31 days of thankfulness Day 31:

My last day to do this. I managed to keep it up all month. I wasn't sure I'd stick to it, but I did.

On this last day of January, the 31st and last day of my 31 days of thankfulness, I am thankful for salvation. Where would any of us be if God had not sent his Son to this earth to die for all of us.

31 days of thankfulness Day 30: Christmas

Anyone who knows me knows I love Christmas. For many reasons... too many to list here. So I am thankful for Christmas

31 days of thankfulness Day 29: Sundays

I love Sundays. I don't always enjoy church as much as I wished, but it has been a part of me for so long that I go, and a part of me just enjoys being in church on Sunday. It feels right. Then there is our tradional Sunday dinner: mashed potatoes, meat, veggie, bread/rolls, and sometimes dessert. Then my Sunday afternoon nap.

Unfortunately, I have to work every other Sunday. I firmly believe if every Christian didn't shop or eat out on Sundays, most stores and restaurants would be closed on Sunday due to lack of business, and people like me wouldn't be forced to work....... but that isn't the case, so every other Sunday I have to rush out of church so I can get home and eat, and I don't get a Sunday afternoon nap....... so I am really thankful for the Sundays I don't have to work. Those Sundays are special to me now, and I am very thankful for them.

31 days of thankfulness Day 28: My debit card

Might seem like a weird thing to be thankful for, but I lost my debit card tonight and had to cancel it. My new one may take 10 days to get here. I realized how much I use it - I rarely carry cash, and how much I depend on it. It is a handy thing to have. So on day 28, I am thankful for my debit card.

31 days of thankfulness Day 27: payday

today is payday! I am very, very thankful for payday! (and not talking about the candy bar)

31 days of thankfulness Day 26: prayer

I went through a period a few years ago where I wondered if praying did any good. I'd pray and ask God for help and it seemed nothing I ever prayed for happened. I hit a point where I decided I wasn't going to ask God for anything, for it didn't seem to do any good. That may have been the start of my depression.

Anyway, I don't quite feel that way now, at least not to that extreme. Today, I am thankful for prayer. Whether it is myself being able to pray and hoping God is listening, or having someone tell you they are praying for you, prayer brings comfort.

There is a song by one of my favorite groups, The Whisnants, that has helped me some in the not answered prayer department: A Greater Yes. So in addition to being thankful for prayer today, I am going to share that song.

31 days of thankfulness Day 25: love

On today, day 25 of my little venture, I am thankful for love. There is a lot to be said about that subject, but let me keep it short and sweet and say I am thankful for love.

31 days of thankfulness Day 24: life

I am thankful for life

31 days of thankfulness Day 23: Blogging for books

A couple of years ago, I became involved in blogging for books programs. I simply post reviews of books that are sent to me or that I request. I get the books free. All I have to do is post reviews. This has saved me money and also got me reading authors and books I normally might not have picked up. So today, I am thankful for the blogging for books programs I am a part of.

31 days of thankfulness Day 22: church

I am not always happy with my church, and in many ways feel like an outsider, but I am still thankful for church. It would be discouraging indeed if we couldn't gather with people of like-minded faith each week.

31 days of thankfulness Day 21: Week-ends off

I know used days off one day, but I am enjoying  this week-end off so much, that I have to say I am thankful for this week-end off from work, and any that I have. I wish I had every week-end off, but I am thankful for the ones I get

31 days of thankfulness Day 20: Second chances

Life would really be rough if we never had second chances. On some things, we don't get second chances, but there are a lot of things we do get second chances - and more. Especially with God. So on day 20, I am thankful for second chances..... and beyond second chances.

31 days of thankfulness Day 19: Good memories

We all have bad memories. I have my share. So today, I am thankful for good memories: family vacations, Christmases, birthdays, times spent with friends. The list goes on.

31 days of thankfulness Day 18: humor

I am thankful for humor. It helps us get through life and we all need more of it.

31 days of thankfulness Day 17: feelings

It may seem an odd thing to be thankful for, but I am thankful for feelings. I just read a book by a mother-daughter writing due, Kimberley and Kayla Woodhouse. Kayla has a disorder that makes her body unable to sense pain. I have thought about that, and the thought hit me how terrible it would be if we had no feelings - physical or emotional. So, I am thankful for feelings.

31 days of thankfulness Day 16: Internet

It might seem an odd thing to be thankful for, but I am thankful for the internet. It can be used for bad or good, and it is a great tool. I have made and met friends through the internet, reconnected with friends I hadn't seen or heard from in years, found CDs and books I could not have found otherwise through ebay, Amazon, and similar sites. And there are many other advantages. So today on day 16, I am thankful for the internet.

31 days of thankfulness Day 15: Spring

Spring is still a long way off... too far off. I really hate winter for many reasons, but I love Spring. The trees and flowers are blooming and budding. The days are warmer and longer. Everything is green instead of bare and grey. Looking forward to it, and very thankful for Spring.

31 days of thankfulness Day 14: clothing

I'm not a normal guy. I love clothes, love shopping for and buying them.... so today, I am thankful for clothes and all that I own.

31 days of thankfulness Day 13: America

I am thankful for America, and that I was born and live here. Even though it seems we are losing freedoms daily, and the administration in charge despises Christians and the Constitution, this is still the greatest nation in the world, and I am thankful I am an American.

31 days of thankfulness Day 12: sleep

Since I began dealing with depression, I have had a difficult time sleeping. A pm Tylenol, or similar pill, helps a lot, so I sleep pretty well when I take one of those. So today, I am thankful for sleep. And naps.

31 days of thankfulness Day 11: days off

On day 11, I am thankful for days off from work. Days I can avoid my place of employment and spend the day as I wish. Shopping, eating out, reading...... the day is mine, and tomorrow is one such day. I am very thankful for days off

31 days of thankfulness Day 10: Books

I am 1/3 of the way through this month, and so far so good with the thankfulness. Today, I am thankful for books. I have been an avid reader ever since I learned to read complete books. I have no idea how many I have read over the years, but it would be a high number. I have been entertained, encouraged, even convicted by books I have read. I have been all over the world through the words in a book. I love to read and am very thankful for not only books, but the abililty to read them.

31 days of thankfulness Day 9: Food

 I am thankful today for food. Pizza, chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, steak, Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian food. Desserts, chocolate.... and the list goes on. Food is awesome. Well, a lot of it, not all food.

31 days of thankfulness Day 8: Hope

When a person is as depressed as I have been, hope seems elusive. In the last few weeks, I have been doing better in that area and realize that there is hope. Maybe I realized that all along, but it just got buried under all of the negative, regardless, I am thankful for hope, and need to focus more on the fact that things are not as hopeless as they seem, that they will get better.

31 days of thankfulness Day 7: my car

I am thankful today for my car. It isn't anything fancy, and isn't that new - a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire, but it is paid off and has no serious issues. I have had to put some money in it this year, but nothing too major. It runs great, and best of all..... it is paid off. :-)

31 days of thankfulness Day 6: Music

I am thankful today for music. There is a wide variety out there, even in the Christian music field, but my favorite is Southern Gospel. I think one reason is, the songs are so encouraging and full of hope, more than the other genre's of Christian music.

31 days of thankfulness Day 5: Health

Today I am thankful for health. Sure I have had my share of illnesses in my life, but so far, nothing too serious, and for that,  I am thankful.

31 days of thankfulness, day 4: Friends

Today I am thankful for friends. I have a lot of friends of varying "friend-ness", if that is a word. I am sure it isn't. I have close friends, friends I have known for as long as I can rememeber, new friends, old friends, young friends. I have a best friend, Steven, who unfortunately lives 400 miles away. Best friends like him are great. I am very thankful for him. Sometimes I'd like to smack him, but most of the time he is cool (I wrote that because he will read it). He used to blog - awesome blog too, but he got too lazy or something to do that :-) - anyway, I am very thankful for him.

I am thankful for my facebook friends. Some I have never met, some I will never meet on this earth, but some of them make me smile or think with things they post.

Some people call themselves your friend, but then they drift away, or drop you at the first sign of something they don't like about you. I am thankful for the friends in my life who know the worst about me, and still call me their friend.

31 days of thankfulness, day 3: freedom

Today, I am thankful for freedom. Our country has a lot of bad, but there is still a lot of good. We still have our basic freedoms, though they are eroding daily and are being constantly challenged by those who want our country to be less great. America is still the greatest country, and I am thankful to be born and live here.

31 days of thankfulness, day 2: House

It is rather depressing to be my age and living with my parents. It was supposed to be a temporary thing until I found full time work after moving back from the state of Indiana, but it has been three years now. Three years of having most of my belongings in storage. Three years of feeling like I have no independence.

Admittedly, I have looked on this more negatively than anyone knows. I feel shame, and I feel like I have failed...... but it is better than living on the street. I could be staying in a box on a street corner somewhere, but I do have a roof over my head, and though I hope and pray I get my own place again soon, today I am thankful for what I have: a roof over my head and a place to sleep.

31 days of thankfulness, day 1: Family

No family is perfect. Mine isn't, but I am thankful for them. My parents have been overprotective, have had a hard time letting go, but they raises my two sisters and I well, and would do anything for us.

My sisters and I get along great, and have never had any major squabbles as adults, just as kids.

I have two great brothers-in-law who provide well for their famlies and aren't deadbeats.

And the kids.... I have 6 great nieces and nephews, three of each, who I love as much if they were mine.

When we all get together, we have fun. We all get along great, and there is no fighting and scrapping as there is in so many families.

For these, my family, I am thankful for on not only this first day of 2012, but all year long.