What Are You Thankful For?

We have once again reached the Thanksgiving holiday. This is normally the time when everyone talks of what they are thankful for. I have noticed that a lot of people only focus on being thankful at this time of year. I know that I do this as well, but I have also noticed that I have been focusing on being thankful a lot more recently.

So, what am I thankful for? There are so many things, but let me try to list a couple:
There are the "normal" things that everyone is thankful for.....
*I am thankful to have a roof over my head.
*I am thankful to have good health.
*I am thankful to have food in the house.
*I am thankful that I can provide for my son.
*I am thankful for a loving family.
*I am thankful for my amazing friends.

Then there are those things that I am thankful for from the bottom of my heart.....
*I am thankful that my husband is being taken care of. The staff at the Battle Creek VA has been amazing. I am so thankful that he is able to get the exact care that he needs right now.
*I am thankful that my son is growing into a wonderful young man. He has been through a lot of stuff in his young life, but he is growing through everything.
*I am thankful that my son accepted Christ into his heart a year ago. I am so glad that I know where we as a family will be spending eternity.
*I am thankful for my own salvation. I know that I never would have gotten through all of the craziness of the last few months without Christ beside me. He alone has given me the strength that I need every day & He alone will continue to give me that strength. Thank You Lord!!
*I am thankful to the many people who have been praying for my family. I know that there are a lot more people praying for us daily then I will ever be able to thank in person.
*I am thankful for my wonderful church family. They have been so incredibly supportive through everything.

That is my thankful list. What Are You Thankful For??


Gracious Heavenly Father - Thank You for everything that You have provide in my life. Thank You for being there for my family through the last few months. Thank You for each & everything on my thankful list. I am grateful that You are there with me everyday of the year. I know that none of the things I am thankful for would be possible without You. You are an Almighty Father & I know that You will always be there for everyone who calls on Your name. I pray that I will be able to carry this thankful spirit with me each day of the coming year. In You Great Name - Amen!

Growing Up Fast - Taylor's gonna be 8 this year

 It is really hard to believe that my baby is going to be 8 in December. So, I thought I would show off my favorite photos of my favorite little man.

Veteran's Day

To some Veteran's Day is just a day off work, a federal holiday. To others Veteran's Day is just another day in the week. To me, Veteran's Day is a day to remember all of the amazing men & women who have fought for our country & our freedom.

I'm a Military Brat & very proud of it. Let me introduce you to some of the Veterans/Military Personnel in my life.

This picture has two Army Veterans in it - my husband Daron Tilburt & my Grandpa James Orr. He was in the Army during the Korean War. I didn't know much about what he did in the Army until a few years before he passed. My Grandpa was a very strong, wonderful man & I miss him terribly. I am grateful that he was also a Christian & I will get to see him again!  Daron was in the Army from 1993-1996. He spent 3 months in Kuwait after the Gulf War. I am so thankful to be an Army Veterans Wife & very proud of him for serving our country! 
This picture was taken on October 26, 2002 at my wedding.

This is my Dad Richard Lovegrove. He was in the Navy for almost 17 years (the reason I was born in Japan). Now he is in the Army National Guard. He spent a year in Afghanistan - just got back December 2010. He took this picture after he went through basic training.

This is my brother Tim Lovegrove. He was in the Marines after high school. He may not have been in the Corps for very long, but he was still in the Military. He is still very proud of being in the Marines. This photo was taken while he was training.

This is my brother Jon Lovegrove. He is in the Army National Guard right now. I had the honor of watching him graduate from Basic Training 2 years ago. He & his beautiful wife, Melissa, are expecting their first child. This picture was taken May 15, 2010 - his wedding day.

Here are two dear friends Shawn & Michelle Lefever. They are both in the US Army. As you can tell from Shawn's uniform, he has been in Afghanistan. He returned in October at the end of his deployment.

There are so many more people that I know who have been in the Military or are currently serving. These are just a few of the people I know. There are many men & women from my church who have served or are serving.

With having so many wonderful people in my life who have put theirs on the line......I am so proud to be an American & a Military Brat. Please keep this in mind this year - Veterans & Military Personnel are people too. They are just part of the few who have chosen to fight for their country. Active Military go to work every day & put their lives on the line for us & for many other people they don't even know. A lot of Veterans were never given the chance to choose, they were told to go & they did. The men & women serving today did not get to choose where they were sent. They are there to protect the people of those countries. You may not agree with the war & that is completely fine. But I find it unacceptable to stand against our Military Personnel. I could get on a high soap box on this topic, but I choose not to right now. I choose to honor our Military & thank them for defending our country. THANK YOU VETERANS!!!

Healing is such a slow process.....

There is one thing that I have discovered recently........healing from an illness is a s---l---o---w process. Plus, it's not always a fun process. I have been sick since the end of September. I don't know exactly what I have been dealing with for certain, all I know is that it has taken a long time getting over it. I missed two weeks of church, had to let housework go to the back burner, spend way to much time on the couch, purchased to much cough medicine, slept a ton, sucked on a lot of cough drops, snuggled with my cat & both dogs, snuggled with Taylor, slept some more......OK, you get the point.

Being sick when you have a lot on your plate is not a fun thing at all. There were some days where I didn't even want to get up & take Taylor to school. But as a Mom I knew that I had to do it no matter what. I am thankful that my strength is coming back, but I have to constantly remind myself that I cannot do my normal routine for awhile or I'll relapse again. I've had to learn that my living room can be split into 6 small jobs that can be done over the course of a week (or two) & that is just fine.

I have learned a lot of different things while I've been sick. The most important one to me --- missing church throws my entire week off massively. I have missed the fellowship of my church family. I have missed being in God's word & hearing Pastor preach. I've missed the hugs, support & encouragement I get from my church family members. I've also missed seeing a strong Godly man before he was called home. I am glad that I will be able to attend church this Sunday (fingers crossed & tons of prayers said).

Gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being the Great Physician in my life. Thank You for the healing You are bringing to my body. I pray that You will continue to strengthen my body in the days ahead. I pray that you will be the strength that I need during this time of healing Lord. I pray that You will be with the Beech family during this time of loss. I pray that You will be there source of great comfort & peace. I thank You that Amos is with You now 7 & that he is healed from his ailments. Thank You for being his salvation. Amen