I guess sometimes it takes a disturbing or traumatic event to make one realize all the things there are to be thankful for.
I'm thankful for my sweet boyfriend
who is such an encourager and a dependable friend. I'm thankful for my parents--(even though they drive me nuts sometimes) they really are good people. And today they popped into my office to give me a teddy bear & birthday balloons.
What a cool surprise! I'm really proud of them for always trying to do the right thing and being kind to people, even difficult people, and always working to make the world a better place. I'm thankful for my new (used) car and the fact that it is reliable and in good working order... such a relief! and for my adorable lil brother who sold it to me.
I wish him the best of success at this job. I think he'll be really good at it once he has more practice under his belt. I'm thankful for my 2 sisters who also are encouragers and confidants and good friends. I'm thankful for my best girl friend who spends her life investing in kids and she's one of the most energetic & cheerful people I know. A perfect elementary school teacher! Some awesome man needs to snag this chick up quick! I'm thankful for my job. Not many people I know can say they love their job, but I can. Sure, my coworkers are a bit eccentric (we're the "Motley crew" for sure!), but at the end of the day we're all working together for a good cause and the personality idiosyncracies don't really matter.
I could go on. But I'll stop. It's just good to think about good things for a while and how I'm surrounded with sweet people who care about me. I don't deserve it. And I guess that's why it is often troubling to hear about bad things that happen to people who don't deserve *that*. Know what I mean? I need to thank God everyday for the good things in my life and ask mercy of Him on behalf of those who are suffering.
thankful 
