My Thanksgiving Thanks

I would be sad if my blog didn't highlight my thankfulness and the wonderful Thanksgiving we had this year.  So despite it being 10+ days after Thanksgiving, I am giving thanks to God for the amazing blessings he has bestowed on me.

I am thankful first for God's grace and love - that despite the million ways I fail to be the child he wants me to be, I am forgiven, showered in grace, and brought into his light where I can shine, free from the burdens of failure and lies that the world throws at me.  I am thankful that I don't walk through life alone, that God is my King and that he gives me family and friends who seek to share in my walk, my joys and my struggles, walking alongside of me with pure love and goodness.

I am thankful this year for so many gifts in my life as well:

- The amazing gift from God of a loving, devoted husband who is my everything.  Andrew is my support, my loving hand, my shining light in the dark, he gets me, he loves me even when I don't deserve love, he laughs at my tantrums, he loves me with gentleness and protectiveness, he makes me laugh from deep inside, he is my all and I thank God for finding this perfect man to walk with me!

- I thank God for my children - all three of them who are so different and so amazingly similar at the same time.

I praise God for Tyler's heart, for the way he wraps his arms around me and loves me, for the way he forgives me when I wrong him, for the way he knows when I am mad and he can diffuse me in an instant with calmness and obedience.  I am thankful for the way he loves his brother and sister, the way he leads them and guides them, the way he hugs them and loves on them.  He truly has a loving, tender heart!

I praise God for Wyatt, for his sweetness and innocence but also for his boisterous personality that makes us all laugh in the weirdest ways.  I praise God for the wisdom he has given Wyatt - Wyatt seems to grasp concepts quickly, one of those being God and God's rule and love for him.  I am amazed that I can ask Wyatt a question about Jesus and he can get right to the heart of the matter immediately!  I love Wyatt's heart!

I praise God for Kayla, for her sweetness and sassiness all at the same time.  I praise him for the way she runs to me and jumps into my arms, her smile melting my heart!  I praise him for her curiosity that sometimes gets her into trouble but that one day will take her to new places!  I praise him for her loving, gentle heart that makes me swoon!

I praise God for our parents - for my parents who love us in real ways by taking care of the kids without fail.  Not a week goes by that they aren't here helping me so I can be in the class or serve God's people.  My parents show us true, selfless love by never letting us down, by supporting us through anything and by loving the kids as only grandparents do, unconditionally!

I praise God for Judy and Jeff whose steadfast love and support rings through loving words on the phone and email.  They never cease to show their support, to be a word of wisdom and guidance, and to be a safe place where we can share without judgement.  I praise him for the way that they too love us in unconditional and real ways every time we are with them!

I praise God for Conrad and Sarah - for bringing the perfect man into my sister's life, for loving her enough to show her that love through her husband!  I praise God for the couple that they are, open, honest and true.  I am thankful for their constant love and support in our lives, for the loving calls of support and encouragement and for the way that they wrestle with their nephews who see their love immensely as they roll around on the ground and get tickled!

I praise God for our community - for the ones who walk with us daily and in the realest ways possible!  For Ben, Becky, Gregg, Kelly, Tim, Jen, Rita, Phil, Cheryl and Bern, who shine truth into our lives and bring the real love of God to the surface.  without you all, we would not know how much God can love and how gracious he can be!  Thank you for walking the walk with us, for always being an open ear that won't judge and who loves us just as we are!

I praise God for Whit, Monica, Morgan and Mitchell who reach out in love through emails and calls, who love us from a distance every day!

And this year, we are thankful for our new home, our new neighborhood, our new outpost of ministry.  We pray that we can be God's hands and feet here on Shana Court, to love everyone in real ways.  We are grateful that God answered every need that we asked for in a home - we are humbled and blessed by his amazing gift to us.  Thank you, Lord.