To Those Who Serve

Last night I was traveling home from Charleston, South Carolina. While walking to the gate for my connecting flight in Atlanta, I encountered many men and women serving in our military. I had the opportunity to say thank you to many of them for their service to our country. What a blessing!

It was really overwhelming to think that they have sacrificed and served on my behalf. Pretty incredible. We live in an amazing country filled with many many wonderful people.

To all of our veterans, THANK YOU! You are our heroes!!!! God bless you and your families.

What we take for granted

Imagine if every time you went to brush your teeth you had to find a bottle of water to wet your toothbrush or when you went to take a shower you had to be careful not to let water get in your mouth because it could make you sick.

I have just lived through 9 days of that in a foreign country and I have to tell you it made me truly appreciate living in America. Walking the streets of this third world country, my nose was subjected to smells it has never been subjected to - not something I would even care to describe to you - and believe me, you appreciate me for that! Navigating traffic was a... well lets just say I closed my eyes because I couldn't stomach it.

Needless to say, living in a place where I had to watch what I ate and drank, wash my hands constantly with hand sanitizer and deal with filth everywhere, it made me truly aware of how blessed we are even on the worst days.

Every single American has access to a free education. We have programs to help feed those in need. Most people can access clean drinking water and we are allowed to express our opinions freely without fear of government retaliation.

This experience has certainly made me think about all of the things we often take for granted. The reality is I believe we are very blessed and can be thankful everyday for what we have.

I love Fall

I love fall! I love the crisp air, watching the leaves turn and my favorite - watching the sunrise off of our deck.

This past weekend as I was headed to get some shopping done I saw the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen. It was huge and the colors were brilliant. I pulled over just to stare.

Honestly, whenever I see things like this I just cannot help but give thanks that I can actually SEE the majesty of this world I live in. It never ceases to amaze me.

We are headed into a season where emphasis is placed on giving thanks. Lately it seems like all I hear about is how unstable the stock market is, home sales are down, bankruptcies are up, and credit card debt is out of control. If I am not careful I can easily get caught up in all the gloom. BUT the truth is, even in the midst of this craziness I still have so many things to be thankful for, not the least of which are my family and friends.

It is so easy for me to get caught up in the busyness of life that I loose track of how blessed I am. I have my health, a husband who loves me, my daughter who reminds me on a daily basis that I'm not too cool, a great job, freedom to express my opinions, friends who care enough about me to tell me the truth, and extended family who love me.....most of the time.

When I'm feeling sorry for myself because I want this or that and really can't afford it nor do I need it, something usually comes along to remind me I really have an amazing life.

So what are you thankful for?