Today is a day when we celebrate our blessings and reflect on all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for. It’s a good thing to stop and express our gratitude — we all have much to be thankful for.
However, some of you are probably really struggling this Thanksgiving. Maybe your husband recently left you, or your child has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, or you are battling an addiction, or your finances feel like they are in shambles and you are just digging yourself into a deeper hole because of unemployment and ever-mounting bills.
Life is hard and messy sometimes — and just because it’s Thanksgiving doesn’t mean that the pain and burdens are lifted. If this Thanksgiving finds you in a difficult place in life, may I encourage you to read my post on Hope for Women Magazine on Choosing to Be Thankful Even When Life is Hard?
Here’s a snippet:
My husband was rummaging through old financial statements not too long ago, and we were aghast to read some of the numbers. During the first year he was in law school, there were six months when we made less than $900 — and some months it was as low as $650.
I recall that season of our lives fairly vividly, but seeing those numbers on paper again after a number of years was a shock to our systems. I’m still not sure how we made it on so little!
During those years, we lived in a little basement apartment that only had four windows on one side. I could plug the vacuum cleaner into one outlet and vacuum the entire apartment without ever switching outlets…Click on over to read the full post.
Our struggles during the lean law school years pale in comparison to many of the struggles you are facing. But I hope that the words I shared might encourage some of you.
Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose hope.
Choose gratitude today — even when it feels impossible. It might not change any of your circumstances, but I promise that it will transform your attitude and lift your spirits.
A Heartfelt Word of Thanks to Each of You
By the way, can I just say thank you to each of you for everything you mean to me and how you bless me on a daily basis?
Thank you for your kind words and constructive criticism. Thank you for reading here, commenting, and emailing.
As those who know me well can attest to, my years of blogging have been a journey of growth, learning, and stretching for me. It’s not always been easy and I’ve made oh-so-many mistakes along the way, but God has taught me much through it and changed me from the inside out as a result of blogging.
When I began blogging back in 2005, I thought I pretty much had life figured out. Now, 8 years later, I feel like there are very few things in life that I have figured out, but I know one thing: blogging has been the catalyst for life-transformation for me. {If you missed my post on this from last month, read it here.}
It’s brought me from a place of insecurity, legalism, and being a people-pleaser to a place where I feel whole, free, and truly happy in who God has made me to be and what He has called me to. And you’ve been a part of that journey with me.
Whether you’ve read here for years or just weeks, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for reading here and being apart of the Money Saving Mom® Community. Words cannot express how much you mean to me and how much I’ve learned and grown as a direct result of each of you. I love each of you and am eternally grateful for you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Steph @ From the Burbs to the Boonies says
Thank you for all the information and deals and tips you provide to us every day! I truly appreciate it and have used many, many of your ideas, suggestions and tips over the years. Your blog was THE thing that first got me on the path to frugality. Truly it was. Thank you.
Angi says
Crystal, thanks so much for all you do here on MSM and through your books. God has used you to bless so many families.
I totally agree that being thankful is a choice. We’ve been on a very strange 5 year journey of unemployment/under employment, but I’m so thankful because God has always provided and we’ve grown so much. I spent last weekend making cloth feminine pads for a friend to take back to her village in Kenya. Pads are a luxury there, esp. for the younger girls, and girls wind up missing about 1/2 of school because of it. That has really caused our family to pause and realize just how very blessed we are, even in the midst of this crazy season we’re in.
Cate R. says
Crystal, I am a longtime reader and just wanted to say, I think you’re just a really neat lady. I’ve seen you come from a sort of “no excuses” stance, to softening up and understanding that people come from so many different situations. Sometimes those situations involve serious disadvantage that put them 100 steps back from where they should be starting. But there’s something here at MSM for all of us. I think you’re an example of someone who is not afraid to be molded and shaped by God even when it might not be pleasant. You seem to be making the best out of the blessings you’ve been given and that is not always what people do. Love right back atcha!
Crystal says
Thank you so very much for your kind encouragement! Your comment blessed me today!
Brenda says
And you have brought the same to so many of us… to a place where we can crawl out of the insecurity and into a confidence in who God created us to be. Thank YOU!
Stacie says
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, sweet friend! Thank you for your vulnerability and honesty. I’m still on a journey out of legalism and harshness with myself, so I completely *get* that. Thankful for so much grace poured out!
Hope you had a peaceful and restful day!
jennifer says
Thank you for all your work and energy and creativity here Crystal, as well as that of your team. Everyone’s spirit shines through and that really inspires your readers.
And a particular thank you for running such a safe, virus-free website. I spent three hours last night debugging my laptop from something I caught at a “deal” website when I should have been working on Thanksgiving. It made me realize that Money Saving Mom and the links shared have always been reliable and trustworthy.
April Keller says
Just wanted to say, I appreciate the many new tips, recipes, and encouragement I have gained from your blog. It has blessed me and our whole family. Our grocery budget has been pretty much reduced by almost half and I love the frozen pizza dough, frozen biscuits, and other great recipes. Thank you for not being afraid to speak out about how God is the head of your family and leading you each day. He is over ours too! Blessings to you and your family!
Jessica says
Crystal,
I’ve been reading you for years! I believe I started aournd 2005 – your beginning in the blog world! You and your family have meant so much to me and mine. I have been encouraged, learned so much, have been inspired in so many areas of my life…Happy Thanksgiving! And thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us!
Jessica says
We have had a tough year. I had unexpected complications with my autoimmune thyroid disease after my baby was born on 12/24/12. Shortly after, my milk dried up and I couldn’t nurse her. I nursed my older two, so this was devastating. Then in March, my husband was rear-ended and our car was totaled. I called his parents to let them know he was ok, and my FIL informed me that my husband’s grandma had died earlier that morning. So I had to tell my already shaken-up husband that his grandma had passed away. In April, our son had a severe asthma episode. In July, I got pneumonia and my asthma flared up. In August, I had symptoms of a DVT and had to go to the ER- thankfully it was a Baker’s cyst and not a DVT! My son split his head open on the brick hearth of our fireplace and had to get two layers of 9 stitches. This was 6 days after the first time he fell on it and got a goose egg bump out of the deal… I was afraid the urgent care was going to send social services to my house! In September, a routine x-ray at the dentist showed a growth in my left maxillary sinus. I was referred to the oral surgeon, who sent me for a CT scan, then I was sent to an ENT doctor and told I needed 5 surgeries- septoplasty, turbinate reduction, ethmoid and maxillary endoscopic surgery and a cyst removal. I had the surgeries in October. Thankfully the growth was benign. In early November, my son had another severe asthma episode, then we all got viral gastroenteritis. Only my husband was spared. My 7 year old, 3 year old, and baby and I all had it.
Even after all that I’m thankful that we could receive the care we needed and that we can pay for the care we received. We’re all together today.
Stephanie says
Wow when it rains it pours! I hope 2014 rings in a year of rest for you all. It’s encouraging to see you find thankfulness in the midst of all that. Said a prayer for you!
Kelly says
So thankful for you, too Crystal! God has used you to encourage me in many areas of my life. Thank you for stepping out of your comfort zone to follow God’s leading on your life. It’s inspirational to me as I try to do the same. Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving with your family! 🙂
Kim says
Thank you for this reminder! Our family has had some challenges over the past 7 years that really took me by surprise, and I’ve struggled. This past year has been especially challenging, so I made the decision last January to focus on thankfulness. I’ve written daily in my thankfulness journal (1000 Gifts), and it has helped me change my focus. Every time I’m bombarded by sadness from how different things are now from what I expected, instead I have this inner dialog: rather than be sad about the loss, I choose to be thankful for all the wonderful memories. It has really helped me! Much is taken, but much still remains. I’m so thankful to God for what was, and what is! Even if it isn’t what I would have chosen.