.  I am thankful to have a job, to have shelter, to have food and a surplus of clothing when many struggle with at least one of these basic needs.
7.  I am thankful for the freedom to worship and believe as I do.
8.  I am thankful for the blessings God pours into my life without my even asking.
9.  I am thankful for friendship that transcends time and space...those kindred spirits you know you will always share.
10.  I am thankful for each one of the girls who have lived at our house since we moved here.  Each one has taught me something, and each one is a beautiful creation with marvelous potential.
11.  I am thankful for a wonderful group of prayer warriors and brothers and sisters in Christ who lift me up and provide Godly encouragement and hope.
12.  I am thankful for a fantastic system of support on our campus - people who love the Lord, care about His work and His children, and constantly encourage us and lift us up.
13.  I am thankful for hope on the days overshadowed by the things I am not thankful for.
14.  I am thankful for God's Word, which have tremendous power over my spirit for encouragement and life.
15.  I am thankful for FCYM, who I still consider my "family" in so many ways.  You all are still such a blessing to me, and gave me 3 of the best years of my life.  I am so thankful for all God is doing in and through you!
16.  I am thankful that each of my days is full of new adventure and new things to learn.
17.  I am thankful for the beauty in nature and all of God's Creation.  It is such a constant reminder to me of God's love.
18.  I am thankful for the ability to communicate with family and friends over the miles with all of the gifts of modern technology.
19.  I am thankful for the miracles God has shown me since moving to Barton: the progress in the girls' lives, the unthinkable, unexpected things that only God could do in their hearts, the stories we have lived.
20.  I am thankful for role models and mentors who show me what it means to live a Christ-centered existence.
21.  I am thankful for Sonic Happy Hour from 2-4pm.
22.  I am thankful for music and what it does to my soul.
23.  I am thankful for the safety, acceptance, and grace that is found in my relationship with Jesus Christ.
24.  I am thankful for rest and Sabbath time.
25.  I am thankful for even the "trials" with the girls, because I know they are growing and stretching me, and I know they are growing and stretching them, and I know that it will work toward the completion of God's Work!

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 29, 2011 at 3:14 AM

    You're awesome, Bets. Love you and miss you more than you know.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Twenty Ways to Love a Foster Family Well

The tears slid down my cheek as I typed out the email just a few short weeks ago that would officially close our home and end our season as foster parents.  We may have another season before we hit the nursing home, but after a lot of prayer and confirmation....we know this season right now? It is about the family God has formed inside our home.  We will be focusing on meeting the needs of each of the amazing forever children we have the privilege of parenting. We will also do all we can to provide intentional support to those fostering around us.  ( Hint: If you are local and maybe "not having enough support and/or respite" has kept you from fostering, holla at ya girl! ) I wanted to mark this moment in some way, which is why I am here.  I want to share with YOU all of the amazing ways people - our family, our friends, our community, our church, our village...so many of you - made this season possible for us. I want to highlight all the ways God showed up for us in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rhythms

Maybe because the anniversary of   “the big change”…             when I slowed my own rhythms down…             when the rhythm of our family slowed down…             when we began a dance to a simpler, slower, but just as meaningful melody… Maybe because the anniversary of that time is slowly approaching or maybe because, since that time I’ve tried to rev up and hit “accelerate” again only to have found myself intrinsically changed and unable to “rev” as I used to… Or maybe because as we approached this small-ish, one-room, home-reno project this spring break, we approached it as different people and in a different way and I’m only realizing it at the end of spring break with only one of three phases complete? Or maybe it’s been the freedom-seeking with the ladies on those Thursday evenings slowing ...
Post a Comment
Read more

organic mercies

"For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry , in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah." 1 Kings 17:16 Today is a day of new beginnings and also endings, and I'm swimming in the emotion of it all.  This sweet summer, my favorite one probably ever, has officially come to an end and with it, a new layer for me of settling into a new life.  During summer, we are all just passers-by - here today, gone tomorrow. But now, the return of normal for all is swarming around me as I adjust again to my new normal. Sending our baby off to preschool.  Sending my best friend off to teach Geometry, Pre-Calc, and a new football season. And we used to do it all just in the blur.  Last summer, it was me who had never stopped for summer...it was me inviting them back to normal along with me.  Back to the races. Not this year. The rain is falling outside the window, and the quiet is loud, and I am grateful as I reflect on the story of our...
Post a Comment
Read more