~ Thankful Thursdays ~

Psalm 30:11-12 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; That [my] soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to Thee forever.

I went to look up bible verses online that have to do with "thankfulness" and this one happened to be the first one that popped up. What a great reminder from God because Psalm 30:11-12 just so happens to be my confirmation verse :) Oh the little things! I can still remember flipping through my bible looking for a verse to have to commemorate my confirmation way back in my 8th grade. I wanted to find something that had to do with dance because it is so dear to me and I always thank God for my talent of being a dancer.

I wanted to write a short post of the things I'm thankful for Today. These are a list of both big and small blessings that make me want to shout to God how truly thankful I am for what He has given me right this moment in my life.

My Husband: As you can tell from my previous post we have a great relationship going on. And even on the hardest days of our marriage I am so very thankful that he is by my side. He is my encourager, protector, and best friend for life! He never lets me leave the house without saying "drive safe" and his hugs mean the world to me :)

Caribou Coffee: Since I have given up Starbucks for the month of June I have relied on brewing my coffee at home and I always choose Caribou. I got hooked on it while in Sioux City for college. I especially like the atmosphere in their coffee shops because it has a rustic cabin feel and am just sad there isn't one in Omaha...Who wants to open one up with me?!?!

My funny Patients: It never fails that I get a good laugh every shift at work. I like how my patients (usually) appreciate my humor and despite being ill they usually give me a few laughs. Sometimes they don't know (dementia patients) just how funny their comments really are. Today one of my patients' friends was talking about how the patient has to have catheters all the time in order to urinate. She said "And she can pee just like the big boys, even write her name in the snow!" Oh the funny image in my head!! Laughter really is the best medicine!

My Family: I know this seems like a given but I can't emphasize how much I adore my family and just how wonderful they are! My family is very close, I grew up on a farm and we always took a big family vacation every year which made for some interesting car rides. Each member of my family adds a perfect piece to the puzzle of my AMAZING family! My sister, who I am extremely proud of, had her first day at her Mayo internship and is also studying to be a nurse. My brother just graduated from high school with "high-achievement" and will go to ISU in the fall but more importantly he is a strong Christian guy that always makes me laugh! My mom is the sweetest person and even though she can have her "blonde moments" she really is one smart cookie! And my Dad is the Rock and Provider of the family. He works his farmer butt off so us kids can go to college but more importantly he has taught us values that you can't learn in any classroom. He raised us in a Christian family and has been my biggest supporter through every aspect of my life! (and even though I know he reads this blog I'm not just saying those things to get brownie points..haha)

Running: Whenever I go on a run I'm reminded that not everyone has the ability to run for miles and miles. There are people who don't have the money for tennis shoes or can't run because they have lost a limb. So I always try to run a few laps for them! God has given me this ability and even though sometimes I have a love-hate relationship with running I always feel great after my workout. I love that in the spring & summer I can multi-task by getting a tan and run in at the same time ;)

AAA CPC: I'm very thankful for my job at the pregnancy center and for the wonderful women I have met there! This job was just what I needed to fill some gaps in what I wanted as a nurse. I love that I can reach out to troubled women and have the best co-workers ever!

Kobe: I'm so thankful for this lil furball! He constantly makes me laugh by the way he plays fetch like a dog or goes spastic over birds outside. When I think about the horrible conditions he was in as a kitten I am so thankful that God crossed our paths and I was able to take him home and call him mine!

M&M's: Tonight at work I really wanted some chocolate so I went with good ol' M&M's and when I had my first taste of the yummy chocolates it instantly reminded me of times at my Great Grandma Marie's house. She always had a container of M&M's in her kitchen that was a go-to anytime we were there. It's funny how something as simple as the taste of that certain type of candy can send me back into the past! I still have memories of playing Chinese Checkers or taking a nap on her cough curled up in her afghan blankets. She was the sweetest most caring woman and you just felt better being in her company. I miss her a lot and like many Great Grandmothers she was the tie between two families that now rarely see eachother. We all adored holidays at Grandma Maries and she got such joy out of watching her grandchildren grow up!