Thankful.

Being as it's Thanksgiving Day, I like everyone else feel compelled to really examine my life for my blessings right now. Because they are so numerous, & I am truly so very blessed. So I figured I would write them out to have a chance to really see them myself, & to share them with you.

First of all, I am so blessed to have this life. Even though many times we seem to focus on whatever is going wrong at the moment, it only takes half a second of looking around to realize how good I have it. I'm young, I have my health, & I just have a wonderful life in general. And all the glory goes to the Creator. For all of this, but for life itself especially. That alone is something we don't always realize how lucky we are to possess.

I am also tremendously blessed with my family. I have two amazing Christian parents who raised me to be anything good that I am, & two brothers who I would die for in a heartbeat. I have a wonderful place to truly call home, which is wherever they are. I've learned with moving throughout the years that it is truly not the house where you are; it's who's there with you. And even though we're all separated & living in different cities now, they are all only a phone call away from brightening up any day I have. They know me better than most, & amazingly they still love me. And that's not even counting my extended family, who are incredible as well.

I am thankful for my dog! I wanted a dog for years after we got had to get rid of our last one in Greenville & the Lord somehow got my parents to let me get one! Asher's name means "happiness", & he has truly brought so much happiness into my life! He is the first pet I've ever had that's mine alone, & even though I can't have him at college, he is such a joy to come home to. I love his energy & sweetness (when he wants to be sweet at least), & even though he's a lot of work sometimes, the good moments far outweigh the difficult ones.

I have absolutely unbelievable friends. I've been lucky to call Emily my best friend for almost 13 years now, & I am also just tremendously blessed to have her & other of my amazing Greenville friends back in my day to day life. I love having the option of running over to see them for a few minutes; it's something I couldn't do for years. And Emily & Lindsey & the other Lindsey & everyone else just encourage me & are so amazing. And then there are my Georgia friends! When I moved away from SC I never thought I could find friends to compare to my SC friends, but God sent me to some amazing people who I now can't replace with my SC friends! Funny how that works. But I have some friends who truly inspire me to be better & I am so thankful to have them beside me as we experience the most exciting times of our lives together. I could write a book on my friends but just know that they are so special to me, & one of the truest joys of my life.

I am thankful for the teachers and church leaders who have helped me get where I am. I am thankful for every card, every prayer, every conversation that encouraged me when it was hard to stand alone. Every word that helped me to know that it was worth it. That I wasn't alone. I'm thankful for the opportunities to be involved in different things that allowed me to discover my strengths, & the way that those have now helped me to figure out what I want to do with my life. There are way too many people to name, but these people are truly so close to my heart, & their efforts they put into my life will be rewarded in Heaven.

I am thankful for my school. I truly believe that I could not have picked anywhere better to go to college, & I am so excited for the opportunities I have for learning & growth at NGU. The atmosphere is amazing, & you can just see Jesus working all over the campus. I know that the Lord is going to continue to use the school & many people in it to impact my life for the better, & I am so excited.

I am thankful for a second chance at life. Without the Lord I would be nowhere. I would be trapped in sin & misery with no hope to get out. With Him, I still mess up every day. But the beautiful thing is, He is there to help me get through it, & hopefully learn from it for next time. I am realizing every day that I am nothing without Him. Without Him, I am left to my evil thoughts, impulses, & reactions. If I drift away I suffer the lack of His presence. And that inspires me to get to know Him better, daily. To truly give it all to know Him & discover what He wants for me in my life. Without Him, I'm just Jessica. With Him, I am so much more, & if I take advantage of what He has for me, I can experience all the wonders in this life that He has for me, which are all blessings in themselves as well.

I'm thankful for the sunsets, pretty flocks of birds, freedom, flowers, music, rainstorms, ocean waves, smiles from strangers, children, hugs, long phone calls, good books, a warm bed, clean water, sunshine, & the joy that comes in knowing that this is only the beginning of the beauty of life. The best is yet to come, even with how great things are now.

And my King is coming. That is the greatest part of the entire story.