30 days of thanksgiving!!! Will you join me????

~~~Giving thanks always~~~

As I did last year I would like to take each day and give thanks for something....sometimes we get so caught up in the soot that life is tossing on us that we forget about the things that really matter most. If you would like to join go down to comments and let us know what you are thankful for. 

1) I am so very thankful for the freedom of prayer and speech, without this freedom we would not be able to openly worship nor to spread the word of God to others.

2) I am so thankful that my Father in heaven loved me enough to give his only begotten son, that Jesus Christ died for my sins and gave me the chance to get it right, he gave us the atonement so that we can ask for forgiveness, he gave us everlasting life if we follow the tenants of the gospel and try each and every day to walk in his footsteps and to portray a Christlike spirit.

3) I am so very thankful for God trusting me to raise my little girl, he placed her into my arms and allowed me to raise her, to hurt with her when she hurt, to revel in joy when she laughted, to teach her about the gospel, to protect her, to love her beyond anything I have ever loved. I am so thankful that she is mine and am so blessed to see her be the lady she is.

4) I am so very thankful for this little boy that will call me MiMi, I have prayed for a grandbaby for a very long time, and last year when I found out that my prayers had been answered I fell to my knees and sobbed. He has brought so much love, peace, calm, and comfort to each of us. He is loved beyond measure! Thank you Father for allowing our line to go on!!!!

5) I am very, very, thankful that I finally got it right. I have had my share of love in my life and have always chosen men that were not good for me. I am not saying they are not good men because each of them have very good qualities and I loved them passionately. When I met Wayde though, he was unlike any man I had ever known, only that I had heard other women speak of and one that I thought was only a fairy tale. I am so blessed to be living in this fairy tale, we may not have much but what we do have is total, complete, unconditional love and that is worth more than money can buy. Thank you Father God for allowing this man to be in my life, for allowing him to make me laugh every day, for him loving me with all of my health problems, for taking care of me when I cannot care for myself and for allowing him never to get frustrated or angry with me. I love him more than I have ever loved anyone aside for You, Megan and Chalmers.

6) I am thankful that we are allowed the right to vote, I know for much of my life I thought that my one little vote would not make a difference but without our votes what would happen? We are given this right and privilege and should appreciate it. In so many countries there is no choice!

7) I am so very thankful for the man my daughter has been given as her forever partner and for the father of my grandson. Derek came into Megan's life when she was much in need of validation of true love and that there were good men left on this earth. Thank you Derek for being the man of her dreams and for being so good to her. For all of Megan's life I have prayed for her to find her one true love, to share with him and to be treated like a queen...my prayers were answered when she met you. Thank you Derek for being the bestest daddy in the world, with you and Megan as his parents I know Chalmers will never lie in wonder if he is loved! You are an amazing young man and I love you!!!!

8) I am very, very, thankful for Megan's dad, even though we could not make it as a married couple he has been the most excellent dad any kid could have. I am so thankful that we have been able to maintain a friendship of the 24 years we have been divorced so that Megan could be raised in a loving environment. Thank you Father for giving Megan the bestest of the best when it comes to dads!!!

9) I am so thankful for the lady my daughter calls her other mother...Cheryl has been so very good to Megan for the majority of her life. I have had the pleasure as of late to really get to know her and understand fully why she is so loved, what a wonderful person she is. Thank you Father for blessing my sweet girl with two moms who love her unconditionally and with all that we have.

10) I am so blessed and thankful for Wayde's two sons, they have been in my life for 4 1/2 years and have always been so welcoming and accepting of me. I appreciate them both for their wonderfully intelligent minds, for keeping me always thinking, and for the sweet friendship they have given me. I could not be more happy to have these two in my life. I love you both John and James:)

11) Today I give thanks for my mom! I love her so very much and am so blessed to have been allowed to have her as my mentor in being a wife and a mother. Although I live far away and I do not see her nearly as much as I would like, my love for her has never waned. Thank you Father God for giving me this wonderful lady!!!

12) I tend, at times, to not let my brothers and sisters know how much I love them, I have been so far aways for so long that it seems unreal that I have 2 brothers and 4 sisters. I do not get to see them as often as I would like and when they have their many family get together the "want to see them" so badly tugs at my heart strings. I love each of them, I have so many memories, and I know that growing up in a house of 7 kids and both parents have made me who I am today! I love you Darlene, Tom, Bana, Missy, Paul, and Shea!!!! 

13) today I give thanks for my nephew and nieces, I have not been able to be a part of their lives as I live so far away but this has not deterred me from loving them with all of my being, when My  first nephew Hunter Ashley was born I remember how excited I was and how I love holding him and making him laugh, then came Allison who was only 3 months younger than my Megan so I did not get the quality time I would have liked with her as I was a busy new mommy, my sister moved away and her boys Gregory and Ethan Schneider, were born out of state and I have spent only a handfull of times with them. I moved before the remainder of them came along with the exception of Chad Ashley who was just the cutest little boy I had ever seen. Since living in Utah we got Shayne and Shelby Kelley, Lauren and Danielle Ashley. I so enjoy hearing about all they are doing and just want them to know how much I love them and how blessed I feel to have them be a part of my "distant" life. I now have a niece~in~law Megan who will be giving me my first great niece..and I also have a new nephew~in~law Shon Riley....welcome to our wonderful family might you be blessed with a life time of joy and love! Heavenly Father cover each of my "babies" with your loving hands and keep them from strife and harm. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Day 14....these are my babies! Animals become such big parts of our lives and they love us when it seems no one else does. I have had Sundance my Golden Retriever for 11 1/2 years now and he has been by my sad though much hardship and has never retreated, he has been my strength, my best friend, my confidant...he is an amazing "old man" Daisy Lou. my mini dach is my heart, she is such a needy little spit fire, I never thought I could love an animal so much, she really is my baby, with her I will always be needed. Tinkerbell, my cat is just that a cat...she is opinionated, she is high strung and is definitely the boss of our dogs:) I am so thankful that God chose me to be their earthly owner and for the fact that with animals there is unconditional love, there is tenderness and compassion when you feel bad, there is sheer pure love when you are sad and there is love and giddiness when you are happy, the adapt to your moods and emotions and always seem to know just how to make you feel better. I cannot forget my bird KiKi, I had him for 18 years and now he has gone to live with a friend who was hurt in an auto accident, he is her companion and provides hours of joy for her each day. I love, love, love my babies:)

Day 15...today, like everyday I give thanks for my "true" friends, I have to admit that I am a sucker when it comes to having faith and believing in people. I allow myself to be used and used until I am all used up....over the last few years I have had eye opening experiences and have really taken so pretty harsh slaps...from who I thought were "true friends" but on the upside I have also been able to realize the ones that ARE true friends, some of them I have never met, have not seen in 30 plus years and some I have right here who have picked me up and dusted me off when I was just to down to do it myself...I value them and am so very blessed to know that I have people that really do have my back, not for what I can do for them, just for WHO I AM....thank you Father for allowing me to have these people in my life and for opening my eyes to those who will hurt me and those who truly love me.

Day 16...today I give thanks for my little box apartment, it is 450 square feet filled with love in every square inch. We were so very grateful to have found this place, so very thankful to have been allowed to rent so that we had a roof over our heads and a place to sleep, cook, and bathe. It may not be much to many but to us it is our castle!!! Thank you Father for providing for us!!!

Day 17....I give thanks each and every day for the sunsets, they have been a huge part of all things good in my life since I can remember, it was just the icing on the cake when I met Wayde and it was one of his favorite things tooo. As you know we were married at sunset and drive up to "our" place often just to sit and marvel and God's masterpiece....Thank you father for providing beauty for us!!!

Day 18...I am so very thankful for the song of the birds, in the early mornings when I sit out and have my God chat time I always delight at the birds serenading me during conversation. I could sit for hours and just listen to the beautiful melody of our fine feathered friends....How can anyone begin the day in a bad mood when there is free music for the taking??

Day 19...tonight I sit and give thanks as I do each and every day for a lady that made such a huge difference in my life, I was blessed to have her as a freshman in high school...( I failed her class~ the only class I ever failed in my school history) I then had her jr. and sr. year in which I passed with flying colors....but passing is not what I gained from her, I gained a passion for reading and writing. Carol Henkes lit a fire in me which has never gone out. I love to read and I absolutely would be lost without being able to write, she once told me that she would purchase my first book, sorry to say we lost her before she ever had that opportunity but you can rest assured

if I ever DO write a book that gets published everyone who reads it will see this very picture and her name as being my mentor and my "firestarter" Thanking God for those people who come into our lives to teach us and to help us find talents that are within that have never been realized!

Day 20....One day you comment on a post. Messages are exchanged, joys and sorrows are shared, bonds are formed, trust is built, and you realize that some of these "Facebook Friends" have become important to you. If you're thankful for the people who started out as strangers and then became friends...I love the fact that I have been able to connect with people I have known for many years but have not seen nor talked to , I have made new friends who have become very important in my life....I am able to skype with my daughter and grandson when we are so far apart...Thank you Father for affording us with this blessing of connection and communication.....

Day 21....I could not let my 30 days of giving thanks to all of those who come and read what I have to write, I have never considered myself as interesting, I have never felt that I had anything important enough to really say and anyone care. I love to write and love to share my thoughts and feelings with others, I like to listen and love to be a strong shoulder or a confidant to anyone in need. I love the fact that we can come together here and so many can ask for prayer, can confide in me, can express their innermost fears and know that they will not be judged, not be ridiculed, not be anything but loved and lifted in prayer.....I am so very thankful for each of you and I pray that I am allowed to continue to write and hopefully inspire!!!!

Day 22....I am so thankful each morning when I open my eyes and realize that I have made it for another day, I have another chance to share my love for GOD! I can praise his name for another day, I can lift prayers for another day! Thank you Father for allowing me as many days as you have planned for me, I pray that I not let you down in my daily dealings. 

Day 23....Today I am thankful for drops in the barometric pressure, anyone that has achy joints and arthritis know that barometric pressure plays a huge role in how your day will go pain wise, today the pressure was better for mine and I actually have been out of my chair a bit more and able to do a few things around the house...Thank you Father for giving me a break every once in a while to have less pain and more activity!

Day 24...Today I give thanks for the ability to share with my daughter and grandson over video chat..being away from them is the worst thing in my life. Megan and I have always had a very close and strong bond...oh we have had our ups and downs and our rounds and rounds but when it comes down to it...she is my best friend and I pray she feels the same about me. I am so lonely for her and I hate the fact that I have not seen my grandson since he was a week old, he now is 6 months old and with this wonderful technological device I have been able to physically see his accomplishments as they come. Thank you God for allowing me this blessing.

Day 25...I am so thankful and humbled to all who trust me to lift them and their's in prayer, each time someone comes to me asking that I pray with/for them I literally stop what I am doing and lift them in prayer. I have stood witness time and time again to the power of prayer and am so very thankful that God has afforded us this instrument of direct requests with him. Thank you Father God for allowing those who are in need to come and request my prayers, Father I stand on my faith that prayer does indeed produce miracles and that YOU will always do for us what is your will, what is your plan, and what is best for each of us.

Day 26....I am giving thanks to my Doctor today, I have been to see one specialist after the next and have not felt like they really cared to find out what is wrong with me, I have had several years of financial problems and have to depend on the state for insurance coverage, they do not pay as much as other insurances pay so some doctors do only what they must to give you medical attention and certainly do not want to go out of their way to solve any problems. I found this general physician through prayer and am so happy that after my consult with him today that I followed God's promptings and scheduled with him. He is kind and very caring and I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that he will get to the root of the problem. Thank you Father for guiding me!!!!

Day 27....Tonight as I sit here thinking of the many blessings I have in my life, I have come to the conclusion that I am so very thankful for COMPASSION, when a person truly shows compassion to others it is a beautiful thing, I have known some pretty "hard" people in my life, I have been amazed at how very gentle they are under the though outer shell...I see compassion each day just on facebook by people taking time to stop and pray when there is need, I have been personally blessed by some very compassionate people when I could not see an end in sight...I see compassion in my husband each and every day, my daughter exhibits compassionate acts each and every day...think about this...how can there be love in this world without compassion???? Thank you Father for allowing our eyes to be opened to see the needs of others and to act from our hearts to help in any way we can.

Day 28....Tonight I lift my hands to the heavens and give heartfelt THANKS to our Father in Heaven for the beautiful gift of empathy that he allows me....I am so in love with the fact that I can feel pain in others and that God then directs me in the best way to offer love and compassion! Thank you Father for always giving me insight and helping me to know when and where I am needed. I love you so much!!!

Day 29....Tonight I am giving excited THANKS for those who inspire others, for those who take the extra step, got the extra mile, not just for personal gain but to be an example to others. I have so many in my life that inspire me with their faith and their never ending joy and love for our Creator. I would so love to name names, but if I forgot someone it would hurt feelings, you know who you are for I tell you all of the time that you are my inspiration. Thank you Father for these people in my life who guide me and teach me to be better so that I can be on the level they are with YOU...

Day 30...Tonight the last night of giving Thanks for all to see but never the last day of giving THANKS...I give thanks to my Father in Heaven for the wonderful beautiful gift of Humility...it has taken me a huge part of my life to be humble, it has taken a long time for me to realize it is not all about ME it is about OTHERS....I thank you Father for opening my eyes and being filled with the knowledge that without you I am nothing!!!!