Truly Thankful

In every thing, give thanks; for this is the will of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

As we have entered into the week of Thanksgiving, I would like to tell you a few things I am truly thankful for.

First and foremost, my family. My parents are my rock. They are always there for me, always encouraging, always loving. They have been with me every step of the way for 27 years, and I thank the Lord every day for blessing me with two good, Christian role models. I am also thankful for my other family members, especially my cousins. I know I can count on them for anything and I hope they feel the same way about me.

Second, my wonderful friends. It has been said that if you can say you have one or two real friendships then you are blessed. Well, I have way more than that. First there are my three friends that complete the fab four- Holly, Julie, and Carolyn. I know y'all have heard me talk about them, and I am so lucky to be a part of such a special friendship bond that we share. In addition, I am still very best friends with my childhood friend, Joy. She may be two hours away, but when we see each other, it's like no time has passed. We both grew up as only children, so we have always been more like sisters. Also, there's my friend Bess, and if not for her, I would not have survived college. From my sophomore year right up until she got married this past August, she was my roommate. I can honestly say that it was so easy to live with her, and we may have had 3 total fights the whole time we lived together- which was about 7 or 8 years.

Third, I thank God every day for WEG. He makes me laugh constantly, and always picks me up when I'm down. We are there for each other through everything that life throws at us, and I look forward to many more happy times with him.

Fourth, I am thankful for my health. I have no real health issues to complain about, and I hope this will continue. Maybe the Lord just knows how much I fear doctors ;-)

Fifth, I am thankful that in this economy, where so many have lost their jobs, I have a stable income (even if it is not a large salary), and I have no fear of losing my job. I know right now that is a major thing to be thankful for.

Finally, I am thankful to live in a country where I know I will not be persecuted for my beliefs. Where I am free to worship God, free to walk around without fear, free to express my beliefs despite the fact that I am a woman. I know that so many people in other areas of the world do not have these luxuries. So I am thankful to live in the United States of America. Regardless of the problems we have, there are things we could be dealing with that are FAR WORSE.

So for these things, I am truly thankful. I could go on and on about other things I am thankful for, but I'll leave you with the big six. I hope as you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, you will remember to thank God for the blessings in your life.