[I'm Thankful For] Thanksgiving

Day 24:
I’m thankful for Thanksgiving.
Well, it’s finally here. The countdown is over, the posts have been written, and now the event is finally here. Thanksgiving. It’s the day when all of the things we are grateful for come to light. I’m thankful that today is a day of the simple things, the simple pleasures. We surround ourselves with the people and the things that matter most. Friends. Family. Laughter. Home. Memories. Good food. And most importantly, we focus upon Him and who He is and His abundant blessings. I’m thankful for the ability to together reminisce and reflect on all the year before has held and the amazing things that God has done.

I’m thankful for curling up on the couch watching the Purina Dog Show, like I’ve done every year since I was little. I’m thankful for the wafting aromas of pungent cranberries, fresh-brewed coffee, slow-roasting turkey, the smells of Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for all the smiles and the hugs and the laughs and the joy that so often epitomizes this holiday. I’m thankful for a day off of work and school and the hubbubs of every day life, a day of rest and relaxation.

I’m thankful that Thanksgiving is the perfect way to start off the Christmas season, by giving thanks to God for all He has done, all He does each and every day, and all He will do in the year to come. It truly is the perfect way to prepare our hearts for the celebration of His birth, the most glorious gift we should be thankful for…

So enjoy your lovely holiday, friends! Thank you all for taking the time to read and reflect with me this Thanksgiving season. May you be blessed as we together lift our praise and thanks to our amazing Father today and every day. Happy Thanksgiving!

[I'm Thankful For] Worship

Day 19:
I’m thankful for worship.

I’m thankful that we were made for loving Him, that our lives were made to be a constant outpouring of love and praise and adoration. I’m thankful that worship is our response to who He is and all that He does. I’m thankful that Scripture makes it so clear that we are to worship Him with all aspects of ourselves, with our minds, our souls, our bodies. We are to pour out our souls to Him, lift up our souls to Him, love Him with our souls, boast in Him with our souls. I’m thankful that we are to know Him and declare true things about Him. I’m thankful that we are to cherish and treasure the truth about Him, as we cherish and treasure Him. And I’m thankful that we express with our bodies the outpouring of our hearts.

I’m thankful for songs that lead us to the throne of grace. I’m thankful for lyrics that cause our hearts to sing and overflow and lift Him up. I’m thankful for Amazing Grace and It is Well With My Soul. I’m thankful for You Won’t Relent and Lovers Of Your Presence. I’m thankful for One Thirst and For Who You Are. I’m thankful for Forever Reign and Hosanna and Revelation Song.

I’m thankful that we can raise our hands because God is worthy to be exalted. I’m thankful that we can kneel in humble silence because we are completely dependent upon God for mercy and sustenance. I’m thankful that our feet can move for joy and we can dance because sin has been cleansed and we’ve been set free through Jesus Christ. I’m thankful that God is worthy of our deepest, our strongest and our purest affections, and that our bodies should show it.

My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!
Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. -Psalm 108:1-4

[I'm Thankful For] Simple Pleasures.

Day 18:
I’m thankful for simple pleasures.
There are a thousand little things for which I am so grateful, little things that so often are overlooked in the hubbub of every day life. We don’t stop to thank God for the briskness of the air as autumn rolls to spring. We don’t think of thanking Him in the early hours of the morning when you wake up before the alarm and realize you have more time to sleep. We don’t thank Him when we rediscover a pleasant surprise of money hidden away in pockets of old clothes. We don’t thank Him for the seemingly unimportant things, though we should! So I’m just going to start listing of the simple pleasures, the little things that I never, if ever, thank Him for.

I’m thankful for clothes still warm from the dryer. I’m thankful for gooshing mud through your bare toes. I’m thankful for a warm cup of tea by the fireplace with a good book. I’m thankful for the excitement when I get an actual letter in the mail. I’m thankful for sleeping stretched out in the backseat during family road trips. I’m thankful for the times a song comes on the radio and it’s exactly the song I need or want to hear at that specific moment. I’m thankful for the comfortable silence between close friends. I’m thankful for brand new pairs of socks, without holes in them yet. I’m thankful for taking off your shoes and being barefoot in the summer, feeling the cool grass. I’m thankful for way your skin get all wrinkly and pruny when you wash the dishes by hand. I’m thankful for pajama dance parties and silly sleepovers. I’m thankful for belting Adele in the car when no one’s listening. I’m thankful for daydreams.

I’m thankful for that first spoonful of mint chocolate chip ice cream. I’m thankful for watching shooting stars in the night sky, away from the city lights, when all is calm and the crickets are chirping their lullabies. I’m thankful for when you crack a joke and everyone laughs. I’m thankful for when you walk out of a final exam, knowing you’ll never have to take it again. I’m thankful for launching water balloons at cows 200 yards away. I’m thankful for the first snowflakes, when you stand out in the open with your mouth wide, hoping to catch them on your tongue. I’m thankful for the thrill of jumping into puddles. I’m thankful for the perfect parking spot you see out of the blue. I’m thankful for hockey games with my daddy. I’m thankful for eating all the marshmallows out of a box of Lucky Charms and leaving the rest. I’m thankful for fezzes and bow ties. I’m thankful for a perfect performance after a terrible rehearsal.

I’m thankful for candlelight glowing on polished wood. I’m thankful for blowing out all of your birthday candles. I’m thankful for eggnog and pumpkin, when you know that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. I’m thankful for when the groom kisses the bride for the first time. I’m thankful for a back rub after a day at work and a six-mile run. I’m thankful for improv jam sessions with my brothers. I’m thankful for accomplishing something you set out to do. I’m thankful for “I love you.”

And lastly, I’m thankful that this list could go on for pages and pages and ages and ages, and I would never stop finding little things, simple pleasures, to be thankful for.

[I'm Thankful For] Laughter

Day 17:
I’m thankful for laughter.

I love to laugh. I’m thankful that laughter is so often the expression our heart takes when it overflows with joy. It is such a beautiful thing. Reflecting upon the joy of the Lord through laughter puts life back into perspective, as we focus upon the joys of knowing Christ, of being set free from bondage, of being loved by the awesome God of the universe. I’m thankful for a God who gave us the ability to find joy in the little things in life. I’m thankful that joy and laughter, sorrow and tears are all a necessary part of life, leading us closer to becoming more like Christ, teaching us to praise Him in all circumstances. I’m thankful that laughter is contagious. I’m thankful for the power that laughter holds in making a difference, not only in our own lives and circumstances but in the lives of others as well. I’m thankful that even in the darkest of days, when all seems wrong with the world and all is asunder, joy comes with the morning.

I’m thankful for the many different aspects of laughter. I’m thankful for the laughter in worship that just bubbles over as I’m dancing before His throne. I’m thankful for silly giggles over certain hollywood actors, like all teenage girls do at some point in their life. I’m thankful for hearty laughter shared over the dinner table with my family. I’m thankful for uncontrollable laughter at the wee hours of the morning when everyone is tired and hyper and the silliest things become dreadfully hilarious for no reason. I’m thankful for laughter that erupts in the heat of turmoil, when you are frustrated beyond no end, and you throw your hands up and laugh. I’m thankful for laughter and joy that comes after my heart is broken, after I have wept until my sobs become silent, and I’m laid bare, and He reminds me of His tender mercies, His loving promises.

I’m thankful that God gave us the ability to laugh. That He molded and created us to share and express joy in Him and with Him and because of Him. It is a truly beautiful thing. So let’s spend a moment thanking Him and cherish the giggles, the guffaws, the chortles, the snickers, the cackles, the titters, and the laughter in our lives.

[I'm Thankful For] Memories.

Day 16:
I’m thankful for memories.
Over the dinner table tonight, my brother started singing a song from a computer game I used to play when I was young. A tiny little tune that was composed of “La La La” repeated over and over again in varying scales and notes. Seemingly insignificant and rather silly to anyone else, but it triggered something within me: memories.

The warm vanilla perfume my grandmother used to wear. The way my parents beamed with pride after my first piano recital, when I played As The Deer. That first night in Ireland, when all of the tents flooded. The first time I had a cup of tea and nearly gagged. My only spoken line in my first play, “Yes, my prince.” The tears that flowed when I saw my grandmother resting in her casket. When my kitty, Scout, always slept on the pillow above my head every night. When I truly became serious about my life and my faith. The many letters from my best friends, tucked away in a box in my bedroom. The first time I lead worship at youth group. How nervous I was on my first day of work. The way my best friend always pokes my armpits. How the Finding Nemo soundtrack always makes me cry. The resounding crack I heard when I broke my collarbone. How He has humbled and grown me in these past couple months.

Memories are fickle things, are they not? We so often remember those memories we want to forget, and those we try so desperately to cling to often fade with time. They are tucked away in our minds and our hearts. I’m thankful for memories. Memories of childhood innocence. Memories of places we’ve been. Memories of a certain smell. Memories of a certain moment in time we wish we could go often return to. As time so quickly flies by, we hold tightly to memories, constantly remembering the past, constantly using our memories to impact the future. How blessed are we that our brains retain memories! I’m thankful for the ability to remember and relive. I’m thankful that He uses memories to remind of of who we were, how we’ve lived, and how He has constantly shaped our lives every single moment of every day.

[I'm Thankful For] Health

Day 15:
I’m thankful for health.
Hullo. My name is Cheyenne. I am 18 years old. And I am a bit of a health freak. I love exercising. I love eating right. I love being healthy. And I’m thankful that God has blessed me in these regards. I am thankful for good health. Aside from a few minor things here and there, (mono when I was 13, a broken collarbone when I was 17, ongoing minor circulations problems and being born practically blind), I am healthy. In comparison to many, I am very healthy. I have never had a serious illness like cancer. I have never had a major medical scare, like a torn muscle or collapsed lung. The most I have to complain about is a sore back and feet from a long day at work.

I’m thankful to live in a country where good health is achievable. I don’t have to walk miles to go to the doctor. I can drive to the pharmacy and pick up a treatment for almost anything: the common cold, allergies, stomach cramps, fever. I’m thankful to eat good, nutritious food. I don’t have to wash and re-wash and deworm my food to make sure it is sanitary. I don’t have to worry about the pasteurization of the milk I drink or question the integrity of the cans of soup in my pantry. I have a choice of whether I eat boxed mac and cheese and ramen noodles or fresh fruits and vegetables.

I’m thankful for exercise. God’s blessed me with a strong body. He reminds me every single time I go to the gym. He is my strength and He always gives me the endurance to make it through every work out. I’m thankful for the ability to push myself physically. I am training for a marathon in the spring, and sometimes it just blows me away. I’m thankful for a heart that beats and legs that don’t collapse and sweat that regulates my body temperature. I’m thankful for the millions of aspects of my human anatomy that God designed so distinctly that everything runs and pumps and works exactly as it should, each and every day. It blows me away how the body works, and I’m thankful for a meticulous Creator who has made us exactly as He designed, so that we might live our lives to the fullest for His glory.

[I'm Thankful For] Death

Day 14:
I’m thankful for death.
As seemingly morbid as this sounds, I am thankful for death. We live in a constantly decaying world. People die. Things constantly pass away. They’re buried 6 feet under the ground and these mortal bodies decay. But I’m thankful for this: Death is not the end of life for us, friends! For those who know God, there is so much more to death that a simple end of existence. As a Christian, death is the passageway to life, eternal life, the beginning of the great glory worship party that will last for all of eternity. I’m thankful that death has lost its sting, that death has been swallowed up in victory. I’m thankful that through the blood of Jesus Christ I no longer have to fear death.

My grandmothers all passed away from cancer and illness. A friend of mine was murdered at the age of 14. I have felt the heartbreak, the sorrow, the pain that we experience when death comes knocking. But I also have experienced the silent joy that comes in His loving arms, the peace that transcends all of the hurt this world can inflect upon us. I’m thankful for the ability to take care of my grandmother on her deathbed, facing death straight in the face and still having the ability to smile because this is not the end. To give her that final hug as I said goodbye, knowing it wasn’t really goodbye, it was only “see you later.”

I get a little envious of those who don’t have to deal with the trivialities of this life anymore, those whom God brings into His kingdom a little earlier than the rest. One day, on that day, we will be complete. We will be fully as God intended us to be, in a full, complete relationship with Him. These mortal bodies are just the casing, and I’m thankful that there is another place waiting for me after this life is over. And I cannot wait for the day He has planned for me, when I see finally Him face-to-face, and I dance before His throne for the rest of eternity.

[I'm Thankful For] Sacrifice

Day 11:
I’m thankful for sacrifice.

They are separated from their families, willing to give up the simplest everyday comforts, to trade them in for years of dedication in the face of hardship, perseverance in the face of no hope. They stare into the face of danger, willing to risk their own lives so that others might benefit from convenience. They persist through fire and rain, battle and peace, hunger and comfort, illness and health. They ungrudgingly pay the cost so that I can sit in my little room in Green Bay, Wisconsin and express my beliefs without fear of persecution, so that I don’t have to fear for my own life every day, so that I can have freedom. I’m thankful for the men and women who have served and are currently serving our country. I’m thankful for their sacrifice, their integrity, their selflessness to give themselves up to death, to pay the ultimate price for my freedom.

He was separated from the Father, willing to give up the wonder of Heaven, to trade in majesty and glory for years of dedication in the face of hardship, perseverance in the face of no hope. He became a man, trading in His splendor for earthly nakedness. He stared into the face of death, willing to risk His life so that we might have life, though we will never deserve His sacrifice. He persisted through persecution, through mockery, through battle, through hunger, through obedience, through death. He ungrudgingly paid the cost so that I can sit in my little room in Green Bay, Wisconsin and not be condemned to an eternity of separation from Him. I’m thankful for Jesus Christ, for His death on the cross, the pain He endured, the blood that He shed. I’m thankful for His sacrifice, His love, His selflessness and obedience to the Father to give Himself up to death, to pay the ultimate price for my freedom.

I’m thankful that He calls me to sacrifice, to follow in His footsteps and die to my flesh every single day. I’m thankful that He calls me to pick up my cross, to lay myself on the altar, to be willing to pay the price to find life in Him. Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

[I'm Thankful For] Rest

Day 10:
I’m thankful for rest.

I’m thankful for the moment of silence before the day begins when you lay in bed, just resting. I’m thankful for the moment when you hear your favourite worship song playing in the background and you stop everything to sing along and just rest in His presence. I’m thankful for the moment when your brain is so incredibly rushed by the hubbub of this world, and you find yourself on your knees, silencing your mind, tuning in your heart to His peace, and you rest. I’m thankful for the rest that comes from reading His word, digging deeper into who He is and resting in the deepness of His character. I’m thankful That moment of silence when the day is done, when your body is tired, when you lay in bed and you rest.

I’m thankful for be still. Cease striving. Know that He is God. I’m thankful for the promises found in His Word. “Come unto Me, all you who are burdened and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your souls.” I’m thankful for those moments in worship where I can’t even speak, can’t even lift my hands, can’t even do anything but just rest in His presence, wrapped in His loving arms. How blessed are we that we can rest, we can find peace, because of the greatness and wonder and glory of our Great God? That we can find rest for our souls in the midst of a bustling, busy world because of Him who has overcome? I’m thankful for the quiet. I’m thankful for the silence. Because it is in these things that I deeply reflect upon who He is and all that He has done.

Jesus I am resting, resting
In the Joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power
Thou hast made me whole.

[I'm Thankful For] Home

Day 9:
I’m thankful for home.
My father is a contract engineer. His father was a contract engineer. My father’s family lived in eleven different states. My father attended 10 different schools before graduating high school. My life could have been very similar. When my parents got married, this Wisconsin job was only supposed to last 2 years. We’re now going on our 19th year here. I’m thankful that my home is still here. It’s incredibly odd to think that my life could have been all travel, moving job to job, state to state. I never would have made the friends I have here. I wouldn’t have attended the church I go to. I wouldn’t be here at all. My life would be entirely different…

Even if I’m not a Packer fan and even if we get snow in the middle of November (aka the very second I write this), I love Wisconsin. I love Green Bay. It’s the town where I was born. It’s the town in which I grew up. It’s home.

This is where I learned to walk. This is where I met my best friend. This is where I overcame my fear of being in front of people. This is where I had my first brat. This is where I graduated high school. This is where my life has taken place thus far. And I’m thankful for every moment and every memory. I look forward to the day when I bring my children to the houses I’ve lived in, showing them my favourite tree in the backyard. Or take them on a picnic to the Wildlife Sanctuary and feed the ducks, like my parents did with me and my brother. Or take them to the sledding hill where I broke my first bone.

Even though I may leave here and move to bigger, brighter, more “exciting” places, this will always be home. Not just Green Bay. Green Bay in itself is just a city. There will be other cities. But I’ll always be thankful for home. Home with my parents. Home with my brother. I’ll always remember coming home from a friend’s house and supper being warm on the table. Cuddling up with my mum and watching our favourite movie together. The way my father falls asleep on the couch with the television on. Bundling up and tackling the huge snow drifts at the end of the driveway.

I’m thankful for home, where I can be myself and know that I am always loved and protected and cared for. And I’m thankful that I will always have home waiting for me, no matter how far away life takes me.