Day 238...

WEDNESDAY 29.4.15 - I am thankful for... World aid

*Picture from www.abc.net.au

I'm sure most of you have heard already, but in case you haven't, Nepal suffered a catastrophic earthquake on the weekend. So far the death toll is around 4000 people and still rising, with many more injured and homeless. This one incident has affected millions of people, all in one moment. The pictures of the devastation we have seen on the news and social media are horrible to say the least. When I heard of this, my heart sank because I have just started sponsoring a child in Nepal, a 12 year old, as of January this year. I still haven't heard of his well being, of course such knowledge will be hampered for some time due to the large scale of the disaster and lack of telecommunications in the country. The thing that always gives me the greatest joy in these horrible circumstances is the way the world responds. Thousands of people from several countries have already sent personnel and supplies to the worst affected areas to start search and rescue as well as providing people with necessities, with millions more donating toward the cause globally. So many non-profit organisations getting in there and doing everything they can to help out, it's so wonderful to see. It is often in the very worst of times the very best of humanity shines through. This time is no exception. I am so very thankful today for all the people who have donated time, money and supplies to help the people of Nepal. I continue to worry and pray for my sponsor child, for his saftey and well being of his family and hope to hear news soon. In the mean time I'll continue to be grateful for the world aid being provided to those people affected.

Day 237...

TUESDAY 28.4.15 - I am thankful for... Toothpaste

*Picture from www.carolinasdentist.com

Another fairly simple one today. I love the feeling of freshly cleaned teeth. From a young age my mum stressed the importance of clean and healthy teeth and gums to my sister and I. Nothing quite beats a dentist's clean, but still. Thank goodness for toothpaste, something that cleans your teeth and helps to protect them from everything we eat. It's something we probably all take for granted, but not everyone has the access to toothpaste like we do here. I chose to not take the simple things for granted, especially toothpaste.

Day 236...

MONDAY 27.4.15 - I am thankful for... Blogger

 

Fairly simple one today. Nothing remarkable happened today. Work was good, bible study was good. So whilst thinking of something to be thankful for, I thought, why not the blog website I am able to create my blog on? I can't even remember why I chose blogger to be honest, but it has been simple and easy to use and I'm really grateful for it, that it's free and available to use. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is new to the blogging world :)

  

Day 235...

SUNDAY 26.4.15 - I am thankful for... Breakfast

*Picture from www.womenshealthmag.com

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I honestly believe that is true. During high school I often found it difficult to eat so early in the morning, and still do on occasion. However if I don't eat breakfast I find I'm super hungry and tired the rest of the day, so I realise it's important. My friend and I met up for breakfast this morning for a much overdue catch up. Obviously, it was a little later in the morning so it was easier to eat something a bit more substantial. My breakfast was absolutely delicious and I ate every single last bit of it! It was such a great way to get the day going, breakfast and a great catch up. Seeing as my friend is pregnant we may or may not have spent a little too much time in Pumpkin Patch afterwards obsessing over baby clothes... Needless to say I am thankful to have gone out to breakfast this morning, was a great excuse to meet up with a good friend and to start my day off the right way.

Day 234...

SATURDAY 25.4.15 - I am thankful for... ANZAC Day

On this day, 100 years ago Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed on the sands of Gallipoli to fight against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. We were allies to the British and thus followed them into battle. However, it turned out to be a massive failure and all remaining troops were evacuated by the end of 1915 after all parties suffered a great number of casualties, about 8000 Australians had died during the campaign, nearly 3000 New Zealanders with greater numbers of British and French and even the Turkish opposition losing many more soldiers. ANZAC Day was originally established to honour and remember those men who gave up their lives or were gravely wounded for 'King and Country' in World War I, but has since become a national day of remembrance for all members of our armed forces who have fought in wars since then. I saw an interview this morning in which the journalist, who was at Gallipoli for the ceremony, said that a number of Turkish people were a little confused as to why we would "celebrate a great defeat". We don't see today as a 'celebration' but rather a commemoration of Australian military personnel who often demonstrated endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour, mateship and of course larrikinism in the face of death, known as the 'ANZAC spirit'. We do this to remember them, to show how truly appreciative we are for their sacrifice that we might continue to be a free country. Who knows how things would have turned out if they hadn't. It is also the one day of the year every Australian has in common, regardless of race, religion, age, social status, whether you were born here or immigrated, we are all Australian. We all owe our way of life to the men and women who sacrificed theirs. 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,We will remember them.

Lest we forget...

Day 233...

FRIDAY 24.4.15 - I am thankful for... Inspirational stories

*Picture from www.amazon.co.uk

One of my colleagues at work lent me a book to read. It is called A Friend Like Henry by Nuala Carpenter and is a true story about a mother's journey with her autistic son in a time when Autism was relatively misunderstood and diagnosis and treatment not well established. Henry, as mentioned in the title, was the family's pet dog and was instrumental in the boy's progress during his childhood. If you haven't heard of it or read it, I highly recommend it. It is truly powerful and inspirational, about beating the odds and never giving up no matter the obstacle. Stories like this are so important to share because there are many people living and dealing with adversity on a daily basis. Those people need to know they are not alone in this world and can overcome there circumstance with the knowledge and help from other people. I also enjoy hearing about people succeed in life. It just warms your heart. Unfortunately the world is a hard place and all too often people go through great hardships, so it's always great to hear about people who rise above their circumstance. I'm really glad I read this book and many others that are true inspirational stories. Makes you grateful for all you have.

Day 232...

THURSDAY 23.4.15 - I am thankful for... Sticky notes

I have the coolest stack of sticky notes at work, in 4 different colours. I bought them from Officeworks when I did my stationary shop for my work desk a few months ago. Obviously you have to work through 1 colour to get to the next, but it looks so pretty! Besides their aesthetics, sticky notes come in handy, especially at work. I'm constantly writing down phone messages and things I have to remember to do/buy and sticking them all over my computer, desk and keyboard so I don't forget! I find if I don't write things down when I remember them then I often forget them or remember them when it's too late. Thank you to the person who invented post its/sticky notes (all I know is it wasn't Romy and Michelle, hehehe) because they are really handy, useful little pieces of paper used my millions of people who are probably equally as thankful for them!