Thanksgiving

I LOVE THANKSGIVING! This may be because my favorite food is mashed potatoes and gravy. I would be perfectly happy with a plate full of mashed potatoes and gravy and nothing else.

Mainly though, I love spending the day with family. We were at Bryan's family's house this year and had a great time. It was fun, relaxing and yummy. We ate, visited, and watched movies. The kids had a lot of fun with their cousins. It was a great day!

I also like Thanksgiving because it forces me to think of all the things I am thankful for. I know that during day-to-day run of life, it becomes easy to want instead of just being thankful. I know I am guilty of this. So I like just being thankful. There is so much to be thankful for, but some of the things that come to mind are:

I am thankful for my knowledge of God. I know he exists. I know he loves me and wants me to succeed. I know he hears my prayers and answers them. I think he is anxious to answer our prayers, and sometimes I have been suprised at how specifically he answers them. I think this world would be a far scarier place without this knowledge of God.

I am thankful for my trials. In the 10 years that Bryan and I have been married, we have had our share of trials - some large and some small. Looking back, I have learned something from every one of them. I am grateful for the knowledge I have gained through these trials. I am grateful for how I have grown through these times.

I am thankful for my family. First, my husband and children. We have so much fun together. I love being with them. Bryan is the best husband I could ask for, and I never knew that being a mom to two boys would be so great. I am also grateful for my family and Bryan's family. We are both very close with our families, and I don't know what I would do without these relationships.

I am thankful for great friends. I have friends that I can talk to, have fun with, and count on whenever I need them. Great friends definitely make life easier and a lot more fun.

I am thankful for all the material things that make life easier - cars, televisions, cell phones, computers, etc... We live in an amazing era, and I take these things for granted most of the time.

There are so many things to be thankful for. These are just some of the things on the forefront of my mind. It is my goal for this coming year to recognize more readily the things in life to be thankful for.