Our Grateful Hearts // Weeks 4 + 5

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but that does not mean the reasons for giving thanks should cease. Greg and I started journaling things we are thankful for at the beginning of November and we decided to continue for December as well. We figure it is a great way to help keep us from getting carried away with the busyness of the holiday season, by focusing on how faithful God has been.

"Not what we say about our Blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving."  

(W.J. Purkise)

I hope that we can be good stewards of the many blessings God has given us. It's one thing to journal or blog about them, but I do not want to stop there. I want to remember to boomerang the blessings I have been given towards others, because we are not meant to hoard the many blessings God gives us. 

Here is week one, two, and three of our blessing journaling. And now, for the last week of November and first week of December . . . 

49. As I read the book, "I Am Malala", I was struck with a thankfulness that I was raised in a country where I did not have to worry about my ability to go to school. Malala lived in Pakistan and was targeted by the Taliban because she spoke out for the right for girls to go to school. I took that for granted as a girl, but it truly is a blessing that I did not have to fear going to school.

53. We are thankful that we got to hang out with one of Greg's friends and his wife, who were visiting from out of town. I have really loved getting to know Greg's friends and their wives, and look forward to meeting more of them since we live in the same state as many of them. The wives (of his best friends) that I have met so far are genuine, sweet, and so friendly!

55. In November, Greg rang in 7 years at his job! The company has taken care of him in many ways with great benefits and a great work environment. 

56. I am thankful for electronics and transportation that have allowed me and Greg to have a long-distance relationship until we got married in October and I moved to Texas. It was really hard many days to be apart, but would have been exponentially harder without the modern conveniences of FaceTime and airplane flights between Texas and Oregon. 

58. Thankful for a fun and restful Thanksgiving weekend in Houston with Greg's family. 

63. Thankful for God's love and grace for us, for the hope of eternity with Him, and for His redeeming power that restores us and gives us an identity as His children.

64. I am thankful for the 30 single gals who completed the survey I messaged them about. Their responses were full of wisdom, honesty, and transparency. I will be using the responses anonymously throughout parts of my upcoming blog series in early 2016.

67. Thankful for a week night date night! We went wassailing in New Braunfels, a cute Bavarian town an hour from San Antonio, and tasted many different wassails (ciders). 

69. Greg is going through a book about parables Jesus taught and he is thankful for Jesus storytelling abilities to teach so much while also revealing one's own heart conditions. 

70. Thankful for a little day trip to my favorite small town near San Antonio, Gruene (pronounced "green"). We shopped at the farmer's market and the small shops, ate lunch at the Gristmill (a restaurant that resembles a treehouse), and relaxed on rocking chairs while live country music played. It was such a sweet way to start out weekend!

71. Thankful for a fun night with friends from church this past weekend. We attended a 90s Christmas party and dressed the part. Greg was a 90s wangsta and I went for the grunge look :)

72. Thankful for our Young Marrieds Sunday school class. The other couples have been so sweet and one couple invited us to lunch yesterday. It was so great chatting and finding so many similarities! 

What are some of the things you are thankful for this week?

(I am linking up with Ember Grey)