Blogs of Thanksgiving: Day 12

Having expressed my gratitude for my sister yesterday, it is only fitting I show my gratitude for her husband, my brother-in-law, Nick. Over the past 7 plus years, Nick truly has proven to be the "perfect match" for my sister. When he first started dating Jennifer, I was amused because Nick always seemed to be rather quiet and reserved, and so I was curious to see how things would play out, no offense intended to either one of them, lol. However, it didn't take long for me to see that Jennifer had found "a keeper" in Nick. He truly respects, loves and supports my sister in every way possible and he has been an awesome addition to our family. I still remember the first Thanksgiving he spent with my family, and I jokingly told Jennifer that if he didn't go running for the hills after spending a holiday with us, she should make sure didn't let him get away. And that's something that holds true today. I still remember what it was about Nick that made me think he was a good match for Jennifer, and there was nothing special that he did, but just a "feeling" I got.  Now sister wasn't in the habit of dating tons of guys, nor did she ever date any "jerks," but whenever I was around her and her former boyfriends, while they never treated me mean or anything, I always felt like and outsider, a "third wheel" if you will, but I never felt that way when spending time with Jennifer and Nick. I felt accepted, and there is just something about being with them and not feeling like an outsider rather like family, that convinced me that they were a good match for each other, and that Nick would be an excellent addition to our family, and the past seven years have done nothing but convinced me of that. And not only am I sure that Nick is and will continue to be an incredible husband to my sister, but I am sure that he will be an incredible dad to my nephew. I am so very grateful for the blessing that Nick has been to our family and am glad to have him as a brother-in-law.

Blogs of Thanksgiving: Day 11

Today, I am reminded of how grateful to have an awesome sister,  who is not only the best sister I could ask for but also an amazing friend. There is a saying that friends are the family you choose, and while I do have some friends that I consider to be like family; in my sister, I have a family member who is also my best friend. I can't say that we have always been "the best of friends;" matter of fact, we didn't always get along when we were younger, but I am to blame for that. I was quite the brat at times, thankfully I grew out of it (at least I like to think I did). However, despite the fact that I wasn't always easy to get along with, my sister never stopped loving me and has stuck with me through thick and thin. I have many fond memories of my sister, from road trips, to shopping trips, to nights hanging out at home, no matter what we are doing, I know that time with my sister is time well spent. We are alike enough to enjoy doing many things together, but different enough to keep things interesting.  And it can even be argued that if it weren't for Jennifer, I wouldn't be here today, as she is credited with saving my life on multiple occasions.  But more than that, I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for her influence and love. She has seen me at my worse, and as been a voice of reason and encouragement multiple times, something for which I am incredibly grateful. Jennifer is not only an incredible sister and friend, but I know that in a few short weeks she will also be an incredible mom, something I look forward to seeing as she enters this new exciting chapter of her life. I am so grateful that I am blessed with such a positive influence and example in my life and one that I never take for granted and someone I would do absolutely anything for.

Blogs of Thanksgiving: Day 10

Given the fact that today is Veteran's Day, I am reminded of how grateful of I am for our country's veterans. Veteran's Day began as Armistice Day in 1919 when Woodrow Wilson declared, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations." The freedoms we enjoy this country are possible thanks to the sacrifices of our veterans. Many have paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that we can live in a land that is free. Not only am I grateful to the men and women who have gone before; but also I express gratitude to those who continue to serve our nation today. These heroes deserve our gratitude not just one day a year, but every day because we wouldn't be who we are today without them. So, to all our veterans, today and I every day, I say "Thank you."

Blogs of Thanksgiving: Day 9 (I'm still a day off)

I was going to make up for my tardiness in writing my Thursday blog on Friday by writing two blogs yesterday; but alas, I only wrote, so I'm just going to be a day off. Anyway, today I am thankful for my job. Now those who know me well may be some what surprised to hear me say that; but the truth is, even though I don't exactly love my job, I am grateful to have one. I have worked at Best Buy nearly 3 1/2 years now. And while I have no intention of making a career of it; nor do I love my job, I am grateful that I have one. We have numerous people come in on a regular basis looking to see if we are hiring; and I am reminded that given these economic times; its a blessing to just have a job. And I am also grateful how flexible my job has been with my ever changing schedule. The great thing about working retail is that it has allowed me to set my availability in such a way that allows me to continue my studies. Another great benefit of my job is the employee discount. Its a pretty useful benefit at times, lol. Anyway, although I don't exactly enjoy my job every day, I am grateful to have it; and I am sure that the experience will come in handy in the future.

Blogs of Thanksgiving: Day 8..A Day Late

In my last blog, I mentioned how grateful I am to be blessed with such an amazing dad, well. today, I want to mention how grateful I am for my mom. Goodness knows my mom and I have had our fair share of disagreements (most of them taking place during my teenage years), but regardless I am so very grateful to have her in my life. No matter what I go through, I know my mom will be there to support me. She's got my back and will always wants best for me, and for that I am incredibly grateful. She will be there for me whenever I need her; whether that means screaming next to me on a log flume, cheering me up when I'm down or just simply spending time with me. I know she loves me, worries about me, and even though she can't always, I know she would protect me from anything bad ever happening. And, if you will indulge me  once again, I would like to take another trip down memory lane...and I promise I'm not always sick, but if you ask me, those who are there for you when you are at your worse, are worth keeping around.

While I could share numerous stories about my mom taking good care of me, I choose this one...During my junior year of college, I came down with an infection and had to go on antibiotics for a week. On Saturday, I was talking to my mom and she announces that she is coming down on Sunday to visit with me. She came down, we went to lunch, went shopping, she bought me some groceries, etc for my apartment.  We had a great time. And while I had the great time, I thought her visit was all kind of random,  however, before she left, I thought crossed my mind, my mom was coming down just to make sure I was okay. And while it may be in the nature of moms to worry, I am so grateful that my mom would take the time to come and check on me to make sure I was okay. She wasn't being nosy, but concerned. She came out to check on me because she wasn't able to be there for me while I was sick, but she wanted to still make sure I was okay. Its such a comfort to know that I have a supportive mom who not only wants the best for me, but will always check to make sure I am okay. She knows me inside and out and loves me in her own special way, and for that, I am truly grateful.

Blog of Thanksgiving: Day 7

So, just like many others, my facebook page was overrun this morning with people's reactions to the election yesterday. And in the midst of the raging political storm that has been raging throughout this campaign season, I was reminded of grateful I am for my dad (don't worry, Mom, you'll get a blog post too). I know that it may seem strange to say that a political storm reminds me of my dad, but if you will bear with me, I will explain my thought process. This past Father's Day I posted a picture of our family riding the log flume at Disney World on my facebook page, and in the picture, my mom and sister are screaming, my aunts are bowing their heads, perhaps in prayer that God will deliver them from their current horror, my uncle is smiling/laughing, I look at absolutely terrified, and my dad is sitting there calm, like nothing is really going on. I chose to caption the  photo by thanking my dad for remaining calm trough all life's storms. And that is one thing that makes me feel incredibly blessed to have such an awesome dad in my life.  I know that no matter what crisis I face, I can count on my dad to see me through and to always be the voice of reason when everyone else has lost theirs. He truly is the calm in the midst of life's storms. There have been countless times where I have found myself in a bind and he has been there, whether its to take care of me when I am ill, to fix my car when its broken down or just to offer advice when I'm not sure what to do; no matter the situation, I know I can count on him to see me through. And if you will indulge me a trip down memory lane, I want to take the time to share a memory that I have that reminds me of how incredibly blessed I am...

I apologize in advance for the "content" of this story, but I will try and keep the graphic nature to a minimum....As a child, I was active in the children's choir at our church, and one year we had a part in the Christmas cantata in which we were to sing a song and we were all to be wearing white robes (I think we were to give off the image that we were angels). Anyway, I hadn't been feeling well that night, but when on to sing anyway. Thankfully, despite not feeling well, I made it through the song okay, and safely off the stage. However, not so thankfully, I didn't quite make it to the bathroom, nor did I make it out of the sanctuary before vomiting, not only all over my once white robe, but also all over the floor of the sanctuary wing aisle.  Obviously, I had made a rather quick progression from not feeling well, to being full on sick. But to my amazement, there to greet me at the door heading out of the sanctuary was my dad. He lovingly escorted me down the stairs and to the couch in his office and left me there briefly while he went upstairs to clean up my mess. After that, he took me home and "took care of me." I choose to share this story not only because my dad took care of me when I was sick, (I could share numerous stories just like that), but I share this story because of something I realized later on, and something that has stuck with me since then. There is a small detail of this story that sticks out to me to this very day, years later, and its not just that my dad took care of me while I was sick or that he cleaned up my mess in the sanctuary, but that he was there to meet me  at the door when I sick. You see, after being home for awhile and having had a little bit of a chance to recover from the ordeal, I asked my dad something I just couldn't figure out, I asked him how he it is he knew what in the world was going on, how did he know to be at the door of the sanctuary wing to meet me. You see, two things made his appearance at the door remarkable to me. The first being that he knew I had thrown up. I didn't understand how he could have known since he had been sitting in the balcony and thus unable to see me.  The second being that he was there within in seconds of it happening, so even if he had somehow gotten a glimpse of it happening, how in the world did he get to the sanctuary wing so fast? His answer? "While you were still singing, I saw all of the color leave your face, and knew you were getting ready to be sick, so I rushed over to the wing." He just knew. I often joke that my dad knows everything, matter of fact, I have always thought he would be a good candidate for Jeopardy. But the thing I take from this story, and the point I am trying to illustrate, is that my dad knows me, and that means the world to me. He knew I was going to be sick, and he made sure he was there to take care of me. He knows me better at times than I know myself, I certainly didn't have a clue that I was getting ready to puke all over the place, yet he did. He knows me inside and out and  he loves me just the same; he's kind of awesome like that.  I could go on about the many things my dad has done or the many attributes he has to make me grateful that he's my dad, but I think its enough that he loves me for who I am, and I couldn't ask for anything more than that.

Blog of Thanksgiving: Day 6

Today, I voted in my second presidential election, and while I am grateful that I live in a country that allows me the opportunity to voice my opinion in how the government is run, more than that I am grateful that no matter the results, I serve a God who is sovereign over all. No matter who wins this election, I will give him the respect the office of president deserves, knowing that my true fate rests in the hands of an almighty God who is bigger than election results. Now, while I certainly do hope and pray that the candidate I voted for win because I believe he will move this nation in the right direction, I know that God is ultimately in control, and I take comfort in the fact that while I did my civic duty today as a citizen of this nation, my ultimate citizenship is in heaven. Therefore, while I am grateful that I had the chance to vote today, I am much more grateful that Jesus has made it so that my future is secure in Him regardless of the results of this election. So, while I hope that everyone who was able did their civic duty and voted today, more than anything else, I hope that people will come to claim the citizenship they have in heaven so that there future can be secure in something other than election results.

O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead