Thank God...for His blessings!

It is Easter afternoon this year. We're all having Easter lunch at Derrick and my home. Mom and Dad arrive - carrying a nice brown cloth laundry basket. It's an adult Easter basket of sorts...and my mom can't wait for us to open it.

Inside there is chocolate bunnies. Art. Gift cards. Shower gel and perfume. Clothes. Home goods: toilet paper, windex, paper towels, etc.

Jump ahead five months. It was my birthday, and Mom and I had spent a wonderful day together shopping. We're all at their house for my birthday dinner - and she brings over a reusable grocery bag. I reach in...to find jewelry. Clothes. My favorite shower gel and body spray. A new Beth Moore devotion book.

I always feel badly when my mom goes out of her way to shower us with gifts. It's too much. Really. Yes, I love it. But I also really really appreciate it and really really would be okay just spending the time together.

But, I've come to realize and don't take for granted, my mom loves giving me gifts. 

She loves picking out things just for me. She loves putting them in nice packages. She loves watching us get excited. She loves when we open each gift. She loves sharing our inheritance with us now. And she loves knowing that the gifts she's given us will bless us in the days to come.

How much more does God, my heavenly Father, love to shower His children with gifts! He is the Creator and Lord of all the earth. Blessings are His to create and bestow. And, oh, how He loves creating blessings for us. Wrapping them in nice earthly packages. Watching His children light up with excitement. Watching us realize each gift. And knowing that we will be blessed in the days to come.

Don't take His gifts for granted. But don't push them away either. Your Father loves blessing us beyond what we could ever ask or imagine. He loves surprising us with things that only He could do!

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, 

according to his power that is at work within us,  

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,

 for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 

 (Theme for Friday...you got it!...Thank GOD... it's Friday.)

With a thankful heart...

Today (well, yesterday) we're going with thirteen things I'm thankful for. And, on this 11.11.11 Veteren's day, I want to especially thank our veterans, our soldiers and their families that make so many sacrifices every day so that we can live in the land of the free and home of the brave! How often do I take it for granted that I get to be free because they're so brave!

1. I am thankful that God is coloring the leaves in gorgeous yellows, oranges, and reds.

2. I am thankful for country music and the people who sing it. They feel like family.


3. I am thankful for the people who care about and take care of Campbell University.


4. I am thankful that I am safe. I do not live in fear on a daily basis. There are a lot of people who don't have that.


5. I am thankful that I have someone to share the bed with. Warm and safe.


6. I am thankful for my prospective students. Their confusion. Their curiosity. Their excitement and innocence.

7. I am thankful for printers - they take my words and my designs and make them easy to share.


8. I am thankful for my vehicle. I love it. It has taken me where I need to go, participated in many adventures, put up with my messy fast food lifestyle, and stuck with me for 8 years.


9. I am thankful for my new work phone. I don't miss anything. And I can text now!


10. I am thankful for my sister-in-law (although I just call her sister). She's a great friend...and makes wonderful cookies :)

 11. I am thankful for the windows in my office. I look to the right and have a beautiful picture of campus.


12. I am thankful for the Christmas cookie candle that makes my office smell warm and welcoming. And like Christmas.


13. I am thankful for Pandora. It keeps me company all day - with everything from Mandisa to Keith Whitley from Journey to the Judds.

Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away! Can't wait :)
Thanksgiving means turkey. family. christmas shopping with mom. christmas tree time. and new traditions with my HUSBAND!

Thankful Thursdays

I like to believe that I often take time to realize how blessed I am and to be thankful for all of the things that God has given me. I don't know if I really appreciate it all enough though. This November I will be making a list of things that I am thankful for. Every Thursday I will list thirty things that I am thankful for. In no particular order.

I hope that my journey into the spirit of thanksgiving will encourage you to look around and be truly thankful as well.

1. I am thankful that I can talk to God anytime, anywhere, about anything.

2. I am thankful that I have known my grandparents - and have memories with each of them.

3. I am thankful for my cozy bed. So cozy I don't want to leave.

4. I am thankful for my office at work. It is a wonderful haven to work from.

5. I am thankful for sweet tea. That I not only never go thirsty but have my favorite drink always a car ride away.

6. I am thankful for pens and paper - that we can record our thoughts...and make to do lists.

7. I am thankful to work at a place where I can talk about Christ and say "Bless you" without worry of criticism.

8. I am thankful for a brother who is a friend, who will drop by my house just to hang out for ten minutes. 

9. I am thankful to not only have one Christian girlfriend, but to have at least seven who have been beside me through the years. 

10. I am thankful for my student ambassadors - who help me and bless me and surprise me and encourage me. 

11. I am thankful for words. Their beauty. Their message. Their power. Their legacy. 

12. I am thankful that I have clothes to wear every day - a closet full of more than I need. 

13. I am thankful for blankets. They provide warmth and comfort. 

14. I am thankful for my television. I have news and stories and productions and entertainment in the comfort of my own home. 

15. I am thankful for music - it makes sense of feelings, comforts, excites, and tells a millions stories.

16. I am thankful for the Christmas season. The meaning, the smells, the tastes, the cool air, the tradition...

17. I am thankful for books. They are a wonderful escape, a source of encouragement, and a path to adventure.

18. I am thankful to live in the USA. No matter how corrupt our nation may be becoming, it is still the home of the free and land of the brave.

19. I am thankful for the Bible. It's message. It's guidance. It's instruction.

20. I am thankful for my father. That he still takes care of me. That he has always been my biggest fan.

21. I am thankful for clean water. To drink. To wash with. Not everyone has that.

22. I am thankful for photos that capture special moments.

23. I am thankful that I went to WCA - where I received a great education, made amazing memories, and met my best friends.

24. I am thankful for Pandora - bringing a random selection of music to my desk.

25. I am thankful for candles. They make things smell delicious.

26. I am thankful to have a place to go home to. A roof over my head. A cozy couch. A husband who loves me.

27. I am thankful for Facebook - where I can catch up with and be encouraged by friends and family.

28. I am thankful for the two devotions I'm doing right now. One about Paul. One about the women of the Bible. 

29. I am thankful for hot chocolate. And over sized mugs.

30. I am thankful for my mother. My friend. My cheerleader. She's an amazing woman that I'm blessed to have as an example in life.

Next week I'll share with you another thirty things I'm thankful for. Until then, post below and tell me what you're thankful for this November!

Abundant Joy and Thanks!

I am so thankful for so many things. It would take a novel of pages to express the gratitude that my heart feels. I owe it to God's everlasting mercy to try to share a little bit of my heart and my appreciation in the form of words on a page.

I have grown up in a wonderful, loving home. With a father who provided for us above and beyond our needs; more than that, he constantly lets me know he is proud of me. He looks forward to coming home to his family at the end of each day and spending time with us. And he loves my mother and isn't afraid to say so. I am thankful for that. I have grown up in a taken-care-of, beautiful home. With a mother who worked hard to take care of us and be our number one cheerleader. She is always patient with us and has a positive attitude. She is a great example of a wife and mother. She was the contant party-planner and encourager. I am thankful for that. I have grown up in a crazy, fun home. With a brother who was like a best friend. Who was silly with me, understood me, and loved me. I am thankful for that.

I have a big, crazy, dysfunctional family. All of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents still live within 15 miles of each other. We spend holidays together. Have lunches together. And are the subject of many memories, joys, laughter, headaches, frustrations, and happy times in each other's lives. We are a crazy family. An old-fashion family. A supportive family. I am thankful for that.

I have a group of amazing, godly, encouraging friends who have been in my life, on average, a decade. It’s wonderful when you have a group of girls that you grew up with, dreamed with, laughed with, and made memories with…and now I get to witness them as they become who they always dreamed about being, embracing the future we often wondered about. What would our jobs be? Who would we marry? What did God have planned for our future? We’re there now. Living the future that, as 15 year olds, we stayed up late dreaming about.

Why were we the ones that stuck together? Why are these girls still so woven into my heart that I can't imagine my life (past, present, or future) without them? How does it work out that we only see each other 2-5 times a year, and yet our hearts stay connected as if we never left. Sure, we're growing up and, in a way, growing apart. We don't share every memory anymore. We aren't each other's primary source of laughter and comfort. Yet, we are such an amazing part of each other's lives. And over the past decade, we have made more memories and taught each other more than probably anyone else. Yay for lingerie shower # 3, # 4 is right around the corner :) I am thankful for that.

I have a wonderful, dream job that only God could have planned for. A year ago I was working at a wedding dress shop, struggling to have a positive attitude amidst the chaos. Then I planned to do Public Relations for a bakery in Apex, which would have me working chaotic hours and driving through traffic to get to a negative work atmosphere. I cried when I graduated from Campbell because I didn't want to leave. I thought the future seemed scary...When I heard, through a God-thing, about the job at Campbell, I couldn't get it off my mind. Maybe it was my answer. Maybe. I felt like if I applied then I would get it (not being vain, I just had a feeling). That was my fear. If I applied and got it then I would actually have to do the job. Was I old enough? Mature enough? Here I am. Working an amazing dream job at a place that I've always loved. Working with encouraging people who share my faith and passion. I have a wonderful boss and work family - and I am blessed with the freedom to be creative, innovative, and make a difference in the lives of students. God's plans are so much better than anything we could imagine or achieve on our own. I am thankful for that.

I have my dream guy who is constantly making me smile. Isn't it crazy to realize that Derrick was six miles away growing up? Ten miles down the road all during school. And in the next seat over the first two years of college. Yet, God worked it out so that Junior year of college I realized God had a better plan for me than the one I was currently choosing. God had a man who already made me laugh, challenged me, comforted me, made me roll my eyes, and made me smile...and God was going to allow him to become the hero in my love story. A last minute Christmas party that Derrick wasn't even supposed to be invited to changed everything. And I am so glad it did. Now I am blessed with a man I can be silly with, talk with, laugh with, have a future with. We're not perfect, but we're pretty perfect for each other. I am thankful for that.

What blessings beyond what I deserve! And to think that I have all of that in addition to a bed, air conditioning, a television, the gift of music, legs that walk and eyes that see, a car that has been faithful to get me where I'm going, food when I'm hungry, sweet tea, numerous copies of the bible, a history of godly and well-rounded education, a wonderful church that has accepted me, many families who have welcomed me into their lives, friends, coworkers and acquaintances who warm my heart, a computer to work on, a memory to smile at...and a relationship with a God and Savior who died so that I may live!