Tag Archives: thankfulness

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 16

Posted in France, Holidays by

thankfulnessToday I am thankful for my puppy!

For those of you who know me personally, you may be a bit surprised as to why it took me so long to post about being thankful for my dog ;) Matt and I love our Australian Shepherd as if he was our actual child, which may be normal for American standards but that is not very common behavior over here in France.

Han Solo (Solo for short) has brought so much joy into our lives and I am thankful for him every single day. And yes, he is named after my favorite Star Wars character!

And here are some pictures for anyone needing/wanting a puppy fix :)

Solo

He’s a little possessive…

Solo

…and he’s a scene stealer (he totally snuck up in this photo)…

Solo

…but how can you not love that dramatic puppy face!

Ok, ok…it’s clear enough that I love my dog :)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Days 14 & 15

Posted in Faith, Holidays by

thankfulnessYesterday and today I have been thankful for my Bible.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” [Psalm 119:105]

I am thankful that I not only have 24/7 access to my Bible, but that I live in a country where it is not illegal to own or read one. I am thankful for all the wisdom, peace, joy, comfort, and guidance I have found from reading God’s Word, and I am thankful for knowing that whenever I open my Bible I can find God there :)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 13

Posted in Faith, Holidays by

thankfulnessToday I am very thankful for friends. For many of us, our friends are more like family, and I definitely feel that way about my closest friends.

I am so grateful for the friends I have. Many of them have remained my friends through the good times and the hard times, and despite the thousands of miles of ocean that now separate us, I can still rely on them (and I hope they feel the same way about me!!).

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” [Romans 12:10]

I love this verse because it encourages us to “outdo” one another in service. Friendship is not special because of what we get from it; rather, it is what we give to those we call our friends that truly makes friendship so meaningful.

Did this post bring to mind any of your closest friends? Tell them that you’re grateful for them! That’s what I plan on doing today :)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 12

Posted in France, Holidays, Novels by

thankfulnessToday I am thankful for books!

For anyone who follows or regularly reads my blog, you can tell that I post more about the books I read than I do about France (but I do try to keep my blog balanced!).

I am thankful that I live in a country–and that I come from a country–where reading is encouraged and books are made widely available. I am also thankful that I know how to read.

For those of you who LOVE to read, is there one book you are the most thankful for?

30 Days of Thankfulness: Days 10 & 11

Posted in Holidays by

thankfulnessThis weekend I am thankful for education and technology.

We live in a world where we have so many opportunities to learn more and to accomplish more, that it almost feels like a crime to not make the most of the knowledge that is constantly within our reach. For me, something that I want to take more advantage of is delving deeper into the world of web design and development. There are literally thousands of free tutorials and online courses about creating websites that I have no excuse in not learning :)

And I am thankful for technology because it makes it incredibly easy for me to keep in contact with all of my family and friends back in the States. This time last year my mom was hosting an 80th birthday party for my grandfather, and just about everyone from their side of the family was gathered in my parents’ dining room, passing an iPhone around to say hi to me. I am very thankful for the ability to talk to anyone at anytime from anywhere.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 9

Posted in Holidays, Married Life, Work by

thankfulnessToday I am thankful for my husband.

I work Saturday mornings and Matt always drives me there and picks me up (as opposed to me taking the bus). 5 minutes after he dropped me off today I realized that I forgot some little finger puppets I needed for my classes, and I called Matt and asked him if he wouldn’t mind too terribly to drive back to my work to drop them off. He didn’t mind at all; he didn’t complain about just getting home (which I would have totally understood, and I might even do that myself) he just asked when I needed them by and that he would drop them off.

I know this seems insignificant, but it’s those little things that he does that makes me realize how much he loves me and how much I am blessed to have him for a husband :)

Is there anyone in your life whom you are thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankfulness: Days 7 & 8

Posted in Faith, Holidays, Work by

thankfulnessI was a little busy yesterday and I got home too late last night to post, but that is ok since the things I am thankful for yesterday and today, joy and hope, go hand in hand ;)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” [Romans 15:13]

There are literally hundreds of examples I could write about to describe my joy, peace, and hope…but I’ll just go with my work experience yesterday. Thursday afternoons are usually one of my hardest times of the week, mainly because I have two classes that overlap for half an hour and that typically includes some crying and not-listening on the kids’ behalf. Yesterday, however, even though there was some intense crying at one point, I left work feeling so joyful and encouraged that I now have so much hope for that class and for myself as a teacher. I know I’ve said this before, but I never imagined I would be a teacher, and now I can tell that the joy I get from teaching children probably means that this is something I should be doing. And I not only love my job, but I have an amazing boss and coworkers who encourage and give me hope me all the time.

What are you feeling joyful and hopeful about today?