Good Morning! Just my personal reflections

It is indeed a good morning. I am thankful to be alive. I am thankful to be with my family, who are healthy and not in need. I am thankful to have a reliable car, and the money to buy coffee creamer, which is not a necessity. I am thankful to have my wonderful husband, whose smile lights up my day, still makes my heart do a little flip. I am thankful for my wonderful children who come to me for anything, talk to me about everything and laugh so easily. There is no greater sound than my children laughing. I am thankful to have a mother that is well and that loves me greatly. I am thankful that my mother has found someone that will share her dreams with her and let her be herself. I am thankful to have a sister that has a huge heart and wants to care for cancer patients. I am thankful to have another sister that randomly calls me just to talk about whatever. I am thankful that we all have a good, loving relationship. I am thankful to have a computer and internet that I can type this on. I am thankful for the ability to read and think about information while I am in college. I am thankful that I can go to college. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to homeschool my children, to spend more time with them. I am thankful that I have a good church to attend with people that truly care about others. I am thankful that I have oatmeal to eat, coffee to drink and a container full of sugar to sweeten it with. I am thankful that I have enough to be able to sponsor a child in Mozambique and send her bookmarks, stationery, and little things to hopefully brighten her life. I am thankful for having running water in my house, a working stove and refrigerator. I am thankful to have food to put in the refrigerator and to cook on the stove. I am thankful that I have food in my cupboards for my children's breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am thankful that we have enough that we can buy new food to try. I am thankful that we live in a small town and have a store only 4 blocks from our house and we do not have to travel an extensive distance to get some of our food. I am thankful that I have a cat that can entertain us, rub against our legs, and to keep us company.

Have you ever just stopped and thought about all that there is to be thankful for? I often say a prayer that has the line "Thank you for all that you have provided for us..." but that just doesn't say what I am thankful for. I find it amazing all the things that I have to be thankful for. I also am amazed at how ungrateful I seem for having all the great things I do. My prayers are quick and short. I often ask for more than I say thank you for. I didn't intend to say all that I am thankful for in this post but you know, I have so much! I am thankful. And yet, I seem so ungrateful, I take it for granted.

I think the thing that I am most unrecognizably grateful for is that Jesus gave his life for me. I have always believed that. I grew up in a home that taught that Jesus died for the sins of the world. I am one of those sinners that Jesus died for. It wasn't until last year that this really sunk in. The love that God has for us to send his first born son to die for me is amazing. It's monumental. And yet, what do I do to show that I am thankful? I unfortunately do not read my Bible as often as I should and am quite Biblically illiterate. I cannot quote scriptures and often do not know who said what, when, why, or where to find it in the Bible. Often I know I have heard a verse that is pertinent to life and I would like to be able to show others from the Bible where it is, or even just what it says. But honestly, I really can't. I attend church at least 3 times a month and usually on Sunday morning. Where I go to church we have a Sunday school and morning and evening service, then evening service on Wednesday. It is so easy however to not go on Wednesday because my husband works late. On Sunday evening it is to get busy with making dinner instead of going to church. I love going to church; when I am there I feel God's presence. There are only two churches that I have felt that and I am thankful that this is one of them.

I often think of the things that I am not doing for God. I do not talk about him to others, with the exception of on the internet, to my children, and occasionally to my husband. I do not invite others to church, nor do I try to see if people have accepted that Jesus is God's Son and died for our sins. I do not want to pry. It's difficult for me.

But I am thankful for so much and I have so much to be thankful for. I don't want to lose sight of all that God has done for me, because I truly believe that all things are from God.