thankful Archives - Healthy and Free Living

2020 is officially gone and 2021 is here! I know most people joke about the dumpster fire that 2020 was and how thankful they are to see the year be over, however, when I look back at the year I see how God used the hard to create better. Without the crazy year of 2020, my life would be on the same crazy train it was at the beginning of the year and I wouldn’t see the growth in my marriage, my family, my job, etc.

At the beginning of 2020, our lives had become busy without even realizing it. We would find a way to add one more activity to our week and adjust, never seeing just how crazy life was becoming. Then everything shut down in March and we were forced to stop and be still. My husband and I both saw that we needed to take a step back and have made intentional choices to not let our lives get as hectic again.

When everything closed, including my job, I realized that the job I had was pulling me away from the time I desired with my family and that I was missing my kids growing up. God provided another job for me in 2020 that allows me to put my family first, be the mom that I want to be, and never miss a moment with my kids.

With more time at home to cook and share, my husband and I discovered the teamwork that we had both been longing for in our marriage. I learned how better to love him and our marriage has grown deeper and stronger during this time.

Those are just the tip of the iceberg of the positive ways God has worked in my life this past year.

I’m thankful for where my life is now as we enter 2021. I don’t look back and hate 2020. Were there some really hard things this past year? YES! But the growth and change and blessings that resulted have made it worth it. And I wouldn’t change a thing.

Let’s carry on the lessons of 2020 and look forward to God’s blessings in 2021!

2020 has been quite a year and now we’ve reached Thanksgiving. Pretty sure we thought life would be back to normal, but as I write this things all around me in my state are shutting down again because of the COVID. As mentioned in my previous blog post, there is always a way to find gratitude through the hard. In fact, gratitude is good for your health and helps with stress levels, etc.! So, I’m choosing to find gratitude in everything. Here’s what I’m grateful for this year:

-When everything shut down in March, we got so much more time with our family…and realized how busy we had become with all of our sporting events. The time allowed us to re-evaluate what we wanted to do as a family.

-I got a new job as the P.E. teacher at Covenant Classical School! The interview process started right before the shelter-at-home began, so we had to get creative with interviews and I was finally hired in June. The job allows me to teach at my kids school and only work during their hours. In October, I left my coaching position at Orangetheory Fitness so that I could continue to be here for my family and stay focused on my new job. It has saved my sanity!

-I’m thankful for our school — the amazing education my kids are getting, the awesome friends and faculty, and that we are IN school full-time!

-My son broke his elbow the beginning of July and needed to have surgery to put three pins in it. That’s not the positive. 😉 Honestly, there was a lot of it that sucked and we called it his “bummer summer”. He missed out on A LOT of stuff. However, so many people were dealing with disappointments in 2020, so he wasn’t alone and the only one doing life differently. My son and I still talk about the sweetness of hanging out in my room and watching movies while he recovered. And again, we were forced to slow down.

-I’m thankful for my son’s baseball team and the amazing boys on the team. They have all become the best of friends and are incredibly encouraging and supportive of each other. Their support when Edmund broke his elbow was HUGE.

-Today, as I celebrate my son’s 11th birthday and the day I became a mother, I am INCREDIBLY grateful for the gift of my children. Every day with them is a blessing and I’m humbled and thankful that God chose me to be their mom.

-I’m thankful for the gift of my marriage that continues to grow stronger day by day. Again, the pandemic has allowed us to have more time to spend together and not rush around…although we have had to learn to be more intentional with our time. 😉 I’m thankful that I’m totally content just hanging around with my husband all day and talking with him. He makes me laugh and smile and is my safe space.

Every time I look back on my life, I can see the obvious ways that God has been working and continues to work in my life. He has used every situation and event to mold me and prepare me for the future. I’m overwhelmingly thankful for his guidance, provision, sacrifice, and love for me — for sending Jesus to die on the cross and take the penalty of sin for me; for the assurance of salvation and an eternity in heaven; that nothing is out of his control; and that, even though I am sinful and fail, I am loved.

What are you thankful for?