Happy Thanksgiving!

At first, honestly I thought it kind of silly to list many things I am thankful for just because it is Thanksgiving. However, I was reading about a lady who almost lost her daughter tell that it is extremely rewarding, even with petty things, to make a list. She said that by writing it out you force yourself to feel grateful and you realize how little everyday things just make life easier for you. So here is my list:

A= I am thankful for Art and the creativity, imagination and individuality it demands.

-I am also thankful for: Antibiotics, Accountability, Animals, fellow Airmen and Almonds.

B= I am thankful for all the many blessings God has given and continues to give me daily.

-I am also thankful for: the Beach, Beauty, Bravery, Being open minded, Brownies, BC powder, my Brothers, Books, Backups, Birthdays, and Budgets.

C= I am thankful for my Children. God saw me fit to be the mother of these two beautiful, crazy, loud, silly, wonderfully perfect children. They put up with a lot with me as their mother and they never cease to amaze me. They are little pieces of our world that just seem to hold everything in place when it feels like it could completely fall apart and I love them with everything in me...To the moon, around it twice and back!!! 

-I am also thankful for: Crawfish, a free Country, Cartoons, Chocolate, Colors, Clumsiness, Chick flicks, Concerts, Curls, Classic Country music, Cameras, Cures, Christmas music, Courage, Changes, Coupons, Common sense, Concealer, Cameron (Because she is making my little brother happy), Compliments and Coffee.

D= I am thankful for devotion and time that we can freely spend alone talking to God. Its amazing how much lighter you feel when you truly allow God to take control and hold on to your burdens.

-I am also thankful for: Disney world, Daughters, Daddy’s, Diamonds, Directions, Dreams, Dish washer, Date nights, Dictionaries and Disposable Diapers.

E= I am thankful for Easton. He is my little bread and butter! God certainly stretched my whole heart when this lil feller was born and I am thankful he is such a mommy’s boy!

-I am also thankful for: Eli, Energy, Enfamil AR (Only formula my son can keep down), Education, Ebooks, Enemies, Earth, Exercise, Electricity and Examples.

  me to know that will always be there! 

F= I am thankful for my Friends. The ones that stayed, the ones that didn’t and the ones that didn’t have to for me to know that they will always be there!

-I am also thankful for: Fireworks, Freedom, Fridays, Family, Firsts, Fun, fairytales, fantasies, faith, Fried Food, Football and Festivals.

G= I am thankful for God. I honestly don't know where I would be without Him guiding my path and chasing me down, turning my shoulders and forgiving me when I try to make my own. He knows my heart even at its worst and He has never left my side. He has mended my aches and has filled my cup with more than my heart can handle!  How great is our God!!

-I am also thankful for: Grayson, Guardian Angels, Grandparents, Grace, God fearing women, Gum, Gossip, Good intentions and Google.

H= I am thankful for my home. It may not be a huge house but in it I have everything I could ask for and that makes it my HOME! It is a roof over my head and a place for me and myhusband to raise our family through laughter and tears and I would not trade it for anything!

-I am also thankful for: Heaven, Holidays, Happiness, Hospitals, Hospitality, Health, Healing, Hot glue guns, Hearing, Hair spray, Helping Hands and Heaters.

I= I am thankful for my In-laws. They have always helped us and given to us and took me right on in without hesitation! They love my babies like I do and I am glad they have them to call grandparents.

-I am also thankful for: “I Love You’s”, Imagination, Individuality, Internet and Indoor plumbing.

J= I am thankful for my husband, Johnny. He is an amazing man and friend and he really does have a big heart. He always puts our children and me first and is the great provider God intended for him to be for us.

-I am also thankful for: my little brother Justin, Jobs, Jellybeans and Jewelry.

K= I am thankful for Karson. He was too perfect for this world. He was taken too early but he touched so many lives in his short time. He changed people and he made me a better parent. 

-I am also thankful for: Karlynn, Kindness and Knowledge.

L=I am thankful for Life and being blessed to see another day

-I am also thankful for: Love, Laughter, Lullabies, Luck, Laws and Love stories.

M= I am thankful for Madileigh; Every laugh, every “I love you!”, every fight, her attitude, her sassiness and her randomness! She is my right hand and I honestly cannot imagine my life without her!

-I am also thankful for: My Mother, Memories, Mercy, Marriage, Mexican food, Modern Medicine, Mississippi, Movies, Music and Miracles.

N= I am thankful for my 3 handsome and amazing Nephews and my gorgeous princess Niece.

-I am also thankful for: Good Neighbors and our Nanny Brooke!

O= I am thankful that God allows me to be open minded on many subjects. With a simple prayer request He allows me to make rational decisions and guides me to do what is best for my family.

-I am also thankful for: Opinions, Opposites and Openness.

P= I am thankful for my Parents. They always made sure that we had what we needed, the majority of what we wanted and continue to love us no matter what. 

-I am also thankful for: Prayer, Police, Paint, Pride, Pajamas, Pregnancy,  Pinterest and Pictures.

Q=I am thankful for the Quiet. Sometimes it is necessary to experience silence in order to hear other options with all the crazy voices I have in my head.

R= I am thankful for running. It is time spent alone and for me to better myself abduction clear my head!

-I am also thankful for: Roadtrips, Running, Reality, Respect, Rules, Relaxation, Rest, and Rain.

S= I am thankful for being raised in the south. It is not something you are given to be southern, it is truly by God's grace that you are lucky enough to be born and raised in the bible belt of God's country!

-I am also thankful for: My big brother Simon, Summer, Sunshine, Summertime, Smiling, the South, Sons, Soldiers, Straitners, Strollers, Storage, Snorkeling, Shopping, Snacks, Sharing, Senses, Sacrifice, Sincerity, Stars, Small towns, Sweets, Spare keys and Sunday afternoons.

T= I am thankful for time that I can spend with my family and friends. It is probably the one thing I take for granted the most but I am truly thankful that god has allowed me to enjoy another blessed day!

-I am also thankful for: Teachers, Tylenol, Tailgates, Time, Technology, The Thurman's, and Toilets.

U= I am thankful for the USAF. It is where I got my start, my training, and my discipline. I have grown as a person and in my career and I have met some pretty amazing people that fight for our freedom.

-I am also thankful for: Uniqueness, Umbrellas, Umpires, and Using directions.

V= I am thankful for my Vision even though I sometimes take it for granted. God's glory is all around us in our children, our friends, the colors, the changing seasons and many other ways that God shows us the beauty of His creation.

-I am also thankful for: Val, Veterans, Voting, a good Vocabulary and Verbs.

W= I am thankful for my wealth... Not my monetary wealth but god has given to us and blessed us beyond measure.

-I am also thankful for: Work, Wisdom, Washing machine, Water, Wine, Weekends, Wishes, Woods and the Who Dat Nation!

X= Well my first thought was X-rays (Thank God for those) and a picture of a railroad crossing. So yes, I am thankful for all the crossings that God brings me to and through in this crazy life I call mine.

-I am also thankful for: Xtra gum, Xtra time, Xtra love, Xtra energy, Xtra clothes and Xtra chances.

Y= I am thankful for all my yesterdays that led to my wonderful todays which in turn will bring us to bright tomorrows!


-I am also thankful for: Youtube

Z= zzzzzzz.. I am thankful for sleep and the refreshment it provides! I am also thankful for the grumpiness it erases in infant and toddlers!

-I am also thankful for: Zaxby’s

Honestly, trying to summon everything I’m thankful for, which is a long list and I’m sure I forgot some, but this was too easy. I mean, family, friends, health, wealth, job, love, amazing children…those are a given! But as I started typing this list I felt a sort of out-of-body calm sensation. I was suddenly aware of the calm in my house, and more importantly, the calm inside me. I mean, my life is busy and full of plenty of things that I must juggle and dance delicately around and worry over, and even knowing that, I had the very certain sense that something inside me felt totally calm and anchored.

After sitting in silence and pondering this, I know why. My heart is safe. I KNOW my heart is safe. I have a life where the person next to me values and honest-to-goodness strives to live and provide a fulfilling and happy life for the two most important beings in our world. Our children. That’s a very simple version of things, but from there all the love and thoughtfulness and kindness and support springs forth.

How can I not acknowledge such a wonderful thing? I have so, so many things to be thankful for, and I am, truly. But God has calmed my heart and placed it in safe hands and I know this in my bones. My children are my life and I will live it so that they will have a wonderful life also.

I stop here and let the magnitude of this one gift sink in, overwhelmed by its abundance! So here's to sending you and yours a fantastic wish for a great holiday. I hope you are only surrounded by people you like, eating food you like, having conversations you like, about topics you like.  I am thankful for many, many things 12 months of the year and honestly it was kind of rewarding to lay some of them out and force myself to really be grateful!

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” –Psalm 100

Happy Thanksgiving!