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!