For my company

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I am thankful for the company that employs me! When I prayed for a new job, I found this one. The job description matched my resume exactly – a journalist with project management experience. I was able to work from home, saving myself approximately 1 1/2 hours every day that I was using to commute. That’s 7.5 hours every week – nearly 32 hours every 4 weeks – of time that I receive as a gift.

And what kind of company’s CEO comes over for dinner when he is in town? My company’s CEO does. Not only does he come over for dinner, but he also gets on the floor to play with my girls! He put a Mega Blocks bag over his head and pretended to be a robot because Giana asked him too. Now that is a leader I can truly support. I am so thankful!

Thankful for insurance

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I didn’t get a chance to write the last couple of days because I have not been feeling well…which leads me to my post for today. I am so thankful I have insurance and access to care to help me get better!
For Monday – I am thankful for my dentist who can get me in for a last-minute appointment. She was very empathetic when listening about my tooth pain and helped make a care plan immediately.
For Tuesday, I am thankful that when my face became swollen to the point where it looks like there is a golf ball stuffed in my cheek, my insurance covers the prescription of pain killers. Side note – I am also thankful for vicodin when I am in extreme pain!
For today (Wednesday), I am thankful for Rafa’s job that provides insurance for our whole family. I am able to go the the specialist and get my tooth looked at so quickly, and I am confident I will receive the best possible care.

Thanks for Ma

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Back when I was in college, my mom joined the rest of the world and got an email address. She would sign her emails “Love, Ma” so I started calling her that and the nickname “ma” stuck. I’m so thankful for her today.

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I am so thankful for the way Ma shows love to my girls (and her other grandkids). It is so complete. Ma extends this love to so many people who need it. She is known around the community as the woman with the beautiful smile and great hugs. She knows the love of Christ, and she shares that love with everyone she meets.

I am so thankful for this beautiful woman!

 

For our scars

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Thankful for…

Scars by Jonny Diaz

She holds for dear life to the ends of the sleeves in her hands,
Covering up lies that she wrote with a razor sharp pen,
And the sting of the blade is no match for the pain of the loneliness she’s going through,
But we’ve all been there too.

Praise God we don’t have to hide scars
They just strengthen our wounds, and they soften our hearts.
They remind us of where we have been, but not who we are
So praise God, praise God we don’t have to hide scars

You can still see the mark on his hand where there once was a ring
He watched decades of history dissolve when she wanted to leave
And the hole that it left there inside of his chest
Is a canyon a thousand miles deep
We all know how that feels.

Praise God we don’t have to hide scars
They just strengthen our wounds, and soften our hearts.
They remind us of where we have been, but not who we are
So praise God, praise God we don’t have to hide scars

There once was a King who so burdened with grief
Walked into death so that we could find peace
He rose up with scars on his hands and his feet
By them we are healed, by them we are healed.

So praise God we don’t have to hide scars
Yeah we know his are covering ours
Praise God we don’t have to hide scars
They just strengthen our wounds and they soften our hearts
They remind us of who we have been, but not who we are
So Praise God we don’t have to hide scars.

To Internet Friends

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I am so thankful today for a group of friends I made on the Internet. I am totally not kidding. I never thought I would be one of those people, chatting to friends online like they were real…but I am and I do.

I connected with a group of girls who were all due in August 2013. There are about 100 of us in a secret Facebook group. We have shared a lot in the past year – more than I ever thought. I have literally cried with some of the women. The biggest blessing from them happened today. One of the girls, A, contacted me after she saw my Facebook post about looking for a home for my grandpa’s cat. Since grandpa had to be moved out of his assisted living apartment and into memory care where cats are not allowed, Morris the cat needed a new home. No one in my family could take him.

I met A IRL (in real life) a couple of months ago because she lives just up the road from me in the Twin Cities. Turns out, she also grew up in the same area of Northeast Iowa as I did. A let her mom, a vet in a nearby town, know about the situation. A’s mom is a going to foster him while we try to find a home for him. Taking the cat was much harder than I anticipated today because it felt like I was saying goodbye to a part of grandpa too, but A’s mom made it so much easier.

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To Internet friends…especially those who turn into real-life friends.

Thanks for Bumpa

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I am so thankful for my dad! He is such a great father and now I  am so glad to see him through my girls’ eyes as a great grandpa (bumpa)! The girls enjoyed snuggling with him. He doesn’t even mind when Giana plays cartoons in Spanish that he can’t understand.

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I have such wonderful memories of when I was a little girl, playing with my grandpas and getting their big hugs. Now my girls get the same. We will always look up to him!

 

Thankful for Cass

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I am so thankful for my friend Cassandra! For some background: I am really bad at making friends. I don’t have any problem talking to anyone…but taking that to the next level and making a true connection? I am bad at that. Cass saw through that and became my friend anyway. We started meeting as accountability partners more than a year ago. In the past year, I have experienced more spiritual growth than I had in my previous 32 years of life, thanks to the way the Lord used Cass.

IMG_20131024_201204_709She sends me awesome verses almost every day. This one came today –

Psalm 16:1-11 ESV

“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

 

Thankfulness: Grandpa Max

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I am thankful for Grandpa Max today. His health took a bad turn two weeks ago. Considering he’s had nearly 94 years of very excellent health, I suppose it’s to be expected, but it is so hard to see his mind slipping. When I went to see him a couple of days ago, I prepared myself for the worst. However, when we walked into his room, it was as if nothing was wrong! I am so thankful that God gave us a wonderful visit with one of the most special men in my life.

When Grandpa’s health took a turn, I asked God to show me the good in it. God gave me a verse – “Teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom” Psalm 90:12. It is good to consider the end of life because it helps you live each day with a sense of urgency. It also helps me appreciate the way Grandpa has run the race for the past 94+ years.

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Giana – So thankful!

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Today I am so thankful for my Giana girl. I was hoping to snap a new picture of her today to go with this post, but she didn’t stay still long enough! She is always on the go – dancing, singing, or literally running circles around me. She is such a little ham and makes me laugh all the time. I am so thankful to see her little personality taking shape.

She is also a great big sister. When I sing “Jesus Loves Me” to her each night before bed, I usually sing a verse I made up that includes her name. I sang it tonight – “Jesus loves Giana Marie” – and she stopped me to ask me to sing “Jesus loves baby ya-ya-yell” (that’s baby Mariel). I am so proud of her!

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Thanks for Mariel

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Today, I am thankful for my dear Mariel.

1383306_10202400772840036_1012269997_nShe is just such a good baby. Scratch that – she is a great baby! She is so calm and content. Mariel is a great eater; she has literally never spit up. Mariel is also a great sleeper. She has been sleeping through the night since she was about two weeks old. Now, at 12 weeks, she sleeps 10 p.m. until 6 or 7 a.m. every night.

I am so thankful for her sweet coos and the baby giggle she is just starting to eek out. This morning, she even sang me a song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkIAFrr0-4E  Love it!