Yesterday I was talking to my best friend at lunch, and we started talking about how blessed we are by the little moments that inspire us and motivate us to keep going every day. Some days can be a struggle for me, because of the spina bifida and its effects, but somehow, someway, God always knows my heart and how I am feeling, and He will send me a reminder, or what my friend likes to call “whispers from God,” to let me know that He will never abandon me or leave my side when I need Him most. I only need to put my complete TRUST in HIM to provide for my needs because He knows what I need before I do and knows my heart better than anyone else on this earth.
Here is a list of those little moments in my life that our Heavenly Father gives me that I praise Him for every day. God bless you all.
1. Waking up
2. Being able to see
3. Being able to talk
4. Hugging my family every day when I see them
5. Watching my puppy playing with his toy or rolling around on the floor with my sister
6. Hearing my favorite song on the radio, or seeing the video on TV, and singing along
7. Seeing a beautiful sunrise driving to work
8. Seeing a flock of geese flying overhead while driving to work
9. Seeing a deer on the side of the road in a field, eating God’s green grass
10. Knowing my grandfather is still with us, one more day
11. Knowing that tomorrow promises to be better than today
12. Having a job
13. Friendships
14. Seeing a mother in the park, listening to a concert or playing on the train with her kids
15. Seeing a long lost friend
16. Getting an email from my best friend
17. An open invitation to eat lunch with my coworkers and VERY best friend
18. Knowing someone is thinking about me at this very moment
19. Thinking about someone right now
20. Hearing my best friend’s comforting voice on the other end of the line
21. Blue skies
22. Sunshine
23. Rain for the crops, trees and grass
24. A rainbow
25. A home to go to every night
26. Smelling my mom’s cooking because I know it was made with love
27. Seeing my dad’s custom made furniture, because I know he gave it everything he had and did it because he loves what he does
28. Knowing my sister made the Dean’s List because she studied hard and gave it everything she had
29. Seeing my grandparents because in them, I see Christ
30. Being accepted
31. Being able to feel my heart breaking, because He has given me the ability to grieve for a friend
32. Crying
33. Holding my best friend’s hand
34. A gentle touch from a friend, knowing she cares
35. Being there to let my best friend cry on my shoulder
36. Being able to dress up because I have somewhere to go
37. Food on the table
38. A warm place to go when it’s cold
39. Sitting at a red light, seeing a little boy smiling giving me the thumbs up
40. Sitting in the drive in, seeing a little girl turned around backwards in her chair
41. Butterflies
42. Springtime
43. Laughing
44. Funny faces
45. Praising Him whenever and WHEREVER I want
46. Seeing a soldier saluting the flag
47. Being able to share His Word
48. Sharing His amazing love with others
49. Seeing the American flag waving in the wind against a blue sky
50. Knowing that I will see God’s face one sweet day and be able to see my grandmother again
Jason's Spina Bifida Journey 
I love this! Too often the little things go unnoticed, uncared for until it’s too late to go back and appreciate all of them! You are strong and compassionate individual, and I enjoy reading your blog! 🙂
Hi Nichole. Thanks for stopping and reading my blog. I hope you’re enjoying the journey down my road of life. Sometimes I forget to stop and just reflect on the little things that God has given me. I am so incredibly blessed to be able to experience the things on this list, but I know I left out so many other small things that inspire us every day.
I’m very interested to know what little things inspire you, that I didn’t mention on this list? I cherish your feedback and want to know how I can make my blog even better. Have a great, beautiful, blessed day Nichole. God bless your beautiful soul.
Thank you and you’re welcome! For me, my children inspire me – even when things in the “grown up world” are stressful and uncertain, they are still creating new games, and making up new jokes (they are 4, 2, and 9 months old so their jokes are usually only funny because they attempted it! LOL). The love they show each other is astounding, unconditional, and always growing. It really makes you think what the world would be like if we all loved that way!
I like your blog as is, but especially about your daily musings! You have great ideas, and positive messages. Your own thoughts about life and how to see its greatness, and improve upon the not-so-great parts is what I find most appealing!
Thank you very much Nichole. I try to uplift people and provide a positive, encouraging voice to those who read my blog. There is so much negativity and bad energy in this world today that I try to look for the goodness in others. I get most of my daily musings, believe it or not, at work or when I am driving down the road. Bad thing is I can’t write them down while I’m driving, so I forget most of my ideas and thoughts. I don’t have any children, and in fact am still single, but I get the greatest motivation from friends and family.
I’ve got several more ideas about how I see life’s greatness and improving upon the not-so-great parts of living with a disability that I will share in future posts. Most of them will be entire posts dedicated to some of the “small things” on this list.
Welcome to the journey Nichole. It’s a pleasure to have you along for the ride. If you ever want to stop and take a look around, feel free to ask me to follow up or expand on one of the posts. It’s a beautiful life out there… let’s enjoy it together!!
There is a book just published by Ann Voskamp – “One Thousand Gifts.” It started as a journal she kept, writing down the little things that happen in a day that she could be thankful for and see as God’s blessing. Your list reminded me a lot of hers.
Great list, Jason. Beautiful reminders of the important things.
I’m partial to the one about watching your puppy. I have three dogs, all rescues, and they give me reasons to smile each and every day.
‘Being accepted’ is another. It’s something that’s really only understood when you’ve lived on the outside looking in.
And butterflies… they hold a special place for me. 🙂