What are you thankful for?

[Jami Johnson]

This question has been on my mind a lot lately. I try my best (don't always succeed, but do try) to count my blessings all year long. With Thanksgiving next week and Christmas around the corner, I thought this would be an appropriate time to share with others what we are most thankful for.

As I was in the car running some errands today and thinking about this question, the obvious came to my mind...good health, my supportive family, loyal friends, and my favorite boutique that is having 30% off all Harvest products right now. Okay, a little silly on the last one, but hey, you've gotta love a good sale on your favorite things! I also find myself very fortunate to have fallen in love with machine embroidery and for the pals I have made along the way.

THEN, I came into my studio and sat down at the computer to check in on the happenings around the message board. That's when it hit me hard and I felt my blessings overflowing! You ladies and heirloom john (gotta love heirloom john) are amazing and I am thankful for each and everyone of you and the positive contributions you have made to get this awesome board rolling. Obviously, I had really high hopes for it as we were in the planning/building phase of it and you all have exceeded those in every way possible!! I am thankful for the things I have already learned from your posts. I am thankful for the laughs you have given me. I am thankful for the hundreds of kind compliments you have made. I am thankful for new project ideas you've shared. And I am thankful to see the fun we all are having. For me, that's what it's all about.

K, it's your turn. What are you thankful for?

[MackandMorgan's Mom]

I am beyond thankful for my 2 amazing and beautiful girls!

[T-Bags & Rags]

I'm thankful for many things but mostly for the people in my life who have made it such a fun ride!

[rodneytb]

My husband and children, my faith, my health, a great hobby......

[sew blessed]

This year I have been especially thankful for the things moms normally take for granted, and very rarely appreciate.

My son was diagnosed with infantile spasms (a rare but serious seizure disorder) last Christmas. He was only 5 months old. When I heard that my son could be suffering from a debilitating disease or a brain injury, and that the likelyhood of severe retardation was around 80% I wanted to cry. I wanted to feel sorry for myself. My son was spending his first Christmas in the children's hospital. My faith made me strong and I went to the meditation room (I think that's the non-religious term for chappel) and I prayed. I didn't know what to pray for. I wanted to pray that my son would be healthy, but I also wanted God to know that I would love my son no matter what. Healthy or severely disabled, I believe that God loves and has a purpose for each and every one. I started flipping through the prayer book and reading the prayers that others wrote. And I felt so much compassion for the other parents and children, especially those whose children were dying. I realized for the first time that some of the children were spending their last christmas in the children's hospital. And some of the parents blamed their own sins for the ill health of their child, and some had lost hope. So from that day forward I have been most thankful for my faith. For knowing that God isn't looking for me to make some sacrifice, he just wants me to put my trust and faith in him.

My son, little Stephen is now 15 months old and he has not had a seizure since January. He was diagnosed with cortical visual impairment in Feb. He had partial blindness, most likely caused from a neurological disturbance and irregular brain activity. He does not walk or crawl yet, he has some motor delays that are probably related to his vision. He's just starting to creep on his but or on his belly. So far he has beat the odds and he continues to improve. Now I am grateful for my son grabbing the remote, getting into the trash, hanging on my pant leg, saying Mama, etc. All the little things were never so important! :)

for more about my son's condition visit
http://www.baptismblessings.com/baby_stephens_story.html
if you type that in it should say: baby_stephens_story (after the slash)
this page is currently under construction and I appologize for the delays!
I am working on finishing his page & possibly creating a forum for infantile spasms support group. If anyone has video editing software & would be interested in helping edit a video clip or 2 and optomizing it for the web (they currently load slowly), please contact me through messaging on this forum or on my website!

[Honeybee]

I am thankful for my family, my friends and all the things that enrich my life and make me feel like the luckiest person in the world

[marilynd]

I am thankful for life!
After a friend of ours died this year I often think when I am having a bas day or my kids are driving me bonkers- I look at the sky and thank God I am alive and my kids are healthy.

[ShirleyC]

Exactly, Marilyn, just thankful to be alive. We have lost so many around here this year, and had so many tragedies.

I am so thankful that I lived to raise my kids, and that they were good kids and are now good parents.

I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband and he's been a wonderful dad to my kids.

I don't have any close family left on my side, but I am thankful for my wonderful friends, and for my best friend, Jenny, who has made such a difference in my life.

[momma4anna]

Oh my gosh, the list is so long. There are so many things that I am thankful for. Obviously there is my beautiful children and their health. My husband and our marriage. My supportive family, but there are so many little things that I am thankful for also.

My job that is very rewarding but I really hate going to some mornings because it means I am able to work and can count on a steady paycheck to pay the heating bill and food in the fridge.

My minivan that I can trust to start every morning to take my kids to school and the family on weekend outings.

My faith in God because I do not know how I would get through this life without believing.

My country and the chance to serve it every day

My education because it has let me achieve so many of the good things in my life and that of my children.

The list of small things goes on and on

[fun2sew]

My Faith, Family, Health and Friends... and the list goes on.

Oh and Embroidables!!!!

[Crafty Connie]

I'm thankful for friends that take the time to walk you through an embroidery issue. Being new to all this, many problems rise and I don't know how to get myself out of it. Thanks friends! You know who you are. :D

[clae]

This year I have been especially thankful for the things moms normally take for granted, and very rarely appreciate.

My son was diagnosed with infantile spasms (a rare but serious seizure disorder) last Christmas. He was only 5 months old. When I heard that my son could be suffering from a debilitating disease or a brain injury, and that the likelyhood of severe retardation was around 80% I wanted to cry. I wanted to feel sorry for myself. My son was spending his first Christmas in the children's hospital. My faith made me strong and I went to the meditation room (I think that's the non-religious term for chappel) and I prayed. I didn't know what to pray for. I wanted to pray that my son would be healthy, but I also wanted God to know that I would love my son no matter what. Healthy or severely disabled, I believe that God loves and has a purpose for each and every one. I started flipping through the prayer book and reading the prayers that others wrote. And I felt so much compassion for the other parents and children, especially those whose children were dying. I realized for the first time that some of the children were spending their last christmas in the children's hospital. And some of the parents blamed their own sins for the ill health of their child, and some had lost hope. So from that day forward I have been most thankful for my faith. For knowing that God isn't looking for me to make some sacrifice, he just wants me to put my trust and faith in him.

My son, little Stephen is now 15 months old and he has not had a seizure since January. He was diagnosed with cortical visual impairment in Feb. He had partial blindness, most likely caused from a neurological disturbance and irregular brain activity. He does not walk or crawl yet, he has some motor delays that are probably related to his vision. He's just starting to creep on his but or on his belly. So far he has beat the odds and he continues to improve. Now I am grateful for my son grabbing the remote, getting into the trash, hanging on my pant leg, saying Mama, etc. All the little things were never so important! :)

for more about my son's condition visit
http://www.baptismblessings.com/baby_stephens_story.html
if you type that in it should say: baby_stephens_story (after the slash)
this page is currently under construction and I appologize for the delays!
I am working on finishing his page & possibly creating a forum for infantile spasms support group. If anyone has video editing software & would be interested in helping edit a video clip or 2 and optomizing it for the web (they currently load slowly), please contact me through messaging on this forum or on my website!


WOW!!! Your story and faith is amazing!!! All God wants is for us to put our TRUST in him... Just keep holding your head up high!!! Sounds like your little guy is going to be just fine...

[ajsmom]

To keep this to a short post, I will simplify my answer to: I am thankful for everything in my life. I am a blessed person... all the way around, and in every aspect. God has granted me the life that makes me happy and gives me fulfillment, what more could I ever want? To list a few of the wonderful things I am blessed with:

My beautiful son
My son on the way
My loving, faithful husband
My married, loving and still living parents
My home
My health
Friends


There are just so many things, I could never finish a list, but know that I am thankful for all things in my life... big and small, good and even the bad.

LS

[dramaw]

I'm thankful for my embroidery machines and my knowledge of how to use them...LOL

That's not really top of my list...Most of all I am thankful for my family...I feel so humbled that God allowed me to be the mother of my children and the grand mother to my grands...He entrusted me with their lives and to raise them properly...which there were many mistakes made along the way but we got through it...

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband...He is so special and helps me so much since I have Fibro and am limited as to what i can do....

I am thankful for my extended family,,,for material things that I have been blessed with,,,for my country and the freedoms that it affords me living in this wonderful country,,,i.e., a place to worship...


Most of all I am thankful for the blessings God has bestowed upon my life and the lives of the ones I love...

Dramaw

[rubiesnana]

I have a great husband,two great kids,and two wounderful grandkids,RUBIE and ANGEL.

[SewCrazy]

I am thankful God gave me a healthy beautiful daughter. And for the extended family and friends I have.

[dana]

I wouldn't know were to begin. I am truly blessed in so many ways. Many of the same ways that so many of us are- to be employed have enough money to meet the needs of our family, etc., specifically-.
I am thankful that my son has beat the odds with his birth defect, and is now a healthy, thriving 7 year old. He is an amazing little man. He has had 8 surgeries ( the first being at 4 months old) to combat not only the birth defect, but to also deal with the effects it has had on other functions of his body.
I am thankful that his younger sister did not have any issues at birth. Both of my children have added so much fulfilment in my life!
I'm thankful for my husband, who has had to deal with a wife, who puts too much stress/pressure on herself, and because of that, isn't always as pleasant as she could be, when she falls short of her own expectations. Despite my shortcomings-He still hangs in there!

I am thankful to be a voice for children who can not protect themselves.

I am thankful I can hug my children after a bad day at work, and the bad day just disappears.

I am thankful that I have faith in God, and that he is always there for me.

I am thankful that my children are able to really know who their grandparents are, and how much they truly love them.

I am thankful for my parents who have stuck by me through all the trials and tribulations, for I have never gone the easy route.

I am thankful that my husband is my best friend.

These are only a few of the blessings I have. I think I need to have more opportunities to REALLY think about them- especially after a bad day.

Great thread!

[Sew So Happy]

I am so thankful just to be alive and healthy! I have healthy and beautiful children and a great husband. There are people in this world with a lot of problems and we need to think of all the small things that are so good in our lives.

[Jami Johnson]

Oh and Embroidables!!!!

You made my day..;)

[Yeffie]

I am thankful for my children, and my husband, and the fact that we are just not coming out of a horrid time.

I am thankful for my online friends:) And I am thankful for my Daddy and my siblings.

Lastly, I am thankful for my faith.

[SewCrazy]

I am definetly most thankful for my family. It means a lot to mean to have people that care around me, and most importantly people who love me for who I am no matter what choices I make in my life.

[fun2sew]

God and My Family

[JenZ]

Almost five years ago my mother passed away after fighting cancer for close to ten years. She was 44 years old. It was one of the hardest times in my life and I had so many emotions that I cannot even explain.
Last year about three weeks before Thanksgiving my mother in law was hospitialized. She was diagnosed with severe congestive heart failure and diabetes. The first doctors that saw her told my husband that this would be his mother's last thaksgiving and even if she was released from the hospital she would never be able to fully function, that she would need help to simply walk down that hallway.
In the following weeks my heart ached for my husband, I saw him facing all of the pain and anger that I had gone through. All I could do was keep the same hope I had always had with my mother. When his mother was transfered to another hospital, I tried to reassure my husband that the diagnosis would change. He had not given up on his mother but he was heartbroken to see her in that condition and did not know how to talk about it.
At first the doctors in the new hospital thought my MIL was going to have to undergo bypass surgery. They put her on medication to build up her strength so that she could survive the surgery. Her response to the medication was spectacular. After a week the doctors told us that surgery would not be needed because she had made such great improvements on the medication alone. On the day they had been planning her surgery she was actually released to go home.
Now one year later my MIL is still going strong, she watches what she eats, takes her insulin shots and pills, and exercises regularly and does every activity she did before...including walking down the hallway and having more than one more Thanksgiving meal.
That is what I am thankfull this year.

[pccbradley]

I am thankful to the good Lord above that I have life.

I have a loving and caring spouse and 4 children that keep me on my toes at all times. One of them has autism and keeps me on my knees alot also, praying that someday they find a cure and that other parents will not have to go through some of the heartaches and trials that I have with mine.

Have a great Day
Sandi