Top 10 Tuesday: Thanksgiving Edition

Top Ten Tuesday has been digitally remastered to uh, Thursday...for thanksgivingish reasons. I hope you all enjoy your turkey, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. I know I'll enjoy mine. (And for those of you who wanted it, the Pumpkin Risotto recipe is posted just below. Yum Yum. Only good as a side dish, though, not a main meal).

Top Ten Non-Traditional Things I am Thankful For
(Traditional being things like Jesus, family, friends, health, home, etc. Of course I am thankful for those!)

10. The ability to read
9. Coffee
8. Rain, especially in the desert
7. That I haven't died while driving in a round-a-bout yet
6. Being able to buy pumpkin in a foreign county
5. Flip flops in warm weather and fun socks in cold weather
4. That I got this opportunity to live and work here in this crazy desert
3. That the rats are dead
2. My curly hair
1. SKYPE!!! (Do you skype? If not, why not!?)

Just so it can be said, though--I am thankful down to the pits of my core for Mom, Dad, Master Yoda, Auntie K and fam, the two Aunt S's and fam's, MEME (and I don't mean the blog tagging, I mean my wonderful grandmother) and Grandaddy, Grandaddy in Texas, the gazillion cousins, Ms Deb and fam, and all of my parent's church.

Also thankful for LO-ren, the Alma Gemea, KKW, Sparky, H & S (and third), all my scattered friends in US and abroad, S & S in C, the futebol guy, the P5, the friend here who shares the same name as Sparky but whose name shall not appear on my blog, Miss Sally, and my church here.

I am thankful for my health, and that I've not gotten seriously sick while being overseas during this last year. That I'm not suffering too bad during my six months of a stupid medication and praise the Lord, only have two months left to go. That the dentist gave me a clean bill of health once again this week--no cavities, no problems, everything's good, thank goodness. I can see, hear, walk, and use all my fingers. :)

But most importantly, and without it everything else would be naught, I am ragamuffinly grateful for my precious Jesus. He sees my heart and loves me anyway. He knew my wretchedness and chose me anyway. He is my salvation--from sin, from despair, from myself. He set me free, is setting me free, and will set me free--praise His glorious name! I am so thankful to even be able to know of Him, much less have the unspeakable privilege to know Him more and more each day. What deep mystery of love is this?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..."