Blessed and Thankful

Many events have happened over the last two weeks to make me realize how blessed Danny and I are and how much we can take that for granted. I'm truly in awe over why God has chosen to bless me in such amazing ways and I'm thankful for reminders to be thankful!


Last week both Danny's parents and mine celebrated their wedding anniversaries. My parents have been married for 33 years, Danny's for 40. I realize how rare that is for a young couple to have both sets of parents alive, healthy, and still examples of a loving marriage. The day my parents celebrated their anniversary, a dear friend of mine lost her mom. As I have grieved with her over the past week, I have been reminded of how much I take my parents, their health, and their love and support for granted. Not only are my parents loving and supportive, but I have amazing in-laws as well!

Lately I've been having strange dreams, often about running from terrorists. Either I watch too much violence on TV or the world news is getting to my subconscious. I wake up in the middle of the night, relieved to realize it's only a dream, and immediately am sorrowful for those who live that nightmare day in and day out. Again, I'm truly grateful for the life I've been given.

Last Sunday I spoke to the FCC high schoolers about my trip to Africa and how much it changed my life. Surrounded by poverty and homeless children made me realize how rich my family is, although we don't often feel like it. We're not rich by American standards, but we have a home, food, and clothes, and that is more than most of the world can claim.

For 15 years my dad drove a green minivan, a true family car. When he bought it, he didn't buy it for his own enjoyment. The van served us well on numerous trips to Texas and our annual Christmas tree cutting parties. My dad saw each of his daughters get a new car and still he served our family by driving his green van. It finally broke down one too many times and my father bought something for himself for the first time in 26 years: a new Mustang. I'm so thankful for the van that gave my family many great memories, for my dad who is so generous and selfless, and for the fact that he finally has a sweet new ride!

I hope none of this sounds trite, and I don't write any of this to brag, but I am really humbled by the blessings God has lavished on me, my family, and my new husband. We've had struggles at times, but what a shame it would be if we focused on the negative and took the blessings for granted.

In what ways has God blessed you? How do you remind yourself not to take blessings for granted?