100 Things I'm Thankful For.

Thanksgiving is a Holiday like no other. No matter our religion or belief style, We pause from our hectic lives to give Thanks for all we have. Its during this time that we often realize that most of the good things in life are out of our control. Take good health for instance, we can exercise and eat healthy but we really don't have control of our hearts continuing to beat regularly or our lungs working in top shape. Most of us haven't gotten into a serious accident over the past year but much of that was out of our control. Its in the gifts that I had no control over that find myself most thankful for. In sharing this list with you, I hope you can find joy and gratitude in the big and little blessings you have. The blessing in my life are so many that I could never write a complete list. But many of us (myself included) don't even stop to think of 10 things to be grateful for on any given day. So lets dive in! Here is my list of 100 Things I'm Thankful For!

Spiritual Gifts:

1. My Salvation in Christ. He paid the price for a wretch like me. 

2. The unique talents he has given me to make this world a better place.

3. The spiritual discernment. It comes in so handy!

4. A Spiritually reflective nature. Its in this manner that God does most of his work in my life.

5. Godly friends who can be a life line in hard times.

6. A Church that teaches sound biblical doctrine.

7. A Country that for the most part, I can openly confess my faith with out persecution.

8. The Holy Spirit. Without Him, living righteously would be impossible

9. Trials. Yes, You read that right!  Difficulties help me grow.

10. The Bible. If you don't know why, I suggest you read it for yourself.

Family Gifts:

1. The gift of marriage. Its one of the best ways to learn how to compromise

2. My husband. Whats better than a man who is completely dependent on God?

3. The Gift of motherhood. Boy does being a mom teach me about sacrifice!

4. My Beautiful kids. They are a gift straight from heaven.

5. Good health of said kids. Sometimes their energy drives me crazy but I'm glad they have it.

6. My husbands positive outlook. I'm prone to get in a rut sometimes but he pulls me out.

7.The laughter we share as a Family. Those inside family jokes are the best!

8. Eating dinner as a family. It may not happen every night, but its great on the nights we do.

9. Great family memories. Isn't that what life boils down to? The memories we make? 

10. Family forgiveness. We're not perfect but we allow and forgive the imperfections.

Community Gifts:

1. My Neighborhood. Its relatively safe. What more could parents ask for?

2. Awesome Schools. They are state of the art, competent and caring.

3. Great Neighbors! Seriously, Thank God nor non-crazy neighbors!

4. A caring municipality. Our area is clean, with great parks and even a Free city clinic.

5. The fact that all necessities are within walking distance. useful for when the car is on the mend.

6. Good friends for my kids who come from good families.

7. A mostly Quiet Neighborhood. Believe me, living next to party animals gets old quick!

8. Finding Parking is mostly easy. Even on a Saturday night.

9. Living in an area that's mostly home owners so they are invested in keeping it safe.

10. Being near the highway but far enough that we don't hear the noise

Home Gifts:

1. Our House is perfect for us, it's cozy (okay, small) but it stops us from collecting useless stuff.

2. Good home-building craftsmanship. People took pride in their work when they build our house.

3. Great architecture and design. The our home has no awkward layout of nonfunctional aspects

4. A working furnace. This time of year makes me super thankful for a dependable heat.

5. A big lot. Not only is our backyard big, but we have the freedom to expand/remodel if we need to.

6. 2 Full Bathrooms. When it comes to bathrooms, my motto is 'The More, The Merrier'.

7. My own home office! After living in small apartments, this is a slice of heaven for me.

8. Our functional furniture. We've been blessed to find what we needed and liked at a good price

9. The couch that seats our large family comfortably. The kids fight much less over who sits where.

10. The white picket fence. Okay, its in need of repair but its there and its part of the house character.

Health Gifts:

1. Yes its an obvious one but I'm glad for my health. I may not be in shape but I'm not seriously ill.

2. Migraine medicine. Even I wish i never got migraines, I'm glad that there's meds to help me cope.

3. A body that works. My arms work, my legs work, my brain works. thank You Lord.

4. I have no hart condition. 

5. No diabetes 

7. I have no mental issues that keep me form functioning 

8. A great Family Doctor

9. Health Insurance 

10. My hands. With them, I can be creative, nurture my family and work hard.

Intellectual Gifts: I'm no genius or great thinker but I do want to gives thanks for what I do have.

1. A sound mind. besides my salvation, this is one of the most important gifts to be.

2. A Good imagination. I find it helpful to see what things could be before they are.

3. A dry, corny and sometimes dark sense of humor that many times only I find funny.

4. Self reflections. I'm often asking myself, "Why do I do that'? or 'How will this play out'?

5. A creative and artistic mind.

6. The ability to perform competent work and get paid for it.

7. Good judgment (most of the time)

8. An appreciation for the simple things

9. Being able to think up new ideas

10. Problem solving. Even if it means asking someone else to help solve it.

Financial Gifts:

1. A steady source of income. 

2. The availability of sales, coupons and deals to stretch our budget

3. Having a side hustle.

4. The small windfalls that happen every now and then.

5. Miracles I've seen God do when nothing else could be done.

6. Being able to do many things for ourselves for free that we'd otherwise have to pay for

7. An awesome mechanic to keeps our car running at a fair price.

8. Identity protection against theft and fraud

9. A husband who can save us money by correctly doing our taxes.

10. Not being in love with money but respecting it as a tool.

Food Gifts:

1. I'm thankful for food. Food is a wonderful gift. In fact, in heaven, there will be a big feast!

2. I'm tankful for how food brings us together. Most gatherings involve food

3. The gift of food can nourish us and help us reach our goals.

4. Food can be an inexpensive way to introduce us to new cultures.

5. We can pass on our family traditions through food.

6. I'm Thankful for seasonal foods. An apple just taste better in October than in May to me.

7. CHOCOLATE! Do I really need to say more?

8. I'm grateful for trying new recipes this year and discovering new healthy dishes

9. Having access to healthy and fresh food is an awesome gift.

10. My taste buds.

Life Gifts:

1. Each New Day. His mercies are New each day.

2. My Car. It may be old but it gets me where I need to be.

3. My hair. It can bounce back from the worse styling abuse.

4. The humor in the everyday.

5. Being Loved by those who matter.

6. Being close to an area that's conducive to walking/running

7. A clean driving record

8. No criminal record 

9. Being able to vote

10. Living in a free country.

11. The Laws that keep me safe.

12. The fact that most people dont want trouble. As violent as the world can be, it could be worse

13. Being able to be an encouragement to others

14. People taking the time to be an encouragement to me.

15. Giving my kids a far less dysfunctional life than the one I had growing up.

16. I'm Thankful for not having to battle substance addiction.

17. I'm grateful for having glasses instead of having to sequent 

18. I'm grateful for crafting and diy projects

19. For who God created me to be.

20. For being an Over comer 

Thanksgiving Should be a lifestyle, not a single holiday. Lets challenge ourselves to take a few minuets each day and say 'Thank You!'