Friends, Near & Far, Old & New

God has blessed me with some really good friends and I am thankful for each and every one of them.  I have a couple of friends that I've known for as long as I can remember and some that I've just gotten to know in the past year.  Some that I see frequently and some that I've never met.  I am thankful that each and every one of these individuals are in my life in some way.  I appreciate the ones that I can call whenever I want to just chat about nothing and the ones that I know that I'll end up laughing with no matter how horrible I'm feeling at the time.  I appreciate the ones that I hardly ever speak to, but know that if I need to talk to them, they will take the call.  I am thankful for the ones that I haven't seen in years and don't know when the next time is I will, but who rejoice with me in the happy moments and cry with me in the sad moments of life.

Sometimes, I forget how many friends I have or how important each one is to me.  I'm glad that I can be reminded of this.  I don't have any great friends outside of family in the town that I live in right now, but that doesn't mean that I don't have great friends.

A few of my friends have blogs, but not very many of them.  If I'm unaware of your's, then please let me know so that I can follow what you've been up to!

Thank you to each one of my friends.  I love you all so much!

Roll Over

I know I'm doing things I'm thankful for right now, so I'll put it this way....

I'm thankful that I was home and able to see Baby Girl do her first official roll over from back to front!  She went from back to side with no problem, but worked hard to get to the front. And, she made it!  Way to go, Baby Girl!!!!

Health

The Bible tells us that "By Jesus' stripes, we were healed."  I am thankful for my health and the health of my family.  We have been going through some trials lately and have really been thinking about our health.  Jesus took pain, took torture, took dying on a cross for us.  We have to take the healing that He purchased.  We are doing that. 

Health is one piece of the entire package of prosperity that Jesus came to give us.  John 10:10 tells us that He came so that we may "have life and have it more abundantly."  This is one of my favorite Scriptures. The Amplified Bible says, "to the full, til it overflows."  I like to think of a glass of iced tea and the glass overflowing with the tea as it is poured out of a pitcher.  More than enough.  More than what I could use.  More than what I would have asked for.  This is why Jesus came to the earth.  To give us an abundant life, to the full, til it overflows.  This includes health.

Yes, I am thankful for perfect health.  For the health that Jesus took stripes for and died on the cross so that I can have it.  Thank You, Jesus, for an abundant life! 

My Job

I'm definitely thankful for my job for so many reasons.  First, I enjoy it (most of the time).  It's something that I like to do and am good at.  Second, I can work from home.  I've always relished this part of my job, but with Baby Girl, I appreciate it so much more.  It's great to be able to be flexible with the hours so that I can take her to her doctor's appointments, etc.  I get to watch her grow and change and enjoy her.  Yes, I'm very thankful for this part of my job. 

In this day, there are so many people without a job and I am very thankful to not only have a job, but to have a good job.  God is so good to me!

My Grandfather

Today, my grandfather would have turned 86.  I miss him.  He was one of those people who is larger than life.  He loved Gospel music, playing the guitar, and singing.  Oh, he could sing!  He loved to tell tall tales, talk about history, watch Archie Bunker, eat with family and friends, and laugh.  I still remember his laugh.  It was infectious! 

I so wish that he was still here and could see Baby Girl.  He would absolutely love her!  I'm sure that he would be calling her some silly name and loving spending time with her. 

I'm thankful for the time that I got to spend with him and that I really got to know him.  I love you, Papaw!

Veterans

Happy Veterans Day!

I am so extremely thankful for the men and women who serve in the armed forces.  I am thankful for all of the sacrifices that they give, including being apart from their families for extended periods of time.  I am thankful for them being willing to give their lives for the freedom that we know as Americans. 

My father served and my grandfather served.  I am so appreciative that they did. 

I enjoy the freedom of being an American.  I enjoy being able to worship God freely, without being scared that I will be killed for my beliefs.  I enjoy the many opportunities that come with being an American.  I know that freedom requires sacrifice.  I hope that veterans know that we appreciate them each and every day throughout the year, not just on Veteran's Day.

Happy Veteran's Day to all of those who served.  We have so much to thank you for!

Sleep

Ahhh...sleep.  That wonderful thing that I used to take for granted.  I have always been a good sleeper.  I've never had an issue falling asleep or staying asleep.  My mom tells me that from the second night home from the hospital, I was on a 4-hour sleep schedule and then, within a month, I was sleeping through the night. 

Then, I got pregnant.  I slept through most of my first trimester.  I could lay down at any time of the day and take a 30-90 minute nap.  Second trimester was more like my normal sleep schedule.  Third trimester was more difficult and, even though I didn't sleep that well at night, I just took naps during the day and things seemed fine.

Sleep changed for me beginning the night of August 16, when I began having contractions.  It just hasn't been the same since.  I long for it.  I desire it.  I crave it.  I don't get nearly enough of it.  What I do get just isn't the same...I'm constantly on alert for any unusual noise or baby whimper. So, it's not that extremely deep, oblivious about the world sleep.

As I sit here typing this, I look over at my baby girl, sound asleep and I'm so thankful.  I'm thankful for the lack of sleep I have because it's all due to this precious little girl.  She is wonderful and a gift from God.  I'll go without sleep whenever I need to (maybe not really happy about the lack of sleep, but definitely happy when I think of why I'm doing it).

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely thankful for any sleep that I get too!

The Sisters

My grandma has 3 sisters.  They amaze me.  Throughout my life, I have watched them unconditionally support each other through tests and trials that I couldn't even imagine.  They demostrate true love every day.  I have never seen 4 women love each other as much, respect each other more, or, quite frankly, be as kind to one another as these 4 women are.

I am so thankful that they are part of my family.

Arnie, Arnie

At a time in my life when I wasn't sure what I was going to do, my sister-in-law mentioned that I needed a dog.  My brother went to the pound with me and we picked out a puppy that I adopted.  As soon as I got him, we drove to New Jersey.  I hadn't had a pet since I was a small child and had no idea what I was embarking on.  It was one of the best decisions that I made at that time in my life.  My dog, Arnie, needed me and I needed to be needed.  My outlook on life changed.  I started exercising since I needed to walk the dog.  Things in my life seemed to change overnight when I brought home my puppy.  Arnie has been with me through quite a few changes in my life and has been right there every day, loving me just for being there.

Yes, I'm very thankful for Arnie.  He is a wonderful dog!

Special Presents

Since our Baby Girl came, we have been blessed with so many gifts from our friends and family.  I have mentioned before that I love handmade gifts.  Since that post, we have received additional special presents that were crafted with love.  And, I love and appreciate them all!

I'm thankful for these special presents and I'm thankful for the people who gave them to us!

Our Hedge

I am so thankful that there is a hedge of protection (Job 1:10) around us so that no weapon formed against us shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17)!

There are many times that I thank God for our hedge of protection...many times when I think about "what could have been" had our angels not been doing their jobs.  Then, I think that there have to be numerous times when I don't even know about the dangers that were lurking around the corner because our hedge is keeping us protected.  I thank God for all of the times that He has protected us...all of the times that I know about and all of the times that I don't.

As I think about our hedge, I especially want to thank God for protecting our little baby girl when she was growing inside me.  About 2 weeks after we found out that we were pregnant, one of my girlfriends and I were going Christmas shopping for my husband's presents.  I was driving, hit black ice, lost control of my car, ran into a snow bank in the median, flipped the car a couple of times, and ended up stopping on the driver's side.  My car was totalled, but neither me, nor my friend, nor my baby were harmed!  Praise the Lord! 

Yes, I am very thankful for our Hedge of Protection!

Baby in Heaven

I'm so thankful for my baby girl that is in Heaven right now.  What better place to grow up?  Yes, I'm sad that I don't get to see her everyday, but I know that I will get to spend eternity with her and eternity is so much better!  She gets to see God and Jesus every day.  What could be better than that? 

I often picture her crawling up on my grandfather's knee to tell him things, just like I used to do when I was little.  It's great to know that she has one of the people that I have loved the most in my life in Heaven with her.

Mommy loves you, Baby Girl!

My Baby Girl

God has given us the most wonderful, perfect baby girl.  She is a gift from the Lord and I am so thankful that He trusted us to raise her.  She is an answer to prayer.

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him." - I Samuel 1:27

Thankful

November seemed to sneak up on me this year.  In year's past, I have taken the month of November to reflect on the things that I'm thankful for and normally make a list, with one thing each day.  One year, I even did an entire year of things I'm thankful for.  It was awesome.  Writing down something I'm thankful for each day really makes me realize how awesome my life is.

As you can tell, I haven't done any November posts yet as things have been really busy around here with the Little One.  So, I'm going to cheat a bit and do the first 3 now and then, hopefully, I'll be able to write one each day for the rest of the month.

1.  First and absolutely above all else, I am thankful to Jesus.  I am so appreciative of all that He did for me.  And, to know that He would have done it had I been the only person on earth makes it that much more special.  I am thankful that I will be able to spend eternity with Him and know that what He did on the Cross is not only for eternity, but for the here and now.  He came so that I might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).  So, I am thankful to Jesus for my salvation as well as my abundant life.

2.  I am thankful for my husband.  God gave me the perfect man for me.  I'm so thankful that he married me.  That he chose me to live this life with.  I'm so thankful that God answered my prayer with him.

3.  I am thankful for my parents.  They have been there for me through thick and thin.  I am thankful for the way that they raised me and the time that they spent with me.  I appreciate the fact that their kids were a priority to them (and still are, along with their grandkids).  I love them both!