Counting my Blessings

Have I neglected this blog or what? Today is Thanksgiving. Yesterday as I was cleaning and preparing food, I tried to keep my focus on thanking God for my many blessings. The events of the past year have caused me to be so much more aware of thankfulness and gratitude.

What events? My sister Hope's life changing, neck-breaking fall last January was the beginning. She has come through this journey of a traumatic accident, followed by months of slow but steady recovery, learning to live her life that now includes daily pain and limited stamina and energy. But her spirit is so strong! From the beginning, she was determined to maintain her attitude of choosing joy and thankfulness, counting the daily gifts from God. God is using her to inspire and encourage so many people. It's amazing.

This accident made me look at my priorities, and moved my relationship with her to a much higher level than it had been. I treasure my weekly visits with her and her wonderful family. Recently she gave me the "One Thousand Gifts" devotional book, which contains titles like Surprising Grace, Choosing Grace, Anti-anxiety Grace, Urgent Grace, This-moment Grace, Lovely Grace, and so on. It includes a journal to count 1000 ways God loves me - the daily gifts that I am thankful for.  “Are stress and worry evidences of a soul too lazy, too undisciplined, to keep gaze fixed on God?” Ouch. I could go on and on, quoting all the sentences I have underlined. But I must reign myself in. I want to share a few more things that I am thankful for on this Thanksgiving 2013.

As I was thanking God for my blessings yesterday, I realized that the ones that mean the most to me are people. My family:  my husband, my boys and their beautiful girls, my brothers, sisters, in-laws, mom, nieces, nephews, great-nieces & nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins.  My friends:  I am blessed with so many, from close friends to casual acquaintances, I love you all!  Co-workers: what a wonderful group of people who are also friends.

In no particular order of priority, on Thanksgiving 2013, I am thankful for: sunrises and sunsets, Crater Lake, the Oregon Coast, the Cascade Mountains, running a 15k in Maui, palm trees in Maui, running a half-marathon on a beautiful August day, shopping trips and dinners with friends, shopping trips with sisters, Sunday dinners with my family, a hot shower to start each day, hot coffee, hot tea,  a warm home, a covered patio, anticipation of a sunny Caribbean cruise in January, exhilarating Zumba workouts, exhausting Crossfit workouts, running on country roads, running on river trails, and the anticipation of sharing delicious food with 13 family and friends today!  

Happy Thanksgiving!

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." (G.K. Chesterton)