Thankful Thursday! (82)

I love love love this quote, and I'm trying to improve on that and make gratitude a way of life, in big and small things, in good and bad times!  

So today, I'm thankful for...

1.  Finding a great new salon close to home, and going blonde again for the first time in years! (I never know whether to put the "e" on blond or not??)

(I asked her to take out the red as much as possible, then this was on my Facebook today, and I had to laugh and roll my eyes!)

2. Helpful Youtube lessons (on the bun maker thing), being caught up on transcripts at work and having time to practice and get ready to take my RMR (260 wpm).  Also very thankful for the "Magnum Steno Club" which has been really helpful for practicing and building speed!!

3.  I had joked about this, but I'm thankful that the death and funeral they'd mentioned in this final season of New Girl actually was Furguson the cat! lol  Rest in peace.

 4.  For Ashley Taylor (blog linked on the side here) and her inspiring writing about weight loss, health, and breaking strongholds with the help of Jesus! I am clinging to a very small spark of hope here and working to sort through my knotted and tangled mess of thoughts and emotions on this topic. (I'll spare you from reading that until I've made some sort of significant progress.)

 5.  For this reminder:

 6.  That my Mumablue books came in... so precious! =)

7.  For having a friend who loves movies like I do and who also feels frazzled by the ending of Avengers Infinity War. lol  I trust that there will be even bigger battles and that things will somehow be set right in the end, but it's still hard to watch the villain conquering and the heroes fighting with all they've got only to face catastrophic loss and feel defeated... #metaphorforlife 

8.  I'm thankful for Beth Moore -- for her many awesome and anointed Bible studies that have been life-changing for me and so many women, for her Scripture memory challenge, for her books and blogs, for her strong leadership and fun personality and fierce devotion to God, and for her willingness to stand up for women in the church (READ HERE).  “Many of you are in positions to foster Christlikeness in your sons and in the men under your influence. The dignity with which Christ treated women in the Gospels is fiercely beautiful and it was not conditional upon their understanding their place.”  ❤ AMEN to that!  (This is another topic I could easily write a full post on, and I may sometime.)

I'm thankful for God's goodness and strength, and that He is good and powerful and close to us even as we go through storms and losses.  I'm thankful for my Bible reading, and especially for the life story of King David, who's life is fascinating on so many levels and who is one of my very favorite people in the Bible.  I'm thankful for the ability to write, even when it feels like I'm talking to a brick wall.  I'm thankful that God is able to transform and free and heal us, even in the areas that sometimes feel hopeless or pointless. I'm thankful that He sees our deeper purpose even when we lack that vision.  I'm thankful for the inner strength He gives us to fight back when it feels like the enemy is winning.  I'm thankful that we're never truly alone.  And I'm thankful He knows what I'm talking about even if I've confused anyone who might read this. lol ❤

#cultivategratitude