Thankful Thoughts...

I'm grateful for this time in my life... 

In honor of one of my New Year's Resolutions, I am adding a Thankful Thoughts post to my blog. I'm finally home from my holiday trip to California. The plans were that we were to spend Christmas with family in California and then come home to Colorado for a New Year's celebration, but even the best laid plans get altered occasionally. My mother needed a little extra tender loving care, so I stayed another week. At one point as I was helping her, she looked at me with a smile on her face and said, "I think you've become the mother." I agreed there was a little role-reversal going on that week. I was grateful to be able to spend some time caring for her, as she has always done such a phenomenal job caring for all those around her. I'm so thankful to be in a time and place in my life when I can attend to the sudden needs of family members so readily. It's a blessing.

I'm grateful for my friend Chris...

I find it interesting in the blogging world when you can connect with someone and find friendship even though you've never met that person in "real life." There have been a number of people I've made a connection with, but none more so than Chris. Chris and I immediately found we have much in common. We both have large families, an interest in sewing and a do-it-yourself attitude, and {most important} a strong faith in God. Her comments and insightful emails always ground me to that which is most important and her kind words and sweet thoughts always bring joy to my heart.

2012 was a difficult year for our family in many ways, however, those trials and difficulties brought many blessings and a closeness to our Heavenly Father and the Savior that we might not have had otherwise. We were not only blessed with added insight and inspiration from Him, but also through the kind acts of others. Chris was often there with a sweet thought or kind word that uplifted me when I particularly needed it -- even though she was unaware at the time of our situation. I'm grateful for her friendship.

When I arrived home last night I opened a package that Chris sent me before Christmas. In it I found this...

It's a "Daily Gratitude Journal." She mentioned that she had kept a journal like this in the past year and said, "I was able to record at least one blessing each day in a special notebook. It has renewed my outlook on life, strengthened my faith in God's sovereignty, and caused me to truly rejoice daily as well as focus my attention on the eternal instead of the temporal." {Is it any wonder why I love and respect this woman?} She gave me this beautiful hand-sewn journal and encouraged me to do the same. I'm so grateful. I love the idea of ending each day with gratitude in my heart and my thankful thoughts recorded in this book! Thank you Chris for this beautiful journal and, most especially, for your friendship.

Chris also sent me some ginger spiced nuts that she had made.

Although I shared this beautiful journal with you all...

I'm not going to share those nuts with N-E-body.

They are unbelievable good. 

I need to email her for the recipe right now!