Count your Blessings

After a month spent counting my blessings and expressing via pictures what I am most thankful for, I realize that I have A LOT to be thankful for.

Besides recording my daily thankfulness on instagram, I also checked my timehop daily and saw previous thankful posts from years past. And each one of those posts reminded me that there are positives in every day, and countless reasons to be thankful of our blessings.

As I write this, I would like to make a compilation of my blessings... Knowing full well that I can never truly count all of those blessings, as they multiply daily. But here it is as of right now:

1. My faith. Call this religion, call this belief, call it whatever makes you comfortable, but faith keeps me going when things are difficult.
2. My husband. I honestly was not sure I would ever find someone who could put up with my craziness, and he suits me so completely.
3. My mom. She centers me and listens when I need to chat. And she taught me all my craftiness I know.
4. My brother. He has always looked out for me and supported me.
5. My dad and the 25 years I had with him. I think we all tend to take people in our lives for granted until we have lost someone close to us.
6. My niece. Even though she isn't my child, she taught me about that unconditional love an adult can have for a child.
7. My in-laws. I definitely got lucky when I married into their family. I know not everyone is blessed with great in-laws, but I am!
8. My friends. I could do a separate number for each one, but for length sake, just know that I am thankful for them.
9. That I never wanted for anything growing up, or now for that matter. My parents always made sure I had food, clothes, shelter, and most importantly, love. I'm still blessed with those things.
10. My puppy. Until her, I never understood how people could love a pet like a child.
11. Hugs. Hugs make everything better.
12. Laughter. C brings so much laughter to my life and I can't imagine living without it.
13. Coffee. It makes getting up much easier and more enjoyable!
14. Chocolate. Need I say more?
15. Owning my own home. I feel as though I'm working toward something instead of throwing money away.
16. My car. When I hit the deer a few weeks ago and shared a car with C, I realized how thankful I am to have my own car.
17. My grandmas. I still have 3 (2 bio and 1 "step") and they are all amazing women.
18. My job. Although it drives me crazy a lot of the time, getting hugs from kiddos every day makes me pretty lucky.
19. OSU. What a wonderful university family. Never have I been more thankful than after the Homecoming tragedy, when I saw how everyone pulled together. #stillwaterstrong
20. Books. I'm thankful for my love of reading so I can disappear into a different world when I am feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
21. The small things like naps, apple pie, candles, and pretty fall days.
22. Heated blankets. When you keep your house set on super cold, they sure are handy.
23. Wine after a long day. Or during a lazy day.
24. Shoes. I'm blessed to have a wonderful collection and boy do I love them!
25. Christmas lights. Those pretty, sparkling lights that bring joy whenever I see them.

I could go on, but I'm just going to end on an even (or uneven, to get technical) 25.

Count your blessings. Every day, and not just during the month of November. Show gratitude.

Live from Okieland,

E