7 Things I Am Grateful For

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope your celebrating was beautiful and you have woken from your turkey coma and are full of gratitude for the time you had with family and friends yesterday.

I hope you soaked up all the great conversations and food and wine that you could, because just around the corner is Advent, which is traditionally a time of fasting.

Just remember, it’s the lukewarm ones that God spits out of His mouth — so if you have got the feasting thing down, the next season of Advent is a great time to get the fasting thing down, too.

That being said, today is a day to reflect on all the blessings God has given to us.  This is my third annual “7 Things I am Grateful For” post.   Yippee!

Without further ado, let’s get to them.

Coffee Beans

Can we talk for one moment about how great it is that God made a plant that had a bean that would literally fuel an exhausted mother through her entire day — all the sports and the schooling and the dinner prep — and maybe even with a smile on her face!

So, thank you, Lord, for coffee beans.  Most especially thank you for inspiring those Italians with bringing that coffee bean to a level of artistry that almost brings a tear to the eye — almost.

Family Travel

I have always loved to travel, but there is something about traveling as a family that has brought us closer in ways I never imagined.

Perhaps it’s because it’s not always comfortable to travel as a family, and God helps us to grow most in those uncomfortable moments of our lives.

Perhaps it’s because we always have hilarious stories that we can laugh at later, or just maybe it’s because we always make it a pilgrimage and allow God to work in those moments of our trip.

Whatever it is, I am grateful for it.  I am grateful that God helps us accumulate sky miles quickly and find some amazing deals along the way.

So, thank you, Lord for all the family travel moments you have given to us.

Braving the Elements

I’m a Midwest girl, and living in the Midwest means long winters — frankly, too long for my liking.

I used to hide away and only ever run from my car to another indoor destination once the weather got cold.  I was just waiting for winter to end, till I could be “happy” again.

Last year, for Lent, I decided I would make myself get outdoors every.single.day.  I called it my 40 Days Outdoors Challenge.

It did something for me.  It helped me to realize that getting outside in a cold, dreary day was far more enjoyable than staying inside staring at it, just wishing it would go away.

I’m not saying cold weather is my favorite, but I have learned that you need to face those things you dislike, head on, and just maybe you will find a new appreciation for it all.

I also discovered that being a Midwest girl means some truly amazing Fall walks that will almost take your breath away with the beauty of it all.

Thank you, Lord, for helping me to discover the unexpected beauty of bundling up and facing the elements, with you at my side.

Confession

Do you ever have moments where you are regretting that thing you said or did — so much that you literally cringe when you think about it?

Some would refer to that as “not being the best version of yourself”.  Do you ever have those moments?

I know I do, and that is why I am so grateful for the Sacrament of Confession.

So shout out to Jesus for knowing that sometimes, we would need to hear those words “you are forgiven” and also “now go in peace”.

And we could go in peace and even have the strength to avoid those sins in the future.

That my friends, has to be one of God’s greatest gifts to us.

So thank you, Jesus, for the gift of confession.  Sorry I need it so often, but hey, I’m still a work in progress.

Dead Saints

I am going to write more about this in a future post, so I will just leave it at this simple point.

I am grateful to have the example of holy men and women who can’t mess things up and make me regret ever having looked up to them.

In recent months, I have witnessed, first hand, men I admired, whose serious sins or scandals were brought to the light.  It is disheartening, to say the least.  Maybe you have experienced that, too.

We all need examples of holiness and courage that we can look to, which is why I love the Saints. A big bonus is that they can’t disappoint us by royally messing anything up — because they’re dead.

So thank you, Jesus, for dead Saints who inspire me!

This Guy

I am grateful for my kids, of course, but I have to give a shoutout to the man I married, 19 years ago.

He has been an amazing pillar of strength and faith for all of us.

He’s pretty great, if I do say so myself.

So, thank you, Jesus, for that man you brought into my life to walk with me these past 20 years.

You, You, You

I must admit that there are times when I am up at 1 am on a Thursday night, trying desperately to get a post together and I can’t help but ask myself, “Now, why am I doing this?”

My answer is almost always, “I have no idea”, and yet, I finish that post and press publish, and there is a little part of me that feels a thrill inside.

I try to write from my heart and not worry too much about grammar and looking perfect.  It is a struggle, a wrestling match of sharing enough — but not too much.

I write for myself and for my family, but I am also writing for you — perfectly beautiful, YOU.  

I really hope that what I share is something that is life-giving for you, too.  I really do.

I just want to say keep going, keep striving, keep reaching out for God — because in the end, only He can satisfy your deepest longings in this world. I’ll keep trying to do the same.

To those of you I have never met, I hope and pray we all make it to Heaven and can finally meet in real life — the realest life we never knew was possible.

Till then, I am so grateful for everybody who has ever read one of my posts, shared one of my posts, signed up for e-mails or commented.

It means so much to me.  So thank you for being you!

That’s about it, till next week.

Hey, maybe this will inspire you to make your own list of 7 Things for which you are grateful.  

Please share one of them in the comments, because I would love to know what you are grateful for, too.