DayThree hundred and sixy-two

Thankful Tuesday~~

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:15-17

Today I am thankful for:

• God's faithfulness throughout this day, and every other day before this one.
• My amazing Deployment Diva's. These beautiful women have been a total blessing. God knew we needed each other and He made a way for us all to get connected. Only He could have brought this crazy group together! We range in age from twenties to middle-ish thirties. Our years married range from 4 t0 15 years. One of our sweet Diva's got engaged during this deployment. The guy's years in the National Guard range from 2 to almost 18 years. So far, 3 of us have kids. There are 8 kids total~~3-2 year olds, 3-5 year olds, 1-9 year old and 1-11 year old. (yikes! mine account for half of them!) We live in 4 different cities and 2 states. While there are a lot of differences, it's what we have in common that has held us together. We each have someone we love serving our country. We all love to talk, laugh, hug, eat taco's, sing, encourage each other, and spend time together. These women were some of the first to reach out to me when my dad passed away. Each one of them came to his funeral. They took time away from their jobs and their day to come and show me support. They didn't even know him! But that's how we are. We are there for each other. We can vent, cry, and be angry over things. We listen to each other, we encourage each other, we make each other laugh and feel loved. We don't have to explain where we're coming from. We understand. I love you all dearly! This deployment would not have been bearable without you!
• This blog. I had no idea how much blogging each day would help draw me closer to the Lord. As I poured out my heart, God was right there to fill it back up again. I felt like I couldn't write a negative post and just let it be all that I put out there. God was calling me to go against my pessimistic self and search His Word, His heart and His truth to find encouragement. The verses I have posted have been for my own strength, to remind myself what God's Word says about each situation and to help me see things differently. I don't have it all together, but God does. I wish I could explain this better. For some reason, the right words will not come.
• My phenomenal friend, Stacy. Nearly every single morning since Chris has been gone, this precious sister in Christ has sent me a text message to let me know she is praying for me, thinking of me, checking in on me, and sending me virtual (((hugs))). While it may seem simple, these messages have been my life line. The loneliness has not been so lonely because she choose to take the time to love on me with her words. It hasn't just been her texts. She has guided me through some very hard patches. Never once has she been afraid to just let me cry, to admit that she didn't know what to say to help me feel better or to speak the Truth to me when I needed to hear it. Stacy you are a true friend.
• My Mom. Her prayers, her encouraging words and her willingness to help with the girls. Whether it's me calling on her or her calling me to see if she could have them so I could get a break. I'm grateful for the way she has made herself available. My girls are blessed to have you as their one and only Granny! I love you to pieces!!
• The Blair's. Just like my mom, they have gone above and beyond helping me with the girls during the last 12 months. There have been several times that they have had all 4 of my girls over for a slumber party. And not just my 4, they've even invited their 3 grand kids over at the same time. The more the merrier! I can't begin to describe how much they helped me during my dad's illness and death. I grew up living next door to them, so they knew my dad and both his good and bad side. They had an understanding that not many people could have. They were the voice of reason when I wanted to respond purely based on emotion in many many circumstances. They not only open up their hearts, arms, and ears to us; but their home as well. We are welcome any day, anytime.
• God's faithfulness again. Without Him, all of the above reasons I have to be thankful would not exist. He put all of them into motion. Some He started years and years ago. I'm more than humbled by His provision.