Striving For Gratefulness

"Rejoice Evermore. Pray Without Ceasing. In Every Thing Give Thanks: For This Is The Will Of God In Christ Jesus Concerning You."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Charles Dickens ~ " No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another."

For those who have been placed on my path, who help to make my burdens lighter.

Albert Schweitzer ~ "In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."

For those who help my inner spirit to soar.

Alphonse Karr ~ "Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses."

For those who teach me how to view life from a different perspective.

Viki King ~ "You won't be happy with more until you're happy with what you've got."

For those who opened my eyes to see just how truly blessed I am.

Helen Keller ~ "The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart."

For those who have touched my heart in ways I can not even begin to express.

Victoria Monfort ~ "Choosing Trust over Doubt gets me burned once in a while, but I'd rather be singed than hardened."

For those who showed me it was okay to trust again.

Audrey Hepburn ~ "People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone."

For those who take the time to guide and help me to be the woman I am becoming.

Belinda Garrison ~ "Fear grows out of the things we think; it lives in our minds. Compassion grows out of the things we are, and lives in our hearts."

For those who help to calm my fears and those who show me where compassion lives.

George Colman ~ "Praise the bridge that carried you over."

For those who helped bridge the line between bitterness and forgiveness.

Alfred North Whitehead ~ "No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."

For those who want nothing more than for me to succeed.

Sarah Ban Breathnach ~ "Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need."  

For those who welcomed me into their family... Regardless.

William Feather ~ "Many of our prayers were not answered, and for this we are now grateful."

For those who showed me that sometimes unanswered prayers, truly are a blessing.

 

I love Thanksgiving.

It is my absolute favorite holiday of the year.

You get to eat some of the best foods ever made and you don't have to buy hundreds of dollars worth of presents that will break within a month anyway.

You don't have to decorate your house with all sorts of greens and reds.

There are no mounds of tinsel, nor tangled lights to contend with.

There is a crispness in the air, gorgeous leaves on the grounds and the air just smells like cinnamon and pumpkins.

You get to break out your fall sweaters, boots and jackets...

Who am I kidding, I live in Florida and we are still wearing shorts and flip flops.  :)

Thanksgiving has always seemed like the start of a New Year for me.

This year more so than others, because I am very thankful for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me.

People more than anything.

Wonderful people who go out of their way to help, to guide, to love... Just because.

If you know me, then you know it isn't a secret that I never really had much to do with people.

Content to live in my own little world with my family, happy to ignore the "real world."

If you have been reading along for any length of time, you know how that worked out for me. :)

However, I have learned some valuable lessons this past year and I have been blessed with beautiful people who help me to learn.

I read a quote today by Alexander Graham Bell that states ~  "When one door closes another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."

All too often people are attached to their past, to what is familiar to them, and they tend to miss new doors, filled with new opportunities, that are standing right in front of them.

Not every plan you have for your life is going to work out.

There are going to be losses, failures, problems in relationships, loss of money or job, loss of friends and family and sometimes very unpleasant things can happen.

We may not always have control over these things that happen, but we can control our reactions and our attitudes.

If we always focus our attention to what was lost, "the closed door," we see only a closed door, which in turn can fill us with frustration and unhappiness, however, if we can learn to shift our line of vision and attention away from the closed door, we might be pleasantly surprised to discover a whole row of open new doors.

Every night during my prayers, I always give thanks for the doors that have been opened, as well as the lessons learned, from the doors that have been shut.

It all starts with your attitude and how you look at things and this year, I am thankful I have new doors lined up for me. 

There are people He has placed in my life that I am forever grateful for...

Some will read this, some will not, however, they all know what they mean to me.

I love each and every one of you ~ Just for who you are.

My boys and my family.

My bloggy friends who email me when I don't post in quite some time, just to check in and make sure all is well.

G ~ The big brother I never had ~ You are one of my dearest friends and I am thankful for the lessons you have taught me, for your friendship, for the fact that you won't allow me to have a single pity party and for showing me that it is okay to cry like a baby. You make me laugh and it is a comforting thought knowing you are right there, no matter when, no matter what.

D ~ My prayer partner, my friend ~ You have the best laugh of anyone I know. Your joy and spirit are contagious. I love to see His light shining through you as you sing and I am so very grateful you are in my life. You have taught me the true meaning of "having my back," and what it means to have a "friend for life." You help me in ways you don't even know, as well as in ways you do and eventually I think we will be able to remove the "thorn in my side," otherwise known as praying out loud. You are a blessing to know and a joy to be around.

Pastor ~ My mentor, my friend ~ Where do I even begin? I could write post after post about you. The first person who earned my trust after all was said and done. You know when you are needed and you know when to step back a bit. There will always be a special place in my heart for you and for what you have done. You have taught me emotions are okay to show, prayers never need to be silent and joy, sheer joy can be found, even in the midst of complete sorrow. I will always defend you and forever respect you and I pray that I never let you down.

Reverend M ~ My mentor, my friend ~ You are just you. Energetic, animated, happy, and full of life. You always make time whenever I ask, without a second thought. Willing to answer question after question, never tiring and always making sure I leave your presence understanding fully. You have shown me the "circle" as well as who to let into it and who to cut loose. You make me smile and it is a joy to know you.

R ~ My mentor, my friend ~ A woman on the same path as I am, willing to help me find my footing, catching if I stumble, always helpful and never hurtful. You my friend, have a quiet beauty that shines from within you and touches those around you. It would be hard to be on this road on my own, knowing you are in front of me, gives me the courage to face my fears and continue forward.

My Heavenly Father ~ I thank you for each and every one of these beautiful people you have placed in my path. I know there are many more and each is filled with their own qualities, besides my family, these 5 mentioned by name however, are the ones that I interact with the most and I am eternally blessed and grateful You saw fit to place them into my life.

Father, I ask you to bless each person reading this right now. I am asking You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence in Your ability to work through them. Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, patience, and strength as they learn submission to your leading.

Where there is spiritual indifference, I ask You to renew them by revealing Your nearness, and by drawing them into greater intimacy with You. Where there is fear, reveal Your love, and release to them Your courage. Where there is a sin blocking them, reveal it, and break its hold over my friend's life. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them.

Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them, and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it. I thank You, I praise You and I ask You, in Jesus' most precious name I pray.

Amen. 


Happy Thanksgiving.

NICHOLE NORDEMAN & AMY GRANT
You Do Your Best To Build A Higher Wall.
To Keep Love Safe From Every Wrecking Ball.
When The Dust Is Cleared
You Will See The House That Love Rebuilt
Guarding Beauty That Lives Here Still.