I am still grateful!

I am still filled with gratitude for all the blessings in my life today. Sorry about the lack of posts, but I have spent much of my time sick in the past couple weeks and getting back in the swing of things for school. It's turning out to be a much more intense semester than I expected. I hope to be back blogging by next week. It's my daughter's birthday this weekend and we've got big plans, so I need to rest up and get better so I can have some fun! Blessings to you all.

Day Twenty-One

I am grateful for the OCEAN and all it's finery - the saltiness, the sound of surf, the squishy sand, the plethora of creatures that call it home and the infinite array of shells.

Day Twenty

I am grateful for a NEW PRESIDENT!

***I can't take credit for this beautiful artwork. Gui Borchert created this poster for the Obama campaign. http://store.barackobama.com/Artists_for_Obama_s/1018.htm

Day Nineteen

I am grateful for NEW EXPERIENCES. The kid and I spent the weekend in Milwaukee at her very first Irish Dancing competition (feis). She scored FOUR gold medals.

Yay kiddo! I'm so proud of you!!!

Day Eighteen

I am grateful for beautiful ARCHITECTURE.

Day Seventeen

I am grateful for MUSIC to lift my spirits.

Day Sixteen

I am grateful for NATURE.

Day Fifteen

I am grateful for BABIES, because they always make me smile! ***This is Sebastian back in the day when he was still sweet and cuddly. Now he's an onry toe-attacking-teenager.

Day Fourteen

I am grateful for a warm, comfy BED to sleep in at night.

Day Thirteen

I am grateful for VISION so I can see the smiling faces of my family and friends.

Day Twelve

I am grateful for PRAYER.

Day Eleven

I am grateful for my shiny new SEWING MACHINE to make fun crafty stuff :-)

Day Ten

I am grateful for BRUNCH and GOOD COMPANY.

Day Nine

I am grateful for SILLYNESS to make me laugh.

Day Eight

I am grateful for DOCTORS and NURSES to make me feel better when I am sick. Here's a picture of my doc's office. Extra big squeezy hugs to my favorite fuzzy kitten, pal and nurse - Chrissy!

Day Seven

I am grateful for COUGH DROPS to soothe my scratchy throat. Honey-lemon, YUM!

Day Six

I am grateful for a warm HEATER to keep me toasty in my car on chilly days! I had it turned up all the way today - it was practically tropical. The only thing that was missing was a bunch of monkeys!

Day Five

I am grateful for GOOD BOOKS.

Day Four

I am grateful for my FUZZY FRIENDS.

Day Three

I am grateful for FRIENDS, old and new.

Day Two

I am grateful for SIMPLE PLEASURES.

Day 1 - A New Year

This is my open letter of thanks to God.

Over the course of the next year I plan to fill this space with photographs of things I am grateful for - big and small.

2008 had many challenges and I often found it difficult to remain positive. I began to feel less of connection to God - it saddened and worried me. I spent a lot of time in reflection as the year came to a close. I realized that though many of the challenges of the last year were unavoidable, the one thing that I could have done better was to do my part in remaining grateful for the abundant gifts that were present all year. That it is the action of gratitude that is my constant prayer and keeps me feeling connected to God.

It's easy to stay focused on what isn't going my way and all too easy to complain about it. I hope to do better this year. I hope to do my part to cultivate a brighter, more positive outlook in 2009 and to spend more time in thanks for all the blessings that I have been given and continue to receive.

I am grateful for FAMILY.