Psalm 100:4-5

Psalm 100:4-5 - "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name. For The Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever and His faithfulness to all generations."

I just wanted to take the time to thank God this morning. I know I end every post with a sentence of gratitude, but I don't take nearly enough time to thank Him for all that He's done for me. Last week started off pretty rough for me. I knew the easiest way to get out of my funk was to begin focusing more on God and what He has planned for me. I quickly decided to not be bogged down for X amount of days for the crummy things going on, but to begin thanking God for the goodness that surrounds me. So, in attempts to stay in the state of thankfulness I've chosen, I will provide you with a hearty list of things I'm most thankful for right now.

• In the midst of my bad day, a client brought me a balloon animal he made. It reminded me that I am doing good work with my clients, that I am a competent counselor, and I am making a positive impact on someone's life.
• My dad texted me this: "I'm thankful for you." That's never happened before. Ever.
• Saturday morning started off very early - 5:30am. (I'm definitely NOT thankful for that.) However, I got to go to work with some really cool people. I got to promote myself as a counselor in two different settings. I spent the day building my confidence in my ability to achieve my dream.
• AND, after work, I got to play at the dog park with my husband and my pup. We didn't plan it, we just went. Gandalf chasing balls is THE CUTEST thing. His little legs and corgi butt could entertain me for hours. Not to mention, that face when he gets the ball and brings it all the way back!
  When he got tired, my love and I decided to play on the puppy obstacles and race each other completing our course. Yeah, we may have looked silly, but I wouldn't trade a second of that laughter or sweat. 
• Sunday, I got a spontaneous visit from my mom and stepdad. Even better, I opened the door to greet my mom and instead I was greeted by not only Mom and Ken, but my brother and my three nephews! They wrecked my house in the few hours they were there, but nothing warms my heart more than those three little boys and their bear hugs!! 
• Yesterday (10/12), marked a whole year and a half that I've been married to the man of my dreams! We've had some rough spots, but doing life with him every day is the most exciting life I could've imagined. I love our Netflix marathons (currently cruising through The Office!), laying in bed at night practicing our Chewbacca call, and all of our dance sessions after hard days. My husband pursues me with such a passion day in and day out and makes it look effortless. He is my Prince Charming and I'm so looking forward to an infinite number of anniversaries to come! 
• We celebrated our 1.5 with a box of Strawberry and Cream Cheese Toaster Strudels. YUM!
• Today, I'm thankful (in advance) for a light work load. I get off at 3:30, which means, for the second time all semester, I do not have to fight to get to class during rush hour. I get to cruise through rush hour.

There's much more to be thankful for, but I don't want to exhaust the list. I am blessed. I choose today to give thanks to my God who has continually done so. I choose to praise Him and his faithfulness to my family.

Thank you, God, for your enduring love even through life's attempt to bring me down.