Having a Thankful Heart…

As each day was drawing nearer on the calendar, I began to think of what I might write about this Thanksgiving week. It seemed simple enough…it’s called Thanksgiving for a reason, so why not write about the blessings in my life and why I’m thankful for them. I began a list and it just kept growing and growing, so I tried to narrow it down a bit. These aren’t the only things I’m thankful for, but just for times sake, these are the “biggies” on my list.
I’ll do it backwards; I guess like David Letterman does his Top Ten list and work my way to number 1. There are just a couple of pictures so it wouldn’t be ALL words…

Number 10:
I’m very thankful for the talent the Lord gave me for sewing, which allows me to make and sell doll clothes. I’m also thankful for the dolls I have been able to buy to use as models so I can accurately sew outfits for your dolls. I’ve met so many new people since I started this blog and I am having a wonderful time sharing with you each day. I hope you are enjoying it too! Just imagine what it would have been like if I had been given a talent for playing the guitar…I might have missed meeting all of you. (I do play the guitar, but you’d probably wince…)

Number 9:
In order to keep my list only to 10 things, I combined these 3 things into one category. I’m very grateful for the 1892 fixer-upper house that we were able to buy a few years ago. It has lots of quirks and will never be perfect, but it is our home and we feel comfortable in it. We are still walking on plywood floors, but I’m hopeful that someday we may have flooring. Along with this, we have never gone without food and our refrigerator always has something in it. We have never known the feeling of being so hungry that you are scared. We also have a very dependable car that we bought a little over a year ago. It wasn’t new…in fact, it was a 1999, but it was what we could afford and the Lord blessed us with one that only had 66,000 miles on it and I got the color I wanted… RED!

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Number 8:
I am very thankful to live in the United States! I have friends who live in all parts of the world and the freedoms that we are able to enjoy are like no other nation on earth. While I do see lots of things going on that I don’t agree with, I have a great love for my country.

Number 7:
We’ve always been a pretty healthy family and never even had to worry about things like asthma or allergies. Enter September 2013… my hubby was diagnosed with bladder cancer and I have to tell you, it was the scariest thing we had ever been faced with. He went through the chemo/BCG treatments and we were never so grateful to find out at the 3 month checkup, that it was all gone. Then at the 6 and 9 month checkups the same wonderful report. He has gone back to work and it seems like eons ago that this happened. My children are both healthy and I am very thankful for that. I’m still working on getting my last 30 pounds off…

Number 6:
I belong to a Bible believing church where the gospel is preached without reservation. I am thankful for the truths I have been taught and how they work in my life when I practice them. It is a blessing to have a pastor who practices what he preaches. I love my church body so much!

Number 5:
I am blessed with friends from all over the world and it’s such a joy to know I could go to most continents and have a place to stay if I wanted to. Our church is an outreach to the college students in our town and as they come and we make friends with them, new bonds are developed. I could easily go to Zambia, Tokyo, or Kenya and have a bed to sleep in. I have lots of local friends too… some very special friends that are there for me when I need them or just there to go to lunch if we want to. They are the kind of friends who will drop whatever they are doing to help you out if need be. They are concerned for us when something is happening in our lives.

Number 4:
I have always believed that the family I grew up in was a little different than other families I knew. I’m not sure I could ever put my finger on it, but we all seemed a little kinder and a little more in tune with each other than some families I was around. I have 2 sisters and a brother and they are the absolute best siblings on the planet. We are very close and talk to each other often!! We always have fun and get along so well with each other when we’re together. We laugh a lot and see the humor in most things. My mom is going to be 80 years old next month and she’s been a widow since my dad died in 1973. I was a junior in high school and she had 4 of us kids to raise on her own. I think she did a magnificent job! Thanks momma!

Number 3:
I have 2 children…Kristoffer and Rebecca, and both are so dear to me. It’s almost hard to put into words how special your kids are to you, but I love these two like nothing else. I pray for them daily that they would find someone to love them as I have found. They were home schooled and both have a good head between their shoulders. They are kind to those they meet, and a friend to those less fortunate than them.

Number 2:
I have been married to the most wonderful man for the last 33 years, 2 months and 19 days. I am very blessed to be one of the ones who ended up with the “fairy tale” marriage. He treats me like a queen and makes me feel like I’m the most important thing in his life. I was first drawn to him because of his kindness and thoughtfulness to other people and that same quality is still something he exhibits. He is the most unselfish person I’ve ever known…I truly couldn’t have asked for anyone more special than him. Of all the men in the world that I could have been blessed with, I am so grateful that the Lord saw fit to give him to me. I was laughing the day I married him and he still makes me laugh every single day!

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Number 1:
I’m so thankful that I am a child who belongs to the Lord. He is my best friend and I don’t know what I would do without Him. He is always there for me when I need a friend and listens whenever I want to talk. I’ve been walking with Him for over 40 years and love Him with all my heart. I’m grateful to own a Bible which is my blueprint for how to live my life. I’m a work in progress but know what direction I’m heading…

Well, that’s my list of what I’m thankful for… do you have something you’d like to share that you are thankful for?

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

17 thoughts on “Having a Thankful Heart…”

  1. Beautiful list! I think that being thankful for the blessings in our lives makes each day more special. Thank YOU for sharing yourself with us every morning! You are a sweetheart, Jeanne!

    1. Thank you Cindy,
      Thank you for being a faithful reader of my blog. I love seeing your smiling face when you comment! I need to double check on how I signed up for you blog… unless you haven’t written anything since I signed up, I’m not getting anything…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. Jeannie B. in TX

    As I finished reading your list I had tears in my eyes. Bless you!
    I will write my list later when I absorb all that you have written.

    1. Aww Jeannie,
      I hope you have a long list of things to be thankful for too! The hardest part was narrowing down my list. I truly am blessed and hope you are too!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Oh, Jeanne, what a wonderful list of things you have to be thankful for! The more I learn about you, the more I admire you! That last picture says it all, what a darling couple! Why, that looks like your son and daughter at the very least! You must have been very young, but you sure did know what you were doing when you married your hubby! Did you make your dress?
    I too, have a lot to be thankful for, mostly for the wonderful family I have and good health of all of us. However, this is YOUR blog, not mine! It is so good to be reminded of what we do have and appreciate it.

  4. HI Linda,
    We were 25 (me) and 23…I robbed the cradle when I married him…and yes, I did make my dress… from a Gunne Sax pattern. I also made my bridesmaid’s dresses and the flower girls dresses and the ring bearers tux and pillow and did all the flowers and boutineers, except my bouquet….all in less than 2 months… I was very busy working 2 jobs and still did it all. Our wedding was only $600 but was just perfect to me.
    Thank you for being such a wonderful reader… we just HAVE to meet someday!
    Blessings, Jeanne

  5. I’m thankful for you…you have a wonderful way of putting your thoughts into words and I enjoy your posts and thoughts so much!

    1. Thank you Kathie,
      I’ve never thought of myself as being a writer, but I DO love to tell stories and I really like to talk about dolly things…so they just sort of melded together with me. I hope I get better the more I write.
      Thank you so much for reading each day!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  6. What a wonderful list of things to be thankful for. Those are the things that make our lives so blessed. I agree with your first replier- thank you for sharing YOU with us each day. Also, how nice of you to share your wedding picture with us. I can see Rebecca in your husband and Kristopher in you. You just have to marvel at God’s blessings with the gift of our children as well as the way He moves in our lives.

    1. Thank you Paula,
      I have met SO many wonderful people since I started this blog and YOU are one of them! It just warms my heart to know that I might be a small blessing to those who read. There is too much turmoil and stress in each day, so I was hoping a little dolly time and a story or two might make a difference in someone’s day. I have truly been enjoying myself.
      Thanks so much Paula,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. Jeanne, you are truly blessed to have all the things you have to be thankful for. Having the love and support of a wonderful husband is truly something to admire. I do love reading your blog everyday and seeing the beautiful doll clothes you create.

    1. Thank you Regina,
      I hope you have similar things that you are thankful for as well. I’m so glad you are enjoying the blog. It is fun for me to share with all of you.
      blessings, Jeanne

  8. Charlotte Trayer

    Thanks for your wonderful list, Jeanne! I have to say, many of the things on your list would be on mine, too, especially #6 (it took us a while to find the right one, and it’s small, but the pastor preaches the whole word of God, and they use the traditional music we love) and #1. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

    1. Charlotte,
      Thanks for your kind words about my blog post. I am so glad you have the same things to be thankful for as I do. I appreciate your faithfulness
      reading my blog and hope you too, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  9. Well,
    This post confirms it!!! I’m one year older than you! I’ve been married 3 years less than you -will be 32 years in another month and a half. My oldest turned 30 last year, and my second oldest will be 20 tomorrow sniff. You are lovely person. One thing I seem to be ahead of you on is a grandchild. Oldest daughter blessed us with our first granddaughter almost 10 months ago. Gosh! THAT time has flown!!

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