Thankful

I know it really isn't thanksgiving time yet, but I have just been thinking about how thankful I am for what God has been up to in our lives. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for:

My wonderful, amazing husband! God has given me everything I need in a mate through Ryan. He is my perfect match in so many ways.

Our healthy, beautiful daughter. I am amazed at her growth and development in just 8 months.

Our family and extended family that continually provides love, support and humor to our lives.

Incredible friends!

Two great jobs.

Shelter and clothing.

Health.

Our relationship with God.

The simple things in life.

God's beauty through His creation.

Music.

There is so much more. I take so many things for granted. I want to appreciate each stage in our lives and thank God for bringing us here.

It is so easy to complain in life. We want more things. We want the weather to be nice. We want money. We want new jobs. We want different cars. We want new and better homes. We want to look better. We can get to a place where nothing is good enough. Instead, look around at what you have been given, and be thankful.

I guess there were two main things that made me start thinking about thankfulness. First, I do not make it a habit to watch Oprah everyday. However, I do catch it from time to time. Yesterday, a family was on that has had a major life change in the last year. The family consisted of a dad, mom, and 4 kids. On August 16, 2008, Stephanie and her husband, Christian, were flying across Arizona when the small plane they were on crashed into the desert. It exploded on impact.

Christian and Stephanie made it out alive…but just barely.

When the plane hit the ground, Christian broke his back and ankle, yet he still managed to wrench the door open and help Stephanie escape the burning wreckage. Christian saved Stephanie's life that day, but for the next three months, no one knew what sort of life she'd be able to lead.

When flames engulfed the plane, Christian was burned on his face and neck, while Stephanie suffered severe burns on more than 80 percent of her body. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, and for the next 10 weeks, doctors kept her in a medically induced coma while they treated her burns.

While Stephanie was in the hospital, there was always someone at her side. Siblings slept on the floor, her mother spoke words of encouragement, and they all prayed for her recovery.

Then, in November 2008, Stephanie woke up.

Stephanie says she had a vision while she was unconscious, and she was given a choice. "[I was] with somebody who told me that I could choose to live and have a hard life, you know, embarrassing at times and painful. Or, I could just stay there, and there's lots of work I could do there too," she says. "But I thought of my children and my husband, and it was easy. An easy choice."

Since Stephanie returned to her Utah home, very little has been easy. For the first few months she was home, she says her children didn't want to look at her or touch her. (Ages 8,6,4,and 2)

Her scars may never heal, but Stephanie says it gets a little easier every day. Despite constant physical pain, she still manages to make lunches, bathe her children and celebrate life and love.

Her story made me just stop and thank God for the life he has given me.

Secondly, the new David Crowder Band song has also made me think about thankfulness. Here are the lyrics:

He Loves Us

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…