1. I am thankful for the things which I consider to be basics in my life. Clean water! I drink, bathe, flush, garden and even waste more water than many people in the world see in a day. Fresh, healthy food! I have plenty of food each day, often more food than I need. It is fresh and sometimes out of season where I live because I have access to grocery stores and cash to buy the freshest veggies and fruits. Shelter and heat! I have a lovely home with a temperature controlled environment. It has cushy furniture and beds with blankets and pillows. It is cool in the heat and warm in the cold. AIR! Ha! I almost overlooked this most basic, basic. I have clean air to breathe. There are rarely air pollution warnings here in beautiful Northeast Kansas, maybe when they burn the fields in the fall but generally the air is clean, crisp and very breathable. My own good health! I am healthy and strong. I have no diseases or illness. I have good vision and teeth. I have the afore mentioned healthy food and good health insurance to support my good health. I have been blessed that I have not had any significant health issues in my life. I know through personal experience that illness and disease can appear from nowhere to surprise us. Water, air, food, shelter, health: these are the basics that all humans need to survive. Many have a daily struggle to attain even some of these let alone all of these things every day. I am blessed with more basic needs than I need. Imagine living without basics or without the assuredness that each day you will have the basics.
2. I am thankful for my faith in God. I love God and love serving God in my life. I believe that God sent His son Jesus to die for the sins of all and that through this belief we are saved and will go to Heaven. I believe that we are saved through faith alone. Sometimes I feel that my faith isn’t as strong as it should be, I pray every day that I will open my heart to allow God to show me His plans for me so that I can fulfill them.
3. Family is another blessing to me. I have a wonderful husband whom I love dearly. Despite any and, in fact many, ups and downs in the last 23 years, he is my partner in life. Together we have faced difficulty and moved past it. I love him and he loves me. I also have a great child, Marek is an excellent son. He is bright and funny; kind and caring. He is always working hard to live up to our expectations and to become his own person. I enjoy the time I spend with him, he enriches my life beyond measure. I am proud of my husband and my son. Each is exceptional at their family role. Marcus is an excellent husband, he loves me beyond measure. He works to be my partner in everything. He is also a good father to Marek. They love me and I love them.
4. Our parents are a constant blessing to me. I am especially close to my mother who is a wonderful parent, friend, mentor and role model. She is a continuing guide in my life and I love her dearly. I also have my wonderful, father who despite our many differences in life view, is an excellent father. He is caring and kind and concerned about me and my family and our needs. My in-laws are awesome parent additions that I was blessed to gain years ago. They are wonderful people; kind and caring. They are very different in personality and demeanor from my family and these differences have strengthened me and broadened my outlook on life. I appreciate all four of my parents and I am thankful for their presence in my life.
5. Quality friendships are invaluable to me! I have been blessed to have many deep and quality friendships within my life. A wide diversity of friends has enriched my life. The conversation, caring and sharing from friends is definitely invaluable in life. Companionship, loyalty, dedication, caring are all components of my friendships. Of course I have a variety of friends and friendship depths, this is the spice of life. Different connections, different types of relationships these are the things that make my life interesting! Thanks for being my friend!! I need each of you to make my life what it is each day!
6. I am thankful for the opportunities that I have to learn about the world. Each day brings me more information, more knowledge, more snips and tidbits of things that I am interested in learning and it brings this information through interesting people, books and resources. Learning is life! I think here it would be appropriate to mention my thankfulness for all the learning I have already had the opportunity to do. I am thankful for the opportunity to have had an excellent public school education followed by college and a full life all of which has exposed me to people and information that I continue to build upon daily.
7. I am thankful for the endless opportunities that I have to serve others. I know this sounds sort of cheesy or self righteous but it is true. I love to teach children – each time I learn from them as well. I love to meet and learn of people and their needs and then find a way to help strengthen them when they wish for that. Leading children, leading adults, finding time to give what I have - this is what I was meant to do. I sincerely believe that my purpose on earth is to serve others. I have a social work degree which allows me to serve others as my profession and I have as many volunteer roles within my life as I can fit. I truly enjoy all of the roles that I have. One of the things that I try to do is to lead others into service. If each one of us works to do one good deed for someone else each day the world would be improved.
8. I am thankful for all of my extras. I guess, when listing these things that I think much beyond the things I have already listed are technically extra. I don’t know if I could live without the things I have already listed. I know that several of the things in this “extra” category are pretty important but I think I could live without them. To me extras are pretty wonderful. I strive to daily appreciate my extras because they are each a gift in my life. Music tops the list, I’ve got to have it! Pets are pretty important to me, I am so thankful for my pets – both past and present. They are imperative to my quality of life, enriching me with unconditional love and cuddling. My super beautiful and comfy house. My smooth running vehicles and especially my motorcycle. My I phone and other technology – gotta love technology when you are blogging! There are so many material items that I am thankful for each day. They enrich my already full life but technically they are not necessary – guess that’s why I should be extra thankful for them!
I know that there is more that I could list, there are so many things for which I am thankful. I hope that you can think of some things for which you are thankful. I encourage you to make a list. It was a pretty thought provoking task – from generic to specific there are so many things to take note of in our lives. Take note!
Thankfulness – it’s a great outlook to have!!
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