Give Thanks

I’m going to be honest here: I hope you’re not reading this on Thanksgiving. Unless maybe you just need a break to be alone for a few minutes, in which case I totally get it. But I hope you’re getting to spend time with people you love, giving thanks in all circumstances for the incredible blessings you have. This year I have so very much to be thankful for, so I thought it would be fun to list it out and look back on it in years to come!

• God. I know that seems obvious, but I can’t get over the audacious grace he has shown me despite my sinful fit-throwing, my selfishness, my whiny anxiety and my lack of character at times. I’m a work in progress and will ever be thankful for a Father who gave it all so that I could be with him eternally. Amen.
• My family. Nate, Weston – you guys are my life. You are it for me, and if all I ever had in life was you it would be 1,000% worth it. Nate, you are my best friend, my lover, my everything. Weston, you are my incredible blessing, my joy, my heart. Dad, Mom, Salah – I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for your constant love and support. You guys have shaped me and made me a better person through and through. Oh, and our dogs are pretty amazing too.
• LOVE. My baby sister is engaged! I just can’t believe how excited I am for her, and am so thankful to have such a fantastic future brother-in-law in Brett. Salah, I’ve prayed for a true man to capture your heart and am so happy to see you so happy. Brett, welcome to the family!
• Our house sold. I didn’t know when to really bring this up on here, but we finally closed on our house in Colorado on November 9. To be honest this was a massive source of whining, anxiety and pride for me, and after 3 months of having it on the market (a market we thought was really really hot at the time) I’m finally coming around. Isn’t it funny how we’re tested and tried sometimes? An area of my life that I thought I was over came around full circle and caused so much strife, all because I couldn’t just give it up to God. Regardless, I am thankful for how it all went down because if everything had gone my way I wouldn’t have known the ugly stuff that was in my heart that came bursting forth during this time.
• Companies that make a difference. I have been working with Great Day Farms for a few months now and am seriously smitten by the heart the entire company has for the Lord. This month they are giving me some money to donate to a cause near and dear to my heart, an act that I couldn’t be more excited about. There are some really big and very cool things going down soon that I can’t wait to tell you about, but just know that they have the best product and the best heart of any company in the biz. Another amazing one that I was happy to work with this year is Butterball – a sponsor of this beautiful holiday, no? They reached out to me to offer coupon giveaways to you guys, but rather than do that (I don’t think you’ll mind) I donated the coupons to the Union Rescue Mission instead. When I chatted with the woman on the phone about donating these 6 turkeys she honestly could not believe her ears and was so ecstatic that she pulled her co-workers together to tell them about while I was on the phone with them. It was an incredible feeling to know that these turkeys will be feeding others well, and such a blessing to know that Butterball was the one behind it all.
• Last, but certainly not least, you guys. I’m tearing up as I write this, but you guys make this whole blogging gig for me. YOU make it fun, YOU make it exciting, YOU make it relational, YOU make it worth it. Y’all have no idea how your comments, your emails, your tweets and messages touch my heart daily. And even if all you do is read or scan the recipe, I am so thankful you’re here too. I pray for all of you daily, and I can’t wait to share more of this little life of mine with you in the coming months and years. I love you.

There’s so much more to be thankful for, and every day I find that my prayers get longer and longer with praise. I think that’s a good thing – the be thankful in the now, no matter what – and while I’m certainly not perfect at it I am so grateful anyway.

I hope y’all have an amazing day, and I’ll see you back tomorrow for a super simple recipe & then again on Monday morning!  Love you guys!

Heather