Thankful Thursday... Perseverance

"through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."
(Romans 5:2-5)

Perseverance: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition : the action or condition or an instance of persevering : steadfastness.

This week I am most grateful to have a person in my life who has shown me the true meaning of perseverance. I admire her so much for her hard work and courage to stick with something for a full year that was beyond difficult. I admire her for the way she handled a situation that was out of her comfort zone on so many levels. These days it seems so many people take the easy way out when the going gets tough; they just quit. She will never quit anything without giving it much consideration. I will never forget the many conversations when she was very frustrated and didn't know what to do next. She just kept plugging along even though her situation caused knots in her stomach and she was critiqued day in and day out. She rarely got any positive feedback when she went above and beyond. She was stretched and did things she never imagined she would have to do. There were tears, but she didn't quit. She persevered by faith and thank God, things have gotten so much better. She's happy she made it!

This is the story of her life. When she decides to do something, she dives in and gives 100%. She is the most thoughtful person I know. She can't stand conflict and she hates to say goodbye. She is so independent and loves to be different. She is a trend-setter. She has style and class. She never talks behind people's back and always gives people the benefit of the doubt. She doesn't have to have a million friends; just a few real close friends. She is laid back. She's no-nonsense; you can't pull anything over on her. She is honest and trustworthy. She's never in a hurry and always plans ahead. She is patient and kind. She is smart. She is a runner and swimmer. She eats well and takes care of her body. She knows how to make herself happy. She has a great sense of humor. She loves candles and loves to pamper herself. She loves to travel and she speaks and sings in French. She shops early; if she sees the perfect Christmas gift in July, she will save it until Christmas. She loves flip flops and the beach. She has the most beautiful hair I've ever seen. She loves the city but she also loves her hometown. She loves to shop, but mainly online. She has no idea how beautiful she is inside and out. She loves her family and she really loves her mother.

Her name is Meghan and she's my favorite daughter.

I'm grateful and very proud of her today!