A Few Little Blessings. .

^{I'm a holiday kind of girl. .}

^{I love 'em all. .}

^{though this is one that usually provokes a little more heartfelt consideration of the occasion!}

^{I am truly blessed in many different ways. .}

^{I hope you took a minute to read my post from earlier this week describing the One I am most thankful for. .}

^{and most grateful to. .}

 ^{but I wanted to share my other Top 10 list of thanksgivings this season. .}

^{It also blesses my heart greatly to read about your blessings too. .}

^{so, even if you never comment any other time. .}

^{Please, leave a quick list of your thankfulness at the end of this post!} 

10.) A safe community. .

that is both physically safe for us and our children to go about our daily lives uninhibited by fear. .

and emotionally safe. .that we can be who we are without fear of rejection.

9.) Transportation to get us where we need to be in a short amount of time. .and technology like phones and internet to keep us connected to our friends and family when we need to be! I'm thankful that the miles between us can seem relatively few with our modern day advances!

8.) Easy access to abundant and healthy food. .

both in the stores. .and in my own neighborhood. .

7.) The opportunity that Jeremy and I have to perform our work passions in settings that both challenge and satisfy our hearts and our minds. As well as the determination to help our children learn the value of a hard day's work. .and the satisfaction of a job well done!

6.) The luxury of being able to "leave it all behind" for a few days of escape from the reality of life. .

and the ability to return with the desire to persevere.

5.) For the life of my dad. .Though cut short, in our eyes. .

The legacy that he left in our lives and our personalities is priceless. .

and the thought of never having to see him suffer through the aging process is comforting!

4.) The warmth and comfort of a rather large, loving extended family on both sides of our tree! We've learned more about one another in the last 6 months than we have in years. .and we still love each other! To know that someone will love you through the thick and the thin is a commodity not to be taken lightly!

3.) A sweet little retreat that we like to call "home". .

 where we can hang out and be ourselves.

It is cool in the heat and warm in the cold. .

A place of safety that sees all the tears, anger, promises, and love!

2.) The little flock of 4 that God blessed two kids with over 16 years ago. .that continue to frustrate and bless us, all at the same time. .that challenge us and bring laughter to us. .that give us extra purpose in our mission. .that will carry on what we stand for. .as we carry on what our families before us stood for!

And the top thing that I am most thankful for. .

aside from my Savior. .

1.) this man. .the one whom I have loved for the last 21 years. .

The father of my children (all of them). .

The one who makes me laugh. .

And scream in anger. .

The one who can make me scream in anger and then laugh in the same paragraph!

He isn't perfect. .

but then neither am I. .

Our life isn't always wonderful. .

And many days I have to CHOOSE to love him because the emotion just might not be there. .

but there isn't another man I would rather spend my days and nights with. .

And as we grow old in each other. .

and mature in the Lord. .

It just gets better and better each year!!

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100:1-5

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.