I can't believe another Thanksgiving is upon us...and though I try to live in gratitude each and every day, this time of year serves as a special reminder to stop and give thanks for all of the wonderful blessings we have been given throughout the year. Here's my 2008 Gratitude List:

1. I am so very thankful for finding the motivation to finally finish my book. It was a long and sometimes trying process, but I felt God's presence throughout...and there is no blessing greater than that.

2. I give thanks over and over again for the incredible sense of purpose, passion, and inspiration that has flowed through me, and that has created the opportunity for me to begin a business doing all the things I love to do.

3. I give thanks each day for the wonderful, supportive people who surround my life with their enthusiasm, as well as for their support and patience - I am so blessed!!

4. I am awed by the number of loving, caring, giving people who have been brought into my life either through Heal With Hope, my projects, or daily life...it is gratifying to know that all the bad news you read and hear about is only a fraction of what really happens in this world...it really is full of the most amazing people who each day renew my faith in mankind!

5. There are no words to describe how blessed I feel to have been able to participate in the election of our country's next President...an historic moment in our history that reminds us all that everything is possible.

6. I give great thanks for the meaningful time I was able to spend with my mother before she passed away. Those special moments are forever embedded in my heart...I realize what a great gift I was given.

7. I am filled with appreciation for the great strides I have made in restoring my health...I am so thankful for all of the new ways I have found to be a healthier, happier, stronger person.

8. Always on my list is my wonderful family...I am full of love and appreciation for being able to experience life with them. I thank them for the lessons they teach me each day...and for allowing me to believe that I am a positive force in their life - even when they don't really mean it!! ;-)

9. As I sit here and look out the window at the beautiful area we have been blessed to live in, I am reminded of how truly lucky I am and give thanks for our beautiful home and our serene and peaceful surroundings.

10. There has been no greater blessing this year than the ever-growing closeness I feel to God...the awareness and enlightenment, the growth, and the transformation that has taken place and that has changed me and my life forever...thank you God for all of the great and many blessings you have provided to me and my family. I pray you will continue to guide me and reveal to me all that is mine to know, and all this is mine to do. ~Andrea xoxo