My Story (or at least some of it)

I am a daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend. Above all of this I am a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ.

Although, it didn't always used to be this way.

When I was younger I was wreckless and rebellious. I was a deliquent and did many, many things I was not supposed to do. I was very manipulative and had many different faces. I drank and did drugs and witnessed many different things a young person should never have to see. I did believe in God but truly thought He had given up on me and therefore I did not like or respect Him.

Little did I know He had a plan for me.

One day, while drinking myself silly on my balcony with some friends, I heard an inner voice ask me "What the hell are you doing? You deserve so much better than this!" (I believe in treatment they call that a moment of clarity. ) Of course it didn't stop me from drinking that night but it did start a chain reaction of events that lead me to where I am today.

I did check myself into treatment not long after that event and I have been sober every since. That was on March 3, 2000.

Since that time I have graduated from college with a B.S. in Geography specializing in cultures. I have found the love of my life, Jeff, and we got married on May 27, 2006. Very soon after that we got pregnant (surprise!) and we had Gracie on March 17, 2007. We moved to SC in June of 2007 and we had our son, Donovan, on February 10, 2010.

I have been blessed in so many ways. I have the love of a good man, 2 beautiful children, the support and love of a wonderful family and amazing friendships that have lasted through good and bad. I know that God has a purpose for my life and I am so grateful that He has given me a second chance at living.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Thanksgiving

I love this holiday!  It is such a great time to get with family and friends and just enjoy being together.  Thanksgiving is right in the middle of the season of fall so the leaves are beautiful colors and filling up the ground.  People gather around a table for a feast and talk about how thankful we all are for the people and things we have on our lives.  But this time of year always leaves me with a question and a prayer.
First the question.  Why does Thanksgiving get overlooked?  It seems like right after Halloween (or in some cases Halloween hasn't even past yet) and Christmas decorations are already going up.  Not even in just department stores but homes as well.  People start making plans for 'black friday' shopping and figuring out who and where will have the best deals for gifts.  Radio stations start playing Christmas music and venues start promoting Christmas specials.  I really feel like Thanksgiving gets that shaft and it just doesn't seem fair.  This is such a great holiday about blessings and gratitude.
Which leads me into my prayer.  My prayer is that everyone not only celebrates Thanksgiving for the great holiday and tradition it is for this country this time of year but all year long.  We shouldn't just be thankful once a year.  Gratitude should be seen and shown all the time.  Gratitude is an action word and doesn't only exist at the end of November.  So I hope everyone continues to be thankful for not just the blessings in our lives but the blessings yet to come.


Just a little side note: I applaud Nordstroms for not putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.  They sent out a statement right after Halloween stating they prefer to celebrate each holiday individually.  I know they received a lot of scorn from customers over this decision but I completely agree with them!  Thank you Nordstorms for setting a standard!
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1 comment:

  1. DebbieNovember 25, 2011 at 12:33 PM

    Beautiful thoughts Jill! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is so simple and low key!

    I agree with you and Nordstrom, another good reason for me to love you and Nordstrom!

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