We are THANKFUL!

Thanksgiving greetings to you! 2008 has been a rocky road - personally, spiritually, economically, physically - but just like the ice cream with the same name, it has been sweet. It has been sweet because of 1 very valuable lesson that God has taught us: No matter what, God desires that we offer our thanks & genuine worship to Him. We can honestly say that this lesson has changed our lives because it has changed our very hearts. As a family, through the highs & lows we have made it a priority to give God all our thanks & heartfelt worship. In the process, something has happened - our hearts have grown more in love with God, we have been given greater perspective in our hard circumstances, and we have found that our eyes are fixed on the ONE who is hope in all things!

When we have had hard times, we have found that we get stuck & it's hard to be happy or find anything to be thankful for. Can you relate? But what we've learned this year is that life is hard BUT God doesn't want or expect us to stay in a place of sadness, depression, or defeat. He wants to give us victory & joy - that comes when we thank Him & worship Him.

We thought we'd share a little of what we're thankful for. We have a "give thanks" calendar countdown that the kids are filling in each day. Here's a sampling: my chickens, my mom & dad, my teacher at school, my sissy, bubby, heaven, God & Jesus, my bus driver, Holly, Brad & Olivia, Nana & Papa, God's love, seasons, friends at school, all my family, my school, Grandma & Grandpa, playtime, safe trip to Grandma & Grandpa's, food to eat, turkey, the world God made, my cousins . . . . and many more. I, Kelly, am thankful for God's abundant grace & provision. Kevin is thankful for his "lovely wife who supports him in all he does" (I promise he wanted me to write that!)

So as we head into this time of being "Thankfull" and approach the birth of Jesus, will you join us in thanking God for who He is & for what He has done for you. Leave us a comment - we'd love to know what you are thankful for this year!

We pray you are blessed this Thanksgiving as you spend time with family & friends & remember God's faithfulness to us all!

Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas
Kevin, Kelly, Isabelle, & John Michael