Give Thanks to the Lord

The last few years I have enjoyed reading everyone's daily thankful posts on my facebook newsfeed throughout the month of November.  Since I don't update my status every day, I haven't done the month-of-thanksgiving posts myself, but reading other's posts always makes me smile & reminds me how much I have to be thankful for too.  So, instead of posting a single thing each day in November, I decided to dedicate this post to 30 thankful thoughts I've had over the last month.  And when I say thankful, I'm not just being randomly "thankful".  I'm thankful to God.  Every blessing we all have is by the grace of God.  Not luck.  Not happenstance.  Not coincidence.  Not deserved.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. 

                                                                                         Psalm 118:29

Every good and perfect gift is from above...

                                                                                   James 1:17a

So, here they are... my TOP 30 thankful thoughts for 2013...

1.  I'm thankful for a loving, just, grace-filled, covenant-keeping God.

2.  I'm thankful for Jesus' love & sacrifice for us.

3.  I'm thankful for the Holy Spirit, making me what I could never be on my own.

4.  I'm thankful for the Bible, and the freedom to read & study it without persecution 

(for now, anyway). 

5.  I'm thankful that we live under the New Covenant, not the Old Covenant.

6.  I'm thankful for a husband who loves God and our family more than anything else.

7.  I'm thankful for Grayson, my joyful bundle of energy.

Photo credit - Emily Lockard Photography :)

8.  I'm thankful for Harrison, my precious little thinker.

Photo credit - Emily Lockard Photography :)

9.  I'm thankful that I can be a stay-at-home mommy, and that my sweet husband supports this, both financially & emotionally.

10.  I'm thankful for the sweet sound of Grayson playing Deck the Halls on the piano.

11.  I'm thankful for the sweet sound of Harrison saying "Lub you, Mommy" spontaneously, 

at barely 2 years old.

12.  I'm thankful for the sweet sounds of Grayson & Harrison belly-laughing together 

over their own inside jokes already.

13.  I'm thankful that both my babies are snugglers.

14. I'm thankful that beginning to homeschool Grayson has been much easier than I expected, and a 100 times more fun that I ever imagined it might be!

15.  I'm thankful to have the awesomest (because you know awesomest should be a real word) parents, who are still in love with each other, 50+ years into their marriage.

Mom & Dad's 50th Anniversary

16.  I'm thankful for ALL my family.... sisters, brothers, niece, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, everybody!

17.  I'm thankful that the bestest (because you know bestest should be a real word too) church in the whole wide world is right here in Beaumont, so that we have the joyful privilege of being a part of it. Check it out: Calvary Baptist

18.  I'm thankful for Precept Bible studies - so rich and eye-opening!  Try it, it will change your life.

19.  I'm thankful for all our sweet friends who somehow over the past 7.5 years have made Beaumont actually feel like home to us.

20.  Okay, this sorta overlaps with #19, but I'm especially thankful for our 

kids' "local grandparents" - we all love them to pieces!!

21.  I'm thankful that the weather has finally turned cool!!

22.  I'm thankful that we attended NC State during the Philip Rivers Era, so that we were able to enjoy winning football seasons and bowl games.

23.  I'm thankful that I successfully got the crayon off the grout in the kitchen.

24.  I'm thankful for modern medical science.

25.  I'm thankful for flannel PJs.

26.  I'm thankful that ServPro exists.  (To be clear, I am not thankful that we had to utilize their services TWICE in the first quarter of 2013, but I am thankful that they're there when we need them.) 

27.  I'm thankful that Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee comes in decaf.

28.  I'm thankful for Elena's Salsa.

29.  I'm thankful for Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

30.  I'm thankful that "Get Harrison a passport." is now on my to-do list.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!