Jen Jeffrey
#1. I am thankful to have a job I love and with which I can do good things. That it expresses who I am and defines me in so many ways. That it gives me confidence, experience, joy, understanding and being able to touch people in some way. I am grateful to have a boss who gives me the reins in my creativity and also is patient to take me under his wing and teach me. I appreciate his integrity and it makes me proud to be a part of his staff and also making friends with the other staff on board who treat me as a team player and a friend. Thank you, God, for this amazing blessing!
#2. I am thankful for the parents I have had/have in my life. My Daddy, my Mama and my Step-dad (Papa) all taught me different things that help me as an adult today. My dad taught me to be open and giving and to have tolerance for others. He gave me my wit and taught me how to laugh at myself and to be strong. My Papa taught me about integrity and financial matters, and Mama taught me to never be ashamed for loving too much no matter if it leads to hurt or not and to live honestly and simply. She gave me many of my talents and I am so blessed to still have her with me on this earth when I feel so alone at times. I have her unconditional love and I will always be grateful for her loving me for who I am.
#3. I am thankful to have been entrusted to help raise three of the most fascinating young men in this world. From day one, I knew it was my calling. I was glad to have all boys and to get to play with them, love them, teach them and to always be rooting for them. I am so proud to watch them in their adulthood to be the men they are who love the Lord. I wasn’t always the perfect Mama and I made my share of mistakes, but oh how I love being a Mama and never have regretted it or wanted to do anything else. Being a Mama was the best thing I have ever gotten to do in my life. And now I am a Gramama of three beautiful grandchildren that I adore! Thank you God for these priceless gifts you placed in my life!
#4. I am thankful for sisters! To have been in a family of ALL girls has been so wonderful. Mama had four girls but my oldest sister died before I was born. There is something amazing, in that bond between women and to be sisters – it is special in itself. The times of learning to share (and sometimes of fighting over possessions - or boys), growing into their clothes which told me I was growing up, having sisters to show me and advise me in our teen years the ways of the world when the parents were not cool, to have forever playmates, to have them all make fun of me or blame me because I was the baby, (but I LOVED the attention!) and to have them respect me when I finally ‘arrived’ into the wisdom that comes after 40 – to have their prayerful support, their love, their laughter, the secrets we shared and the lessons we learned together. Thank you, God, for choosing to place me in a family full of sisters!
#5. I am thankful for friends. Childhood friends, new friends, old friends, best friends, friends for a season, lifelong friends, unique friends, alike friends, Facebook friends, and friends I have yet to meet. Thank you, God, for the people in my life that I can share my happiness and my tears with.
#6. I am thankful for Humanity. That God uses each of us on this earth to touch, inspire and help each other. People reaching across the world to support or teach those they don’t even know. People who step in for strangers just because there is a need. People who accept others no matter how they believe or choose to live their lives – they care because it’s another human. We are all humans and no matter what your social status, education, gender, race, religion not one person is better than the other. I appreciate being a part of God’s creation of humanity.
#7. I am thankful for my faith and spirituality. Though I was raised Christian, I don’t latch onto one church’s doctrine. Instead, God has taught me so much over the years that I have attended churches of different doctrines where I found something from each one that makes sense to me and I think God is JUST THAT BIG.
#8 I am thankful for animals! Not just our beloved pets we take in our homes but the exotic and wild ones and even the freaky looking ones. Animals can serve to teach us, but the ones we take into our hearts or homes gives us a love that is different from humans. When God gave us animals, we were given love, learning and fun!
#9 I am thankful for Nature. God’s beauty. God’s fury. I am a summer girl and love the hot sun. I love living in Tennessee to enjoy a great summer season. I also love fall with the beauty of the colors in the Tennessee Mountains surrounding us and the perfect time to hike and enjoy our earth. I love the fact that we have seasons to make us appreciate our favorite ones. To follow a pattern that is necessary for our earth. I am not fond of the destruction I see with extreme weather, but I have to say that I am in awe at God’s mighty power. I love flowers, I love that we can grow food. I love exploring God’s land and wish we could live more simply the way we used to. I enjoy our advancements, but I love when I can escape to nature and its beauty that refreshes me.
# 10. I am thankful for shelter. For my apartment. I was used to living in a rather large home and getting used to apartment living has not been my favorite, but I am thankful to have my own place to be and to be able to pay my rent on time for the past year. It’s been hard but God has provided all my needs.
#11. I am thankful for our military. To be able to defend no matter what the cost, to put your life on the line and even when they do not see action they still have ‘given their lives because they are government property. They miss holidays, they miss their family and important events and they have the rare privilege of seeing what is really important in life when we belly-ache over the small, mundane things each day. I am proud and thankful that I have a son who serves. He served in Iraq under OIF and made his mother very nervous, but I knew if anything happened and he lost his life – that it was how he would want to die. These men and women who serve and give their lives for our country are meant to do what they do. Thank you, God, for these special people.
#12. I am thankful for Art. Since the time Mama put a crayon in my hand, I was aware of color, textures and shapes that my imagination could create. Though I like to paint, I am not an artist and could never put on canvas what I see in my mind. That isn’t my talent, but I am very appreciative of those who can. My favorite artist is Bouguereau. I also love art in sculptures and other forms. I think art makes our world more beautiful because it is a reflection of how the world or a person has touched an artist in some way and they share with us their perception as well as letting us perceive it in our own way and what it means to us.
#13. I am thankful for health. I am glad when my mind's determination for better health meshes with my body's determination (that isn't always easy). For being able to do what is uncomfortable to achieve a better place of health and knowing that I can make a difference in my health. I can't change the fact that I am aging and I still see certain limitations, but I don't have to accept the limits that trick me. Yea, for pushing to our true limits!
#14. Clarity. Things becoming clearer with hindsight.
#15. I am thankful for our senior generation. Those wise souls that paved the path and have so much to teach us. When they no longer have the color in their hair or the facial features they had before character lines and gravity started to take place and they cannot move like they used to, it’s easy for them to feel useless or to feel slighted by society. The older generation who has stepped into this stage of their lives is so very important. Yes, times have changed since they way they knew it when they were on top of the world, but there is so much wisdom and knowledge that they hold and they deserve respect, patience, caring and love. They have stories to tell and we need to take the time to listen. God created this stage of a person’s life for a reason – and we will be there one day too. Thank you Lord, for our glorious seniors!
#16. I am thankful for Children. For those fresh minds full of wonder and so many questions. With their innocence and trust, they see the world much differently than we do. While they still have so much to learn, we can also learn from them. They have a way of reminding us of the most important things in life before we learned much pain and stress. It is good to remember how simple things really are at times we are overwhelmed. Thank you for that inner child we can revert back to for a moment. We must protect all children and stand in for them when others shove them aside or hurt them.
#17. I am thankful for my Jeep (and all provisions). I see it as a true gift from God and it is my first asset. My Cowboy-Jeep takes me to ranches and farms and gets me up and down mountains. It is a special blessing to me because of how I acquired it. I had to go through a bad wreck and much pain, but I knew in an instant after the wreck God was doing something with it. He was not going to leave me in the place I was in. God provides everything I need and I shall lack nothing.
#18. I am thankful for Music. When music can reach deep inside the well of a soul and bring joy, sadness and a range of emotion it is such a gift. Music moves me, motivates me, comforts me and teaches me. It soothes me and it also gets me excited. My mind and my body reacts to different music and I learn more about myself. My favorite music is early Jazz, and my favorite singer is Billie Holiday. Next would definitely be Classical and Opera. My favorite operatic singer is Pavarotti, who my dad introduced me too when I was 14. I can’t play an instrument, but I do like to sing. I like to rock out when I work out, the faster the beat the more sweat! Music is a big part of my life. Thank you, God, for music!
#19. I am thankful for Compassion. Human kindness. The empathy of people. Sometimes it means to give a fish and sometimes it means taking the time to teach how to fish. Reaching out to someone is so important in our society of treading water to stay afloat or in focusing on our own little world when so many are hurting. I found that when I am sad or overwhelmed, if I will stop focusing on myself or my problems and show compassion for another, my mood changes and my inward joy replenishes.
#20. I am thankful for our farmers and sustainability. With big AG groups and the USDA taking over our foods adding many chemicals that can cause health problems, I am appreciative of our local growers who work hard to provide our families with good healthy, natural food and herbs. Many of these farmers lend their time to educate the public and share their bounty of knowledge with this generation who thinks food comes from a box.
#21. I am thankful for forgiveness. Not just the ability that God has given me in forgiving easily (which I think is a gift), but to be forgiven. Not one person walks a blameless life. We all make mistakes and we cannot really judge someone if we are allowed our mistakes and time to learn from them when someone else makes theirs. Thank you, family and friends, for forgiving me when I mess up. Thank you, God, for the ultimate forgiveness that draws me close to you.
#22. I am thankful for LOVE. Love is the most important thing on this earth and in our hearts.
Have a Blessed Thanksgiving Everyone!
jen@jenjeffrey.com