..thankful fridays..

1. i'm thankful for my husband who is always there for me...we will be celebrating our one year anniversary next month and I can't believe how fast this year has gone by.  He has been my #1 support in some tough times we've had over the past year and I couldn't imagine going through them with anybody else. 

~Love you my love~

2. i'm thankful for my Freedom..those in other countries like Russia {above picture - Red Square, Moscow}.  I was very lucky and in College I went on a month long mission trip to Moscow and 7 other cities in central moscow..these 7 other cities were very poor and they had basically nothing.  The country was the say in how things would be done, not the home owner, practicing Christianity was not permitted and if caught, would get a punishment no one ever wants..what that is, I'm not sure, but what I do know, is they do not care for their citizens.  The government thrives off making all the decisions they make and how much power they can achieve by gaining this control.  The best interest of the citizens is not a priority on their list..it's so sad.  I remember this one family I stayed with who lived in a very poor area in a Flat {high rise apartment building} who had very little.  The flat was clean and tidy.  When we asked if we could shower/bath, the Mom said that would be fine but it has to be done before a certain time {i can't remember exactly what time it was..i know it was later in the evening after dinner} because they will turn our water off and we don't know when they will turn it back on.  I couldn't believe what she was telling us.  The government controls when they can/can't use their water?  Just insane.  This made me really upset, more upset for the family.  How sad to rent a home you call yours and you have no control over how things will be run.  I feel so blessed to be an American and to have the rights and freedom that we do.  We take it for granted sometimes and need a taste of reality to realize how lucky we really are.  Going to Russia was my taste of reality.

~the families I was so blessed to stay with are always on my mind and I wonder everyday what they are doing, how they are doing, and if they are ok...hopefully one day I'll be lucky again and get to visit these wonderful families~

...what are you thankful for today?...