Praise Post #16

I'm  joining Jerralea's Journey blog as we number gifts He's given us during the month of November.  Each day I'll be sharing five things that I am thankful for.  Doing that for 30 days will produce 150 things we are grateful for...and it's easy to find those gifts if we take a moment to look.  You are welcome to join in!  Just head over to Jeri's!

I'm going to list PEOPLE I am thankful for today:

1. My husband, Dave.  I know I already listed him in an earlier post, but it bears repeating.  He is my helpmate, my lover, my friend. We've had our ups and downs like any  marriage.....but I can't imagine my life without him as he has brought so much to me, spiritually and emotionally.  We are growing, and there have been challenges, but I am so thankful he has a heart towards Christ and that he believes in working on the marriage not just walking away when things get tough.  We've seen too many people do this...and it's sad.  I'm so grateful that the Lord led him to me.
2. My friend Cheryl B.  We have been friends since 1967.  We were in 2nd grade together and lived near each other in our hometown out in Central NY. We walked to school together every.single.day from 2nd grade until we graduated from  the high school.  We lost touch for a while after I got married but reconnected via Facebook and I've recently joined her hiking group.  We've been having so much fun hiking together.
3. My friend Lynn.  She is probably one of my closest friends. We know a lot about each other and have only been friends since we both joined our church about 8 years ago.  We met in the membership class at church and her daughter is friends with my youngest. We pray for each other's needs and families, we do coffee together, we've hiked together....she was in my small group, she leads a small group now....her story is different from mine yet we bonded in Christ and I have learned a lot from her....she is a patient mom, a caring person, and fun to shop with!  I love doing life with her.
4. My friend Erin.  She and I go way back...I think we became close friends when I was pregnant for my youngest.  We met in a church that my husband and I were a part of for about 15 years.  She now goes to a different one, too.  But even though we don't see each other a lot, we do try to get together a few times a year, and it's like we've never stopped talking!!  We've talked about everything! We also are sisters in Christ and I am so thankful for that.  She has heard my venting, my triumphs, my hard stuff and I've heard hers.  We've prayed for each other.  She is the type of person that I can call on no matter what. We always have so much fun when we do get together. She's a hard worker and raised 3 boys on her own and I've always admired her for that.  She is a very strong person.  I'm so thankful she's in my life!  (and now I need to text her to arrange a coffee date!!)
5. My friend Cheryl S.  She is another sister in Christ whom I can call if I really need a spiritual adviser or just to vent about something or just to talk.  She and I rarely see each other these days (she lives in a burb south of here and goes to a different church now, too!),  but we used to work/volunteer together at a crisis pregnancy center that she helped start.  Those were some interesting times!  She and I and Erin all went to the same church for years. Her oldest daughter babysat for my girls when they were little and her youngest boy is my oldest daughter's age.  We used to get together often.  Her husband was one of the elders in that church and they helped me tremendously with an issue I was struggling with from my past.  She has been my counselor, my friend, a role model for my marriage.  I plan on trying to get together with her this winter.  It's been way too long.  The bond we have in Christ is what ties us together.

Whom are you thankful for today??