Thanksgiving

I love an excuse to get together with family and friends and enjoy being together and reflect on the blessings God's placed in our lives over the past year without the pressure of finding the right gifts for one another (at least not for another month!). Thanksgiving is quite possibly the perfect holiday in my opinion -- if only we could work some fireworks into it. So here's a list of some of the things I'm thankful for this year ...
My Job -- I love Meals on Wheels, and I have amazing coworkers. It's a privilege to enjoy going to work each day and to feel like what I do matters at the end of each day.
My Family -- we have been through a lot this year, but I think we've grown to appreciate one another and enjoy the times we have together more than ever before.
My Church Family and Friends -- I feel as though I am daily learning the significance of the being the Body of Christ and the depth of relationship we have been created to share with one another in the family of faith, and I am so thankful for it.
Scripture -- Psalm 37:3 says, "Dwell in the land and do good. Feed on His faithfulness." Psalm 94:19 says, "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations will be my delight." Psalm 65:11 says, "You have crowned the year with bounty and your paths drip with fatness."
God's Unchanging Character -- Psalm 125:2 says, "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people." God has revealed Himself to me in so many challenging and encouraging ways as I seek to have faith that pleases Him.
Godly Roommates -- It is such a blessing to come home at the end of a day and have wise and godly women to listen and counsel life's trials as well as celebrate life's joys.
Laughter -- Proverbs says, "A merry heart does good like medicine." I am increasingly thankful for any opportunity to laugh until it hurts because then I know I am in the company of sweet friends.
Faithful Friends -- Proverbs 27:6 says, "The kisses of an enemy are deceitful, but faithful are the wounds of a friend." I am thankful for honest friends who speak truth in love, who know me well and love me anyway.
Travel -- few things in life make me more aware of the abundance around me than a trip around the world to find out what is really important
God's Sovereignty -- Can I tell you that I am thankful to serve a God I do not understand? I am so glad to know that He knows better than I do, and that His thoughts and His ways are infinitely better than mine.
Seaons -- We've had an extra-long summer in Texas, but as the air finally turns cooler, I am so glad to be reminded that life is all about seasons and they do change.
A Hope and a Future -- I have been reminded this year that it is God who calls me, God who keeps me, and God who knows where I go from here, and He is completely trustworthy.
The Voice of Truth -- John 10:4-5 says, "When he (the Shepherd) puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." I learned that verse in elementary Sunday School, and I remember praying that I would know the Voice of the Lord, and it's been such a blessing this year to find out how He has answered that prayer of childhood faith by affirming His direction for me over and over again.
And, of course ... Gilmore Girls! -- you didn't really think I'd leave them out, did you? ;-P
What are you thankful for?