I Am Thankful For...

Is it just me or does Thanksgiving really make you think about all that you are thankful for? For so many people, Thanksgiving is all about the food and the time you get to spend with your family. 

While I am grateful for both of those things, there are SO many other things that I am thankful for as well. Seeing as Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I thought I would change up my typical Wednesday post for this week and simply list some of the things that I am truly thankful for. 

I am thankful for...

• My Savior Jesus Christ who died so that I might live, and who provides me with everything that I need.

• My loving, supportive parents who both set such an amazing example for me every single day of what it means to serve God in this crazy world.

• My siblings, who I am so close with and whom I love so much. I would not trade the relationships that I have with them for anything.

• My wonderful boyfriend, who is not only healthy but is almost 2 years cancer free, and who treats me like a princess every day.

• My closest friends who have stuck by me through everything, and who are always there to laugh with, cry with, or vent to.

• My job that I am so blessed to have, and that I really love so much.

• My house that keeps me warm and safe.

• Laughter.

• Music (listening to it, creating it, etc.)

• My life! I am so beyond blessed and I need to remember to be thankful each day that I am alive and well!

These are just some of the things that I am thankful for. If I shared everything I am thankful for, I could be here writing this post all day! Remember to be thankful not only tomorrow, but every single day for all that you have.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?

It's the Little Things

Is it just me or do you ever seem to go through your days sometimes without anything really remarkable happening? Nothing truly huge has changed in your life, nothing worth writing home about has happened during your week, and you just live day to day in a kind of ordinary manner.

While it can sometimes be a good thing that nothing crazy is going on in your life, it is so important to remember that your life is anything but ordinary. You don’t need something “remarkable” to happen every day in order to be happy and grateful with the life that you have.

Sometime last year, I downloaded this app on my phone called Gratitude 365. The app is nothing special, really—it's basically a calendar where, each day, you can write down some things that you were grateful for that day. You can add a picture to make it look pretty, but that is basically the gist of the app. Now, I went through a period of a couple months where I didn’t touch the app at all. But recently, I began trying to use it every day, and I have been getting so much out of it.

The purpose of the app is not to brag about all of the amazing things that happen to you each day. For me, it has become a way to realize and appreciate all the little things that make my days special. I will give you a few examples of the types of things that I write down in my app:

• I got a cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts today and it was delicious.
• I put in a request to have some of the lights fixed in my classroom, and this morning when I walked into the room, it was noticeably brighter in there!
• I started reading a new book that I absolutely love.

 As you can see, none of those things are out of the ordinary. But without those little reminders that my life is good each day, I have a feeling that I could be quite miserable. As a former teacher of mine used to say constantly, "It's the little things."

So, I challenge you to at least think about three good things in your day, every day, and see how much of a difference it makes in your life. I think you might find that you are quicker to smile, quicker to laugh, and quicker to appreciate the little things.

What are some of the "little things" in your life that you are grateful for each day?