Day Nine New Tires

Before...

After!


This may seem petty to some, but when you drive a set of tires over 15,000 miles beyond what they are expected to tolerate and the tread is so thin that you can push on the tire with your fingers and it moves, when you ask God every time you enter the vehicle to please get you to your destination without a tire exploding and causing loss of control of the vehicle, when you have everybody under the sun telling you how badly you need new tires, when you avoid any unnecessary trips and most certainly avoid any bad highway no matter how far out of your way you have to travel, then you finally have the ability to obtain new ones...it is so very awesome!

I thank God for my new tires just as often as I asked Him to protect me with the old ones, so I thought it only fitting that I add that to my list of Thanksgiving.

Day Eight Happiness

Today, I am functioning on very little sleep so my giddiness could well be attributed to a lack of rest. Whatever the reason, I am as light as a feather today. I feel good and I feel happy. I am trying to enjoy it as deeply and thoroughly as possible. I don't get many of these kinds of days lately, so I drink it in, for as long as I am able.

Today, I am thankful for happiness that ignited in my belly, spread to my heart, infiltrated my head, and consumed my life for a whole, entire day. It felt great!

Here's an afterthought...what if the happy mood can be attributed to eight days of gratitude? Hmmmmm.....

Day Seven Organization

I have been working to develope my organization skills. Mind you, I have never even considered myself as one having such skills, much less being able to develope them.

Getting back into the workforce has helped me discover and hone those skills dramatically. Keeping an organized work space has significantly enhanced my desire to attain that level of organization at home. So I have begun to work on it. I hope to have it spread and travel into every facet of my life. It is a process that I am finding very rewarding.

I have been steadily cleaning out clutter and unused items. I organize items that I am putting back into storage and the best part is when I look into my closet and all my clothing is separated not only by item category, but by color as well, I get this overwhelming sense of accomplishment and yes, joy! It makes for simplicity in the hustle-bustle of the morning routine. I was ready to leave the house a full twenty minutes early this morning, so for that reason I am very thankful that old dogs really are able to learn new tricks.

Sit back and just watch me go!!!!

Day Six Laundry

Today I am thankful that laundry is almost completely done! Do you know how rare it is in a household of 5 that ALL the laundry is done on any given day?
It piles up in no time and takes forever to get finished, but this day...it is done.

I know it will begin to multiply beginning tomorrow morning, but that is a blessing in itself. I am blessed enough to have clothing to dress my family and keep them warm.

Laundry is a never-ending process in our home, but I know one day sooner than I like to think, the piles will shrink as each of my babies leaves home to strike out on their own. I will smile and enjoy even this daunting, menial task because it allows me to serve my family.

Day Five Alabama

I am thankful that I live in the great state of Alabama.

I love the fact that tornadoes are just about the only real natural disaster we have to face. We can run from the hurricanes, we don't have big earthquakes, we don't face tsunamis or typhoons.

I am appreciating the fact that we have two great colleges with fabulous football teams and that we are in the SEC! Best football ever, hands down!

I love that we can get to the mountains in a matter of hours and to the coast in less than that.

I appreciate that we have large areas that are still undeveloped. A lot of nature still lives here with us and we like it that way!

I love that we still have our slow southern drawls, that we take life a little more slowly than other places, that we still show respect to our elders, that we still cling to our southern roots.

Love my Alabama!

Day Four Loving My Job and Co-workers

I spent 15 years at home with my children as a stay-at-home mama and I loved it. It holds the title for the best position I have ever held and I am so blessed to have had that precious time with my babies.

Having said that, I am also blessed to have landed the job I now hold. I not only love my job, but the people I work with. I value how special and unique that is. I genuinely like every person with whom I work. I have fun with them in between the work times. We laugh and enjoy being around each other on a daily basis.

Today, I am thankful that I like the ones that I spend so much time with each day and that I like what I do while I am at work. It is remarkable to me that in my lifetime, I have held three jobs that didn't seem like work because of the level of enjoyment and fulfillment I extracted from each one of them.

Thanking God that He has provided such wonderful places from which I have been able to gain employment and help sustain my family.

Day Three Colors of Autumn

On my morning commute there are numerous trees and shrubs that are vividly exhibiting the vibrant coloring of autumn. My spirits are always lifted when greeted by any of the beautiful colors of God's nature, but Autumn is my favorite.

So today, while the hues of autumn still sparkle in their splendor, I am choosing them to highlight my third day of Thanksgiving. I believe that to pass by any of God's majestic and glorious creations without acknowledging the beauty of His handiwork is very ungrateful and I want to be appreciative of Him and His blessings foremost.

Thank you, God, for all the glory and splendor of your lovely world.