Sunday, November 11, 2012

Day 11

Have you ever felt intimidated?  I have... as a matter of fact, I'm a bit intimidated with this whole blogging thing.  The Thankfulness Experiment is my first blog, and honestly, I don't have much experience following other blogs either.  I do have a few favorites that I check time to time... like Your Cup of Cake by Lizzie Early (I'm a sucker for cupcakes and I love to check out all her new recipes) and Your Homebased Mom by Leigh Anne Wilkes, but other than those two, I'm just learning as I go.  Here's links to their blogs in case you want to check them out: 
http://www.yourcupofcake.com/  and http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/.
So let me thank you in advance for partnering with me on my maiden blogging voyage! 

Now back to intimidation... last night before bed, I was journaling a prayer and let God know that I was feeling intimidated.  And taking note from the Brave Bible Study by Angela Thomas, I even posed it as a question in my head:  "God, do you know that I'm intimidated?"  And guess what?  God let me know that yes, indeed, He knew that I was intimidated.  How, you wonder?  When I got up this morning to read my Jesus Calling devotion by Sarah Young (which is absolutely amazing... I would highly recommend it!), the very first line for November 11th was: "Do not let any set of circumstances intimidate you.  The more challenging your day, the more of My Power I place at your disposal... Try to view challenging days as opportunities to receive more of My Power than usual.  Look to Me for all that you need, and watch to see what I will do..." (p. 330).  Wow!  It brought tears to my eyes... I'm so incredibly thankful that God knows how I'm feeling and also promises to equip me each day.  God is so good!  And that give me all the more reason "... to praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30

Speaking of thanksgiving, this afternoon my hubby asked me if I saw our neighbor's tree.  When I told him no, he encouraged me to check it out and I was blown away.  The sky was filled with these incredibly unique scarlet leaves - and against the blue sky with the sun shining on it... it was stunning. Definitely something to be thankful for.  I thought, "I need to get a picture of that for the blog tonight."  When I went outside to take the picture a few hours later, I was disappointed because the sky was now gray and my picture did not capture the beauty of the tree at all.

 
I considered not including it tonight, since the picture didn't do the tree justice.  But God had something else in mind.  About an hour later, the setting sun lit up the tree again and I jumped at the chance to get another picture:
 

Beautiful, right?  Isn't it amazing how a little bit of sunshine changes the appearance of the tree?  A little bit of sunshine goes a long way in our own lives too.  I'm starting to view thankfulness as that little bit of sunshine that has the power to change the appearance of my situations.  For example, while I feel intimidated about blogging, I can change the appearance of it to "I'm thankful for being intimidated because that teaches me trust in God's strength , wisdom and power."  How's that for shining some sunshine on my intimidation?  I'm so thankful God revealed the power of changing the appearance of my situations through sunshine and my neighbor's tree. 

Tonight, I'm thankful for...

1.  The lesson God taught me through sunshine and my neighbor's tree
2.  The amazing bright orange Thankfulness Experiment t-shirts and the gal who designed the logo.  Check them out:


3.  Working with my son on his Extreme Dot-to-Dot puzzle.  What's this, you ask?  A dot-to-dot that breaks all the rules and has over 600 dots.  I'll share a picture when he completes it.
4.  Encouraging words from my hubby
5.  Blue Post-It notes decorating my house - courtesy of my 3 year old
6.  Watching AFV and laughing out loud with the boys before bed.  Nothing like ending the day with laughter and snuggles!

Here's to 10,000 reasons... only 8,656 more to go...
 



22 comments:

  1. I am thankful for:
    Strength
    Determination
    Passion
    Curiosity and
    Wonder
    :-) Bonnie Lawrence

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  2. I am thankful that my son joined us at church yesterday.
    I am thankful for a new job for my son.
    I am thankful for a hardworking husband who loves me very much.
    I am thankful that hot water is available to me at the turn of a faucet.
    I am thankful for answered prayers and for unanswered prayers and for an all-knowing, loving Lord who does what's best for us.

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  3. (1) I am thankful for my church. (2) I am thankful for our fourth and fifth grade Sunday School class. (3) I am thankful for Chase (a teenager who helps us teach and the direction he is going toward the Lord. (4) I am thankful for the beautiful day the Lord has given us today. (5) I am thankful for eating popcorn(one of my favorite snacks) with my husband. (6)I am thankful that I finished the new Karen Kingsbury book. (7) I am thankful for my daughter Heather who started this Thankful Experiment.

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  4. 1. Thankful for my husband getting things accomplished yesterday while I napped
    2. Thankful for my 4 year old's antics that were so adorable even though he was up WAY TOO LATE
    3. Thankful for a grocery store only 2 min.away
    4. Thankful for opportunities to talk to the boys about God
    5. Thankful for books and Bible studies that make me think

    Meredith B.

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  5. 1. Crock pot meals
    2. 3 day weekends
    3. The nap I took today
    4. A beautiful weekend
    5. A clean house
    6. Making my "to do" list smaller
    7. Quiet time to read
    8. Snuggling with my hubby
    9. Putting a dent in the leaves 37 bags of them
    10. Watching the girls work together without arguing!
    Tina Carter

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  6. I am thankful for:
    1. My daughter announcing she wants to be baptized!
    2. The creative way in which my daughter announced her wish to be baptized.
    3. hearing my daughter ask her Daddy to baptize her.
    4. Hearing the excitement in my husband's voice when we called to tell him/ask him about the baptism.
    5. sharing the big news with friends/family. It's more exciting than telling them when we were expecting!

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  7. I am so thankful for:
    1. Buddy lending me his truck to get rid of old, unwanted furniture and window treatments
    2. being able to help family when they need it
    3. a chiropractor that fixes my old worn out body so I can keep acting like I'm 30!
    4. A quite night at home, after having Grandpa over for dinner
    5. Hearing Katie laugh when Jonathan rubbed her face and said, 'you're soft like a blanket.'

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  8. 1. God's perfect timing.
    2. The families of the girls in our daughter's dance troupe.
    3. Warm water with lemon when it's too late in the evening for hot tea and I don't have caffiene-free tea.
    4. I'm thankful that I'm a morning person since I need to rise at 5am tomorrow.
    5. Health insurance.

    Debbie D.

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  9. 1. For a nice day with my hubby home from work
    2. For Veterans
    3. For Community Clubhouse and Miss Janiella fior tutoring my daughter
    4. For the beautiful row of orange trees that Hubby and I drove past today
    5. For a daughter who can drive my other daughter around so I don't have to go out in the cold

    LisaD

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  10. Ashley A.

    I am thankful for:
    1. Waking up this morning.
    2. Starting my day with the same devotion book. Thank you Heather, it is awesome!
    3. My crazy co-workers who keep me laughing.
    4. Only one more night to sleep alone for a while.
    5. That it was 70 degrees in Maine today!

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you love Jesus Calling like I do! :) And I can't believe it was 70 in Maine... our weather must have switched because it was in the mid-40s in Louisville today, but in the 70s over the weekend. Can't wait to see you over Thanksgiving!!

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  11. 1. I am thankful for conversation with a friend who is also the mom of a newborn...it made tiredness seem much cooler!

    2. I am thankful for a husband who checked to see what I wanted to accomplish on Sunday and helped me do it.

    3. I am thankful for certain songs and the ability to listen to them whenever I want.

    4. I am thankful for not having to cook because there were delicious leftovers to eat.

    5. I am thankful for being able to go to bed early!

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  12. I am double dipping today :-)
    I am thankful for a great weekend with my BFF!
    I am thankful for my husband who cooked dinner Sunday night so Denise and I could just sit and talk.
    I am thankful for laughter.
    I am thankful that we have plans to see our friends for Christmas, 42 days and counting .
    I am thankful that the Willey's got back home to Birmingham safely :-)

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  13. 1. I'm thankful that God's love is greater than my sin.
    2. I"m thankful that my girls are growing into Godly young women.
    3. I'm thankful that we were able to afford another week of therapy for my daughter's ailments.
    4. I'm thankful that God gave me the ability to fully rely on Him, and not myself.
    5. I'm thankful for cold cold pure water to drink!

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  14. 1. I am thankful that my husband and I went out for breakfast after church
    2. I am thankful for beautiful blessing prayed over my family by the guests who stayed with us for a few days
    3. I am thankful for God's unconditional love
    4. I am thankful for our church
    5. I am thankful for this blog:)
    Laurie W.

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  15. Amanda L.
    I'm thankful for patience.
    I'm thankful for courage
    im thankful for lighthouses .
    I'm thankful for paintings.
    I'm thankful for hot chocolate .

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  16. 1. For people who appreciate my sense of humor.
    2. For the laundry that means we have plenty of clothes.
    3. For the dishwasher...I can't imagine having to do that chore by hand every night!!!
    4. For the new seasonal creamer (Salted Carmel Mocha)that makes my coffee taste DELICIOUS!
    5. For listening to people with accents from around the world...reminds me that a world exists outside my small circle.

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  17. I am thankful for:
    1. being reminded of all the people who've sacrificed for our country the last few days
    2. starting the day out with a good workout with friends
    3. all my mom does for me and my family
    4. finally having the time to start working on christmas lists
    5. getting a great night's sleep

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  18. 1. I am thankful for goldfish
    2. I am thankful for the ocean
    3. I am thankful for God providing for me
    4. I am thankful for my niece
    5. I am thankful for fall

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  19. Day 11- June 9
    1. Sundays with my church family
    2. Hugs from friends
    3. Fresh starts
    4. Denise Holloway
    5. Bekah Burczyk
    6. Grocery trips because it means I am fortunate to have food to eat
    7. Patience
    8. Ben&Jerry's ice cream
    9. Kyle Idleman's books
    10. Hot showers

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