Gratitude

I have so much to be thankful for this year.
God has blessed our family over and over despite what we deserve.
This is our gratitude tree that we made on Thanksgiving (my mother's idea!).
We all wrote on leaves things that we were grateful for.
It is amazing how much we focus on the bad things that are happening in our life and not on all the good that God is doing. I have really been trying the last couple of days to really think about all the good in the world and in my life.
I am so blessed. Not with material things, but blessed with the knowledge that God loves me and desires me. He runs to us with arms open wide even when we have turned our backs on him.
"Not only does He watch expectantly, God runs to us. He sees the repentant heart and the empty hands. He sees His child full of shame over lost riches and stupid choices. He sees the scars of our consequences. And He runs anyway. He covers the distance between us with His own strength.
....Strong arms underneath us....He takes our face in His hands. He calms our cries and speaks gentle words over us:
Forgiven.
Redeemed.
Accepted.
Loved.
Beautiful."
(Do you think I am beautiful, the question every woman asks - by Angela Thomas)

This is what I am most grateful for this year!