Thankful

Before you start reading....yes, this is one of those typical Thanksgiving day blog posts. And yes, it is being posted 3 days after Thanksgiving. But my list this year is different, and maybe you won't be able to tell the difference, but I definitely can. See, I've always been able to sit down and list out things that I'm "thankful" for....basically things that I know are good and on some level know I can't control, so I'm "thankful" that God gives them to me. For the first time this year, I'm really beginning to understand just how much I CAN'T understand how undeserving I am of the gifts God has given me...whether that's people, things, places, family, ANYTHING. And it's overwhelming. And I'm going to forget things. But here it goes :)

I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for this wonderful body of people that God decided to allow me to be born into, with all of our flaws and problems and all of the good things all mashed into one. I'm thankful for two parents who put up with me and look out for me, even if it comes across as silly. I'm thankful for a little sister who has become not only my sister but one of my best friends. I'm thankful for Mamaw, who spoils me, and Im' thankful for my two brothers who basically make it harder to leave home every time that I have to.

I'm thankful for my friends....but it's not JUST  friends. I'm thankful for my special set of friends who have become less like friends and more like family. I'm thankful for the Gibbs, who live a mere 2 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES away from me, and who let me crash at their house basically ANY time I want to :) I'm thankful for the lovely Rachel Bownds, who is currently traipsing across England doing wonderful things. Andddddd *drumroll*

My Impact class BASICALLY gets their own paragraph. There aren't words to describe how thankful I am for this group of people, and how much they have blessed me just by BEING. God used Impact to change my life, and He did it most often through the people He had walk in and out exactly when He needed them to. I could devote an entire BLOG post to the memories, laughter, tears, stretching, hurt, glory, beauty and LOVE that surrounds the 9 months spent with these people, and it probably still wouldn't cover it all. So suffice to say God took a group of very, very mismatched people, and crammed them together to become a group of people made up of my best friends and non-official family.

AAAAAAAND I'm thankful for the little things :D Basically right now this means I'm thankful for walking outside and smelling bonfire. For leaves that are changing colors. For finding the perfect song that describes your life. For the fact that when people tell you their favorite Taylor Swift song, they're actually telling you a lot about themselves. For technology that lets me communicate with my best friends spread out across the states...and right now across the globe :P For fireplaces and smoke and campfire smells and lit up Christmas trees (fake or not ;) and cold pillows to hug and home cooking and the magical feeling that associates itself with Christmas and this SEASON...that lets me believe that anything is possible, no matter how far fetched it seems :)

Most of all, I'm thankful for my Savior who is faithful. Who puts up with my selfish & ungrateful heart and still loves me. Who continues to bless me daily with new mercies and gifts, regardless of whether I am deserving. And who speaks to my searching heart in ways I NEVER expect, puts people in my life who love me and who let me love them, and who never fails to open doors when I least expect it :)

Life is so good ya'll. Circumstances might be crummy, and things might not be going the way you want, but because of Jesus life is SO. GOOD.