{Gratitude} 23 of 30

Equally thankful today for both good friends and chocolate, in no particular order or preference! I love it when they come together as they did this evening as I gathered with wonderful dear friends around a fondue pot for a couple of hours of sharing stories and laughter. I suspect that there aren't enough hours in anyone's life but I think that the more time I find for doing things like this, the better and more productive I will be in every other area of my days! Simply put, it was a good food, good company kind of evening!

{Gratitude} 22 of 30

Thankful for a Sunday. God knew what He was doing when He instructed us to set aside one day a week for rest. I may not be perfect at it but I love it when my Sundays revolve around worship and friendship and relaxing. There's a beauty to starting the week like that and simply finding the time to breathe deeply. Ahhhh, lovely.

{Gratitude} 21 of 30

Thankful for my roommate!
Seriously, nothing really beats dinner at Christina's, honest conversation, discussions about what God is doing, and then late night tea and general hanging out. So happy she's home, so happy she loves Jesus too, so happy we get to hang out and do so much of life together! :)

{Gratitude} 20 of 30

Thankful today for those who are willing to go and reach many people who don't know the Lord. Today one returned and many left and I have no doubt that God was and will be glorified through everything that both teams do. I've traveled to foreign countries before and have seen what God can do and I just know that amazing things occur when people are willing to be fully used by the Lord for the expansion and development of His kingdom. I'm reminded today of the challenge to go and make disciples and I'm rejoicing for those who are actively doing so in far away lands (and also for all who are daily pursuing the same goal in their lives here!).

{Gratitude} 16-19 of 30

Well, I kind of fell off the wagon on this whole gratitude tracking thing. Which is funny because every day I've thought of something else I'm extremely grateful for. So, I'll just leave a list of things that have made me smile over the last couple of days!

Coffee, friends, laughter, missions, random encounters, hummus, fireplaces, finishing tests, decorating for Christmas, hot chocolate, making plans, a nice hello, powerful challenges, great speakers, work accomplished, not throwing my computer out the window, late night phone calls, being positive, potluck Thanksgiving dinners, vacuuming, a new CD, LIFE!

Life is incredible, every day, every minute, always. Yet it's just a taste of the greatness that is to come. I can't even begin to imagine or fathom what awaits on the other side of these breaths. God is SO good!

Breathe deeply and be grateful. We are so blessed!

{Gratitude} 15 of 30

For the first of the holiday dinners I give thanks! Tonight as my Bible fellowship class gathered for our annual Thanksgiving dinner I was just so thankful for the gathering of community around a table where we stopped, enjoyed each others company and great food, and gave thanks to the God who made every moment possible. This is what the holidays should be about. Those we love giving thanks to the One who loves us. May this overwhelmed heart find even more moments in each holiday to come. For today though, I'm just thankful for turkey and stuffing and pie and a wonderful evening to enjoy it!

{Gratitude} 14 of 30

I am grateful today to be starting another year! For a birthday that was completely full of wonderful, incredible, beautiful moments with dear amazing friends. I really believe that few people are so blessed to be surrounded by those who love them and whom they love in return. I can not believe what a blessing it is and how incredibly grateful to God I am for the life He's given me and the number of days He's provided. I can hardly wait to see what comes next but for today, I am ever so grateful for all of the goodness that's already been given. All glory to Him, truly. He gives great gifts!

{Gratitude} 13 of 30

For Fridays I am most thankful. This week seemed quite long and I am happy that the weekend has arrived and I have many fun plans involving so many dear and wonderful friends. Some weeks just make you appreciate the weekend. Today, that's what I'm grateful for! :)

{Gratitude} 12 of 30

Today I'm thankful for Brady. It might seem like a silly thing to be thankful for the dog but when I returned home last night after a long day and all I wanted was a hug, he met me at the door with exuberant hops and then was thrilled at just the opportunity to lay on the couch near me and sleep. He'll never take the place of people in my life but sometimes it's just really nice to be welcomed home by someone who is just so very excited that you've returned and you're going to spend some time with them. He may spend his fair share of time driving me nuts but when all is said and done, I'm always thankful that he's around.

{Gratitude} 11 of 30

Today I'm thankful for modern medicine. I watched as a friend faced emergency surgery and marveled at the technology available at our fingertips. At the same time I was thinking of how grateful I was for these incredible machines I was also realizing that what we have we so often take for granted. My thankfulness is greatly increased simply by being aware of the great blessings we have at being able to go to a choice of hospitals with all of the modern medicines available. On this thought's heels comes the remembrance that to whom much is given, much is expected. So while I'm incredibly thankful for medicine, I'm also incredibly aware that we must use our lives to share with others who are less fortunate than us.

{Gratitude} 10 of 30

For my house and puppy and hot chocolate and fire...all those things that make up home! Today I'm just enjoying the blessing of having a place to call home. One filled with things that make me smile, encourage me, challenge me, and build up my confidence to face the outside world again. It's my place of retreat when I just need some room to ponder and a place that I'm so thrilled to open up to those who just need a special home away from home. I am utterly blessed to have such a place and I love being able to throw open the doors to the many wonderful people in my world and invite them to spend time here too!

{Gratitude} 9 of 30

Today I'm grateful for the ability to take a night off. My calendar had nothing on it, there was no crisis requiring my attention, my phone did not ring. So I sat down on the couch last night at 8pm and promptly fell asleep...for the next 11 hours. Oops. I could be frustrated because I didn't get much of anything done before my extended nap but instead, I'm just thankful that I had the time because I was really TIRED! And now I'm not! :)

{Gratitude} 8 of 30

Sundays with no required work! I absolutely love a Sunday when I am free to chase whatever interest I want, spend my time however I choose, and still know that when Monday rolls around, I won't be behind because I've goofed off over the weekend! I love an open schedule where I can go to church and worship God, help out others, cheer on a softball team, enjoy a cup of coffee and a wander around Target, spend time gathered with friends, and truly feel like even though I was busy every minute, it was a beautiful and relaxing day full of some the biggest blessings that God gives! Love it!

{Gratitude} 7 of 30

Celebrating joyful occasions in friend's lives! I so enjoy the opportunity to gather with friends to rejoice in the beautiful things that God has done in their lives. Whether babies or weddings or birthdays or really any occasion worthy of celebration, I am so grateful that I'm included in their joy and get to laugh and celebrate and share in their gratitude for God's goodness. It's a beautiful thing!

{Gratitude} 6 of 30

Friendships. There is really just little that's better than spending time with friends that you've accumulated through the years. I love those people who always make my heart happy when we gather together, whether it's been 10 years or 10 hours since we last saw each other. Today I was just again reminded of how grateful I am to God for placing such amazing people in my life and for giving me time to spend with all of them!

{Gratitude} 5 of 30

Starbucks. I know it's silly but I am so thankful for my local coffee shop haunt. It has gotten to the point of feeling like the world's greatest living room...comfortable seats, good drinks, friends behind the counter, favorite spots to sit, friends walking through the doors. A place for deep discussions, tears, laughter, thinking, writing, studying. It's just a place of comfort that I can escape to whenever the walls start closing in and I just need to spend some time somewhere that I can think!

{Gratitude} 4 of 30

Cake. Stories. Laughing. Coffee. Church. Sharing. Hugs. Smiles. Friends.
For doing life with wonderful people. Each and every day.

{Gratitude} 3 of 30

A beautiful day: sunshine, blue skies, perfect temperatures, fall foliage.
Beauty everywhere!
Time to breathe deeply, take a longer walk, and give thanks to a very good God!

{Gratitude} 2 of 30

For the voice of a loved one. A phone conversation punctuated by stories, laughter, advice, plans. Knowing there's one who wants to hear my venting, my stories, my life, and sometimes the same things over and over and who still won't get annoyed (too much). Being the one for her when she needs to do the same.

{Gratitude} 1 of 30

For a sweet family that invites me in and lets me spend time with them; just watching their interactions, hearing their stories, sharing pictures and laughs. For not feeling like I'm on the outside looking in but rather for being able to catch a whiff of the feelings of home.