Thanks for Giving 5

Random Quote: "Thanksgiving..." ~www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com

     I'm not sure who made this photo but I found it at the above link and thought it was really appropriate for the time of year and the message of the blog. If anyone knows who made it, please let me know so that I can give them full credit. As far as I know, the link above is the only knowledge of the creator that I have. Thank you! 

     Last week, I left off with a hug and a smile. Those were my challenges to you. Go out and give more hugs and smiles. Did you do it? I wanna hear if you did!!! Now, just remember, you probably can't hug everyone. Random strangers may not be happy with the friendly assault. Try it out with your family and friends more often. That's a great way to share the love and they can share it with their family and friends and the hug cycle continues! Smiles are easy. If you need toothpicks or vaseline to help with that, just visit your local Dollar General. You're welcome. I'm here to help. ;) 

     #24: Baking! I do actually love to bake. I used to bake homeade cinnamon rolls, my family's "Texas Sheet Cake", double-decker bars, cookies of all kinds, pies, cakes, and more. I haven't baked in a long time though. It makes me sad. I need to do that. Baking is a great way to calm yourself, take yourself out of a problem, immerse yourself in the process, and share the baking love. Everyone loves a cookie. I mean, who doesn't love a cookie? If you're raising your hand out there, put it down. I don't want to hear from cookie haters. I know my friend, Dorian Tsukioka, isn't a cookie hater. In fact, she makes the best cookies ever. EVER. Now pumpkin pie haters, give me a shout-out! Lol.  

     #25: CHOCOLATE!!! :) This should be number one. I know. But I didn't really list my thankful thoughts in really any particular order. I just kept thinking about what makes me happy and started sharing. However, I love chocolate. It makes me happy. Just one tiny piece can help me get through a day. I know some people who aren't chocolate lovers. I simply can't be friends with those people (lol, just kidding!). So, feel free to share the chocolate as well. Hershey's will never be turned down. 

Bring it on.  

     #26: Sunshine is the best thing next to indoor plumbing. And chocolate. I mean, we all feel better when the sun is out and shining and befriending the world, right? You know it! I can handle cold weather, but don't take away my sun!! I'm thankful for every minute of the day because I can really accomplish my goals and get work finished. Sometimes there's not enough sun in a day, but I am very thankful it's there. It helps us all get through the day. Does the sun help you?  

     #27: I love my pets. Snuggling with an animal can reduce your stress level tremendously. I love hugging my little Koty Bear tightly. Really tightly. He doesn't like it, but who asked him? Yeah. No one. Sometimes a tight hug or snuggle next to a warm, fluffy, straggly puppy dog can be very encouraging. Until he barks randomly. I hate him then. But, really, for the most part, I do love him. Love, love, love! :)

     #28: I really love to hear a good sermon. Pastor Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City and Joyce Meyer and so many others encourage me. When you hear a really good "sermon", you are uplifted. You find meaning in life. You remember the good things. You find new reasons to be happy. You are renewed by the meaning of their words. You are taken back into Scriptures and those Scriptures are brought back to life for you; they are given new meaning sometimes. In fact, new light is shed upon verses you may never have thought about before, in a new way you may never have considered. That gives new meaning to life as well. And it's nice to be encouraged and find hope. 

     #29: Forgiveness. I am SO thankful for forgiveness. Seriously. It is a blessing to me, but it also helps set my soul at peace over the fact that I can give and receive forgiveness. Sometimes I'm naughty. Really naughty. I appreciate forgiveness and the chance to do better. Because, let's be honest, being naughty can sometimes look and sound like too much fun and you are dragged in before you know it. Been there. Done that. Time to move on. 

     #30: Faith. I am simply, humbly, passionately thankful for faith. Faith begets hope, and EVERY DAY I need that faith. I need that hope. I don't know what I would do without the mixture of these two blessings inside of me. Some day I may share how much my faith and hope have helped me and moved me beyond the darkness. For now, I hope you are thankful for faith and hope too. In what ways has faith and/or hope gotten you through life? 

Feel free to share or contact me about how you are thankful this November. Did one of my reasons for thanks resonate with you as well? Please share! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Not as a holiday, but as a true reason to celebrate being thankful!!!

~Love and Hugs!! :)

Thanks for Giving 4

Random Quote: "Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving." ~W.T. Purkiser (Shinzoo.com)

     Yes, I'm still thinking about the thankful. Sometimes I think I will exhaust my appreciation of everything. However, it hasn't happened yet, and I have seven more happy thoughts to share with you today. I'm determined to make it to 30, and hopefully inspire you to look around and enjoy what you have and what you do with it. :)

     #17: I am really thankful for my bed and night time. The luxury of sleep cannot be overstated or underappreciated. I truly have come to enjoy naps as I've gotten older. Who knew the soft, squishy feel of pillows and comforters can make you feel as though you are in Heaven? Sigh. I'm happy just thinking about it. 

     #18: Showers. Who knew that indoor plumbing would and could make you so happy? I love my shower. I appreciate an indoor toilet, especially since it is SO freezing cold lately. Who would want to live in the pioneer days and find a hole in the ground? Seriously. Those people were super humans. They really were. I'm just saying. However, I wouldn't trade my bathroom and all its warmth and privacy for the strength and endurance of a thousand pioneers. No offense. I just like warm water. You know what I mean, right? 

     #19: Phones are a modern convenience that we take for granted or sometimes don't really think about anymore. I mean, does anyone remember what a rotary phone, pay phone, or landline is? Anyone? I appreciate all forms of the telephone. They help me reach out and contact the people I most want to talk to. Texting is a gift. And a grammar curse. That's a whole other story though. Needless to say, I am very thankful to have a phone at my disposal when there is an emergency or I really need prayers and help from a friend. It's a blessing. Remember that! 

     #20: Technology is a blessing as well. However, I try not to become too dependent on it. Although it's fun to check Facebook, write out emails, and keep in touch with long-distance family and friends, I'm still old school as well. I love to see people face to face. You can't beat human contact. When it's positive, lol. 

     #21: I love stickers. I know this sounds really silly to appreciate, but I just had to add it to my list of thankfulness. It's always meant so much to me when a student or one of my nieces or nephews pops a little sticker onto my shirt. It's a sign they care, and I also love sticking those adorable stickers on cards and notes to friends and family. It's an extra touch to let people know that I care. Besides, they have Hello Kitty stickers people!!! Hello Kitty!!! That should just say it all right there! :)

     #22: I really appreciate and love and am thankful for HUGS!!!!! You know it! Hugs give you endorphins, and endorphins help make people happy; and as Reece Witherspoon put it in Legally Blonde: "Happy people don't kill their husbands". Lol. So get out there and give, receive, and share hugs! We need all the happy people we can get!!! :)

     #23: I LOVE smiles. When someone just smiles at me, it lights up my day. It is the tiniest form of showing you care, or even if you don't really "care", that you are a considerate person willing to pass on a moment of happiness to someone else. I always try to smile at people when I'm out and about at stores and even at work. I think it's important and the most simple form of manners. You can make someone's day just by smiling at them. If you couldn't do anything else, but at least smile, wouldn't you want to do that? Help spread a little cheer and love today. Smile with your whole heart and see how quickly others will share their smile with you!! 

     Whew! I am still thankful for so many more things that it's hard to stop here! But I want to leave you with this list for now so you can absorb it and think it over. What are you thankful for? Do you agree or disagree with anything I'm thankful for? 

     What about #22 and #23? Are you ready to share the love through a hug or a smile today??? Come on! I dare you! I double-dog dare you! Lol! :)

Take some time and share with me your thankfulness or if you have taken on my challenges to share some hugs and smiles with others today. I can't wait to hear your experiences!

~Love and Hugs!! :)

Thanks for Giving 3

Random Quote: "I give thanks to my Creator for this wonderful life where each of us has the opportunity to learn lessons we could not fully comprehend by any other means."  ~Joseph B. Wirthlin

     Wow. It's a really good feeling to sit back and look over all the things for which I have to be thankful. You don't know how many things there are until you write them out. My Thanksgiving journal is helping me to see how many reasons I really have to be happy about who I am and what I have. I know what being miserable is like. I know what pain, defeat, guilt, regret, and pure anger feel like. They aren't exciting emotions and they feel terrible. 

So, I challenge everyone to find the small reasons that make you thankful everyday. 

And keep finding them. 

Here are a few more of my Thanksgiving celebrations for the month of November:

     #10: I have a job. I am thankful everyday that I have a job. A job means being able to pay the bills and keep the food and home I talked about on my thanksgiving list for the blogpost Thanks for Giving 2 -- #8 and #9. 

     #11: I am really thankful for my love of reading. I don't know if I ever saw it before in this light, but reading is essential not only to the advancement of knowledge, but to the pure pleasure of seeing words on a page. I LOVE the way a book smells. I LOVE turning the pages to reveal what new world an author has in store for me. I have favorite authors who totally crash-land me into their world. I have books still to read and a "want list" so large I may never finish it in this life-time. However, I sincerely love the opportunity to read as much as possible and whenever I want. It is the greatest delight in the universe, and to be able to have the opportunity to read in my "free time" is a great blessing. 

     #12: I am thankful for the time and ability to write. I am appreciative that I have access to pens, pencils, paper and technology to create new stories and write to my heart's content. I am thankful for new ideas, friends who are willing to read my work and constructively criticize it so that I can get better, and friends who are willing to form a writer's group with me. Writing with a friend helps to motivate me and keep me challenged. It's so much fun to create my own world and characters when the current one has a bit too many bumps in the road. 

     #13: I have a deep appreciation for music. It helps to convey my thoughts and feelings better than any other outlet at times, and it's nice to listen to something which reflects my mood and inspires me to write, think, or create. Music is a universal prize, and I believe it keeps a lot of people motivated and on the move. I am thankful it is a part of our culture and my world. I just wish I could help create such beauty. 

     #14: Stemming off of music, I love the piano and guitar. I am grateful for what I know about both and the songs I can play via the piano. I have to say I am not the most fluent of players and am not good at note-reading, but I appreciate the solace I feel when I dig into a new piece and try to learn a new song. I love listening to music and enjoy creating what I can with my limited abilities. More importantly, I love finding new artists who spark interest in my heart and soul. I suppose if this was a "New Year's Resolution List", I would eagerly sign myself up to learn how to play the piano and guitar more fluently. I am absolutely grateful I have the opportunity to learn and definitely need to take advantage of that opportunity more often. 

     #15: I am very thankful for my car. I can't believe I didn't think of this one sooner. My car is a means of escape, freedom, and excitement. I love having the opportunity to travel to other places and meet new people. I'm also thankful I can use my car to help others. It's such a useful and diverse blessing. How grateful I am to have it to get me to and from work and the bookstore. The bookstore, of course, being my favorite place and the most important place to escape to. 

     #16: In connection to my previous thankfulness, I have to say how much I love the library as well as any and all bookstores. My mom took me to the library ever since I was little. I would drag bags of books from the front doors, and then sit and read everyone of them. Having the freedom to go into a library and borrow any book I wanted was thrilling. My love for mysteries and Nancy Drew, Mandie, and Baby-Sitter's Club was solidified at a very tender age. Finding the classics in a bookstore or a WalMart bookbin was Heaven. When I first read Jack London's The Call of the Wild, I was hooked. The imagery in that story and the brutality was enough for me to wish to write such an epic plot. Great Expectations tugged at my heart and made me wonder at the versatility of characters. Libraries and bookstores opened up a whole new happy world to me. I fell in love with books and can't think of any reason not to be thankful for that. 

     I'm excited to continue my reasons for thanksgiving with you. I hope that a few of my reasons have resonated with you. Do you agree with any of my happy thoughts? What are you most grateful for today? Feel free to share! 

~Love and Hugs!! :)

Thanks for Giving 2

Random Quote: "Over and over I marvel at the blessings of my life: Each year has grown better than the last." ~Lawrence Welk

     I'm still on the road to Thanksgiving. In my last post, I told you my top two reasons for being thankful. The first, my relationship with Jesus Christ (Yeshua) and the second was my family, but more specifically my mom. I have broken down the next few days of November and seven more reasons for me to "feel the joy". 

     #3: I am thankful for my dad. Remember in the last post, Thanks for Giving, I told you I would break down my thankfulness for my family by acknowledging a few people instead of clumping them all into one category. My dad has always been a great friend. He has taught me many valuable lessons including: how to make the best cinnamon-sugar toast, how to drive a manual (practice and test in three weeks and still passed!), the intricate knowledge of chess (a wonderfully fun game which I am still losing), a love of reading and writing, and the ability to never give up (even when I really want to). I love hanging out with dad and learning new things. 

     #4: I am very thankful for my brother Jason. He is always super humorous and fun to be around. He tells the funniest tales and never allows himself to get down. Well, I'm certain he has the ability, but he doesn't let it overtake him. He is a great role model on bouncing back from something that doesn't go well. He makes the best of every situation and tries to find the humor in it. Jason has excelled past anything I may have taught him as a tiny tot, and now he teaches me. Jason is a great perpetuator of positivity and finding the silver lining. He always makes me smile. It's interesting how the younger brother kind of takes over as an older brother. He shares his knowledge and kindness and gives me new lessons to think upon.

     #5: I am thankful for my sister, Alana, as well. She is very positive and finds the humorous in the most outrageous situations. She is really hardworking and kind to others. Alana is also one of those people that can make anyone her new best friend. She has an extremely fun and persuasive personality, and is often a cheerful part of any family gathering. I've always been envious of her way of making friends, being cheerful, and her eye for design. She has taught me how to be organized and how to see a room with a designer's point of view. 

     #6: I am extremely thankful for all of my family. I miss my Uncle Gary everyday. He taught me about generosity and humility of spirit. I love remembering his laugh and sparkling blue eyes and the whisper of wrappers as he pulled mints from his pocket to share with me and others. My Aunt Mae is one of my dearest friends and has been a mother, grandmother, and aunt to me all in one. Her home was my home away from home, and I never felt more at ease and happy as when I visited her. She always had goodies to share, and I recall whenever she picked me up, we would stop at McDonalds on the way to her house for some of their tasty fries. I enjoy and learn from my nieces and nephews and have certainly been delighted to watch them grow up over the years. My Uncle Bruce and Aunt Jane taught me how to wash dishes correctly, make deviled eggs, and never give up on my dreams. They were always very kind and generous of their time and love. My Aunt Janet has always been a prominent part of my life as well, even though she lives in Ohio and I've only seen her once in my whole life. She has always been a positive voice in my life as well as a sweet, cheery person with sound advice. She brings common sense into play often. Al is someone I've known since I was six or seven. He's kind of like a second father to me. He helped take care of me during a time when I really needed help. I grew up having him as a part of my life. I like to think that through his prayers and support I've become a little bit better of a person. Likewise, having my old teacher friend Archie to chat with and share prayers is a blessing and a lifeline. I really love my family and appreciate all they've taught me and done for me all my life.

     #7: I am deeply grateful for my friends. I have several whom I have known my whole life and each has taught me a very valuable lesson. I have known Cyndi since I was eight. She has taught me a lot about patience. I've known Jess since I was eight as well, and she has always been a whirlwind of sarcastic humor that keeps me laughing and taking notes. Dorian is my dearest friend. We have a lot in common and enjoy reading and writing. I hope I'm taking notes on how to become an even better writer from her, and she has taught me a lot about persistence and courage. Suzy has taught me to always consider opposite and opposing points of view with an open mind. Michelle has given me a great friendship and has taught me about strength and endurance. Mary shows me what tact, poise, and elegance looks like in many forms. Plus, I love her accent. Mikie has given me the gift of laughter and understanding. She also shares with me a great love and friendship with our dear friend Tilia. We have a history and bond that makes our friendship strong and enduring even over distance and time. These are only a few of the people who make me smile and give me great lessons about life and living it to the fullest. Those people I can call and ask for prayers and support. I appreciate their friendship and how much they feel like family. 

     #8: I really appreciate my home. It's a wonderful place to escape to and rest, relax. I am deeply grateful to have a home. It's a blessing I don't take lightly or for granted. 

     #9: This may seem like a very usual and commonplace appreciation, but it is something very important to me. I think it's another one of those things that I take for granted and so do others at times. I am very appreciative of food. I love to eat. I have favorites just like anyone, and I think it's a great blessing that I am able to eat almost anything whenever I want. I love chocolate, a well-done steak, and potato chips. Really, potato anything. I mean, the spud is a versatile and delicious example of food made the right way. It truly is a blessing to be able to have these yummy treats to eat and the ability to get them at a local grocery store. How spoiled we are. It's one of those things I am excessively grateful for, and I don't want to forget that any time soon.

     This week I wanted to show how excited I am for all of these blessings. Being thankful should never be a one day or one month affair. It should be every second of every minute of every hour of every day. You know what I mean. I have shared my next top seven reasons for thanksgiving. I'm sure you have similar thanks as me. Perhaps you have even more. 

     What are your top reasons for thanks? Please feel free to share with me! 

~Love and Hugs!! :)

     

Thanks for Giving

Random Quote: "No one can express a thank you that reaches the heart and is beyond words." ~becky reddell

     Last week, in my post "Revelations and Realizations", I wrote about how I needed to be more thankful. After listening to a very practical teaching on "Attitudes of the Heart" by Joyce Meyer, I felt as if I needed to really put my thanksgiving into action. I really need to believe what I wrote and act upon it. 

     So, I started keeping a "Thanksgiving Journal" and began to list all of the endless items that popped into my head over that for which I feel thankful. It didn't take long within the first day to list almost two pages! I continue to add to the happy thoughts listed in the journal and hope to add many more by the end of this month. 

     In fact, November is famous for being a month of Thanksgiving. How nice it is to see and read the various things that people are thankful for on their Facebook posts and elsewhere. I wanted to share my own thanksgiving thoughts here upon my blog. I thought it would be a great way to continue to be positive and beat back those negative thoughts. 

     Today, being the second day of November, I thought I would share the first two of my favorite and highly regarded points of thanks.

     I am really thankful for Jesus Christ-- Yeshua. He is my best friend, and I do not take lightly His sacrifice for me and the world. One of the most important points to me, however, is my friendship with Him. I take spending time with Him very seriously and feel beyond grateful that He forgives me of my sins and keeps me going even when I am at a loss. 

     The second feeling of gratitude is for those in my family. I don't want to be thankful for them in one sweep though. Starting in this post, I want to break them down one at a time. If I'm going to be thankful for them, I think I really need to give them specific recognition for not only putting up with me, but also for being some of my best and favorite of friends. My mother is the first to come to mind of people whom I am most thankful to have in my life. 

    In particular, I am thankful for the lessons of life she has taught me growing up. Her own love for Yeshua, and instilling in me this same love, made us friends almost immediately as we were made mother and daughter. Her willingness to be an example to me, to stand up for what she believes in, to dig for the truth, and to hold onto her faith despite naysayers are more than sufficient reasons for me to be most thankful she is my mother. Moreover, I am very thankful for her care of me when I was sick growing up. She was the first one up when I was in a coughing fit. She took me to the doctor whenever my allergies and asthma were overwhelming. No matter what I faced, she was there. Plus, she is one of the best cooks and hardest workers I have ever known. Sometimes the ability to even think of something to say, which would cover all of my heart's appreciation, is simply beyond words. If there is anyone I would want in my corner at the end of the day, it would be my mom.

     Do you have a list of things for which you are thankful? What are they? Share some in the comments and let me know if you are keeping track of your own November Thanksgivings! 

~Love and Hugs!! :)