If you have read any of my blogs, you know that I believe in the power of a grateful spirit. I do end each blog with five things I am grateful for. Yes, I will admit that some days are harder than others to come up with five things but in doing so, it helps me to stay focused on the good and to bring more of that into my life. I recently got an email with a gratefulness challenge in it and so I wanted to take on that challenge today. It says to write down 100 things that you are grateful for in your life. I love this because it really gets our minds thinking in the right direction. So here goes - 100 things that I am grateful for (in no particular order):
1. Salvation
2. My health
3. Being raised by two amazing parents
4. My dad's life and how it continues to influence me
5. My mom's encouragement, prayers, and love for life
6. My two sisters and our incredibly close and rare relationship
7. Martha Ann and Wylie - bringing such joy into my life
8. Genuine friendships - too many to list
9. Those who I consider my closest friends - you know who you are
10. My relatives and how much they mean to me
11. Owning my own home
12. Living in the best neighborhood
13. Each and every job I have had so far - and yes, there have been a few!
14. Having my college degree
15. Getting my MBA
16. Jordan
17. My best friend, Autumn
18. My "wife" Natalie -
19. My bestie - Richard
20. The long list of names I could put here of friends
21. My family's best friends - the Flynn's
22. Love for music
23. Opportunity I had to be involved in music at church
24. Mentors in my life
25. Getting to write The Journey, about my dad's life
26. Working on a new book, Standing on the Edge
27. A love and passion for writing
28. The desire to encourage others in their own lives
29. Oprah - of course she makes the list!
30. My Oprah show experience
31. The family we helped and it being one of the best days of my life
31. Opportunity to go to Brazil 3 times and build orphanages
32. Mission trip to Antigua - also one of the best days of my life
33. Our family moving to Jackson when I was a child
34. Moving to Nashville six years ago
35. All the great TV shows
36. Love for food
37. Mexican food, Thai food, and Sushi
38. Chocolate
39. Dark chocolate
40. Loving to laugh - I do it quite often
41. Hilarious memories
42. Answered prayers
43. Being involved at Englewood Baptist Church
44. Attending Christ Church here in Nashville for three years
45. Cross Point Church that I attend now
46. The love to run
47. Finishing two marathons
48. Being a vegetarian for a year
49. Meatless Mondays
50. My favorite grocery stores - Publix and Trader Joe's
51. Taking risks in life
52. An optimistic attitude
53. Meaningful focus times in the mornings
54. My bed - it's so comfortable!
55. Knowing the importance of family
56. Getting to be with my dad when he passed away
57. Seeing my mom remarry and have a companion in life again
58. Each of my sister's weddings
59. The honor of walking each of them down the aisle
60. Christy becoming a mom - twice!
61. Cara pursuing her goals and getting into the PTA program
62. This blog and how it is therapy for me and encouragement for others
63. The promises of God
64. Those moments when I am used to make a difference in someone's life
65. My friend Dana and how we laugh so hard whenever we get together
66. Axel (the dog) - even when he drives me crazy
67. Challenging moments in life that have strengthened my character
68. Our sibling trip to Atlanta last year
69. Doing "Favorite Things" for Christy and Cara
70. Making videos with Martha Ann
71. Christmas - my favorite time of the year
72. Fall - my favorite season of the year
73. The Bible and how it encourages, motivates, and challenges me
74. My great friend Justin and our super long voicemail messages
75. Moments with Christy and Cara that are the funniest moments of my life
76. Chocolate chip cookies and a glass of cold milk
77. Having big dreams for my life
78. Seeing others accomplish their dreams
79. The daily prayers of my parents as I was growing up
80. My own "stupid moments" that make life very interesting
81. My favorite city, Chicago, and visiting there 5 times so far
82. A really good glass of wine
83. The fact that each day is truly a gift
84. Desiring the good life
85. Knowing that each person that has been in my life was there for a reason
86. Driving down the road, windows down, and music turned up!
87. All my favorite restaurants
88. Sparkles Cupcakes
89. Times I get to go hiking
90. Both of my Mamaw's and how they have taught me so much about life
91. Life experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today
92. All the people I should have named and that are wondering why they weren't listed!
93. Moments of worship through music at church - definite highlights of my week
94. My relationship with God and how He really is the source for what life is meant to be
95. Being outside on a beautiful day
96. Learning about a child-like faith
97. One of my new favorite treats - Nutella
98. The last 35 years of my life and knowing that the best is yet to come
99. Seeing the power of gratitude played out in my own life
Wow! I did it! I actually could have kept going - that it such a great exercise to do and now I want to challenge you to do the same. Write out 100 things that you are grateful for in life and let me know how it turns out! If you practice gratitude every day it won't take long before it becomes a part of who you are and I promise it will change the way you view life!
Happy Wednesday everyone!
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