Tis The Season To Be Thankful!

Hello Friends! I have been doing the days of Thanksgiving thing where every morning I post one thing in my status on facebook of what I am thankful for! I like this, I like this so much I don't think we should just do it during Thanksgiving! Every day your eye's open, you should be thankful and you should give thanks! There is thanks to be given for everything in your life! Sure there are times when you feel like the world is crashing down around your ears but you know what that doesn't mean that you have the right to stop being thankful! So I'm writing a note to remind myself and I suggest that you guys to that to, so when a day comes and everything seems to be going every which way but right you can pull out that note and remind yourself there is so much good even in the bad that there are things to be thankful for and this year has been a year for me that has held many things I am thankful for so bare with me this may take some time to get everything down ;-)
First and foremost I am thankful for God's saving grace that even in my darkest of day's he was always there and he never turned his back on me when I had turned my back on him. I am thankful for the forgiveness that he gives me. I am thankful for the blood Jesus shed for me and for each and everyone who will only accept him as their savior. I am thankful that I open my eyes every morning, there have been quite a few times in my life where my life was spared and I am thankful that I am still here even if it means I have a few bad days every now and again because I get to be with my loved ones here. I am thankful for my parents who have loved me when I was unlovable, who never gave up on me on me. I'm thankful for a daddy that loved his little girl and never made me feel that I should have been something I wasn't. I am thankful for a mama that risked it all for me and still would. I am thankful for my grandma and grandpa Widener who showed me nothing but love, who also showed us what real love looked like 60 + years of marriage before grandpa left his earthly home to go be with God in heaven only to be followed by grandma a year later. I am thankful for my granny who  is still here, who I'd spend a lot of Saturday nights with growing up I remember watching Golden Girls with her, Hee Haw, listening to the radio and swinging on her front porch, painting her nails and fixing her hair. I am thankful she is still here even if her memory isn't like it use to be, she forgets a lot but she's still here! I am thankful for my Papa, he left this earth when I was 16, some wouldn't understand why I'm thankful for him cause he wasn't a good man he hurt my feelings a lot but he had his moments and he was my first big lesson in forgiveness and I am thankful for that lesson and I have forgiven him for all the bad things he said to me when I was a child I understand him now and know how he grew up. I am thankful for my children without them I don't know what I'd do they drive me crazy sometimes but they are the loves of my life, they are the ones that I would risk everything for life and limb. I love their smiles, their laughter, their hugs and kisses and I am thankful for all that. I am thankful that Katie graduated this year, got her first job and is going to start college soon. I am thankful that she and I have gotten closer at least I feel like we have. I am thankful that Annie is starting to be more responsible and helping out more. I am thankful that she gave her heart to God at camp this past summer. I am thankful that Matthew seems to be doing better in school this year, I am just thankful for his birth because he saved me (don't get me wrong I am very thankful for each birth of my children) had he not been born I wouldn't have known about the per-cancerous cells and who knows where I'd be now had he not been born. I am thankful that Noah is growing up to be a loving little boy, that he is doing fabulous in school and that he enjoys school! I am thankful that Abigail loves school and is learning so quickly. I am thankful for her words of wisdom and her silliness that makes us all smile!I am thankful for all my children have taught me, you know when your expecting a baby and when that baby is first born you think wow I have a lot I am going to have to teach this little one but after all is said and done, I think they have taught me far more and for that I am thankful for as well. I am thankful for all of my family members. I am thankful for my husband and his ability to provide for us, I am thankful for the glimpse ever so often of the man I fell in love with, our marriage is far far from perfect in fact lately it's been rough and who know where this will all go but I am thankful for the good times we've had together. I am thankful for finishing my Bachelors degree and getting started on my Masters degree! I am thankful that our family has found such a wonderful church family! They are a lot of wonderful people in our church and I am thankful for each one of them. I am thankful for my wonderful friends! Friends who don't judge me, friends who lift me up when I need them to, who cry with me, who feel my struggles friends who just understand! Friends who prayed for me when I couldn't pray for myself, friends who showed me God's love in them! Friends who helped me find my way back, friends who wont let me slip too far inside my shell as I tend to try to do when I'm hurt. I am thankful for facebook even, yes facebook I am thankful for facebook because I have reconnected with some special people from my past who I loved as a little girl, who taught me so much growing up who showed me God's love too through them. People who will always always have a place in my heart because of them I am a better person. I am thankful for eyes that see the faces of my loved ones, and all of God's many wonders, I am thankful for ears to hear the voices of the ones I love the most, music, and all of the other wonderful sounds. I am thankful for the ability to walk and do for myself and for arms that I can hug my babies with and tuck them in and comfort them with when they need me. I am thankful for my voice so that I can communicate with others and so that I can tell the ones I love that I love them it might not be a great singing voice lol but yes I can sing if I want (in the privacy of my own home or car lol)! I am thankful for my ex husband(don't have a heart attack) without him I wouldn't have my three oldest I am also thankful for our bad times cause they made me stronger and made me realize what I will not tolerate from another man. I am thankful for each and every person who has crossed my path and belittled me, told me I wouldn't make it, told me I wasn't good enough, made fun of me and made me feel I was less than nothing...because you made me all that more determined to rise up and rise above, you made me stronger, you made me more understanding and more compassionate when it comes to others! I am thankful for the good and the bad because it's true what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. I am thankful for our home and the shelter it provides for me and my family because I know there are others who don't have a place to lay their head a night. I am thankful for the food we have in our shelves, and fridge because I can feed my family. I am thankful that I have transportation, and for the clothes on our backs as well. So many things in life to be thankful for yes everyday we should focus on the positives in life and try to turn the negatives into positives when we can.God gives us so much to be thankful forI hope that I never become ungrateful, I may not be rich when it comes to money but I am richly blessed with many many things that mean far more than any lump sum of cash.

The Good The Bad and The Ugly

Well life surely has been interesting lately, that's an understatement! My family in the last few weeks have been hit with so much! A few weeks ago was what started it all, hubby failed his fourth PT test in a years time only by a second, ever think about a second...I never gave it much thought, but a second can change so much. Like for instance he faces losing a stripe which means the family will lose money and our finances are terrible as it is, especially considering my eldest turned 18 so my child support money has gone down by $200 a month, then with this possible loss of a stripe we are looking at the very least of losing $300 we can't afford to lose. All over missing a run time by a second taking a $500 hit is extremely hard when we often find ourselves borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Even though this is bad I have decided to look at it this way at least he still has a job there are going to be some MAJOR adjustments that have to be made though.I'm hoping the loss of a stripe doesn't go beyond that $300 loss. But I'm sure God will provide a way for us, that is the thing I am holding on to.
Next major catastrophe to hit our household was this Friday, I left out to pick up my oldest from work and got into an accident. My van which we are making payments on is more than likely totaled. And even though I was cautious in my movement and saw that the man was turning right so I could turn left...I got the ticket cause he all of a sudden decided to go straight. So I get sacked with failure to yield. However the bright side we both walked away. I walked away with a bruised fingernail from the airbag, a cut on my foot from who knows what, seat belt rash on my neck, and a sore chest and shoulder. But I thank God that I walked away! The last day or so I have spent laying around or moping as my husband thinks, crying and etc. But it isn't tears of sorrow it's tears of gratefulness, and yet even now I realize some fear of my own mortality. I am so thankful to God that I am here with my children where I can love on them, watch them grow, listen to them, cook for them and etc. My worst fear is that I wont be able to grow old and watch them grow up so there in lies the fear..my mortality Friday night could have gone many different ways, it could have been way worse than a totaled car. My husband and family could be preparing for my funeral, I might not have been able to watch my children grow up, go to proms, graduate, get married..grand-kids...of all things in my life this is my worst fear! I could careless about my van insurance will take care of that and I find the blessing in it all that I am doing well just sore and I can hug my babies, tuck them in, talk to them and etc. The van is a piece of machinery that can be replaced human lives can't be. I'm also glad that the other person involved in the accident is alright too he can go home to his family. 
But I'll be the first to tell you yesterday was really trying me on top of all this stuff I have had to deal with cause these are pretty major issues and major feelings yesterday yall my toilets(FOUR OF THEM) were all backing up! I was like you have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! I worked and worked on them, Wayne helped a little too. We are honestly down to ZERO dollars in our bank account so we couldn't call anyone out to come help us and I was like God really really I can't really deal with anymore stress right now Father I just can't. So I tinkered a bit more and it may sound nutty to everyone else but I prayed lol I said Lord please oh please let this have worked we are broke and broken down. (Yall I felt silly praying over a toilet) But God please oh please let me be able to flush these toilets and let them function properly cause Lord there are seven of us in this house and we have to be able to use our bathrooms. I flushed the first one success and every other one after that success! Whew!You will never know how happy and relieved I felt! And yes I thanked him after each one flushed lol that's just how grateful I was I think we should be grateful in the big and the small things in life take nothing for granted. God is good, and he's good all the times even when we are going through trails and we may not see the good at the time. In time we'll see the good that was produced from our valley's we can't always bask on the mountain top but we surely can praise him from both the valley's and the mountain tops! So I will keep on stepping forward through the valley we are currently in till I am sitting on the mountain top and seeing just exactly what it is that I'm learning as I go through these hard times. I encourage each and everyone to always remember to keep walking in faith no matter what is going on around you.Eventually you'll see what God was up to! 

The Duggar's Baby Number 20

Well Michelle Duggar announced yesterday that she is expecting baby number 20! Big congrats to her and the Duggar family as they patiently await this new addition. I have been reading various news sources and have seen some varying opinions on her having so many children. People have been down right mean saying the family was dysfunctional, and for the life of me I don't see it they seem extremely functional to me, maybe it's just the lousy society we live in today where people think it's acceptable for teenagers to engage in premarital sex, do drugs, drink and curse out their parents. These kids are well behaved, well mannered, and being shaped into fine upstanding young adults that will contribute to society instead of being a drain on society! The Duggar's have my utmost respect, they teach their children values and morals in a society that is slowly losing all those things or quickly it seems lately. 
This family supports their selves and live debt free and they were living debt free before their show. They were providing for their family without any public assistance! People complain and say the older kids help too much or the older kids raise the little ones no the older ones most certainly do not raise them they do help as family should help each other. Nothing wrong with a family working together, since when should family not help each other? If you can't count on family then who can you count on? So the Duggar's don't depend on assistance, have raised well behaved children, and good God fearing people so why should anyone have anything to say on this subject really? People people people I'd rather Michelle Duggar have 20+ children and take good care of them than some bad person have one and not take care of them and abuse them and end up murdering them.

Praise Him Anyway

When life get's hard as it often does

do not turn and run.

Without any rain in life then how can

you appreciate the sun?



When life is filled with trouble and

you feel your hearts broken in two

turn to him for comfort as he

would have you do.



Don't lose your voice or praise when

the battle gets too long,

No praise him anyway for

he will keep you strong.





Praise him anyway because he has

a greater plan one that you don't know.

Praise him anyway because through

this battle he is with you and helping you to grow.



Praise him in the joyous times

and praise in him the sad.

Praise them when things are good

and even when things are bad.



For even when it seems he's

very far away..

he truly never really is all you have to

do is stop and take the time to pray.



You can reach him in the morning,

noon or even night.

All you have to do is turn the battle

over to him for he will win the fight.