Day 1...
I am thankful, first and foremost for my salvation through Jesus the Christ, my Lord and my Savior.. For without His mercy, love and forgiveness, I shudder to where my live would have led..
Thank You Jesus....
Day 2..
I am thankful for a godly husband....the leader of our home and my heart... He knows me so well, and yet, he loves me anyway! Just as God loves me enough to have reached down through eternity past, and saved me.. Thank You Lord for sending me a wonderful husband who loves You and serves You daily.. Yes, my James "walks the talk"!
Day 3...
I am thankful for family....today I will start with my mom who unselfishly spent sleepless hours during my childhood, providing me with the most beautiful clothing, each piece sewed with love..and for the many sleepless hours as she had to deal with a rebellious teenager...and I am thankful that after I had made a total mess of my life, she accepted me back home with no condemnation... As I look back, life was not always smooth sailing for us, but today I realize that indeed, my mom "was" my very best friend. Thank you mom, and thank you Jesus...
Today, I am thankful that she is now resting in the arms of Jesus and that I "will" see her again...
Thank You Lord for giving me such a mom......
Day 4...
Today I am thankful for the wonderful memories that I have of my dad... For as far back as I can remember, there was never anything he could not fix... Whether is was a chain on my bike, a broken toy, or even a broken heart, he always had encouragement to fit the "crisis". Most of all I am thankful for the laughter....Daddy's philosohpy was simple.. "Always leave them laughing"! And that he did!!!
I can relate that to so many areas of my life.... Proverbs 17:22a A cheerful heart is good medicine.... Indeed it is!
Thank you Daddy for teaching me the bright side....Thank You God for my dad....
Day 5...
I am thankful for my sister Sandy....who has loved me from the very day I was born...she always seen the best in me and it is because of her persiseant prayers that I came to know Jesus. She has been my counsel in rough times as well as my encourager when I was ready to give up. If you read in the Bible the definition of a godly woman, you will see Sandy.
Thank you Sandy for loving me through some of the roughest times of my life...
Thank You God for my godly sister Sandy...
Day 6...
Today I am thankful for my twin brother Jamie... Though I only knew him for 2 1/2 years, there are still some faded memories... We were so young, and his time on earth was way too short. Still, I am thankful that he was my twin. My dad's only son; he brought so much joy to both Mom and Dad and to Sandy too. From what I have been told, he was an amazing little boy. Today, I cling to the hope that I will see him as he is today, totally healed, and eternally worshiping Jesus..
Thank you God for allowing me to be Jamie's twin.....
Day 7.....
Today, I am thankful for my children....Rick, Jeff, and LeAnn. Each of you have personalities that bring joy to my heart... Rick and Jeff, I am so thankful that each of you have become wonderful husbands, fathers and providers for your families... LeAnn, I am thankful for your love for God and your willingness to serve Him. Jennifer and Cyndi, you are amazing daughters-in-law! Thank you for loving my sons, even when they are, shall we say, not so loveable.. Steven, my wonderful son-in-law...... What else can I say but that I love you and I thank you for loving my daughter, but most of all for loving God "first"....
Thank You God, for providing for me with such wonderful children.....
Day 8.....
Today, I am thankful for my grands....Matthew, Anna Beth, Sarah, Alyssa, Emma, MaKayla, Hannah, Jordan, Jenna and soon to arrive, Aiden! God has a special plan for each of you and I am thankful to be able to have some small part in that plan... I am thankful today because I have the freedom to pray for each of you every day..... You bring me joy for lots of reasons but perhaps today it's because no matter what ages you are, you still love your "Grammy Texas"..
Thank You God for my incredible grands....
Day 9...
As I continue to think about family, I find that today I am so thankful for the opportunity that God gave me to care for and minister to my amazing Aunt Clara during her last year on this earth. Although she and I became very close over the years, it was her last year that we were basically inseperable. She has been gone for four years (this week) and I still miss her so much. She had such a sweet spirit, and her encouragement for me got me through some difficult times.... Her sons, Steve & David, and daughter-in-law Janet, always (and still do) treat me more like a sister than a cousin. I love them dearly...
Thank You God for my Aunt Clara.....
Day 10...
I am thankful for my friends....and there have been many... Some have no doubt been sent directly to me by God and there are others that I have no doubt, that God sent me to them. So many years, so many memories, so many oportunities...
Today I want to thank God for my very first BFF; but back in the 1950's & 60's we still called them "best friend". Mollie McGowan was such a friend. We met in the seventh grade and we inseperable until I graduated from High School and life took me in a different direction. Some of you that are my age may remember the movie "Snowfire"; well, Mollie had the leading role in that movie as well as others during the late 50's. However, during a swim meet at Hollywood High, she fell and hurt her knee....it was at that time that we all discovered that she had cancer....Mollie died when she was only 19.....
Mollie taught me a lot about being thankful for my family. She, came from a very wealthy family; in contrast, my family was more or less middle class. I learned from Mollie that family relationships were so much more valuable than any thing that money could buy. I learned from Mollie that no matter what happens, faith and trust n God can cause a person to overcome; losing a leg and being able to ride her horse again was a real test and she passed with flying colors... I learned from Mollie how to be brave....all the way to the end...
So, today, I am thankful for Mollie McGowan....my BFF... See Ya Later My Friend.....
Day 11...
Today I am eternally thankful for my friend, my bosom buddy, my foxhole buddy for my "forever friend", Jo Epperson! Friends now for almost 30 years! Sometimes God just brings a special friend into our lives...one who "when the whole world walks out, they are still there". One with whom no words even need to be spoken because of the kindred spirit that exists.....
My Jo is such a friend..... I'm thankful that she is always there for me...good times and bad... I am thankful because she is the one that got me back in church after nearly five years of my "wondering".... I am thankful that she has allowed me to cry, rant, vent, with her....and probably most important, pray..
Today I thank God for my "forever friend".....JO!
Day 12...
I am thankful for those friends who nurtured me in the Lord...disicipled me...prayed for and with me....kept me going in the right direction when the road got really tough..
As I continue to think about friends, and as I look back, I see those who have taught me so much.... how to bake bread, how to crochet, how to be a better rider/trainer... Team Penning, Reining Competitions...ribbons, trophys, state champianships.... All the results of lessons learned from my friends...
I thank God today for these friends (and each of you know who you are). Thank you for sharing the journey with me....and even as we have all now taken a different road, I will always remember and in doing so, be thankful for our time together....
Thank You God for these friends....
Day 13...
Today I am mindful of those who have gone before us...paving the way....fighting the good fight...some were won and some lost. I am thankful because those who were sincere and commited to Christ, have succeded in getting the Word of Truth out to all the nations.... Today I am thankful that because of their struggles, we are now free to worship and free to serve..
Thank You God for the freedom we have today....
Day 14...
As I reflect on scripture today, I find my thankfulness in God's written word. Jeremiah 29:11 says this: "For I know the plans that I have for you,’, declares the LORD, ‘'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."
Today I am thankful that God does have a plan for me, and I am thankful that His plan is for my good...
Thank You God for loving me enough to promise me a future and a hope! I love You Lord.....
Day 15...
Psalm 8:3&4.....When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them?
Today I am thankful for the incredible creation that God Himself has provided for our enjoyment. Many who live in the cities are seldom able to see the stars due to the many lights.... But, out where we live, we have that opportunity to "look up" and not only see the stars, but to see God's fingerprints on all of creation...
Thank You God for creating such an amazing show of Your splender..night after night after night.....
Day 16....
In a country where, for the most part, there is plenty, I find that I take a lot of "things" for granted. The ability to speak; to share my thoughts and opinions verbally, this is one of those "things".
I watched a special on TV about Gabby Gifford and her amazing struggle as she learns to talk again. The incredible love and support from her husband and her determination to "keep on keeping on."
Today I am thankful for my health...my abilities....my speech.. I can talk without a struggle; I can express myself (most of the time) with words that make sense... To some, no, make that "many", that may not seem to be much to be thankful for. To those folks may I simply say that you need to slow down...take a deep breathe and thank God...
Thank You Lord for allowing me to stay healthy and to be able to "talk"....
Day 17...
No matter who you are, what you've done, or where you have been, God loves you and wants to pick you up, dust you off, and show you a better way. Today I am thankful that God, in all of His mercy and grace, showed me that way and I followed!
Thank You Lord for Your free gift of eternal salvation....
Day 18....
Each time I see someone less fortunate than myself, my heart immediately reflects on just how truly blessed I am. I recently read that the reason that children today are such picky eaters, is because they have so many choices. Contrast that word picture with a visual picture of the crisis in some areas of the world where children are eating out of trash dumps...competing with dogs for food..."willing" to eat "anything".... Where have we gone wrong? I have been hungry, yes, but never to the extint of the hunger I have seen...
So, today, I am thankful for the abundant blessings in my life...not only food, but shelter, clothing...a warm bed..
Thank You God for providing for me....
Day 19...
Today I am thankful for Saturdays..... James and I really enjoy Saturday mornings...with a cuppa coffee, sitting on the deck, and just reflecting and the past week. It's a special time for both of us....the quietness of it all and well, just being together.....
So yes, today, Dear God, I thank You for Saturdays.....
Day 20.....
Today I am filled with "thankful" for my church...that being the place where I worship publicly.....that being the group of people with whom I share my love for God "weekly"...that being where I go to give back to God, or at least to try, and to follow Him in obedience to His word....
I go to give, but always...ALWAYS, come out filled, restored and ready to serve Him another day, another week, another "how ever long He chooses"...
Thank You God for setting aside one day a week that is Yours and Yours alone...
Day 21....
"Through It All" was written by Andre Couch around 1971. In that song, there is this prase: "If I never had a problem, I wouldn't know that God could solve them." Psalm 119:71 basically says this same thing... "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statues."
As I think about this today, I realize the many problems/troubles that I've had in my lifetime; how each time as I turned to God for help, my faith was increased and time and time again, God proved Himself to me...
Therefore, today I am thankful for every problem that I have had because "through it all, I've learned to depend upon His Name."
Thank You God for every problem....
Day 22...
Psalm 119:161b...but my heart stands in awe of Your words.
The truth of the matter is this: No matter what is going on in my life, whether it's good or it's bad, I turn to God's word. The incredible thing is that He always, ALWAYS, has an aswer for me. It might be something easy, or it might be something really tough to read....but still, it's right there before my very eyes. I can find encouragement, wisdom, forgiveness, hope....all adding to the same thing. God loves "me".
Today, I thank You God, for Your words of truth; indeed, I do stand in awe of every one of them...
Day 23...
Philippians 4;19 - "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me". NASB
The "Him" of course is Jesus the Christ. And try as I might to do things my own way, I can't. I am weak, I make mistakes, I fail misserablly. BUT GOD... But God is my source of strenth, and just as Paul is saying in his letter to the Philippians, I "to", CAN do ALL things... HOW? Through HIM...
Thank You Lord for giving me the strength to accomplish Your will in my life....
Day 24...
Happy Thanksgiving... Today I am thankful for the wonderful memories that God has allowed me to have. From my earlist childhood we always had big family gatherings. I never gave it any thought as a child and I certainly took them for granted. Fast forward to today. This is my 65th Thanksgiving. Whlle this day is set aside to remember all that we should/need to be thankful for, I'm finding that I am most thankful this year for all the years that have past and how each one has been filled with family. Many of those have gone on to be with our Lord. Now, a new generation has emerged and the legacy continues....
Thank You Lord for an awesome day, set aside to be "thankful". My prayer is that I will continue to be "thankful" every day....
Day 25....
Time...today I am thankful for "time". That unit of measure that God created for us to "organize" our hours, days, weeks, months, years...... But today I am mindful that with "time" comes "choices". Choices of how we are going to spend that time that we have on this earth. Am I going to choose those things which have only temporal value, or those thngs which have eternal value? Am I going to make the choice to set aside time today for God? To read His word, read my devotional, pray? Or am I going to put Him on the back burner and get to Him when "I have time"?
Funny how we can always find the time to do what we want but never for what we need.... Just a thought.
So how are you spending "your time"? What choices are you making? Temporal or Eternal?
Thank You God for giving me "time"....
Day 26...
Today I am thankful for the rain. Not just because we need it, but I'm thinking more of the fact that it causes us to stay inside and just be "together". It's been a great week for my James and I. Spending time together, doing the things that we both enjoy doing... And today, it rained.
Thank You God for the rain....
Day 27....
Isaiah 30:21....Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.
How many times have I heard God's still small voice (1 Kings 19:12 KJV) and ignored it. Not understanding, not wanting to submit to His authority, not trusting Him... And at the same time, needing Him so desperately....not knowing which way I should go....what choice should I make?
But now, fifty two years later, I can honestly say that "now" I hear His voice and I am joyfully ready to listen!
Therefore, today, I am thankful that God STILL speaks, and I am thankful that when I obey Him, it's ALL good...
Thank You God for loving me enough to still speak in a whisper.....
Day 28...
Our first freeze of the season... I woke up to the sweet smell of wood burning as my James already had a fire going in our wood stove. On some occasions fire can be our enemy but in this setting it's like a long lost friend who has come for a visit.
Today I am thankful for that "friendly fire" that provides an area of warmth and comfort in our home. A place where I can get comfy in my chair and read, or simply reflect on "things"..... There is another fire that warms my heart as well....that being the fire of the Holy Spirit that reside within me.
Yes indeed, I thank You God today for the warmth of the "fire".
Day 29...
Ask the blind man, he saw it all!
Sometimes we may be the only one to "see" what God has done in our lives.... for example, I know first hand how God delivered me from who I was; I know first hand the small and sometimes insugnificate things that have happened in my life, all and only, because of God. Things that no one else would ever see or even know about.
If I see myself as the "blind man" (John 9:25b) then I may be the only one to every really "see". But the truth of the matter is this: Once I "was" blind, but "now" I see!
Thank You God for "sight"....Thank You for allowing me to "see" the things that You have done, are doing and will be doing in my life...
Today, on this 29th day of Thankfulness, I am thankful for both my physical and spitirtual site....
Day 30....
A day of reflection.... When I began this "30 Days of Thankfulness", I had no idea where it would take me. My first thought was of how many times we tend to say that we are thankful for "this or that", with no real thought given into just how much we take for granted. I'm not discounting any thing that God does for us, nor am I discounting what seems to be the smallest blessing. What I am doing is sharing with you just how much I have looked into my own heart...just how deep I have allowed my own self to dig, to remember, to reflect upon.
As I sit and type, I've had no idea where my thoughts would lead me.....and now, on day thirty, I look back and am in awe of all that God has done for me without my every truly saying "Thank You".
So, today, I want to say "THANK YOU GOD"....for sixty five years of Your protection, Your guidance, Your forgiveness, You love....and yes, I am thankful today that God is not finished with me yet...
Thank You God!
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