Thankful List

I admit that I don’t often verbalize thankfulness.  As today is Thanksgiving, I thought it would be a good time to start a “thankful list”:

• a loving husband
• a family that knows it loves each other
• my middle son – he’s a lot of fun to be with, he’s healthy and strong and loves his family
• my oldest son – despite all his challenges and difficulties, he’s a good kid deep down inside and God loves him dearly
• my parents – they’re still alive and generally healthy; they love me
• my daughter – what joy she brings; she’s full of life and she loves freely
• my health – I take it for granted
• the ability to excel in my job
• skills gained through experience that can be used in a variety of fields
• the ability to provide together with my husband for our family
• sight – if I were blind I would never be able to see the beauty of God’s creation
• the wind – I love the feel of it blowing on my face and stirring my hair
• fresh air, especially after a rain
• rainbows – brilliant, beautiful, reminders of God’s mercy and grace
• springtime – when everything becomes new again
• the sky – the deep blue, clouds in all their diversity and beauty, the stars, the northern lights
• birds – they soar above the confines of the earth; they remind me of how my spirit longs to soar
• rest – the act of renewing and rejuvenating the body, soul, and mind
• music (and the ability to hear it) – it stirs the soul and expresses emotions we cannot put into words
• colour
• variety in life, in experiences
• the strength of the human spirit to persevere and endure hardship
• the grace of God – which sustains us, fragile and broken as we are
• the love of God
• salvation – that I can be a friend and child of God
• heroes – who go beyond the ordinary to help and save their fellow man
• strength of character – noble, honest, strong, self-sacrificing for the greater good
• books – you can experience different people and places
• The Lord of the Rings – the best book ever! Where the weak and lowly outshine the strong, and good triumphs over evil
• light
• the warmth of the sun
• the sensation of sleeping under sunlight streaming through a window