Thankfulness

It's that time of year.

It's on every one's mind.

But, how do we stay truly thankful during all the hustle and bustle?

Last night our pastor shared on this and it was so good I had to pass it on to you.

In Luke 17 you can read the story of the ten lepers. These ten men approached Jesus as He was heading to Jerusalem and begged to be healed. Jesus sent them to the priest and the scripture says that "as they went, they were healed." Only one of the men, after seeing he was healed, returned to thank Jesus. In verse 19 Jesus says, "Get up, go your way, your faith has made you well."

While all the men were healed, only this man was made well.

What does this tell us? It shows us that thankfulness is healing to our soul.

During this Thanksgiving holiday we should lay our offenses down and share with those around us how thankful we are for them.

How do we provoke ourselves to thankfulness?
*it starts with a heart of thanking God
*you stop looking at what others are doing wrong and choose to look at the good in their hearts
*Ask God to help you be sensitive to others
*become more focused on people rather than projects
*make a list of things that others have done that blessed you and then respond to those things


Now that you have your mind and heart in the right place, set a goal to formally thank someone, daily!

How can we express our gratitude?
*be specific
*write it down
*call them
*ask others if you can pray with them and through prayer express thankfulness for that person and what they do

As Christians we have all been healed. It is time to be thankful and through that bring healing to our souls and to those around us.

Challenge: Who will you show an attitude of gratitude to today?

Family Pics Can Be Fun!

After years of going to the mall and taking family pics in a cramped, hot room, we decided we had had enough. We never really got those truly happy smiles out of the kiddos because we were all hot, crowded, and contorted just to fit into the small space. All that has changed now, thanks to a wonderful photographer named Tiffany Gardner. We did pics with her for the first time last fall and loved the whole experience. So, we decided to use her again this year, and look what we got.


Those are the smiles that were missing from the indoor photo shoots. She is so good at capturing that perfect shot. Plus, it is painless. She makes the whole experience so pleasant and enjoyable. The girls commented to me the other day, "She is always happy!", and she is.

How cute are the chubby little fingers of little P, or the yellow M & M that you can see A hiding, or the half polished nails of the older girls. She has captured this moment in time in such a sweet way.

Here they are! Best friends to the end of the road.

She truly captured their squirliness here!

I saved the best for last. It looks like a picture out of a fairy tale.

Once upon a time their were six little girls who spotted a rabbit hopping by (they really did). Thank goodness Mrs. Tiffany was there to capture that moment on film. Now their mom will always remember this fairy tale time in life.


*Disclaimer: Tiffany Gardner has not given me anything to say this. I am simply overwhelmed at her talent and the sweet nature she has shown our family. If you would like to have a wonderful family pic experience than please contact her at tiffanygardner@me.com .

Taking a Peak into Their Hearts

I was driving home the other day with all my squirls in the car plus one extra. My older ones were having a friend stay the night. They were rocking out as we drove down the road, when on came a song that I love. In the past, I had told the girls that this song was my song to daddy. Of course I turned it up a little more and joined in on their jam session.

From the back seat I heard S say to her friend, " This is my mom's song to my dad. She absolutely adores him."

I almost teared up. I do absolutely adore him. I want them to know that and be sure of it to their very core.

Our marriage is not perfect. We are not perfect. But, we do want to show unconditional love, God's love, to our girls. What better way to show that than in our own relationship.

It is in these moments, like the car, that God lets me get a peak into their hearts.


Wow! I have been soaring ever since!