More Than 22 Days

The past several years, there has been a growing popular thing to do in November. I'm speaking of the "30 Days of Thanksgiving" ritual. On Facebook or Twitter or any other social media site, the user posts one thing a day for which they are thankful. I think this is a great way to get people to dig deep and realize how blessed they are, but I have never participated. I have the same issue with this that I do with New Years' resolutions. "Why just now? Why not the rest of the year as well?" I always ask myself. But with all my high and mighty reasoning about how we should "be thankful all year long," I rarely take the time to stop and think. Perhaps I offer up the quick, robotic prayer to thank God for the basics (family, shelter, food, friends,church, school, etc.), but do I become deeply grateful? No, no I don't. I cherish the fact that we, as Americans, even have a time set aside for thankfulness, but I wish more of us searched, thought, prayed, and reminisced. I wish we told more stories about God's faithfulness. I wish we threw ourselves on our faces because we didn't know how else to show our gratitude to the Lord for who He is.

As I write this I am afraid that I don't have enough time to even cover the tip of the iceberg of things for which I am thankful. I will write what I have time for, though. I hope that maybe God will use today as a catalyst for future times of open and frequent thanksgiving! Well, here are some of the things for which I am so thankful....

1) My wonderful parents

2) My amazing sisters

3) Mimi and Grandmother

4) My extended family on Mom and Dad's sides (My family is crazy-awesome!)

5) My beautiful home

6) North Greenville University (and all of my professors there)

7) My close girl-friends (they constantly encourage and challenge me)

8) My job (Coast 2 Coast Camps ROCKS! My kids are the coolest kids ever!)

9) My "adopted" siblings (I love how they visit my house all the time)

10) My CityGroup of AWESOMENESS

11) CityLights Fellowship Church

12)  Clemson football (especially Dabo Swinney)

13) My dreams (they seem so far off, but they inspire me)

14) My gift for writing and language (Mostly Spanish)

15) My cute, little, blue car that gets amazing great gas mileage

16) NGU Interdisciplinary Studies program

17) the opportunity to learn things I love (education and Spanish)

18)The opportunity to go to Cuba (2 weeks from today)

19) My friends all over the world

20) Music of every kind (it moves me and makes life so much more interesting)

21) Life experiences that have allowed me to love and build up people I care about

22) The ability and sufficient funds to do and enjoy things that many people are unable to