Day 13

So, it's a little harder than I thought to write something everyday, when sometimes I decided not to get on the computer. Oh well.

Today, I am very thankful for my church family. Sunday is definitely the day I look forward to most out of the week. I  get  to say hello to and chat with so many people who I love. I get to spend my mornings surrounded by the amazing Stirring Kids team (AND EMILY...YOU ROCK GIRL!), all my kids, the parents ( many of them good friends too), and my church. I love getting to come back Sunday night and Worship with and hear God's word alongside my friends and family. Living for God means so much more when you do so within your community and with your family and friends! I am so blessed by all of you! Thanks for being so amazing:)

Day 11

I accidentally skipped yesterday, totally slipped my mind. However, it's a new day and so I'm moving on. Today, I am very thankful for the color purple.

I love and miss you, Grandma!

Purple means royalty. It means passion. It means wisdom. It means friendship. Wow, each of things are so important. So, when I wear purple (which I almost always wear something purple) it's more than just a color to me. It reminds me of different things that matter. To me purple also stands for someone who greatly influenced my life, my grandma. She loved the color purple more than anyone I've ever met, everything she wore was purple. From her earrings to her shoes and everything in between. She was someone who I truly respected and looked up to, and someone who believed in me way more than I ever believed in myself. And every time I see something that is purple I'm reminded of how much she loved me.  Purple more is than a color, it symbolizes some of the things that matter most to me. And it always brings a smile to my face, knowing how much love can be in one color.

Day 9

It's day 9 and it's late so I'll be short and to the point.

Tonight I am thankful for a few things.
 -hand sanitizer
-bobby pins
-band-aids
-fuzzy socks
-lint rollers
 -hot cocoa

Yep, a random list of things that make me very happy and very thankful!

Day 8

So, it's day 8 and today I am so very thankful for the beauty of and in nature.

         When you're outside your world filled with creativity and beauty. The colors swirl and mix around you, feel in every little space. From the beauty in blade of grass or a lilly to that of the landscape of an ocean in all it's glory. They scream out the power and creativity of their maker. I often just stare in wonder and amazement, drawn into simplicity and yet at the same time vastness of it all. Wishing that I could just breathe it all in. See it all. So that I could better appreciate it's beauty. I am so thankful that the world I live in was painted as a masterpiece, with all of it's color and shapes and movement.

Day 7

So, it's a Sunday. Which means there are several things I am thankful for.

1: The amazing and loving God and Father that I have.

2: The wonderful church I am part of.

3: The leaders and encouragers, the friends and family that I get to spend my life with.





4: And all the precious children that I get to spend time with, teach, and love on. They mean so much to me and I am so thankful for each and every one of them. So,  today I am especially thankful for my kids:)

 I am so blessed to have been given such an amazing dream to live out and live for. Something that is so very worth fighting for and so very worth my life. In the past I've wondered why I've been given such a wonderful but huge job. After all who am I that I should be the one to reach out to these special ones. But I've asked for God's heart and this is what and who I've seen. And my heart burns for them. I see a child and I know not only is God good and powerful but that He is beauty and love, hope and trust, faith and loyalty. Because, each of these is placed deep within His children, and when I look at a child I see it, I see them, I see Him. I see them and I wonder why we keep searching for more, because we already have everything. When a child smiles they light the world up with their pure joy and happiness. We so need our smiles to reflect that of a child's. They don't ask for a lot, just a little love and some time. The smallest things give them limitless joy. They dream so big and aren't ashamed of their dreams. They aren't afraid of who they are and what they want. Because they can do anything. They are so forgiving. The way the love and share, admire and give, it puts us all to shame. I can't imagine the world or my life without children. Because, they mean so much to me. When I can bring a smile to a child's face, make them laugh, help them accomplish something, encourage and build them up, help them dream, then I know why I am here and what I'm doing. I am so thankful, for my kids. All of the precious children that are in my life and whom I get to spend time with. So, very thankful for each and every one of them.

Day 5 and 6:

I took the last two days off from the computer and didn't have a chance to post what I was thankful for. So, I though I'd add them now:)

Day 5:
Today, I am so very thankful for water. With it's coolness and refreshing taste. It's ever quenching ways. It is something that we take so forgranted because we can just turn on the faucet or grab a new bottle, when in reality it is something really precious. For so many people water is not something that means ease and comfort, and it isn't something that they always have. It's not pure and clear or cool and refreshing. It's something that requires work to get, it's something that they often go without. It's valuable to them. But to us water something we don't even think about. It's something we waste. Today, I am so very thankful for water. It's a gift and it really is precious.


Day 6:

Thank you, God for the sun! I love the sun. It's heat and cheeriness. It often can make me smile just by seeing it. Or close my eyes in peacefulness when I feel it's rays on my skin. When the sun is shining things always seem less scary or dark and the future looks a little brighter. The warmth brings a feeling joy and freedom. Maybe, I'm one of the only ones here in Redding who looks forward to the intense summer heat, but I do. When the sun isn't shining I'm often a little gloomy or lazy because don't really want to be outside and I strongly dislike being cold. So, today I am thankful for the sun, and how brightly and often it shines here:)

Day 4

So, day four comes around and I am reminded of how thankful I am for rest. We are so quick to fill our every moment. So quick to commit and yet so easily overwhelmed. We think that the more we are involved in the happier we will be, when in truth without time to reflect and be at peace we have no freedom to enjoy the moment. Especially, when we don't even have minute we need to take a step back and breathe. Finding that time to let go brings so much rest and peace. Today I am thankful for those simple moments of rest.

Day 3

So, it's day three of the Gratitude Challenge and today I am thankful for dance.

I've always loved to dance. No matter what style I'm doing there is something so right about it. And just being able to move with the expression and feeling that comes from within. To remove yourself from the world around you and place yourself inside the music. To hear it and breathe it. It's so much more then lines and steps and routines, it's a beautiful form of art. It allows the person to transcend themselves and experience their rawest emotions. Dance brings movement to life. I think we were all made to dance. In joy and happiness. In pain and loneliness. In the hard times and the good. And I am so thankful that I am able to.

Day 2

So, everyday from now till Thanksgiving I'll be writing about something that I'm thankful for in my life. Today it's books.

Being thankful for books might sounds like something rather unimportant but to me books easily shaped my childhood and still continue to do so. I love reading. It's something that I can always do no matter what mood I'm in. Often it takes me out of this world and into another; it takes me out of the now and into a reality somewhere far away. You become someone different and experience all sorts of things you could never hope to in your own life. You find you've become someone completely different, with different strengths and weaknesses. You set out on a journey and always reach the end. Within a book your imagination runs wild, exploring the boundaries of the pages. Whatever type of book: history, adventure, romance, fantasy, mystery, inspirational,  or biography you always learn something. It might be about yourself. It might be about the world. It might be about how people think. It might be about the past. It might be something worth fighting for. It might be something you will never forget. So, today I am thankful for the (probably thousands) of books I've read and the rest that I haven't yet.

Gratitude Challenge: Day 1

So, I'm starting the blog that I've been planning on starting for awhile now. And I thought that starting with this gratitude challenge sounded like the perfect way to get started. So, from now until Thanksgiving each day I will post one thing I am thankful for. Here it goes.

Today, I am thankful for encouragement. I'm not really sure how I would get through my life if I wasn't constantly surrounded by and filled with encouragement. Yes, there are some days when I feel like I own the world and could do anything that I wanted. That nothing could ever stop me from reaching all of my heart's desires. Those are the days when my life seems weightless and free from all bonds. I feel empowered and motivated to face life head on. But those days are few compared to the rest. Which leaves me in a place of doubt and questioning on the others. And on days that I find myself questioning myself, my life, the future, I find that courage is often given to you. It comes in many different ways, through nature, through music, through words, through people. I love stepping outside and breathing in the scent of the fresh rain, to close my eyes and feel the gentle touch of the breeze across my face, or to gaze upon the sunset's colorful painting. Often times I'm inspired by music and melodies, the notes vibrating though me. Other times I'll read something written by a someone I don't know but could swear they were writing just to me. Every day  I am blessed by encouragement from the people in my life. People that know me, my heart, my passions and hopes, my life, my fears and doubts, my weaknesses and challenges, my dreams and convictions. These people often see something that I don't, a small good in the midst of everything. And by taking the time to share what they see encourage me and give me courage. Having that courage gives you freedom and power to live your life the way you want to. It strengthens your trust in yourself and who you are. Lets you know that you're doing okay. Makes you want to raise your goals, try even harder, and worry less about what doesn't matter. I have so much encouragement in my life, and so many encouragers. So, thank you, each one of you. For being there, for taking the time, for your encouragement. I am so thankful!