Blessings

It is only 12:30 p.m. here and it has already been a rough day.  There have been a few tears and a few, "why me's?" in the past hour.  I honestly believe that it is much easier to feel sorry for yourself than to focus on the positive.  When my dad passed away, I sank in to a deep dark place that was extremely hard to get out of.  I mostly focused on how sad I was, wondered why bad things were happening to me, etc.  Those thoughts are normal, and I do know that, but there were so many other things in my life that I should have been thankful for....and I wasn't.  As I find myself back in a not so ideal predicament, I am trying to focus on things that I am thankful for....and I've started to realize that I have many blessings!

Here is a list of just a few of the things I am thankful for on a daily basis:

1. Chris: I thank God every single day for bringing him in to my life.  He is always there to listen and give advice (even if my drama stresses him out...haha) and he always seems to make me feel better no matter what is going on.  
2. Cox Family:  Another wonderful thing about Chris is that through him I have met his amazing family.  They immediately welcomed me and have made me feel so comfortable and like I'm already a part of the Cox clan!  His parents are always there if I need anything and his brother and sister are always so much fun to be around!
3. Friends:  I have always had wonderful friends that I have grown up with, but I also have a lot of great friends in California now!  Emily and her family have been such great friends to Chris and I and I honestly don't know what I would do without them.  Even though we've had our ups and downs, I know that I can count on her no matter what, and I hope she knows the same goes for me!  Nichole is another person who I am so grateful to know.  Even though everyone thought our friendship was weird at the beginning, I am so glad that we decided to get to know each other anyway...because she really is an amazing person and friend.  We're lucky to have her in our lives.
4. My Dad:  Even though he is no longer with me, I feel his presence every single day.  Every time I want to do something I think, "what would my dad do?"  "would he be proud of me?"  He has so much influence over my daily activities and I am so blessed to call him my dad.  
5. My family:  Over the past few months Sam and I have grown extremely close, and I am so thankful for that.  I love her to death and I am so proud of the woman she has become.  My older sister Julie is also a big part of my life.  I'm glad she is always there, always supportive, and is the best big sister a girl could ask for.  I'm also thankful I've been able to reconnect with my cousins, aunts and uncles, and Gran because having a big support system is important to me.  They truly are all people that I love and I can't imagine not having them around.
6. Material Things:  This is probably a weird one, but I am thankful for all Chris and I have.  We have been blessed with his amazing job that lets us live as comfortably as we do.  Because of his job I am able to go to school and study photography which I am extremely passionate about and we are also able to take trips, buy things out of want instead of need, and it also lets him progress with his hobby (world of warcraft!).
7. Chris's Job:  We are very blessed that Chris has a job that he loves.  For a while, Chris was stressed over Boeing (especially when we lived in Seattle), and Radient Blue has been such a great company for him.  Thanks to his friend Crystal, he applied with this company and he really likes the people he works with and the jobs he does (even though he can't discuss a lot of his daily activities with me!).
8. World of Warcraft:  Okay, so I never thought I'd say this, but I actually am happy that he has this hobby.  Even though the game sometimes drives me crazy, I love all of the people we've met through it.  Without this game I would have never met Jesse and his wife Jennifer, Shiva, Dave, Andrea, Mana....gosh, the list could go on and on and on.  They are all such wonderful people, and so crazy and fun!
9. Kelly Cox:  I could probably go on and on about how great Chris's mom is...but this post would be entirely too long!  haha!  But...because of her, I have come to find a hobby that I love and something we can do together when I'm in California....crafting!  She is so incredibly talented in whatever she does and I am constantly stalking her blog to find out what amazing project she has come up with!  I also have to say this about her, she is so kind and sincere...I don't know anyone else like her!  
10. God:  How could I forget our Creator?  God is my strength that gets me through every single day.  Even though I am not a perfect Christian, HE still loves me for trying.  I know that with God, anything is possible and HE is always with me.  I thank HIM every day for this life HE has given me and for the people HE has brought into it.  God is always good!

Whenever I am having a hard day, this post will give me hope.  I know that I forget all of the blessings that God has provided me and that it is always easier to feel sorry for myself than to think of all the good I have.  Writing this has made me realize how lucky I am, and that God will never give me more than I can handle.  What are you thankful for today?