. . . thankful

Well today is the traditional American holiday of Thanksgiving. As I type this my family is having their pick of a half dozen desserts, after a meal that was lovingly prepared over several days by a dozen different family members, and probably took about a dozen minutes to consume. ; ) I was able to get in a quick Skype session before putting Liam to bed, and am SO looking forward to seeing them all soon.

There are many things I am thankful for, but none more than being saved by a God who loves me. His grace and mercy are unending, and I am undeserving. Yet he loves every bit of me, the good, the bad, and the worse. He has blessed me with an incredible life, and all the other things I am thankful for come from Him . . .

I am thankful for my husband who takes care of me, loves me, and laughs with me. We have the best time  together and I'm grateful that my mom introduced us over nine years ago. I look forward to the future knowing we get to spend it together. As good as it is now, the best is yet to come.

This year I am most thankful for the ability to carry my sweet son in my strong body for ten incredible months. I am amazed at the beauty that is child birth and will never, ever forget the moment that the doctor placed Liam on my chest. Every day my love for this little boy has grown by leaps and bounds and I can't imagine what life was like before he came along.

I'm lucky to have the best family -- my supportive parents, three hilarious brothers, one beautiful sister, one incredible seestor-in-law, dozens of crazy cousins, awesome grandparents, loving aunts and uncles . . . I couldn't ask for better. These people bless my life and love me like no other.

And to each of my unique and best-ever friends . . . some who know me better than I know myself. I don't know where I'd be without them. These people celebrate the best parts of my life, and support me at my worst. I am lucky enough to know them, and blessed to call them friends and sisters.

I read this quote a while back and it has stuck with me, reminding me to be thankful every day, no matter what my circumstances . . .

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

~Jessi