Thanksgiving 2015

30 days of thanks

Day1

Thankful for Fall.

Football, cinnamon and cloves, pumpkins, rain...

Day 2 

I am thankful for peace. Peace that is a gift from God. Continue to calm my heart oh God and may I retain the peace that passes all understanding.

Day 3 

I am thankful for open communication.

My children and grands know they can tell me anything and we can talk about anything. 

Honesty is utmost and as long as there is honesty nothing is off the table.

Day 4

I am thankful for cold fall days and nights. And for fleece, fleece blankets, fleece socks, fleece scarves, ...

Day 5 

I am thankful we can find something to celebrate every day!

Did you know there are day of' for every single day? 

https://www.checkiday.com/

Today we will celebrate American Football Day, Love your red hair day and National Doughnut Day!

Day 6 

I am thankful for FaceTime. Thank you Bea and Matt for being available for a little bug who misses extended family. She actually fell asleep listening to your voices talking to Josh. We had to carry her to her bed.

Technology is a good thing. FaceTime is as close to the Jetsons as we get.

Day 7

I am thankful for grandchildren. Living with them brings joy every day.

Day 8

I am thankful for my daughter Julie Thomas Wagner. She is a hard working mom and daughter. She takes care of our family household and has never allowed me to feel like a burden. She is beautiful inside and out.

Day 9

I am thankful for friendships. Old fiends, new friends, IRL friends and online friends. Everyone needs relationships to remain healthy.

Day 10 

I am thankful for adoption. My mommy heart is for my adopted children just as strongly as my birth child. My children are fully grafted into my heart never can this be undone.

Day 11

I am thankful to live in a nation that is still free. We may feel persecuted but we are still free to live the way we want, to worship the way we believe, and to go where we wish. We can reach for the stars if that is our dream.

Day 12

I am thankful for my daughter Beatriz Rose. She is a very hard worker in everything she does. She is an encourager and loves others deeply. She is always there for you.

My favorite memory of her is when she was 5. She would fight you if you even implied that she was not born from me. She would tell "memories" she had with me from before she was born. Our special phrase is "it must be hereditary". We use it a lot because we have so much the same.

Day 13

Very thankful superstitions are false. Yet it makes for less traffic and less crowded stores. 😜 also black cats go on clearance.😻 of course that's if you pass the cat background check 💔 maybe ladders should go on sale on Friday the 13 too.

Day14

Thankful for my daughter Amanda Thomas. She has more persistence and tenacity of anyone I know. She has an internal strength that carries her through many trials. 

Miss your face. ❤️

Day 15

I am thankful for home cooking. I can adapt to family members food sensitivities and likes. 

Yum Chex mix with no sulfites. Home made. It's going fast. Need to make more soon.

Day 16

I am thankful for my Dad. He has and always is there with wisdom only dads can give. He loves fiercely and is loved deeply. I am so very thankful my dad is still here.

Day 17

I am thankful for rainy dark days; that they be few and far apart...but fun when they come.

Time for hot cocoa with marshmallows, board games and movies.  

Oh and I am thankful for electricity!

Day 18

I am thankful for my other mom Tracey Starks. I am so thankful my dad found love with you. You are Blessed and have been a Blessing in my life. Love you always.

Day 19

I am thankful for my little brother Van Starks. I remember when I first got to hold him. I was told that he was my special birthday present. I took it very seriously as a 6 year old. I loved sharing my birthday with my brother. You have grown up into a strong Man who loves the Lord, loves his family and shows love to all those in his path.

Day 20

Thankful for the peace and joy and love from God.

Day 21

Thankful to be back on a Worship Team. Music speaks to my soul. I love helping it speak to yours.

Day 22

You don't get to the beginning of God til you get to the end of you

I am thankful for pastors who give wisdom from God. They help us grow.

Thank you Major & Mrs. Major Henderson, Major Church, Floyd Strater,  Shane Womack, Phyllis Womack, and Roger Archer

Day 23

Thankful for snow and rain and that nip in the air that signals a season change. Fall colors, blazing oranges and red leaves in autumn. Just a little snow for winter fun. Spring flowers Daffodils and Peonies and Tulips. Super long summer days with all that summer has to offer.

I like the seasons. In SoCal we had four seasons also... Warm Hot Blazing Hot and a few days of rain.

Day 24

Thankful for joyful laughter and children giggles.

Day 25

I am thankful for alternative and traditional medical practitioners. I like using both- complimentary medical.

Chiropractic has eliminated my migraines and greatly decreased my need for asthma medications. Oils and herbs have helped us stay healthy and alleviated aches and pains.

Day 26

I am thankful for family! Love all of my family.

Day 27

I am thankful for my mom. Moms are nice to you no matter what. My mom is always available for me. She gives really good mom advice when asked. Thanks Mom.

Day 28

I am thankful for Christmas music. Classical, Carols and Contemporary. I like it all.

Day 29

I am thankful I don't have to be a secret football fan anymore!!!

I've been a Seahawks fan since 1977.

Day 30

The final day of thanksgiving for 2015. I have been doing the month of thanks since 2009. I try to keep a heart of thanksgiving every day but actually posting a specific thanks each day for the month of November helps me focus on thankfulness coming into the Christmas season. 

Today I am thankful for all the blessings I have in my life.

Love Is...

Have you found true love?

Do you know what true love is?

What does it look like?

How does it feel?

Where is it?

When I was a child I thought I knew all about love. I thought it was something that zapped you one day and it would last forever. I believed in fairy tale love. Where the beautiful girl or handsome boy would find their one true love and live happily ever after.

When I was a teen I thought I knew nothing about love. I had been through several losses. My Grandmother had passed and I had not been allowed to grieve and say goodbye. My parents did not love each other anymore. We moved more than once. I thought there was really no such thing as love. It was an elusive feeling that did not mean anything real.

When I was a young adult I thought I had rediscovered the love I knew as a child. I was swept off my feet by a young man. He wanted me. He loved me. He said this love was forever. It was not.

I discovered the love a mother has for her child. This child who grew inside of me was special. This is real love.

Then the child started to become her own person. She has a will of her own. She is a child and does not know how her words and actions affect others. She is self centered. 

I discovered love is a choice. I choose to love my child. I choose to love my husband. I choose to love others. I choose to love myself.

I now believe love is true only if from God. 

Can I love enough to give my own child?

I can give my own life much easier than that of my child...yet God gave His only child. I have four children and I do not think I could freely give up the life of any of them. 

God so Loved... He so loved us that he gave His only son so that we might be saved.

Do you get that? God so Loved.

What can we do to show the world God's love?

Should the love we have for people be different than the love the world has for people?

I see people who do not follow Christ show love for others. They help the needy. They have compassion for orphans.They donate money to the sick. They send children to college. The come together in times of tragedy. They stand against evil careful to name the evil and protect the innocent. The innocent who may have characteristics or belief systems of those who carry out evil..

How much more should we who profess love of Christ help the needy, show compassion for orphans, use our money for others? We are to take care of widows and orphans. This is a commandment. We are stewards of the things of earth. This is a gift from God. He trusts us with stuff. He desires that we show His love to people. All people. People who we know. People we don't know. People we like. People we don't like. People like us. People that are not like us. Big sinners, little sinners, outward sinners, inward secret sinners...humans. 

We need to show our love better. We need to guard our hearts against prejudices. We need to be a humble not a prideful people. 

How can we be more loving? How can we feel this kind of love for others? Is it even really possible?

It is possible. It can be real. It can be something you feel deep inside of your heart. 

It does not come naturally. It is not the "normal" for humanity. 

We can have love for people. It takes a little work for some and a lot of work for most. Once you have it you have to keep it. It is easy to lose. We are fragile. We are prideful. We get hurt by people and circumstances. 

There are some ways to develop a true and genuine love for people. 

1. Become more in love with Christ. Read the Word daily. The more you are in the Word of God the more you desire Him. The more you love God the more your heart will love people. Remember God so loved...

2. Develop empathy. Put yourself in another's position. Stop before making a judgement based on appearances. What do you see? Do you see someone who needs God? Do you feel compassion for their needs? Do you feel sorrow for the lost? Do you long for God to wait a little longer so more can come to know Him?

3. Allow Grace. Give the benefit of the doubt. I'm not saying let people harm you but cut others some slack. Let God convict. It's not my job to point out every flaw in another person. Most of us do that enough to ourselves. Example - I know I'm overweight, you don't need to tell me, I can look in the mirror. Love covers. Love forgives. 

Allow grace to flood your own mind and heart. You are loved. You do deserve love. You are favored by God. God so loved...

4. Pray. Pray that you will be a light to the world. Pray for your enemies. Pray for those who have harmed you. Pray for the lost. The more you pray for others the more you will come to love them.

5. Patience. A real genuine love for others will take time. You have a past of hurts and prejudices to overcome. You have to surrender these things before genuine love will be able to take root. Refer to number 3 - Grace. You may not wake up one day and feel love in your heart. It may be a gradual process, a daily step by step. 

6. Practice. Practice love. The more you put love into action the more it will become your default. 

Can you imagine this world if more Christians showed love? How many more would come to know Christ? How many lives would be touched? Think about the lives that would receive comfort in times of need or trouble. Let's reach the world. Let light shine in the darkness. Love really is the answer. We can all know true love.