Series Introduction: Envy

Let’s not kid ourselves. There’ll be moments during this oh, so holy month of thankfulness that we’ll feel quite the opposite. You can write your “50 Things to be Thankful For” list and sing kumbaya around the dinner table—but, you’ll fall short. Heck, I’ll fall short. Hello, we’re human! We can preach gratitude to the masses and challenge ourselves to practice it daily for the next 20-some-odd days, but let’s not forget to acknowledge the truth... we are envious creatures of habit. We want what we don’t have. We want more. More happiness. More exotic vacations. (I’ll nod my head in agreement with that, girl.) More money. More magical moments with our SO. More. More. More.

What a Disastrous Thanksgiving Morning Taught Me

Friends, this is no joke — I was IN TEARS sitting in my window seat thinking to myself just how bad things had gone. To top it off, I could hardly take a solid, life-giving breath without my stomach quivering from that awful odor. I felt low. LOW. I was trying to figure out for the life of me why God was testing me on a holiday that should be filled with gratitude and smiles. I’ll tell you right now, I was in NO way thankful for anything other than my fuzzy sweater and the adorable, sleeping man next to me. Thank God for him. Now that I’m removed from this terrible start to my day and now that it’s only a memory, I can see how it actually added value to my life.

Displacing Worry with Thanksgiving

Worry knows no bounds, limits or exceptions. Each and every one of us experiences worry — for some, it’s every single day. One moment we’re cool as a cucumber, the next we’re such a hot mess it’s a wonder we survive the day without blurting out four-letter words. OK, maybe we don’t… it’s fine, no one is perfect. But, worry and anxiety is a beast. It consumes every thought, and sometimes our actions. You might be asking, “Nikki how does worry tie into thankfulness?” Bear with me, I promise I’m getting there. I recently attended a ladies night at a local church and the amazing woman on stage discussed peace in reference to Philippians 4. She touched on this chapter with perspectives and teachings I’ve never heard before.

Find Happiness, Gain Thankfulness

Despite all the chaos of everyone’s day-to-day life, I believe there is always something to be grateful for at the end of the day. Whether it’s the fact you have a roof over your head or the fact you have a job, or a family, or even a good friend you can rely on, there will always be one thing in your life you can cherish and be thankful for. In the midst of a hectic work week, a stressful project or even a slight existential crisis at age 23, I always try to find time to look at the world around me, pay attention to my breathing. and just be thankful for the fact that I am alive and well.

Whatever You Do, Give Thanks

It's 6 a.m. and you start bargaining in your head. If you just dry shampoo your hair, you can get 15 more minutes. If you skip the makeup, you might even make it 30. You're desperately tired and already planning your nap for after work/school/mom-life. Dark circles and puffy eyes are your badge of honor — telling the world you try every day, and you've got the sleep deprivation to show it. It's in those moments you may thank the sweet Lord for the invention of concealer. Does this look like anyone else's life? Is it just me that's running on fumes?

Nikki CharnstromNovember 5, 2018gratitude, thankfulness, blog for women, new blog, woman, moms, mom life, christianity, christian home, thanksgiving, encouragement, tired, inspiringComment

Series Introduction: Gratitude

Ahh, November... the time of year we begin to feel all kinds of thankful. While it seems ridiculous to embrace gratitude for only one month out of the year, at least we take time to slow down and do so. Am I right? If we didn’t have November, would we truly sit for a moment, away from our busy schedules, to think about what it is we are thankful for? In all honesty, I don’t know if most of us would. So, while we might think it silly of us to only exercise gratitude to this degree once a year, let’s utilize every little bit of time we get to be thankful. Over the course of this month, Crowned Chics is diving into all things gratitude. So, expect a bunch of really thankful ladies over here.

Current Blog series: Purpose