What Are You Thankful For?

Today is the day that we are supposed to pause and reflect on all that we are thankful for. Unfortunately, when my feet hit the floor this morning, I didn't pause to reflect. I immediately started thinking about getting the turkey in the oven and making all the yummy food my family will eat in a few hours. I should have started my day with a prayer of thanksgiving.

One thought I have is. . . are we only thankful for the good things in our lives? Of course we are thankful for our spouses, children and family members, our jobs, our homes and our things. That's a given! But. . . are we thankful for the hard times that come unexpectedly? Are we thankful for the loss of a job, because although it's horribly stressful, it brings families together and forces us to put our faith into action? We have to rely on the Lord to "Give us this day our daily bread". Are we thankful for illness that stikes in devastating ways? Or the loss of a loved one? Or the war that our country is in? Or (and this a big one for me) our President?

Difficult times of trial or testing do just that. . . they test our faith. Do we just talk about our faith or do we live it? Trials and tests make our faith practical. WE have to seek the Lord's will and put our own aside, because He has a plan when ours so often fails. We have to humble ourselves to the lessons that He wants us to learn. It's those lessons that make us better people. It's those lessons that truly make us a "child" of God. We have to sit at His feet and glean from Him His wisdom.

It's easy to reflect on all the warm fuzzy feelings we've had over the year, but I challenge you (and myself) to be thankful for the difficult. The pain. The tears and the troubles. AND. . . (this is big!) be thankful for them throughout the year. Each day thank God for the trials, because they one day will be blessings.

I wish each and every one of you a very BLESSED Thanksgiving! I hope it's a day that you can spend with the ones you love making the most amazing memories.

May God Richly Bless You!

DESIGN TEAM CALL

ATTENTION!!! Shimmerz Paints is having a Design Team Call! We are looking for individuals who are not afraid to think outside of the box. Get Messy! We are looking for artists and designers who can create a variety of projects such as layouts, cards, altered art, and whatever else you can do!
Design Team Responsibilities:
3 required projects each month, posted on your personal blog and the Shimmerz blog. More is great! One must be Shimmerz specific.
1 tutorial with photos during your Design Team tenure.
Willing to promote Shimmerz on blogs, forums, Facebook, and anywhere else possible.
We are looking for Team Players!
Benefits:
Name and blog link added to the Shimmerz blog.
A Design Team kit to start creating Amazing projects.
Publication Incentives.
A Design Team Discount
New Product Releases!
Chance to be part of a Wonderful Design Team!
What To Send:
Submit 2-3 projects (Does not have to feature Shimmerz, but we want to see the sparkle and shine); Good Photography is a MUST!
Name and Contact Information.
Blog Address.
Previous Design Team Experience and/or Publications.
A few sentences on why you want to be a part of Shimmerz.
If interested in being a part of Shimmerz, please apply by emailing photos of your projects, and other information to mcelyea@q.com by December 28, 2009. The new Design Team will be announced on January 1, 2010.
Blog: shimmerzpaints.blogspot.com
Website: shimmerzpaints.com
Email: mcelyea@q.com