I'm thankful for salvation. For the blood of Jesus on the cross, & for the hope that is found in Him. The world today is a scary place & I find myself getting anxious over what will happen next - I'm thankful I can rest assured knowing God is in control & we're in the palm of His hand. It's much easier said than done sometimes, but I can't imagine what life would be like without the Lord. So thankful to be a child of God.
I'm thankful for my husband (!!!), which I'll never get tired of saying. Sebastian & I started dating when I was fifteen years old, & in the five & a half years following that, I thought I'd learned just about all there was to learn about him. I imagined life with him & dreamed of waking up beside him every morning. Since we got married, life has been nothing like I imagined - in the best way possible. Sebastian is loving & caring & kind & patient with me always. On his days off, he'll wake up when I do & he'll make me coffee while I get ready for work. Sometimes, I just stop & cry. How did I get so blessed? Why would God choose me to be the one Sebastian spends the rest of his life with? Surely there's someone better. I don't know the reason, but I'm so grateful to be his.
I'm thankful for my parents. Boy, am I thankful for my parents! They are my biggest supporters in my life & they're two of my very favorite people on earth. So many people don't get along with their parents & have nothing but bad things to say about them. I'm thankful the Lord gave me a mom & dad who committed to raising their children in a Christian home. Who have been the biggest example of the love of Jesus. Who are the same people on Sunday morning at church as they are every other day of the week. Who love each other (& us!) unconditionally & have always shown my brothers & I what a godly marriage should look like. Leading up to our wedding, the only thing I wasn't excited about was leaving my mama & daddy. In fact, I even pitched the idea to Sebastian to just move into the room over the garage at their house. ;) How loved I am, to feel these things. I'm so, so thankful for my parents.
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| Yes, that is a Finding Nemo birthday shirt. Ryder & I have matching ones. ;) |
I'm thankful for my siblings. All of them! I am constantly reminded of how blessed we are to be so close. This holiday season, everyone is making plans to go out of town to see loved ones. While I seriously LOVE going out of town - everyone is already here, & that's such a huge blessing. In fact, my brothers, parents, grandparents, & I all live within a five mile radius of each other. I'm thankful we don't have to wait until Thanksgiving or Christmas & Easter to all be together - we do that atleast once a week already. :)
I'm thankful for Jesse Ryder, Carson Seth, & Rosalie Katharina. When I became an aunt three & a half years ago, I didn't realize how different life would be. I didn't know we'd come to not be able to imagine what life was like without our three, crazy, perfect kiddos running around. Ryder, Carson, & Rosie bring so much joy into our lives. I don't know how we got by without them for all those years. :) We love being their Auntie Hannah & Uncle Bash.
I'm thankful for our family. I'm blessed to have all four of my grandparents alive still, & that's something that I don't want to take for granted. I'm thankful for Sebastian's family - both immediate & all of those wonderful Thompson's, who I finally get to call family, too. I'm thankful for my aunts & uncles & cousins & all of the love between them.
I'm thankful for our friends. When we got engaged, we wanted to include all of our closest friend in our wedding. Between our bridesmaids & groomsmen & music & guest book attendant & ushers - we were able to do just that! I'm thankful for all of the selfless love that was shown to us last month (& always!). They stayed late setting up & cleaning up. They kept me calm & Sebastian, too. They made our day so prefect, & I'm so glad we went with our gut & didn't cut back any of our TEN bridesmaids & groomsmen. :) Seriously, on our way to our honeymoon, all we could talk about was how blessed we are. The Lord has given us good, godly friends who we'll be forever grateful for.
I'm thankful for photography. It's not something I planned on making a career, it was kind of chosen by default. I've always loved taking pictures, but it wasn't until I was in a car accident & unable to do what I'd planned on doing, that I decided to take up photography. My parents bought me my first camera (& my second one, too), & I've never looked back! I'm thankful for all of the wonderful people who have allowed me to document any part of their lives. I can't wait to roll out my plans for this little business in January. :)
I'm thankful for my job. A year & a half ago, I started watching two kiddos at their house in Suffolk. When we discovered I have a cat allergy, I began watching them at my house instead, which has been a bigger blessing than I ever thought it would be. I go pick them up every day & bring them back home, where usually Ryder, Carson, and/or Rosie are there waiting for their friends. I love that Sam & Reagan have been taken in as two more grandkids (they literally call me parents 'grandma' & 'grandaddy' haha!) & are loved just the same. How crazy is that? My job includes playing with five kids that I love, while still being able to build my photography business during nap time. The thing about kids is that they grow up & go to school & don't need a babysitter anymore. I'm thankful for this time with them, & thankful for their family. They're so supportive & caring & I'm so blessed to know them.
I'm thankful for my church family. In 2012, I experienced something I never want to experience again. It resulted in my family leaving the church we'd attended all of my life, & my dad wasn't sure what the next step would be. When most of the church left with us & asked where we'd be the next Sunday, Chr1st Fellowship was born. A lot of people wonder why there is a '1' in Christ, instead of an 'i'. At our old church, there was so much division. When my dad planted our church now, he named our church with a motto - "Becoming one in Christ by keeping Christ first". I'm so thankful for the growth we've experienced these past three years. Not necessarily in numbers, but spiritually. I'm surrounded by the love of Christ & I'm so thankful for that.
There are plenty of other things I'm thankful for, too. If I wrote them all down (which I can't because there's too many!), I'd be here typing until Christmas. But a working car, food to eat, an adorable apartment to live in with my husband - the list goes on & on & on. I'm thankful for ALL of the love & support that has been given to us. & if you're wondering where your thank you card is (because some people really have asked), as soon as we get our wedding pictures back, we'll be able to order them. It will be soon - we didn't forget. We really are so appreciative & don't take your kindness for granted one bit. :)
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you have a day filled with love & fun & pumpkin pie. :) What are you thankful for?
