A Thankful Heart...

During this month I have enjoyed reading all of the Facebook posts about the things people are thankful for.  It caused me to ponder if there is anything that puts one more at peace than a "thankful heart".

What is a "thankful heart", you may ask.  It is a heart that is filled with gratitude on a daily (if not moment by moment) basis.  Do you have a thankful heart?  One that attempts to see the good in everything?  One that awakes in the morning thanking God for even the breath that you take?

When I think of being thankful, I realize that I have quite a LOT to be thankful for...


I am very thankful for my husband.  He is a wonderful mate, father, friend, provider.  He is an unselfish person, always thinking of others before himself.  God truly blessed me when he gave me Robby...

I am thankful for a Christian mother who instilled Christian values in me.  I grew up in the 60's with a single mother.  She was pretty ill equipped to deal with life on her own and a small child.  Somehow we made it.  She got a job, went back to school and was able to provide for us.  We did not live an extravagant life style but we had all we needed.  I am very thankful to still have her in my life at the age of 84...

I am thankful that God gave me a sibling.  My parents and sister prayed for many years for an addition to our family and finally after 15 years, I was born.  Although there is a 15 year gap between my sister and me, we have become very close over the years. I am very thankful that I have a sister...

I am thankful for my children.  Having grown up with a much older sibling, I determined early on that I wanted a large family.  God so graciously gave me four wonderful children who have made my life so full.  They are not perfect children, but they are children who have been raised by two Christian parents who have instilled values in them.  Now that they are grown I can say that I am very proud of who they have become.  I am so thankful for my children and that we are a close knit family...

I am thankful for great in-laws.  I am one of those fortunate people who have a great set of in-laws.  They are wonderful Christian people who raised their son in such a way to make him into the man, husband, father and provider he is today.  I do not have drama with my mother-in-law, as a matter of fact, I refer to her as Mother Theresa.  This woman is so kind and unselfish.  She never says a bad word about anyone.  I am very thankful for these two individuals who have been a huge part of our lives for over 30 years...

I am thankful that God has provided mates for all of my children.  Marrying one's children off is bittersweet.  The feelings of letting go are sad but no one wants their children to go through life alone and so when my children were born, I began to pray that God would bless them with a mate of His choosing and bless them with large families as well.  I am thankful for two daughter-in-laws, a son-in-law and a future daughter-in-law...

I am thankful for my grandchildren, born and unborn.  I never knew how happy and content a grandchild could make you.  When they enter your life, all is well and you don't know how you ever managed to live without them.  Children and grandchildren are truly a gift from God.  I am very thankful for Parker Ann and our new little unborn grand daughter, "Baby Jarrell"...

 I cannot fail to also mention that I am very thankful for my health.  When we are younger we simply get up every day without thought to how we feel; we think that we are invincible and never even give a thought to the fact that one day things could change.  I will admit that I was that way; busily getting up every day and rushing around shuttling my children here and there, taking care of their needs.  I never gave a second thought to my own health; that is until recently.  For the past year I have struggled with my thyroid, waking up each day not feeling well and seeking answers to fix whatever was wrong so I could once again get up and just feel good again.  And after a year of praying and seeking a physician who could help me, I can now say that has finally happened...and I am very thankful for that, for my health, for the ability to get out of bed and feel good once again daily.


Thankfulness is a condition of the heart.  It is a feeling of overwhelming joy that God has smiled on you and poured His grace out upon you; His undeserved loving kindness.  A thankful heart is a content heart.  "Things" do not matter; they come and go and fade away and can truly never make you happy.  But the gifts from above are the only ones that truly matter; the gifts of life, love, family, laughter and relationships. For these things I am thankful; thankful that God has the first place in my life and allowed everything else to fall into the place where he would have it.  For me, thankfulness if not just a November thing...it is a daily (if not moment by moment...) thing.  I am thankful.