I have so much to be thankful for this year. Seriously. Every year as I take some time to really think about and reflect on the blessings in my life, a couple of things happen: (1) I am reminded of how truly blessed I am; and (2) I wonder why I don’t reflect on the blessings in my life more often (maybe we’d all be a little happier if we did). It kind of makes me wonder: why don’t we make thankfulness a daily habit rather than a yearly obligation marked by an over-comercialized holiday? (or maybe it’s just me that doesn’t make thankfulness a regular habit, and if that’s the case, maybe I should start!) Anyways, there’s lots to be thankful for this year:
- A God who continues to love me no matter what.
- Two parents who support me in everything I do and are even putting up with me living “back at home” for a year – the sacrifices they make for me on a daily basis are greater than I can possibly comprehend. I can only hope that I will be as good of a parent to my (future) children as they have been and are for me.
- A sister who (mostly) puts up with my crazy antics, laughs and cries with me, and is just plain fun to be around. I’m so impressed by the young woman that she is becoming.
- My fiance Scott who has stood by me for the past seven years, and for the sacrifices that he has made during that time to make sure that our relationship lasted. I can hardly wait for the rest of our lives to begin on September 12, 2009!
- Grace Lutheran Church (Fremont, OH) – In the year that I spent with the folks up in Fremont, strangers became like friends and a group of teenagers became like family. I can’t express my gratitude for the 13 months I had the pleasure of enjoying in Fremont. I miss them like crazy every day.
- Spoke Folk OH*08 – I am so thankful for the love and support of this incredible group of people and for the blessing they have been to my life. It’s amazing how God can take a group of strangers and in 12 short days create a family out of them.
- Parma Lutheran Church (Parma, OH) – It’s hard to believe that I’ve been serving as the Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries @ PLC for a mere 4 months. God has big things in store for this church, and I’m thankful that he is allowing me the opportunity to be a part of it.
- Friends: Ashland, Mowana, Spoke Folk, LSM, Mayfield, etc. God has blessed be with some incredible friendships, and while in many cases we only see each other on rare occasions, I am blessed by friends that truly embody Paul’s words in Romans 1:11-12.
- Ashland Theological Seminary – The opportunity for a graduate level education seems to be getting slimmer with today’s slipping economy, but I am so thankful that God has opened the doors for me to pursue a theological education at ATS.
- Even in a struggling economy, I am blessed: I have a roof over my head, I have a job (directly related to my college degree), I have more than I need.
When all is said and done, I am blessed beyond what I could ever ask for. I thank God for these blessings because I know that they are most certainly of him. While I have experienced the extremes of love and loss in the past years, I can only hope that my attitude will continue to be that of Job:
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:20b)
