Day Eleven
I thank God for the men and women who served in the Armed Forces and in the Military how fought to give me the freedom to live in this country that allows me to be free. These men and women sacrificed time with their own friends and families to fight for a cause they many of us take for granted. The United States of America was founded on the concept of freedom in 1776. And to this day, that fight continues. Be sure to thank a veteran for your freedom.
Day Twelve
I thank God for my daddy who, unfortunately, left this Earth too soon. My daddy taught me so many things, in the years that we shared together and even in the years since has has been gone. My father was a respected business man, great father and a loyal husband. I have heard countless stories of his goodness and his kind-hardheartedness from my mother, my family and others. I take those stories and let them mold me into a better person.
Day Thirteen
I thank God for my mommy who had to raise me as a single parent after my daddy died. Not only has she been a great mother, but always a great father. She not only took great care of me but also provided me with a solid of how to be as a man. I will never forget her working long hours in a hat factory to provide me with everything needed to make my life happy in spite of losing my father at such an early age.
Day Fourteen
I thank God for being a world traveler with my world-class wife. Growing up in a small town, I only dreamed that I would be able to travel out of the country. But that dream did come true last year when my wife and I went on a seven-day Caribbean cruise on the largest cruise ship of them all, the Oasis of the Seas. We experienced the culture of the Bahamas, Saint Thomas, and Saint Martin. We also had a chance to see the dolphins in Tortola and the alligators in Fort Lauderdale. We had a great time and would highly recommend everyone go on one cruise in their lifetime.
Okay, so I have not been keeping up with my thirty days of giving thanks. The last couple of weeks have been full of work and church that I have not had much free time. For the first time in several weeks, I have had a free weekend. It was nice to have some time at home to get some much needed projects crossed off my list. One of those projects is getting back to my Thirty Days of Giving Thanks.
Day Six I thank God that I live in a country that gives me the freedom to vote for my elected officials and gives me a say in the political issues. In some parts of the world, people are ruled by dictators, tyrants and kings. But here in the United States, we have leaders elected by the people. We may not always agree with the outcome of the election. We may not like the way that the election process works. We may not like the negative campaigning, name calling and lies. But it is a freedom afforded to us by the Constitution, and should never take it for granted.
Day Seven
I thank God that I have freedom to express my own religious views without reservations. In some countries, it is illegal and even punishable with death if you say that you are a Christian. Wow, that is so amazing and hard for me to believe. But as a American, I can freely proclaim my views without looking over my shoulder, fearing some one is coming after me. Or I can read my Bible and not have to hide it when I see a police officer. Sadly this is the true for some people in the world.
Day Eight
I thank God that for this His Grace and Mercy that He provided through His son Jesus Christ. I am in no way perfect. I am still growing in all areas of my life. I make mistakes along the way. But I know that God is molding me, shaping me and helping me to be a better person. It is so awesome to think that when I mess, all I have to do is go to Him and ask Him for the forgiveness. But what is better than that, is that He will forgive me and help me to not do it again.
Day Nine
I thank God that my mother-in-law raised her daughter to be a strong woman. Although I never had the opportunity to meet her, I know that her spirit on lives in my beautiful wife. When my wife tells me stories of her mother, I can see the pride and love that she has for her. The longer that I am married to my wife, I can see how she is becoming more like her mother. She was a great role model and there is not a better person to be want to be like.
Day Ten
I thank God that my father-in-law raised a daddy’s girl. He treated her like a princess and sacrificed his time for her. He worked long hours and sometimes two jobs so that he could provide for the opportunity to go to private school all the way through college. He gave me the inspiration to know how I wanted to treat his daughter, doing everything I can to make sure that life has everything that it needs to be joyful.
Okay, so I was not able to make my post for yesterday. It was a busy day and I just did not get a chance to make the post. So to make up for yesterday, I will be doing both posts today.
Day Four: I thank God for the opportunity to take many wonderful trips with my wife. We so enjoy road trips, traveling on thee open highway and going to such wonderful towns and cities and seeing such beautiful scenes. In the thirteen years we have been married, we have driven to the top of Pikes Peak, walked on the roof of the Biltmore Estate; played with the dolphins on th island of Tortola in the Caribbean, and having dinner on the harbor in Marina del Ray. There are many other places that we have had the pleasure to do together. I cannot wait for the next trip to see where it will take us.
Day Five: I thank God that my mother’s hip replacement surgery went well today. After breaking her hip about five years ago, she had to have pins put into place to allow the hip to heal. Since that time, the pins slipped and she had been dealing with pain and discomfort in her back, her side and her knee. When the pain got to be too much, my mother (on her own) decided that she would have the surgery. The doctor said that everything went well and even better than he had thought. Now, the recovery phase has started. She will be in the hospital until Thursday or Friday; then off to a rehab center. Praise the Lord!
I thank God that has placed me in a church that teaches the uncompromising Word of God with the practical application for me to apply to my own life. Growing up I did not think that Church was for me. I had been going all my life; but I felt like something was missing. What I had found out later was that I had a religion; but I needed was to have a relationship. My Pastor taught me that I what it means to stand in faith, how to pray correctly and how to take what I learn and help other people. The wisdom and knowledge are not just for me and my benefit. But instead they are there for me to use with others to bring out what God has done for me. We must grow in our spiritual work in order to go and help others.
Although I do not know everything and I still make my share of mistakes, I know that God has brought me a long way. I owe that success to my Pastor and my church family and my wonderful wife.
Day Two:
I thank God that He blessed my life with such a wonderful wife to share my life with. We have so much in common and we enjoy doing so many things together: hiking, gardening, blogging, shopping and even church event planning. I never could have imagined my life with any one better. And who would have imagined that I would have met my wife while at work.
Some years back, Michael W. Smith had a song that I really liked, “Place In This World.” This song really spoke to me and I sang it passionately because I was searching for my place in this world. Little did I know that God was listening to me and He helped me find my place in this world by placing my wife into my life.
My wife has taught me so much and helped me grow as a man and as a husband. I am thankful that God has brought her into my life. I love you so much, baby!!!!
Me and my baby, JT, beginning our life together
JT looking so pretty!
JT and me hiking in the mountains of New Mexico
Let us know how you have been blessed by your spouse!
Learn More About JT Bubbling with Elegance and Grace is a place for life long learners. The Bubbling With Elegance And Grace team was created 14 years ago. A passion for fashion sparked a lifestyle blog for our Elegant Community to enjoy. We are thankful and in gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for those who have been with us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
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