This will probably be the top ten Tuesday topic of the week, but I’d say that it’s pretty darn important for us to all take a few moments and reflect on the things that we are thankful for in our lives. Unfortunately life gets hectic and we forget to be grateful for so many things on a daily basis…so if we at least acknowledge how thankful we are once a year, we don’t let those important, wonderful things go totally unnoticed.

  1. Wonderful family

    I talked a bit last Thursday about my immediate little family here on the farm that I absolutely cherish but I am also lucky to have an amazing support network of family spread across two continents. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, even though we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like, we can still be in contact often without spending a fortune on phone bills!

  2. Be alive

    It’s been nearly 6 months since Stefan, Mackenzie and I were in our horrific car wreck…and I still thank God every day that the school bus full of angels that must have been riding with us that day was along. Every rescue person on the scene assumed there would be at least one person dead from our car…but we all literally walked out of there…even though I needed a bit more help with the walking process than everyone else. That accident truly changed our lives in wonderful ways…so I’m not only thankful that we all survived that crash, but I’m also so thankful that God opened our eyes to many things and has set our lives on a new path. I’m certain we would still be stuck in that same old rut if something huge like that hadn’t happened…and even though those broken ribs hurt and I still have to get the plates out of my arm, you sometimes just need a slap in the face like that to wake you up.

  3. Supportive friends

    Most of my really good friends live nowhere close to us…but some how it just doesn’t seem to matter. When we get to talk or see each other, it’s like we’ve never been apart. And I am so blessed to have gotten back in touch with some of my friends from grade school thanks to Facebook–people I just absolutely adore and who left me in tears from all the laughing we did when we last saw each other. The world is a huge place, but sometimes it seems like we’re all just around the corner from each other. And I always know that when I’m in my friends’ neck of the woods, they will be there for me — no matter what. And a few of the really best ones would be there for me even if I wasn’t in the neighborhood. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  4. Wonderful NOH fans

    I have met some incredible people through NOH and I’m so thrilled with the opportunities I have been given via this blog. Some people I have yet to meet in person, but others I have had the privilege of actually seeing face to face. A few have probably become life long friends already and I can only hope that others will continue to reach out to me from the depths of the blogosphere and let me know they’re out there, listening. For all of you reading this right now, thank you for your comments, your thoughts, your words of wisdom and your desire to keep coming back. I hope that in 2011 you will grow to love NOH even more!

  5. Opportunity to work from home

    I am truly one of those people that could stay couped up working in my house all week long and hardly notice that I haven’t left the house. I know that’s not really a good thing but I do actually leave the house at least twice a day to take out the dog…so don’t start thinking I’m a hermit just yet. But to be able to be at home, taking care of things that need to be done here, to work on NOH and other ventures, to be able to spend days with my daughter as she’s becoming a little person…I really wouldn’t trade that for anything. Some days things get hectic and I might be pulling out my hair by the time Stefan gets home, but I truly can’t imagine doing things any other way. I just hope that one day I can steal him from the banking world and get him to come work with me! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  6. Growth of our companies

    NOH has grown by leaps and bounds in 2010 and has tripled in size so far. It has absolutely blown my mind and I am just so thrilled about all that is happening every day with NOH. In addition to that, my other ventures have also grown and flourished, and we have so much more on the back burners. I’m sure I tend to take on way more than I should most of the time…but you have to do what you have to do. I certainly don’t get bored around here. But I am just so thankful that we finally seem to be on the right track with so many aspects of our lives now, and I am so excited about things to come in 2011.

  7. Our beautiful home

    It might drive us nuts at times to think about all the little projects we have to do and the things we’ve left just barely unfinished. And in an old home it seems that there is always something new to be repaired or dealt with…but at this time of year when we get to pull out our Christmas decorations and make everything prettier inside, I am so happy to be in this lovely home. It took us years to find what we didn’t even know we were looking for…but I’m still glad we let the fairy tale house finally find us.

  8. The new people that cross our paths daily

    Some days the world seems to be filled with nothing but crazy people and those who are out to scam you. But in the midst of all the chaos and unhappiness, there are still people out there who are not just trying to sabotage you. And I appreciate all those people that I happen to bump into. Sometimes it’s easier to just keep your head down and ignore the crowds, but if we always do that, we also tend to miss those amazing people who shine amongst the piles of dung. And as you surround yourself with awesome people, you start to notice even more awesome people around you…and that’s something no one should miss!

  9. The miracles that happen all the time

    Big miracles, little miracles, miracles that go unnoticed…they are all around us and I am so grateful for them. Sometimes when things look their darkest, the most amazingly wonderful things develop from them. So don’t give up hope then it seems the world is out to get you. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and wait for the reasons and good to unfold. Everything in life seems to have a purpose and a reason…we just have to be willing to recognize it.

  10. The promises to come in 2011

    The last few years have been pretty rocky for our little family. We came out at the end of most of the years feeling unscathed for the most part, but we have been through some craziness that we don’t want to revisit. And we’ve all had enough hospital visits to last us a lifetime now. So we’re waiting for the greatness to arrive in 2011. And I know that if you’re waiting for only good things to happen in 2011 too, then it is going to be quite a year indeed!

What are you thankful for this year?

If you’d like to find more great top 10 lists, hop over to Oh Amanda!