Giving Thanks

Hello lovely ladies! As I was sick this past meeting, I wasn't able to give my testimony. I still wanted to share with you what I wanted to say and figured I would write it instead!

So as we just had Veterans day where we thank our men and women who have served and who continue to serve, and next week will be Thanksgiving, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to really give thanks to God for all that you have. I think this is the first times in my life I've really stopped and had a good think about this. I know I take for granted so many things that God has blessed me with in this life. And although I still have a long way to go in my journey with God, I have to say I couldn't be more thankful for what he has given me. Let me name a few things:

- Thank you God for blessing me with loving parents that raised me Catholic so that I could know you and your loving Word. It may have taken me many years to truly understand what a gift this is but I do cherish it.

- Thank you God for putting myself and my husband in the right place at the right time so that we could meet, fall in love, and start our wonderful family. When I'm in the moment, it's hard to remember that I'm so fortunate to have someone to share this journey with me. I have to keep that thought in my heart and head more.

- Thank you God for both of my babies. A few years before I had my oldest, I was told that I had polycystic ovaries and that it was going to be very hard for me to conceive. But God had other plans. We never had any problems conceiving (something I know many people struggle with). I am truly blessed that He felt that I should be entrusted with these two little lives. They amaze me and challenge me every day.

- Thank you God for my health. My uncle just passed away from cancer at the age of 52. It's something completely incomprehensible to me. I don't understand how a man so young could be taken so early in his life. But God has bigger plans for him, things that I cannot understand. I believe in God's plan. And I'm thankful that I can say I'm healthy, my kids are healthy, and my spouse is healthy. I may not always be able to say that so I'm very grateful I can say it now.

There's so many other things I'm thankful for: friends, MOPS just to name a few. But these were just the beginning of my evaluation of all the things I am blessed with. So I encourage you to take a few moments and really explore what you are thankful for. Ponder it, pray about it, and truly thank God for what He has given you!