Giving Thanks...

"I am so blessed...I only need more hours in the day to count all my blessings." --Julia Roberts

This Thanksgiving, I have so much to be thankful for.

After a very difficult year, I finally feel like I am much stronger. If I have anything to be thankful for, it is the gift of change, because like Albert Einstein said, "In the midst of difficulty, lies opportunity." Everything changes, just like the seasons, and everyday brings the opportunity to spend time with the ones we love, from our friends to our families...and to do more to help others who have less than we do. Somebody always has it harder than we do, and we have to take a moment to be grateful for all of the blessings God's given to us.

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that God has, at times, shown me what struggle, sacrifice, and adversity truly is. If he hadn't, I never would have been able to appreciate the blessings that he has sent in my life or realize that He really does send us miracles every single day, whether we choose to recognize them or not...and sometimes, he allows us to go through hard times so that he can make a major miracle happen right before our eyes.

I am thankful for the gift of a beautiful, supportive family who have been there for me to wipe away my tears, reassure me that everything is going to be alright, and make me feel loved, not just sometimes, but everyday. I'm blessed and so grateful for the friendships that God has allowed me to have and to keep over the years, because those friends have changed my life for the better. I am thankful for being able to see, hear, feel, and experience all the beauty that He created in the world. Even things as "shallow" or as "petty" as fashion are so much more special and meaningful when you see them as gifts from God.

I ask God to continue to bless me with my health, and to help me to see that there is always a reason to be happy, to laugh, to share love, to forgive, to learn, and to grow as a woman.

Happy Thanksgiving...the only thing I could ask for is more hours in the day to count all of my blessings.