47/52 - Purple

These kids are too cute! Oh... and it didn't hurt that their Christmas pictures were done in Purple this year, either!

Z is for a Zillion Other Things

This alphabet of Thankfulness has been kinda fun! It's made me sit down and actually take the time to think of  specific things I'm thankful for that I may have otherwise not thought of.  I know there are Zillions of things I'm thankful for that I didn't mention, but since today is Thanksgiving, here are just a few (some of which I may have already mentioned)...

• Family
• Friends
• Family who are Friends
• Friends who are Family
• Salvation & A Relationship with the Redeemer
• A New Adventure on the horizon called Independent Living
• Parents who are chipping in BIG time helping me prepare for said Adventure
• Skype (to talk to my oh-so-far-away sister)
• Two nieces and a nephew to love on
• Living in a country wherein War and/or Acts of War are few and far between
• Freedom to attend a Bible believing church
• Getting, for the first time in 5 years, a 4-day Thanksgiving weekend
• An Adventure to the Bahamas 11 months ago
• A Warm, Dry, HAPPY place to live
• A Christian boss

I could probably sit here all night and list things for which I am thankful!

Y is for Yummy Pie

One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is "Prayer, Praise, & Pie Night." As long as I can remember, our church has done this on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  During the service, we sing songs and take turns telling things we're thankful for and how God has blessed us throughout the past year.  Then we take time to pray in small groups.  Then... we eat pie!

I'm thankful for the yummy pies (and other baked goods), but most of all I'm thankful for the "yummy" fellowship we get to enjoy while we eat our pie!

X is for X-tra Help

I know. That's a little bit cheating. But there just aren't many words that start with X. So today, I'm thankful for all the extra help my mom and littlest sister have given me in painting my apartment (and doing some cleaning along the way, I think)! I don't move in until January, but the owners of the building have been amazing to work with, and they're letting us paint way ahead, which is awesome because my mom and sister have the whole week off for Thanksgiving break. They've made great progress so far, and after a minor situation with the initial paint color, I think we're all super happy with the results.

I'm also thankful for all the eXtra help my parents have provided in outfitting this new space, as I've never really been completely on my own before. I kind of assumed I'd be going with a "minimalistic" theme for the first several months, which is just a cute way of saying little to no furniture until I came up with the extra cash to furnish it. But... My parents graciously offered to help out in that area, and I am SO BLESSED!!

So, thanks mom and dad! And thanks Slappy! I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for all you've done and are doing for me!

W is for Wisdom

I'm so thankful for the wisdom God gives.  It seems that this last year has been full of asking God for wisdom and direction, and I'm so glad that He provides! There have been some a few changes or potentials for change this year, and I'm glad that God gave me the wisdom to know when to say no and when to {finally} say yes!

I'm also thankful that I grew up to be, what I consider, a wise {for the most part} individual.  I'm thankful for parents who taught me how to think through decisions and to be responsible, and who taught me to generally use good common sense. There is definitely a lack of this in our society, and I'm thankful that God blessed me by putting me in a home where I was taught to be wise AND to know Who the true source of wisdom is.

V is for Variety

This may seem simple, but I'm so thankful that life offers variety! I'm glad that things aren't always the same, and that I have choices to make.  I'm thankful for variety of seasons, even though I'm not a huge fan of winter.  I'm thankful for variety in colors! I'm thankful for variety in foods.  I'm thankful for variety in friendships and relationships.  I'm thankful for variety in music.

Definitely something I take for granted, but I'm so thankful for variety!

U is for Ugly or Unique

Ok, so I don't really think they're ugly... but they're definitely unique. I got these slippers last year for Christmas (at least I think it was last year... may have been two years ago), and I LOVE them! They're fuzzy and warm and more boot-ish than slipper-ish. Only they're soft and crocheted.  Anyway, I'm thankful for warm feet on cold, snowy days (from the comfort of the indoors)!

46/52 - Opposites

I LOVE this picture...

45/52 - Play

So... somehow I ended up two weeks behind, so this week & next, I'll have to pull double duty.

I'm not a huge fan of snow, but I DO enjoy the first snow of the winter.  And really, I love the snow... if I get to stay inside with a hot cup of coffee or cocoa and don't have to venture out in it. The nieces, however, LOVE the snow! They even managed to make some mini snowladies...

T is for Time

Time. It never stops. It never slows down.  It always speeds by way too quickly.  We waste it; we revel in it; and sometimes we even use it wisely. Time is the one thing I know for sure I always take for granted way too often.

None of us knows how long we have here on this earth.  Over the last several years, this has really hit home for me.  Losing my grandpa suddenly and unexpectedly almost two years ago was a drastic reality check.  This summer, we found out that my great aunt has cancer.  Last week, I found out that she'll likely not make it through the end of the year.  My co-worker has a family member who was recently diagnosed with cancer as well, who also was given weeks to live.

Time.  A single moment can seem like an eternity. A year can pass in the blink of an eye. In the grand scheme of things, my own life is but a vapor.  A tiny little dot in the history of the world. And yet, my life has the potential to influence so many others.

I'm so thankful for the time God gives me to live.  I'm grateful that my life is worth sustaining. I'm thankful for parents who taught me the value of time by using their own time to actively BE in my life from day one, working hard at their jobs, and ministering to others.  I'm thankful for the opportunities God gives me to use my time to share the love of Christ with others.

Time is a funny thing, but over the past few years, while death seems to be all around me, I'm thankful for the stark reminder that time is a gift. A blessing to be thankful for. And I'm so thankful for the gift of time.

S is for Sip

Now technically, this isn't really about the cute little coffee bistro on the square in Mt. Pleasant, but since it starts with S...

I'm so thankful for my friend Michelle. We try to have lunch together once a week, and we usually go on Friday.  However, this week, we met up today at Sip.  I'm thankful for her friendship and the time we can just spend together investing in one another's lives. I'm thankful that we can talk about life and careers and church... whatever comes up!

So really this "S" post is about Michelle... but since Michelle doesn't start with "S," I'm thankful for Sip providing us a nice ambiance for our weekly lunch today.

R is for Romans

I'm so thankful for the book of Romans! It has been my favorite book of the Bible since my Freshman year of college, when I had to read it for a Bible class I was taking. I particularly fell in love with Romans chapter 6, which is all about how we are FREE FROM SIN upon our salvation!

I'm also thankful that our Wednesday night group is doing a study on the book of Romans this school year, and I'm thankful for the group we have! I'm also thankful for the teacher, who just happens to be my dad. I love going to his classes because he's such a great teacher!

Q is for Quiet

I was a little worried when I began this "Alphabet of Thankfulness" because I knew that letters like Q and Z would eventually come. Today, however, was not as hard as I thought it would be.

I'm thankful for the quiet moments of life. The down time.  The little snippets of time here and there where nothing is vying for your attention, and no one is depending on you for immediate interaction- there is just quiet. Time to think and reflect.  Time to still your heart and mind.  Time to just be.

In these moments of quiet, I am also thankful for what good little Patch the Pirate kids refer to as "Quiet Time." Others may refer to this as devotions or Bible time or who knows what else, but "Quiet time" fits with our letter, so Quiet Time it is.  I'm thankful for parents who made me see the value of spending time with God- in prayer, in Bible reading, in memorization and meditation.  I'm thankful for resources and inspiration available today to help make this time even more special and rejuvenating.

Sometimes, it's nice to just enjoy a little Quiet Time during your time of Quiet. What a thing to be thankful for!

P is for Piano

I'm thankful for the ability God gave me to play piano.  I'm also thankful for those who took the time over the early years to teach me how to play. I'm beyond grateful for my high school music teacher, who, while not my piano teacher, always challenged my skills by giving me harder and harder pieces to play while accompanying the choir(s).

Being thankful for my piano playing abilities also turns my thankful heart to music in general. What a comfort it can be during difficult times, and yet, during times of celebration, music is also there with songs of jubilee! Music, they say, is the universal language, and I agree. I'm so thankful that I have ears to hear music, a voice to sing music, and fingers to play music!

O is for Opportunity

Today I am thankful for the opportunity I had to go to church and hear about the Baptist Children's Home ministries. My sister, Leah, went with the youth group on a missions trip this summer to visit one of the BCH houses, and it changed her life.  This ministry is what made her decide to go to college with the goal of getting her degree in social work. I was so looking forward to hearing the presentation today, but when I got sick earlier this week, I just wasn't sure that was going to happen.

I'm so thankful that it did!  I was so blessed by the couple who came to share the ministry with us, who by the way was the BCH President and his wife. This ministry is helping kids in need of a safe home and loving family all over the world! His challenge to us from the Word was about seeing children as Christ saw them: people with needs just like me. I loved that! Children in our society are so often overlooked or treated as a nuisance, but Christ saw them as souls. What a challenge for those of us who work or have worked in children's ministries of all sorts to be reminded that our work DOES make a difference... that working with children is a great service to God and a huge opportunity for outreach!

I'm also thankful for the opportunity to support this ministry. One of my goals in 2016 is to support at least two missionaries (or organizations such as BCH) on a personal financial level. This is something I'd never done until I began supporting my sister in Peru in May. God has really been laying a burden on my heart to continue this personal support for missions, as personal investment produces a greater desire to be involved in the lives of those particular missionaries- you tend to care a little more when you're sending money.  I chose my first missions couple about a month ago, and I think maybe BCH will be my second choice.  Who knows, maybe God will bless me and burden me to be able to add a third!

But for today, I'm just thankful for the opportunities God gives us to be involved in missions because nothing is more important than sharing the Love of God with the world!

N is for Nieces & Nephew

This may seem like a bit of a repeat of "L is for Love," but I think it's not. As a single 20 something, these three are the only kids I have at this point.  And without them, my life would be nothing like it is today. Each one of these kids has taught me so much about perspective, life, and patience. These silly, crazy, adorable kiddos make my world a happier place, and I can't even begin to express how thankful I am for each one!

Bethany brought on my role of "Aunt Cece" long before she was even born. I have loved this girl since even before her mom and I tossed around names (I helped pick out her name!). I am so thankful for this sweet girl, who never leaves without a hug and and "I love you." She is definitely nothing like me, but she's her own kind of girl, and there is NOTHING wrong with that.

Now THIS girl... she's all mine. My very own "mini me." I love this girl to pieces! All drama and sass, Alexxa is all girl.  She's also extra special because she shares my middle name! Never have I ever met a child this young with such a quick whit and humor! Oh.. and she also shares my love of being girly: heels & makeup are her favorite!

Baby William is the first boy we've had in our family in a long time, and we LOVE him! Already, he is full of smiles and personality.  This precious baby boy is such a beautiful baby, and I love him so much. I can't wait to see you grow and to give me a totally new experience... I've never had a little boy around before!

M is for Medicine & Modern Technology

Being sick is the pits.  Ask me.  I know.  I'm pretty sure my body is a magnet for illness. Anyhow, I've spent the last three days in bed fighting an ear infection & sinus infection. And yesterday, my body decided to add "flu" to the mix. Needless to say, it's been a miserable few days.

So in light of that, I'm thankful first for medicine. And here's hoping it kicks this stuff sooner rather than later.

Second, I'm thankful for modern technology.  The one and only silver lining of being sick is that you have an excuse to stay in bed all day long and binge watch tv.  I'm thankful for modern technology that avails me to such things right from the convenience of my own bed, which allows me to keep myself quarantined from others.  What a boring long few days this would have been sans Castle marathon!

L is for Love

L is the easiest letter because I have so many things in my life with the letter "L" for which to be thankful.

I'm SO thankful for my sisters: Lindsey, Laura, & Leah. Life would be SOOOO lonely without them.

I'm forever thankful for my mom, Linda, and my dad BiLL (who has DOUBLE L's at the END of his name). I have no doubt that I have two of the greatest parents ever, and I try to never take them for granted. I have Learned so much from them!

I'm thankful for the Little girLs in my life, Beth & ALexxa. What joy and laughter they bring to this house! My life is fuller and happier because of them.

I'm thankful for the Little boy in my life, baby WiLLiam (also with the Double L's). There is no way to even come close to describing the feeling of holding a newborn baby in your arms, let alone watching him grow and change, bringing smiles and coos and heart-melting!

I guess, if I were to sum it all up all these "thankfuls" in just ONE word, it would be this:

Love.

K is for Kites

Yeah... kites. That's all my brain could come up with tonight.  I'm a little drugged out from being sick (yet again), and I'm struggling.  

Anyway, "kites" is actually a good thing to be thankful for because "kites" always bring back childhood memories, not of flying kites, but of my dad skipping through Wal-Mart with me and my sisters in the shopping cart singing "Let's Go Fly a Kite!" I'm thankful that I had the kind of childhood that made me believe in happy families and loving parents and happily ever afters.  I'm thankful for a childhood that involved singing and laughing and memories. So in a way, I guess I AM thankful for kites because they remind me of the great life I've always had.

J is for Job

In case you've been living under a rock for the last month... I HAVE A NEW JOB!!! And guess what: I love it! I'm so thankful for the way God orchestrated this opportunity, and I'm so thankful to work for a boss who is a true Christian! Six months ago, I couldn't figure out why God kept shutting every door that I tried to pry open, but now I know without a doubt that it was because He had something so much better for me than I could have ever concocted myself.

I still feel like it will take me months and months to be totally competent in my new role, let alone super good at it, but I KNOW that it's right exactly where I'm supposed to be. And I'm so THANKFUL for God's leading and His wonderful plan for my life!

I is for Isaiah

(Click on picture for source of artwork)

Specifically "I" is for Isaiah 55:8-9.  I LOVE these verses and have ever since mom chose them as our "verses of the year" when I was in high school.  God's plan for me is so much bigger and broader and more beautiful than anything I could have ever cooked up in my little bitty human brain.  I'm so THANKFUL that God is in control and that His thoughts and ways are not mine. I'm so THANKFUL that His ways are greater and higher than mine.  I'm so glad that I can always turn to this statement of authority when I'm feeling like nothing in my life is going right (which is not the case presently; presently, my life is going pretty dandy good!).  It's such a blessing to be able to look back on this verse when life IS going great and be reminded that when life WASN'T so great, God clearly had a plan that was leading me to where I am now.  And that His plan was so much better than what I thought I wanted. So thankful for these verses!

44/52 - Reflection

I snapped this while out on a family photo shoot yesterday.  I've gotta say... this family is SO BLESSED to have this view in their front yard!

H is for Home

One thing I think I always take way too much for granted is the home God has blessed me with.  I'm so thankful for this comfy, warm home my parents have provided - and continue to provide even though I've been in and out over the last 7 years.  I'm thankful for the memories we've made in this house and for the people who make it a home.

I'm also thankful this year for the NEW home God has dropped (rather unexpectedly) in my lap.  I couldn't have asked for a better place myself, and I'm so thankful that God put all the puzzle pieces together to provide me with my own home (ok... it's an apartment, and I'm renting it, and I won't actually move in until January but STILL....)!  I can't wait to see how my definition of "home" changes over the next year, but no matter what, I'll always be thankful for the home in which I grew up, where I know without a doubt I will always be welcomed with open arms and loving hearts.

G is for Gospel

There is nothing for which I am more thankful than the Gospel. Without this Good News, my life would have no purpose or meaning. I'm also thankful for those who share God's free gift without hesitation. On Wednesday evenings, we are studying through the book of Romans in our Bible Study. The teacher (who also happens to be my dad) challenged us to memorize Romans 1:16, which talks about sharing the Gospel.

"I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation...." Romans 1:16

What IS the Gospel/Good News?

"For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

F is for Fridays, Freebies, & Furnace

I'm thankful for Fridays. The one thing you can always always ALWAYS look forward to is the weekend.  Even if just for the change of pace for a few days, the weekend is always welcome. Fridays and Tuesdays (for some unknown reason) have always been my two favorite days of the week. And now, I'm even MORE thankful for Fridays because I no longer work Saturdays! WOO HOO!!!

I'm also thankful for freebies.  This week alone, I have participated in two separate Jamberry gigs on Facebook, and I've won a free manicure & $15 in credit! For someone who is a little bit addicted to Jamberry, I'm always STOKED about freebies!  And what better day to win a freebie than on day "F" in Alpha-thankfulness!

And finally, I'm thankful for my FATHER who FINALLY turned on the FURNACE, for which I am also thankful!  It's about time we got some heat up in this crib! No more wearing my parka to bed!

E is for Elephant

E was a hard letter to do, but I finally came up with something:

When I graduated from high school, I had a teacher who gave me a stuffed elephant as a gift. It's adorable and fluffy and has sat on my shelf for the past seven years. The card she included  said something along the lines of "Elephants never forget... Just like you. You have all the knowledge you need to succeed... And I have no doubt you WILL be very successful."

I see that stuffed elephant every morning, and I hardly notice it anymore. But as I was sitting here thinking of what I was thankful for that started with "E," I realized that I am thankful for that little confidence boost I get when I take a few seconds to look at that stuffed elephant gifted to me those several years ago.

To the teacher that gave me the elephant, and you know who you are, THANK YOU for that elephant... And know that I'm thankful for the confidence you have always had in me.

D is for DQ

Today is a simple "thankful." My fabulous boss brought us Dairy Queen for an afternoon pick-me-up, and it was quite delightful!

C is for Colleagues

Tonight I was able to meet up with my friend Michelle and the two high school girls I worked with at the bank. I just loved (and still love) those girls! We had a little issue with the whole "where to eat" situation, but we ended up going to Sip (the wine & coffee bistro on the square in Mt. Pleasant), where we enjoyed chips & salsa and various "coffee shop" drinks (fruit smoothies, chai, & hot cocoa). We laughed and laughed and shared jokes and just had a lovely time chatting. I'm so thankful I get the opportunity to be a small part of these lives, and I'm SO THANKFUL they are each a part of mine! 

Here is where I'd insert a cute picture of us, but I forgot to snap one. Oops!! Guess we'll have to do it again soon, right girls? 

B is for Bible Study

Within the last two months, I've really started focusing on personal Bible study.  I've always struggled to have consistency in this area, and two and a half months ago, I decided I would buy a Bible that would inspire me to read more often.  That sounds way more "buy a Bible that makes me happy" than it should, but the goal was to choose (out of the thousands available) a Bible that would actually HELP me find excitement in studying.  I chose this one

And guess what... I LOVE IT!! It's not your typical Bible in that it isn't divided by Book; rather, it is divided by date.  Each day of the year has a heading, and you read all the Scripture under that heading until you reach the heading for the next day. It is SO simple and easy to stay on track! Part of my problem finishing a "read it in a year" Bible schedule before was that I'd get bogged down flipping from book to book.  The way this is laid out, There is an Old Testament excerpt, a New Testament excerpt, a Psalm, and 1-3 verses from Proverbs. I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who wants to read through the Bible in a year, but struggles to finish. The only draw back is that [at least on Amazon] it only comes in NLT or NIV.  The NLT is what I chose, and I've rather enjoyed it, as I've never read this version before. But if you're a die-hard KJV-er... maybe this option isn't for you.  Or then again... maybe it is! ;)

One last note: I do my daily reading at night, usually first thing when I crawl into bed. I only have 4 supplies I use for this: NLT One Year Bible, twistable crayons (BEST thing I've ever discovered for color-coordinated highlighting!), a notebook, and a pen.  Before I started, I chose 5 things I wanted to look for in my reading, and I chose a color to use for that topic (Red = warnings, Blue = God's promises, Green = Christian Living, Purple = interaction with others, Yellow = Things about God). After I finish the reading, I pick ONE thing from at least 3 of the portions to write in my notebook (things I found interesting, notes on Christian living, challenging things, etc.).  

Anyway, all that to say I'm so THANKFUL that (1) I'm finally having consistent personal devotions (2) there are SO MANY options and useful tools out there today to help in this area (3) time in God's Word is NEVER wasted!

43/52 - Leaves

The tree in our front yard is always beautiful in the Autumn! We planted this tree shortly after we moved into our house when I was 5...

A is for Abounding: Alphabet of Thankfulness Project

For the past several years, I've done the "Thankful November" posts, wherein I post something for which I am thankful for every day of November.  This year, since Thanksgiving falls on November 26, I've decided to do the "Alphabet of Thankfulness," by naming something I'm thankful for using the letters of the alphabet. Today's letter, obviously, is A.

A is for Abounding.

This morning's message at church was based on 1 Cornithians 15:58, which admonishes us to be "abounding in the work of the Lord." I'm so thankful for our pastor, and the messages he brings on Sunday Mornings! What a challenge for me to think about as I involve myself in the ministries of daily living this week.  Am I abounding? Or am I just putting in my time? I'm THANKFUL that God rewards those who abound with eternal benefits!  I'm thankful that when I am ABOUNDING, I can be assured that my labor is not in vain!

Also, I'm thankful for Apples.