Thoughtful Thursdays - Giving Thanks

Originally I was going to get on here and let off some steam about some personal stuff.... Money, career changes, a possible move to only God knows where..... but instead I would like to sit back and look at the life I'm living and just give thanks.  

I watched a moving video on Godvine this morning and it just made me take a look at how blessed I am in my life.  Yes I'm stressed about money, but at least we have a home to live in and food to eat.  I have two beautiful completely healthy kids.  I am able to stay at home with my children instead of sending them to daycare or school.  I have a Godly husband who loves me more than sometimes I love myself.  I have family and friends across this globe who inspire and encourage me.  God has blessed me with uncountable goodness and it just felt wrong to get on here and complain to the world.

I do believe most people could find something (if not a few things) to complain about.  Things that stress us out on a daily basis and make us forget what is important.  I feel like the blessings we get from God are like plants that need to be nurtured and if they are forgotten about they might slip away from us.  So I have compiled a list of things to do today to show God that I'm truly thankful for all the blessings he has given me.

1. Pray and give God the heartfelt thanks for the life he is letting me lead.
2. While the kids are still asleep, I'll write an email to my husband letting him know my love and appreciation for him and all he does for us, because he is a blessing to me and our children, and I'm so thankful for him.
3. Today, when the kids are awake I will leave the cell phone out of my hand, and the computer off my lap.  My lap can be filled with my baby boy, and my hand will be free to hold my daughter's.  My children are a blessing that fills me with more love than I ever thought possible and I'm thankful for them.
4. I will clean the house today with a smile on my face!  I have been blessed with a place to live and I will take care of it with joy because this is a blessing for our entire family and I'm thankful for the privilege to clean it.
5. I promise to laugh until I cry today, because laughter is a blessing that can melt stress away, and I am thankful for the laughter God puts in my life.
6. I will hum and sing today, my voice of praise is a blessing to God's ears, a small way I can give back some praise to our Lord, I'm thankful to have a song in my heart.
7. I will let my actions pour out love and kindness for everything I endeavor to do today.  My physical ability to do anything is a blessing, and I'm thankful for a healthy body.
8. When things get stressful, I will close my eyes, pray for patience, and thank God for all the amazing blessings I don't deserve.
9. Today, I will be more open to see the small blessings that I constantly take for granted.  When I discover a new blessing, I will stop and give thanks. (Thank you for the sunshine in WA this morning!!!)
10. Today I will tell my children again about Jesus, his life, and his love for us.  During school today I want KJ to list out what she is thankful for in her life to help her see the blessings too.  Together as a family I hope and pray we can bring Glory and Honor to our Lord through our thoughts, prayers, and actions.

Try a few or all of these with me today and lets see how our Thankful Hearts will turn into Happy Hearts (thanks veggie tales!), and hopefully we will all be a little less stressed tomorrow!!

and yes.... I know I put 'your' instead of 'you're'.... I have a newborn, I'm not working on all cylinders!!!