I am so thankful for my life. I am so very thankful for all I’ve gotten to do and experience and help with and work on. I’m happy for experiments and excitement and extra-craziness.
I’m filled with gratitude when I think of all the places I’ve gotten to go to. All the traveling I’ve done, the people I’ve met, and the dreams I’ve had come true.
I’m thrilled when I think of the children who have read my books and enjoyed them and learned something from their pages. I’m awed when I think of my books being able to effect people who I’ll never even meet or know about. I’m simply amazed when I meet someone who has read my book and I hear about how they liked it.
I’m overwhelmed with the sense of having a special treasure when I think of my hearing and how I can listen to music for hours on end, the sweet voices of little friends telling me that they love me, birds singing and the swishing of the wind and rain.
My joy overflows when I stop and think about my eyes and all I can see. From the beautiful sunsets in Nebraska to breathtaking waterfalls in Asia, from mountain top views in Peru to fireflies blinking over a hay field here at home. From children’s dirty faces to flowers blooming in abundance. From Christmas lights sparkling to food that I’m cooking. From the words that I spend hours reading to the words I spend hours writing.
My thankfulness goes up a notch when I think of all I can smell and taste. From the scent of a fresh morning to the tingling taste of a bite of tart fruit. From the lilacs in the spring to the evergreens in winter. From butter pecan ice cream to cotton candy. From the cool air in a cave to fresh, clean water. From holiday cooking to a sweet potato with butter and cinnamon and bursting with flavor.
The ability to feel is something I’ll always be thankful for. From textures on fabric to hugs from my parents. From smooth food I’m preparing for lunch to the sharp stones beneath my feet. From the stinging awareness of cold water running over my hands to the ruffled fur on goats. From the glorious feeling of a small child’s hands in around my neck to the happy sensation of a water fight.
I get filled with a squishy sense of joy when I think of my family and how much they mean to me and how much I mean to them. I’m filled-to-bursting when I think of my friends who I’m close to who I’ve been able to shower with love and be loved by. I’m excited when I think about friends who I’m just getting to know, or getting to know better, and all the adventures and memories we’ll make in the future.
I am in awe when I think of the God of the universe, the Creator of all, taking an interest in my life. And not just a passing interest, either. He wants to be an intricate part of my every-day existence. He is what I live for. I am so thankful that He will never leave or give up on me. I’m amazed and thrilled and happy when I think of how He knows the beginning from the end, so even when I stumble and don’t live like it sometimes, I never need to worry. My life is held by perfect Hands.
I’m mystified when I think of how this can actually be my life. The wonderful, the good, the bad, and the breathtaking. This is me. These are the memories I’ll have to look back on when I’m a cute, little, old lady with white hair and a face transformed by happy wrinkles. These days when I struggle, these days when I rise above, these days when I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do next, or I do know but I’m utterly overwhelmed, these days make up my life. And my life is a gift. A gift that I’ve been given that I want to make the most of.
I am so thankful for my life. I’m thankful for the easy parts. I’m thankful for the hard parts. I’m thankful that I can take the seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years that I’ve been given and turn them into something that will make a difference in eternity.
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What about you? What are some things that you’re thankful for today? I’d be delighted to hear!
Oh, and don’t forget to check out this music contest and vote for our friend, Aaron Smith. You can pass the word along, too, if you feel so inclined.
Noveltea 