thankfulness and rambling

i'm going to try to gather my thoughts for the enormous list of things i am thankful for.

first and foremost, i am extremely thankful for a God who loves me even when it's difficult to love myself. In the past months my faith has grown leaps and bounds, and it seems to happen when i'm not trying to grow my faith, but when i'm listening more to my heavenly Father than trying to tell Him what i need in my life.

i'm thankful for my family. we're spread out across the country, but a phone call to my sister in arizona, or my brother in chicago (well, michigan as of tomorrow!) or my other brother in new jersey never fails to bring light to a difficult situation or laughter to a bad day. my parents have raised me to love the Lord with all my heart, all my soul and all my strength, and for that i am extremely thankful.

my church family. they've loved me since i walked through those doors when i was 4 years old. now, 26 years later, i've formed lasting relationships with my extended family. The Renzonis. The Morths. The Replogles. The Teeples. The Morris'. their example is more powerful than they'll ever be aware.

**note** this entry was started at about 8am thanksgiving morning. the craziness of the day got the better of me, and now that i am home from midnight outlet shopping i'm determined to attempt to complete my list at nearly 3am.**

my dog. she's always there to greet me when i come in the door, or to lick my tears. she's the best.

my friends. never more than a phone call away for advice, an ear, a shoulder or a laugh.

a job. granted it's stressful, but i absolutely love the kids i teach. the more challenging, the more i love them - especially when i break down the wall they put up. it's happened with quite a few students already this year. also, a few kids have come to talk to me about their faith - it's incredible. to be able to share my faith with students is something that will never get old. i'm convinced that my school is my mission field.

a warm bed. a reliable car. electricity. the gift of music. the youth of ghbc. HDTV. running water. baseball. hugs. financial needs met. old hymns.

this week i've been thinking about the little things that God provides for that we, in general, completely overlook. each day is a gift and God is deserving of our praise for even the little things in life. it's my hope and goal to become more grateful for the little things in life, and less focused on just thanking God for the big things or specific answers to prayer. green lights when i'm running late. water when i'm thirsty. pain - it means i'm alive.

angie smith had a challenge for thanksgiving. she's challenged her readers to thank God for something that was difficult to go through (her example was losing her infant daughter hours after she was born). it was amazing to read the readers responses to her challenge. i encourage you to go to her blog and check it out.

ok it's late and i'm not quite sure where i'm going with this. just some things i've been thinking about lately and wanted to get it written down.

i hope whoever happens to stumble across this entry had a blessed thanksgiving. don't forget to thank God for all things, even the things that we aren't naturally thankful for.