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!! :)