Thankful for Nie Nie

I'm sure many of you know Stephanie Nelson from her blog the Nie Nie Dialogues. If you don't you really must check out her very inspirational blog here. I've been following Stephanie's blog since before her plane accident. She was inspirational back then with her amazing exuberance, incredible style, and stories of being a Mom, but after the tragic accident back in August 2008 that almost killed her and her husband, Stephanie's faith, hope, and perseverance amazes me even more.

Not only has Stephanie endured incredible pain from the burns of the plane crash fire, the accident left her so disfigured that it took her own children months to not be afraid of her. It's now been well over a year since the accident and Stephanie is back home raising her children and trying to lead a normal life. She still has many months--even years of surgeries and therapy a head of her, but her faith in God, personal strength, and love of her family keep her focused on the future. Stephanie has shown us what true beauty really is - it's not what we see on the outside but what is on the inside that matters. I'm thankful for having the opportunity to read her blog. She makes my problems seem so irrelevant and she reminds me to be thankful for everything I have. Stephanie inspires me to be a better person by the example that she sets. With more surgeries scheduled for Stephanie in January, please remember to think of her in your prayers.

Click here too see an interview of Stephanie and her husband Christian.

Thank You Veterans!

A Month of Thankfulness

For the month of November I'm celebrating the 30 Days of Thanksgiving with one post of gratitude for every day of the month. I can't think of a better way to kick off the holiday season than to give thanks for all of our blessings both large and small. If you want to join me, please visit Karla over at her blog Karla's Korner and sign up. As Karla says you can devote an entire post each day to something you're grateful for or just end each post with a simple comment such as "Today I'm thankful for my children."

Of course I'm thankful for my family (both immediate and extended - Andy and Ellie included - goes without saying), my friends both near and far - including the blogging community, my home, my job, my health, and my relationship with God. But, since my life tends to be so busy I often overlook the small things I should be grateful for so for the next 30 days I'm going to concentrate on being thankful for them.

Since I didn't post yesterday I'm devoting this post to 2 things I'm grateful for:

Eyes to see the beautiful colors this time of year even when it's raining, cold, and gets dark early now that the clocks have turned back. This reminds there is beauty and light in all situations even when things seem dark and gray.




A sense of humor and patience as I realize I'll never win the war with the squirrels who keep snacking at our bird feeder so I might as well just let them eat. After all, humor and patience can help get me through the most difficult moments in life with grace and love.

Just look at this deviant little, fat, fellow!