I'm not going to waste words explaining why we should be more thankful, and what gratitude does to our hearts, and how easily we forget what we have when we are consumed with what we don't.
We know all this.
so go ahead, leave it in the comments. i want to know 7 things you are thankful for today.
Even if this is like pulling teeth.
And then, once you write them down in the comments, go write them on your heart. Hold onto them. Remind yourself of them. Give them the weight they deserve. Combat your dissatisfaction and discontentment and hurt with them.
I want to read so many comments that I am overwhelmed.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,
let us be thankful. - Hebrews 12:28
42 comments:
1) God and my life
2) My family
3) The health of my loved ones, and my own
4) My partner and my friends
5) The ability to do what I love
6) My job and a means to give back
7) You asking this question
in no particular order, today and every day, I am thankful for:
- great health
- family
- friends
- having access to at least the basics (food, shelter, clothing and water) and the privileged to have MUCH more
- transportation
- being independent
- good vision to see the beauty of life
- good hearing to soak up the amazing sounds of life
If I had 7 kids, I could think of seven things. But I only have one. I am thankful for my son, who reminds me every day of unconditional love. I can wake up sad, angry, or just plain tired, and my son will launch himself out of bed with an excited "Mommy!" and all of the sudden things don't seem so bad. I am thankful for his love, his smiles, his innocence, his voice, his snuggles, his sense of humor, and his heart. There. That's seven.
1. being blessed to have such a ridiculously amazing husband
2. a God who loves me relentlessly and has been teaching me that through scripture
3. music and the fact that i work in a place that pumps good music through the speakers all day long
4. laughing
5. spring weather. it's 80 degrees here today :)
6. generous friends
7. you, lauren. i'm encouraged by you so often, and i love you
I am thankful for...
*Amazingly supportive parents
*A marvelous relationship with my little sister
*A wonderful and loving boyfriend
*The best friends anyone could ask for
*The ability to pay my bills
*The many acting & modeling opportunities that have come my way recently
*The knowledge that I am loved unconditionally
1. That God saved me while I was in Canada, a country that is considered mostly "apostate" (a thought that came up right before I saw your tweet about this post)
2. For friends who teach me about patience
3. BEAUTIFUL weather here in South Carolina
4. Delicious and juicy cantaloupe
5. Korean BBQ
6. The two legs that I walked on from my college campus to this cafe
7. 1 Cor 1:4
"I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus."
My Family
My Friends
Beauty in the World
Teachers
That I have found people who inspire me and touch my soul
That I have the power to make the world a better place
That I use that power to make the world a better place
1. Real oatmeal
2. Letters from friends
3. My husband, who is the sweetest
4. Spring weather finally coming to Virginia
5. Good, thick novels
6. Getting to live in this town and work here
7. That the Internet has enabled us to keep up our friendship over all these years!
Much love to you, Lauren.
Today I am thankful for:
-God's grace & mercy
-God's unfailing love
-My ability to worship, discuss the Bible, and publicly meet with others
-The comfort I have in my own home with a bed, food, shelter (unlike many other people in the world today)
-My wonderful husband-for his love for the Lord, for his leadership in my life, & for this adventure we're living together
-Real Fellowship
-That Spring has arrived!
Thanks for asking this question!
1. An extra day to take a quiz.
2. Hanging out with kids everyday and getting paid for it.
3. God's word: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
4. How it starting rain -after- I walked into school this morning.
5. My working car, with radio.
6. My gentle and kind husband.
7. My glasses.
1. norm (@mrdirby on twitter)
2. my parents
3. opportunities
4. the secret agent l project
5. my catholic faith
6. my job
7. my health
and here we go:
1. the 10 shades of green on my drive home
2. open windows
3. Mumford & Sons
4. a promise of everyday grace
5. long walks
6. sunburned shoulders
7. friends who know your heart
1. My health!
2. Amazing & loving husband
3. The children that we will have one day soon
4. our families
5. our beautiful happy home
6. My fulfilling & rewarding J.O.B.
7. YOU & this blog for helping me to realize how great my life is on a random Tuesday morning
Seven things.... that is kinda tough...
1) Google Images, it makes my Bible lessons more entertaining!
2) My sister (her birthday is today!)
3)The youth I work with because they always make me smile
4)My dog Bandit -> dogs = unconditional love
5)My ever growing online community from LoveDrop and 20sb
6) My real life friends who are scattered around the country
7) The beautiful days that God gives everyday! Particularly now with spring
1) My Jesus
2) A smooth extraction/recovery from wisdom teeth surgery
3) Vicodin
4) My warm bed and the down comforter that I am cocooned inside of
5) Awesome friends and family
6) A relaxing week off
7) The Cave by Mumford & Sons
I miss you, Lauren :D
1) Today - I was not guaranteed the opportunity to wake up this morning.
2) The weather - It is absolutely gorgeous.
3) Health - It may not be perfect, but I am not suffering.
4) God - He has given me so much.
5) Good company - Some people have got me through the worst of times.
6) Good fortune - I may not be the luckiest man in the world, but I am getting an education, I have work, I have a car, I have a place to live and I have friends. It could be a lot worse.
7) And finally, enemies - Two of my enemies led me to meet the greatest and most beautiful girl I have ever known, and I will be forever thankful for that.
- all the opportunities that lie in front of me
- professors who care
- a family that loves me, supports me, and encourages me
- amazing and unexpected relationships
- God, and His reminders
- the freedom and desire to create
- the song that fit my mood just right (seriously, go look up "Life is Beautiful" by Vega4... it's amazing)
1. My Amazing Husband who loves and supports me in my dreams and treats me like a princess every day.
2. My sweet sisters who are all so amazingly talented. i'm blessed to have a unique relationship with all 3 of them.
3. Fluffy puppy cuddle time with Willow.
4. Finally getting our car fixed.
5. My church and the community that comes with it.
6. Music.
7. A big, awesome, powerful, and compassionate God who thinks I'm lovely.
1. A Savior who loved me and pursues me dispite my flaws.
2. Grace. Enough said!
3. My not-afraid-to-go-against-the-flow husband, and that he stands up for me.
4. Freedom - so many women live in captivity.
5. Health - I used to be sick for so long.
6. The opportunity to worship freely
7. Dreams, the kind that push me forward.
1. Jesus
2. My incredible and supportive family
3. Freedom
4. A loving, selfless boyfriend
5. A roof over my head and food to eat
6. A job that I love
Wow...why do I ever complain?? Thanks for doing this, Lauren :) always a good reminder.
I forgot to put the 7th....
I am thankful for my friends/community that love me no matter what.
1. Jesus.
2. My amazing best friend Emily Hornburg. (She reads this blog, and posted a comment above, so I know she'll see it.)
3. Sleeping until almost noon.
4. Coffee.
5. The lemon on your face thing you told us about in your "Beauty Secrets" post. I've been doing it for the past week and a half so far. Pretty much amazing.
6. Books.
7. Music, all kinds. (Except for Rebecca Black's "Friday." That's not music. It's torture.)
1) My religion.
2) My family - Mom, Dad, and my sisters.
3) My home.
4) The food I get to eat everyday.
5) My job.
6) Poetry.
7) Music.
I realize I can come up with many more things to be thankful for.
So thank you, for writing this and reminding me of that.
So I'm going to leave out the always-thankful things like God and family and health, and go for right here, right now:
1) Beautiful weather in the last few days
2) Having my best friend to stay tomorrow
3) A deadline that's in sight - means that even though I haven't finished the work YET, I will have done SOON!
4) Cheap (fairtrade!) chocolate
5) 24 hour libraries
6) A text from O2 alerting me to some free credit
7) A Christian Union event this week that I'm really looking forward to
I managed up to 5 fairly easily and then got pretty stuck. But good exercise! And that was without reading other people's comments first... I'm going to read those now and have my thankfulness multiply :D
1. music that stirs my heart
2. running water to take a hot shower
3. fresh pages in my journal
4. the whisper of God's sweet voice
5. laughter with my sister
6. hopes & dreams
7. my sweet family
1. Salvation
2. A wonderful husband
3. Good health
4. A great church family
5. Freedom
6. Small favors
7. Spring :)
I am thankful for everything. I am thankful for being here, for living, for my family, for my amazing friends, for the sun, for being able to make it through another day, for my autistic sister, for my father who has survived cancer last christmas, for my mom who is my everything, for my best friend, for my great collagues who make me smile when im feeling down, for my dog who will always be there, for everything and everyone.
1. My beautiful and healthy daughter. She's 1 week old today!
2. My maternity leave. My bosses let me use up 3 years' worth of accumulated leave during our absolute busiest time. The next couple of months are going to be perfection.
3. My husband. He's just so wonderful.
4. Our families. They do our laundry and run my errands and just generally sweet.
5. Friends who bring food.
6. Warmer weather so we can go on walks.
7. Living in a democratic nation where I have the right to vote.
The past week has made me think a lot about how much I can be thankful for. I love seeing everyone's comments as well!
1. Spring and sunshine
2. My family who is always there for me
3. My job / enough money to live
4. Health
5. A home
6. Safety
7. the deep belief that somehow and somewhere there is a sense in everything that happens - even if it's bad
1. your laugh and the sense of humor that fuels it
2. fiction
3. your insta-letters
4. the kindness of strangers
5. your belief in me
6. skype
7. having you as my better half
1. My health
2. God's love
3. SUNSHINE =)
4. Supportive friends
5. Sweet tea
6. YOUR blog.. and you
7. Donuts
1. a roof over my head and heat that comes on with the push of a button
2. clothes on my back and the backs of my children and husband
3. the pets that fill our home and yard...fresh eggs
4. the gift of hearing
5. the fridge full of food and a pot on the stovetop
6. the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, especially shared with a friend.
7. grace, grace and heaps of grace.
1. God and His work in my life--Good and bad. (Matt. 5:3-12)
2. My friends--even though I don't realize it all the time, they really do love me.
3. My family--this includes all family members (and pets)
4. The ability to have an education based on Biblical truths in a place where it is okay to stop in the middle of class and pray.
5. Beautiful weather
6. The love of strangers
7. The beauty in the world
1. a husband that loves me in spite of the uhaul of baggage i bring with me.
2. a blog that gives me a voice when that voice had spent so many years being silenced.
3. woman rising up and loving other woman after spending so many years hating each other it makes me so thankful to see us finally reaching out to each other.
4. friends that love me for me...flaws and all. and that know me inside and out.
5. my pug. as insignificant as that sounds he makes me smile every. single. day.
6. a home. not just a house.
7. finding out that my husband has been searching for a vanity for me for months so he could have it to me by our anniversary because my hips hurt so bad he wants to get me off the floor to get ready in the mornings. I am loved.
1. Fun evening with my family home and lots of laughing.
2. The yummy dinner we had and am so thankful we were able to buy that little bit of food!
3. Peace and happiness despite all the chaos going on.
4. Feeling good despite MS & stress.
5. Joy that only can come from Jesus.
6. The amazing people God has placed in my life (including you!) who provide me with daily encouragement and support.
7. Healthy children!
*8. These comments and being able to read thru them!
-Alexa Marie Fogle (who is currently visiting me)
-The community I've found in a new city, through church
-The gift of music
-Taking chances, and having them work out
-Music, music, music
-Long walks, long talks
-God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ :)
my children
the health of my children
friends
music
my faith
the internet
coffee :)
In no particular order, just as they come to my head...
*My art project is done and I can finally relax.
*I have a fun book to read, and a stack of good books to go through when I'm done.
*My family and siblings, especially Mairi Grace.
*The awesome Christian guy God has given me as a boyfriend.
*JJ Heller's "Love Me" and Laura Story's "Blessings."
*GRACE.
*Crazy hair and freedom to be ME.
1) Family members that go beyond the titles of mom, dad, sister, brother and just simply exist as FRIENDS
2) The beauty of East Tennessee
3) Humor!
4) Redemption
5) The fact that I have never...ever......ever felt that I needed to question the existence of God.
6) C. S. Lewis quotes - any of them
7) Anything that is politically INcorrect!
(Can I name some more? my friends, golf, Italian food, being able to pay my bills, dogs, patience - even when it's forced on me - and knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is a Man of his word, and He will, as promised, right all wrongs and make us completely whole)
1) The grace of God
2) All those who love me and whom I love
3) The opportunities I have been given
4) The blessings I take for granted - food, clothing, clean water from a tap, heat, a roof over my head, a well-paid job, freedom, a democratic nation, music, books to read, a car...
5) The people who have guided me and brought me to where I am today
6) The brilliant young people who belong to the youth group I help to lead
7) You, your wonderful writing, and your reminder to me to be thankful!
Thanks Lauren - this has been a fantastic exercise in thankfulness! xxx
1) my God
2) my family; Dad especially
3) friends, especially the ones you can be a complete idiot around, and they don't care
4) hope
5) the different choices i have day to day that i never think about, like: what to wear, what to eat, etc.
6) God's amazing love, despite all the crap
7) those little things in life, like that awesome feeling after cleaning one's teeth, and the smell after it rains
so, i know this is quite a few months late from the day you posted this...but i needed some inspiration so i decided to venture back into your blog a few months...
1)I am thankful that I know and get to have a real, honest relationship with Jesus Christ.
2)I am thankful for my mother who is the
strongest person I know and who has been an amazing support system for me all my life.
3)I am thankful that I discovered Lauren Dubinsky and Good Women Project, my life and my heart have been drastically changed over the past couple of months because of what you are doing.
4)I am thankful for Teen Mania and Global Expeditions-that I was able to go to Mexico this summer and see God's love and compassion on those less fortunate than me firsthand, and that I get to go back in 20 days. And for The Honor Academy, where I will be going next August.
5)I am thankful that I am breathing.
6)I am thankful that I was born in the United States and that, even though I don't have a lot, I am incredibly blessed with the basic necessities and surrounded with loving people, and that I am able to give of my heart and my life to those who are not as blessed as I am.
7)I am thankful for rice pudding. It's delicious.
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