Thankful Thursday

thank·fulAdjective/ˈTHaNGkfəl/
1. Pleased and relieved: "they were thankful that the war was finally over"; "I was verythankful to be alive".2. Expressing gratitude and relief: "a thankful prayer".

That's a pretty hefty word. Thankful. I keep rolling it around in my mind trying to think about all the things I'm thankful for. It's a pretty long list and I usually try to express my thanks daily. Today, however, I'm thankful for my life, my family, my job, my friends, my house, my pets, and my faith.

That probably seems like a pretty basic list, but here's the thing: those are things/people I'm thankful for every day, without fail. I am so lucky to have friends and family who love me unconditionally. It wasn't always that way; I had 'friends' who took advantage of my desire to be a good and kind person. I had 'friends' who didn't really want to be my friends, they just wanted the advantage of having a built-in DD, shoulder to cry on, and someone to help them feel better about themselves.

But now I have the best friends a girl could ever ask for. They build me up. They tell me they love me. They listen when I cry. They cry on my shoulder. They show me what it is to be cared for and cherished. I'm thankful.
 
I'm sure you think that by friends I just mean people unrelated to me, but that's not the case here. I have established friendships with my family members too. I'm thankful for two parents who have done their best to raise me right and teach me to love others as God loves me. I have two siblings who were models for things to do (and not do) when growing up. They love me more than I could ever imagine. I'm thankful.

I'm a faithful person. I don't mean in the manner that I don't cheat on people (which I don't, but that's beside  the point...), I mean I have faith in a higher power. Yes, you can debate the science and logic with me, but it's not a debate or a contest because my faith isn't about proof it's about believing. I believe therefore I see; I don't have to see to believe.

My faith is built on trust and love. I wasn't always this secure in my faith. My path wasn't always easy. But I've come to learn that God is the foundation my heart is built on. Christ is the model I wish to follow. I don't denounce other faiths because I'm a Christian, I support them because I'm a Christian. I believe that everyone has a path and just because it varies from mine doesn't mean it's wrong, it just means it's different.

I'm thankful for that realization and the support my friends and family give me with respect to my faith. I wasn't brainwashed as a child by my family, I learned and grew and was taught to be thankful for what I had. 

'Preach the Gospel always and when necessary use words' St. Francis of Assisi 

I'm thankful for a lot today, what are you thankful for?

Linking up at Southern Charm