Thankfulness
A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart …
Samantha had to do a project at school one year sharing some things about herself and those in her family. One thing she wrote that really touched my Heart and made me smile is “a thankful heart is a happy heart.” When we learn to truly be thankful for what we do have, we are no longer focusing on what we don’t have. I’ve learned when my Heart starts out my day saying, “Thank you, God for another day and all you have done and are doing in my life”, I get out of bed on the right side of the bed instead of the wrong side. I’ve learned that not only is it important to thank God but just as important to thank others in our life. When someone takes a moment from their Heart to say “thank you, because of you I am a better person” or “thank you for being you because you have made such a difference in my life”, no money in the world could buy that treasure. It’s important the words come from your Heart in other words don’t just say them to say them. Your Heart will speak that thankfulness, you just need to listen for it. So I want to encourage you to listen for that musical note of thankfulness and when it plays, ensure you take a moment to thank the person’s name it sings. They may have no clue that they have even made a difference in your life. It will Bless them and it will Bless you.
Affirmation, each and every Heart needs it so listen for that beautiful song to play.
Many Blessing to you, with MUCH Love!!! :)
Ammie
Believe …
Last weekend I woke up early Sunday morning my Heart was so drawn to get outside into nature. I put on my yoga pants, my sweatshirt and tennis shoes. I grabbed my IPhone and began to listen to the songs saved in my playlist. The sun had already ascended as its rays peeked over the roof tops. The sky dawn was beautiful and cool brisk air filled my lungs with life. The birds were singing so much I could hear them thru my earbuds. I took my right earbud out so I could hear more. Their music was filling the air with something very special indeed, different than past springs. Their songs were speaking right to my Heart. It’s as if I could see the notes form beautiful words floating through the atmosphere. I could see and feel words of Hope, Faith, Love, Peace and Thankfulness being sung into the earth. The sun’s reflection on the lake was dancing to the sound of the music filling the air. The ducks and geese were basking in the light as if they were being showered with gold. On the beautiful lake usually the ducks are in their group and the geese in theirs but this morning was different. They were all intertwined as they gracefully swam together. I stopped to watch them and thanked God for the gift of Life. Tears filled my eyes as He brought me back to years ago when I laid in a hospital bed facing death over and over again. I had failed every treatment and there was nothing more the doctors could do. At that time I didn’t have a church and wasn’t reading the Bible but I had God. I Believed. It was Him and me in that hospital bed. I cried out asking for the chance, just one chance, to share the Heart He has given me with the world … the whole world. Asking Him to heal me and help me to take the Faith and Love He has put in my Heart and put it into each and every Heart. I said, “God, please if you will bring me this miracle I will spend the rest of my days bringing Your Faith and Love to every Heart that crosses my path. Will you give me that chance, please Father, just one chance?” What I discovered was that childlike Faith He has instilled within my Heart is all I needed. He moved mountains on account of my Faith and sent me miracle after miracle. There I stood before the lake, tears streaming down my face, my Heart overflowing with thankfulness of how wonderful God is.
And the answer is so simple … Love Him and cling to Him like a little child. I learned we truly cannot comprehend all He will do for those who Love Him. He continues to shower my life with Blessings that seem too good to be true. He continues to make the impossible possible in my Life and He can do it for you too … Love Him and Believe.
He will not forsake you. He has plans to prosper you, not harm you but to give you hope and a future. It’s time for that future to begin today, it’s a New Day.
Many Blessings to you, with MUCH Love!!! :)
Ammie
The Good Food …
I saw a vision of someone whose hands were full with two grocery bags but instead of being filled with good food (fruits, vegetables, etc.), they contained big packages marked bitterness, revenge, and anger. Their Heart cried out for Love but no one could get close enough to hug them or to Love them because the bags were in the way. They would have to put the bags down to get what their Heart was desiring but they didn’t want to put them down. It was as if the bags were their most prized possession. Have you ever walked in your house with an arm full of groceries and were so thankful that someone was there to take them out of your arms and help? They would not be able to help you unless you were willing to hand them the bags. One Word will help you to put down those bags … forgiveness. Whether it is forgiving God for the hand you feel you’ve been dealt, forgiving yourself for the mistakes you have made or forgiving someone who has wronged you. Forgiveness will ensure you don’t purchase those items in the first place.
We pay a price for our life lessons but what exactly are we buying? Do we walk away with boxes of anger, hate, and unforgiveness or do we go to the shelf and get a box of thankfulness for what we do have, a box of forgiveness that will help us forgive others and forgive ourselves, or a gallon of Love that we drink a minimum of 8 glasses a day to bring us Life? It is our choice what we buy, no one else can make that choice for us. It’s time to buy the groceries that require no money and load up our grocery bags with good food, things that will bring us nourishment and Life. What are you buying?
Many Blessings to you, with MUCH Love!!! :)
Ammie
The Good Finder …
One thing Zig Ziglar would say that I love is “be the good finder”. When a situation or even a person presents itself, do your eyes seek out the good in what is being presented or are your eyes like a rat scurrying around looking for garbage seeking out what is bad? If the first thing you see is what you don’t like about a situation or person instead of what you do then stop it. It’s time for you to learn how to be a good finder. When garbage is the first thing you are looking for in the things around you, that is exactly what you are feeding your soul. Whatever you put in is what you are going to get out!
Where are your eyes focusing? Are you looking at everything you don’t have or being thankful for what you do have? You ARE Blessed! Take time this week and list 10 Blessings in your life, label it “I AM Blessed” and then hang it somewhere you can look to it as a reminder when your eyes try to seek out the garbage.
You do have Blessings no matter what you are facing, you just may need to dig thru the dirt and garbage that has been trying to pile itself upon you. Seek and you will find. The question is, what are you seeking? Seek good and you will find good. It will change your life :)
Many Blessings to you, with MUCH Love!!! :)
Ammie L. Peters
Thankfulness …
I know at times it is difficult to get motivated …
- To get out of bed to a job you feel doesn’t appreciate you.
- To be the wife/mom who feels her family thinks everything magically happens not understanding all she has to do to keep things afloat.
- To be the father/husband who works so hard to provide for his family but feels it is expected instead of his family being thankful for his hard work and what it brings for them all.
- To be a student putting everything into his/her studies feeling like no matter what, it is never enough to please his/her parents – they always want more.
The list could go on forever. However, no matter how many things would be listed, there is one Word that changes it all “thankfulness”.
- To the person who has been without a job and lost their house, their car, the ability to feed their family – they would change places with you in a heartbeat.
- To the wife/mom who is fighting illness (i.e. cancer, auto-immune disorders, disease), she longs to have the opportunity to care for her family again if she could just get well enough to do it (I know, I’ve been there).
- To the father/husband who is now confined to a wheelchair after a car accident, he would give anything to be in your shoes and have one more chance to provide for his family.
- To the student who has struggled with learning disabilities their whole life, they would want just the chance to achieve what you do in school because it would give them a feeling of self accomplishment that no one could take away.
Did you ever consider that God is not changing your circumstance because He is waiting for you to change your perspective? We go through things in life to see what we are about, to test our Hearts, to grow … when you begin to look at things differently, you will be amazed how suddenly your circumstances begin to change. For they weren’t there to make you miserable but to bloom the seed of thankfulness planted within your Heart.
Although we may not be able to change the circumstance, what we can change is the way in which we perceive it.
Many Blessings to you, with MUCH Love!!! :)
Ammie
The Lion and the Lamb
Along our journey people are sent into our lives to help us along our paths. Some are sent to be the lions in our lives – their role is to come in with that roar to wake us up to the things we aren’t doing right in life. They get in our face about things we don’t want to hear but need to hear. They are ferocious because they have to be. Some are sent to be the lambs – their role is to come in to Love us, to pick us up when we fall … to always be by our side. Both roles, the Lion and the Lamb, are critical to our journey. So when a lion comes across your path, be thankful for the blessing because that lion will surface things in your heart that have to go. But then there is always a lamb sent to help us through it, to heal the wounds, to Love us unconditionally.
See together … the Lion and the Lamb bring a Perfect Heart.
Many Blessings to you, with MUCH Love!!! :)
Ammie
Golden Eggs …
God spoke these Words to me this morning “Three Golden Eggs.” I thought three golden eggs? A bit peculiar thing to say but, “Okay Daddy, what is it you’re telling me?” What He guided me to humbled me so. It is such a good reminder to us all. It’s the story of “The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs”. There was a poor farmer who was hungry. He went out to look for food. He found a goose. She was small and didn’t look like much but he was hungry so she would have to do. She spoke to him and told him, “If you will bring me home, take care of me (give me food and drink) then I will bring you something far more valuable.” He was intrigued so he did. She laid him a golden egg which brought him enough money to fill his table with food – far more than he needed to eat that day. The next day she laid another golden egg. He then got greedy thinking that if she is laying golden eggs then she must be filled with gold inside so he killed her to obtain the gold all at once. He discovered inside she was just like any other goose but what she was birthing each day for him was worth its weight in gold.
What hit my Heart this morning isn’t what most people think of when they think of this story (i.e. greed). Here is what pressed on my Heart …
1. Each and every day God was putting in the farmer’s hands exactly what he needed. A golden egg that would not only give him enough to provide him food but would provide far more than that. He was so focused on everything this goose would bring that he looked right past the gift of what he was being given each and every day. What is the Golden Egg He has given you today?
2. Has God sent a goose into your Life but you can only see it for what you need instead of what He is trying to bring you? We need to see past the forest to see the trees. The farmer was looking for food, any food but what God was giving him was far more valuable than anything he could have imagined. Can you see past the goose to get the riches of what He is sending?
If you have little ones, you can watch this story online with them (I found it on YouTube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dMBKgSlUPg
Many Blessings to you, with MUCH Love!!! :)
Ammie
Your True Career …
Each day is an opportunity to change the lives around you. You are where you are for a reason :) I know it isn’t always easy to understand, so on days where you can’t seem to find the energy to put your hands to a job you may not feel you are to be doing, please know … our first and foremost job is to let our Light shine bright for the world to see – and we can do that in every single job no matter what our titles. When you know your true career is in Him first, your heart will be filled with thankfulness in all that you do.
Many Blessings to you, with MUCH Love!!!
Ammie :)
Our Christmas Miracle …
For the last several months my mom has had a difficult time breathing. The doctor ran some tests and found that there was a valve in her heart that was leaking. She needed to have open heart surgery to repair or replace the valve. Many years ago she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure so due to her current health condition, the surgery would be very high risk. Mom’s ejection fraction was 36% (a normal, healthy heart is 55-70%). The decision her and my step dad had before them, was not easy. If she didn’t have the corrective surgery then it would have eventually resulted in heart failure and if she did decide to have the surgery the chances were high she wouldn’t survive. Mom knew in her heart she had to have the surgery and soon. She had gone to the doctor a few times but it seemed there was always a delay in getting the surgery scheduled. Finally, the date for her open heart surgery was set – Monday, 12/19/11.
Mom has had open heart surgery before and had her share of hospital visits but this one was different, she requested that all of us kids were there. When I came in for the surgery, she told me to take home the special light night I love so much (its two turtle-doves that so beautifully lights the upstairs bedroom where I stay). I knew mom was feeling something in her heart she didn’t want to verbalize to any of us.
We had a nice visit that weekend. On Monday morning we all headed out to the hospital and waited patiently in the waiting area while mom underwent the surgery. Six hours later mom was out of surgery and it went well. The first hurdle was behind her. We were so thankful God had pulled her thru the surgery. She now had another hurdle to get over and that was the healing required to get her off of the breathing tube. They expected her to be in intensive care 7 to 10 days. Mom did incredibly well after surgery, better than anyone had expected. She got out of ICU in a couple of days and was moved to a regular room. I headed back to Chicago with plans to come back when she came home from the hospital to help her and my step dad.
That week I had a dream. My mom was in the hospital and had died right before me. I was by her side praying for a miracle. But in my dream it was up to the surgeon (the man upstairs) when he would bring her back to life (not IF but WHEN). When I woke up, I couldn’t wrap my head around it because the surgery was behind us now and mom was doing wonderful. I told my sister and said, “Well maybe I am seeing what happened while she was in surgery last week because we were praying the whole time on Monday.” But I knew in my heart God always prepares me for every major event in my life through a dream so He was showing me this for a reason.
I called to check on her Friday, 12/23 and mom wasn’t doing good. I was reminded of my dream and knew I had to go. I packed up my car, arranged for the kids to be with their dad and hugged them tight telling them I loved them and asking them to pray for grandma. Samantha didn’t want me to go. I kneeled down and said, “Honey, grandma needs me. She is very sick. I know it is Christmas but it could be the last Christmas I have with her and I know in my heart I have to be by her side.” She hugged me even harder – there just weren’t any words that could be said at that time to make it any easier.
I got to the hospital and I could tell Mom was relieved we were there with her. My sister and I stayed at the hospital in her room. It brought me back to all of the times I was the one in that hospital bed over the holidays. During those times I always had an extra sense of comfort and peace when someone would stay with me. It felt good to be able to do the same for my mom. They had put her on a bi-pap machine at night to help her breathing. Christmas Eve I told Susan I would stay with mom so she could go home to be with her family. Christmas morning while I was helping her God gave me a vision of her walking down the hall in her gown. I was so thankful and had hope that soon she would be up and walking. Mom was doing okay and seemed to be pretty stable so I thought I may head home for a day so I could see the kids on Christmas (it’s about a 3 ½ to 4 hour drive to Ft. Wayne, IN). My step dad, sister-in-law and sister would be coming to the hospital late morning so we would work out a schedule so someone would be with her and she wouldn’t be alone.
Mom was tired and wanted to rest but couldn’t get comfortable. My dream played out in front of me again and although she looked okay I felt she could slip away any second. I pressed the nurse’s button. The nurse tech came in and was trying to check her oxygen thru her finger but it wasn’t registering. She was trying to warm up her finger to get it to register. I looked at her and said, “Something is wrong, something is really wrong – please get help, please.” I know they medically know better than me but my heart knew any minute she would slip away just like in my dream. I am so thankful the nurse ran out to get help and didn’t question it even for a second. As soon as she stepped out of the room to yell for help suddenly, I mean within a matter of seconds, mom’s lips turned blue, her eyes opened wide and were unresponsive. Her pupils instantly reduced to the size of pins. I then saw my mom’s spirit leaving her body. I prayed and prayed and prayed asking for God to save her … please bring us a miracle on this Christmas day, please Father.
Within moments her room was flooded with doctors and nurses and they made me leave the room. I called my step dad, sister and brother and told them mom was coding and they needed to get here as soon as possible. I stood in the hospital hallway alone praying for a miracle. Soon I felt the Angels surround me and flood my mom’s room (since my miracles, God has blessed me with seeing Angels ascending and descending from Heaven just as it is written in scripture). I knew everything was going to be okay despite it appearing that everything was anything but okay. My step sister was crying and scared, my step father was petrified at the thought of losing his wife. I had this unexplainable peace beyond comprehension. From the outside I’m sure it must have looked cold and uncaring but I had peace that I couldn’t describe because God had prepared me for all that just happened. As a result, I was able to be His pillar to help bring comfort to my family while it appeared everything was crumbling around us.
They hooked mom up to the breathing machine and settled into ICU. They did a test on her heart to see why she took a sudden turn for the worst. The doctor came in the ICU and was sharing the results with us – results they did not expect to see. Her ejection fraction worsened after surgery instead of improving. It was now 20%. The outcome did not look good. I said, “Doctor we are praying for a miracle.” I shared with him a little of what has happened in my life and despite what seems medically impossible it can become possible. I smiled and said, “God gave me many miracles and can do it for my mom too.” I have to say many doctors look at me like I’m speaking a foreign language when I share my experiences but this doctor I could feel that his heart held onto hope right along with us.
My sister shared a dream with me that she had Christmas Eve. She dreamt that mom was sitting up happier than ever saying it was rough but she feels incredible now. I said, “Susan we have to hold onto that. God is showing us what is to come. She’s going to be okay.” She said, “I hope so.” I said, “She is.” Mom made a miraculous recovery, within two days she was off the breathing tubes and doing unexplainably great. She was full of life more than I have ever seen her. She began to tell us how she didn’t remember anything that happened on Christmas day. She said, “But I saw myself grayish and I looked dead.” She described exactly what she looked like Christmas morning. I said, “How did you see that?” She said, “I was out of my body.” I had chills run through me because I saw her spirit leave her body. She then said she was in a room that she looked up to the ceiling and it was the most beautiful bright pink you’ve ever seen. I wanted to cry because to me pink has always symbolized God’s Pure Unconditional Love. She said she then saw Angels floating all around (different colors like rainbows but the most vibrant you have ever seen). Tears welled up in my eyes, I saw the Angels flood her room and know those colors all too well :) She said, “I then saw the brightest white light I’ve ever seen.” I smiled and said, “Mom, God sent you a miracle on Christmas day just like He did me. What you just experienced has forever changed you. It is impossible to experience a miracle and not bring a piece of Heaven here. Welcome to the Miracle Club.”
I look forward to mom sharing that Beauty, that Love, that Light with the hearts around her. We are all so thankful for the best Christmas gift any of us could have received … Life being returned to a very special heart, a very special woman … our Mom.
We ARE in the time of Miracles … Believe.
With much LOVE, hugs!!!
Ammie :)