Sweet Gratitude

Sometimes, when I get frustrated with life, or feel anxious, or just want to give up on the day and go back to bed, it helps me to think of things that keep me going. When I stop and think, I realize that I have so much to be grateful for. If I think about these things, instead of focusing on the negative parts of life, it’s easier to face things that I’d rather not face.

So, I decided to make a gratitude list. During my freshman year of college, one of my professors assigned us to make a gratitude list of 200 things that we were grateful for. TWO HUNDRED. Let me tell you, folks, that’s hard to do. Since I’m in a different place in life, I decided to make a new one, listed below. It’s long, so you don’t have to read the whole thing if you don’t want to. BUT I challenge you to make your own list! 200 things, don’t skimp out! And then you will discover the same thing I did:

I am so blessed.

I am grateful for:

1. my marriage with Judah
2. Judah
3. my family
4. Judah’s family
5. our cozy apartment
6. our church
7. our friends
8. my job
9. my babysitting job
10.  crocheting
11.  sewing
12. books
13. movie nights
14. spring
15. my beautiful nephew, born last week
16. for my soon-to-be-born nephew or niece
17. the wonderful kids that I work with
18. food
19. every time that God has given us exactly what we need, even in the last minute
20. Etsy
21. dry-erase boards
22. to-do lists
23. freshly baked bread
24. my health
25. my mentor
26. Facebook - how it lets me keep up with friends and family around the world
27. Skype - for the same reason
28. all the great things I can learn on YouTube, like sign language
29. hot chocolate
30. my car
31. Judah’s super-gas-efficient “space car”
32. arts and crafts
33. ice cream
34. hot showers
35. my imagination
36. cookies
37. dinner guests
38. the ability to learn new things
39. sunshine
40. warm weather
41. the color yellow
42. Judah’s cooking skills
43. Judah’s ability to fix everything
44. almond cake
45. creativity
46. fairy tales
47. a rock solid Foundation for our marriage
48. my best friend Erin
49. music
50. my education
51. spending time with people I love
52. random dance parties
53. lemon pudding
54. lessons that I’ve learned from hard times
55. swing dancing
56. chocolate
57. my voice
58. the Bible
59. sunshine
60. the crocuses and daffodils that are poking up through the ground
61. laughter
62. taylor ham and cheese sandwiches
63. children
64. our amazingly comfortable bed
65. water
66. indoor plumbing
67. the wonderful students I had in China
68. Jane Austen books
69. good conversation
70. talking to my mom
71. doughnuts with pink icing and rainbow sprinkles
72. long car rides with fun people
73. prayer
74. old cartoons
75. my car
76. “thinking of you” cards
77. soap
78. people who listen
79. old friends
80. new friends
81. memories
82. stars
83. mail
84. cats
85. surviving college
86. Easter
87. Christmas
88. crayons
89. God’s grace and forgiveness
90. birds
91. cranberry sauce
92. love
93. sleep
94. my name
95. post-it notes
96. thoughtful gifts
97. Fridays
98. crying
99. weekends
100. mechanical pencils
101.  fellowship with other believers
102.  slippers
103.  my computer
104.  my parents (all four of them)
105.  boots
106.  my Kindle
107.  fuzzy socks
108.  babies
109.  sweatpants
110.  hard work
111.  ice cream
112.  my beautiful, wonderful roommates from college (now scattered across the globe)
113.  singing
114.  my grandparents
115.  my sisters and brother
116.  pretty yarn
117.  spending time with people I love
118.  talking with my Dad
119.  words of affirmation
120.  quietness
121.  forgiveness
122.  lemon meringue pie
123.  encouragement
124.  my camera
125.  shoes
126.  warm blankets
127.  my college professors
128.  people who are working to make the world a better place
129.  pretty dresses
130.  dogs
131.  the opportunities I’ve had for world travel
132.  flowers
133. thunder storms
134.  people who care
135.  getting packages in the mail
136.  classical music
137.  people to look up to
138.  this list
139.  green leaves
140.  crunchy brown, red, and yellow leaves
141.  hope
142.  money
143.  Redbox
144.  cupcakes
145.  my cake decorating kit
146.  rainbow sprinkles
147.  leftovers
148.  phone conversations with people far away
149.  crockpot meals
150.  driving with the windows down
151.  the sound of crickets
152.  accountability
153.  Tums
154.  peace
155.  The Chronicles of Narnia
156.  my church’s children’s ministry
157.  movie soundtracks
158.  umbrellas
159.  Lord of the Rings
160.  restaurant gift cards
161.  sunrises
162.  sunsets
163.  the variety of the seasons
164.  the ability to think
165.  inspiring people (too many to list)
166.  windows
167.  candles
168.  all of the gifts that people gave us for our wedding
169.  my engagement ring
170.  our wedding rings, passed down from my grandparents
171.  calculators
172.  birds
173.  the decorations in our apartment
174.  this blog
175.  trees
176.  a monthly budget
177.  our last name sign
178.  baked goods
179.  teapots
180.  tea
181.  “introvert time”
182.  lemon cookies
183.  Erin’s ginger cookies
184.  shortbread cookies
185.  muffins
186.  Messiah College
187.  Miyazaki movies
188.  sewing
189.  daydreaming
190.  missions work
191.  adoption
192.  social workers and mental health workers (they need to be thanked)
193.  thought-provoking books
194.  all of the great relatives that I gained when I got married
195.  my desk
196.  ribbons
197.  a good book
198.  theology discussions with Judah
199.  Zumba
200.  hymns