Thankfulness x 100

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my blog AND my 100th post. I thought since it is near Thanksgiving I would celebrate my blog by listing 100 things I am thankful for.

They will not be listed in order of importance.... that is not how my mind works. If I think of it I write it... otherwise I will forget it. :)

1. I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and His gift of eternal life through his son.

2.. I am thankful for my faith. I don’t want to know where I might be in life if it were not for my faith.

3. I am thankful for Grace. Without grace I am a disgrace…( no pun intended.) Grace is difficult to accept and to give at times. Although I am unworthy, I am very thankful to be given grace on a daily basis.

4. I am not able to put into words how thankful I am for Gregory. I love him more than life itself. He has been my rock through my adult life and has given me two wonderful children and a life I thought I would only dream of. I pray everyday for a very long life together. Greg is charming, funny, sweet, sensitive and is quite the looker if I do say so myself. Greg is many things … however I am just thankful he is mine.

5. I am thankful for my kids. I feel the love you have for your child is the purest love of all. To look into the eyes of your baby is priceless and looking into those same eyes as they grow into adulthood is a privilege I hope to never take for granted. Leslie and Nick are the two most precious gifts ever given to me. I look at them every day and feel blessed to be their mother. I love them with all my heart and soul.

6. I am thankful for the gift of a Christian education given to me by my parents. School is a battlefield for many students. Being given the opportunity to study the Bible every day and to start each class with prayer was a huge for me.

7. I am thankful for my parents. I have so many fond memories of birthday parties, vacations and Holidays. Although my mom is no longer here on this earth I hear her speak to my heart everyday. My dad has been our rock. He worked his entire life to provide for us the things we needed as well as the things we didn’t. He continues to be a very special part of my life and I love him very much.

8. I am thankful for my grandparents. I was blessed to have a very close relationship with both sets of my grandparents. I have fond memories of working in Papaw Wilson’s workshop in his garage as well as riding in his van to go to church on Wednesday nights. I would sit in their yard and eat concord grapes, raspberries, mulberries and blackberries straight off the vine, bush and tree. (Yum) My Grandma and Grandpa Hoff took me fishing, out to eat, and to the Museum of Natural History countless times. My grandmother would pack picnic lunches with the best cookies anyone could ever eat when we would go fishing to Rum Creek. They took me on many walks on the railroad tracks to the creek where I would find old marbles and pet caterpillars. I spent many nights at their house and I looked forward to it each and every time. I am very blessed to have both of my grandmothers still living. The love of a grandmother is very special and I am thankful to have mine.

9.I am thankful for my extended family. I am thankful for my brother Jamie, his wife Amy and their beautiful daughter Maya and the relationship I have with them. I am thankful for my in-laws. I have heard horror stories from many people concerning their in-laws and I am happy to say I have none. They are wonderful people who have raised a wonderful son. We have many aunts, uncles and cousin’s I am thankful too.

10. I am thankful for my friends, past, future and present. Friends who share their wisdom, their mistakes, their challenges to help guide me through mine. Friends who do not tell me what I WANT to hear, but tell me what I NEED to hear. Friends who hold me accountable, friends who know when I am not myself after just saying "hello" on the phone. You know who you are and I am thankful you are in my life.

11. I am thankful for my country. I am so thankful to live in a country where I am free to not only have faith, but to practice it openly. A country where I am free to speak my heart and mind, a country where I can vote and express my thoughts and concerns as a woman, a country where I have equal rights. The list goes on and on.

12. I am thankful for the many men and women who have died to give us the freedom we have today. I pray for the families who have an empty place at the table this Thanksgiving; their price for freedom is much higher than mine.

13. I am thankful for my health and the health of my family.

14. I am thankful for our church. Southbrook has taught me so much as a Christian.. I used to feel you needed to act a certain way, dress a certain way, look a certain way and BE a certain person in order to be a REAL Christian. Southbrook has helped me accept who I am in Christ and has helped me see my faith as a journey with hills and valleys. God loves me regardless of where I am in my journey.

15. I am thankful for my love of animals. To some this may be an odd thing to be thankful for; however animals bring great joy to my life. I smile each time I see a squirrel scamper across the lawn and as it pauses to look at me. I love to watch and listen to birds as they converse with one another. I love to watch bunnies nibble clover in our yard. This would explain the many feathered and furry friends who take residence inside our home.

16. I am thankful for my love of nature. There is nothing like a walk in the woods for me. The peacefulness and serenity of it all takes away all the dirt and grime of the world. I love to hear the wind rustling in the leaves of a tree, the distant call of a bird, the sound of a babbling stream or a surprise glimpse of a deer in a meadow. I see God in it all and for that I am thankful.

17. I am thankful for my love of people. I need relationships and I need people.

18. I am thankful for our jobs. In this economy it is a blessing to still have a job.

19. I am thankful for our home; many do not have a roof over their head much less than own their own home. We are truly blessed.

20. I am thankful to live in a community where our kids are encouraged to be educated, responsible and moral citizens.

21. I am thankful for all the experiences I have had in my life… both good and bad. They have made me who I am today.

22. I am thankful for chocolate…..what woman isn’t?

23. I am thankful for food. Wish I didn’t like it as much.

24. I am thankful for warmth…. I loooooove to sit in the sun to feel its warmth, or sit under an electric blanket or next to a fire.

25. I am thankful for gum. I usually always have a piece in my mouth.

26. I am thankful for lip balm…always have it, always will.

27. I am thankful for toilet paper…. Wouldn’t want to use my hand like in China... or is it Japan? Either way,... ewww.

28. I am thankful for good smells… like before or after a good rain, or the smell of a baby, or the smell of Thanksgiving dinner cooking.

29. I am thankful for candles. Candles make me feel good… not sure it is because of the smell or because of the gentle light they produce.

30. I am thankful for lotion. I know it is weird, but I like to use lotion and I do everyday.

31. I am thankful for vacations.

32. I am thankful for snow days.

33. I am thankful for flushing toilets…. Out houses and I would NOT get along… especially in the winter.

34. I am thankful for electricity… I love candles, but not if I am trying to read.

35. I am thankful for washing machines and dryers. My grandma has shared stories of how she used to do laundry…. Ummm, no thanks.

36. I am thankful for disposable diapers. My grandma has shared stories of how she had to wash many, many cloth diapers of my dad’s each day.

37. I am thankful for our cars. I love horses, and although I enjoy riding them…. Our vacations would be pretty rough without a car.

38. Speaking of Florida… .I am thankful for any beach, anywhere.

39. I am thankful for my oven…. Especially during the Holidays.

40. I am thankful for my hair… not that I LIKE my hair, but I have learned as I get older that some women lose their hair....and I couldn’t pull that look off.

41. I am thankful for laughter in our home…. Especially if it is coming from both of our children… that means they are getting along.

42. I am thankful for my bed. We just purchased new flannel sheets, new pillows, memory foam topper and a duel control electric blank. I am lucky to get out of it every day.

43. Speaking of getting out of bed…. I am thankful I can stand and walk each morning.

44. I am thankful I can see.

45. Thankful I can hear.

46. Thankful I can breathe easily.

47. I am thankful for my computer.

48. I am thankful for my internet access. (when it works....#%*$ Vista!)

49. I am thankful for my DVR… I know this sounds petty, but we are new to this and I think it is the best thing since sliced bread.

50. I am thankful for the beauty in the changing leaves.

51. I am thankful for apples in the fall.

52. I am thankful for green grass (green is my favorite color)

53. I am thankful for sunny days.

54. I am thankful for rainy days ( gotta water the green grass)

55. I am thankful for my bubble baths.

56. I am thankful for antibiotics…. Especially “z” packs.

57. I am thankful for music. Music is the dimmer switch to my mood. I love it.

58. I am thankful for fire pits. Many fun nights spent around a fire pit.

59. I am thankful for birthdays… not mine, but others.

60. I am thankful for toothbrushes and tooth paste.

61. I am thankful for bologna sandwiches with potato chips on them. (not very nutritional but yummy)

62. I am thankful for trees…. especially Christmas trees.

63. I am thankful for sunflowers…. They make me smile.

64. I am thankful for good books.

65. I am thankful for good, romantic movies.

66. I am thankful for marriages…. especially mine.

67. I am thankful for cleaning products. (I know, I know… but I love new cleaning products)

68. I am thankful for Air Conditioning in the summer.

69. I am thankful I don’t like to shop much…. I think Greg is even more thankful.

70. I am thankful for massages…. Oh how I am thankful for massages.

71. I am thankful for all fruits.

72. I am thankful for people who do all the dirty jobs Mike Rowe has on his show “Dirty Jobs”….someone has to do them and I am glad it is not me.

73. I am thankful for teachers… without teachers none of us could read.

74. I am thankful for anything that brings friends and family together.

75. I am thankful for loons…..they sound wonderful while sitting around a Canadian lake.

76. I am thankful for volunteers… people who give of themselves to make a difference.

77. I am thankful for Downey Wrinkle Releaser.

78. I am thankful for cameras, pictures and photography.

79. I am thankful for home movies.

80. I am thankful for Nick’s smile that lights up a room.

81. I am thankful for Leslie’s hugs, especially the ones where she plows you over.

82. I am thankful for warm chocolate chip cookies.

83. I am thankful for the look Murphy gives me when he wants to be snuggled (which he is giving me right now)

84. I am thankful for kisses…. Baby kisses, puppy kisses, family kisses and romantic kisses. (more thankful for them before and after flu season)

85. I am thankful for days when the sun rays shine down from the sky as if God is reaching down from Heaven.

86. I am thankful for lazy weekends.

87. I am thankful for out of town guests.

88. I am thankful for unexpected guests.

89. I am thankful for lunch with friends.

90. I am thankful for date nights with Greg.

91. I am thankful for family movie nights with pizza.

92. I am thankful for the look in Greg’s eyes when he tells me he loves me... eyes don't lie.

93. I am thankful for rainbows and promises.

94. I am thankful for the Thumby my dad bought me of my mother’s thumb print. (wearing it right now)

95. I am thankful for the silence after a newly fallen snow.

96. I am thankful for warm, fuzzy blankets and thick socks.

97. I am thankful for smell of spring in the air after a long winter.

98. I am thankful for so many wonderful memories.

99. I am thankful for my pets. They bring joy to me (most days) and a lot of companionship too.

100. I am thankful I have so much to be thankful for that this list was a breeze to create.

Thanksgiving will soon be upon us..... what will YOU be thankful for?