Counting Our Blessings // Odelia Chan

Good morning everyone! Can you believe that next month, it will be a full year since the first post in the Counting Our Blessings link up was published?! Where has the time gone? Thank you all so much who have joined me in this venture the past year, it's been absolutely amazing counting blessings with y'all ^_^ 

For the first guest post of 2017, I'd like to introduce... Odelia Chan! She and her family have been friends with my family since like forever ago. She just recently opened up her own blog - be sure to check it out after this post! So welcome to both the blogosphere and my blog, Odelia! :) 

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HI!!!

My name is Odelia Chan. I am turning fifteen next month.(Whooo-Hooo! Finally!) 

I have wavy black hair, dark brown eyes –that could blaze with fire or twinkle with fun, I am also rather short ☺ and… Yeah! Sorry, I couldn't find a nice, recent portrait/picture, so…..

I live on a hobby farm in Ontario, with my great family of eight kids and my parents (myself included.)  I am the second oldest.

We have sheep (and therefore cute little lambs in the spring—YAY!), a flock of hens, two goldfishes, and probably a few more animals over the summer!!

I, along with my sisters and brothers, are homeschooled- which, by the way, is one of my greatest blessings.

I love to write. Sitting down with a stack of paper to fill with the ideas that storm my mind (and that keeps me awake at night!) with the pencil in my hand, to write for hours, un-interrupted—that is almost pure happiness to me.

I’ve recently started a blog thingy I would like to share with you readers. (It’s my first time, so bear with me in whatever typos and stuff like that I might have overlooked) I launched it in hopes of getting some honest-to-goodness suggestions and advice on how I could better improve my writing. (Another way of saying “Comments, please!!”☺) so…. The link is: Odelia's Writing Blog

Be sure to hop over there after reading this guest post!!

So that’s a little about me: shall we get started on the blessings? 

© Google 

#1 My family. I am sooo thankful that God had placed me in a Christian household: and although none of us are perfect (it’s a wonder how we can get through the day peacefully at all!!) Home is the place where we are taught to live like Christ and for Christ. Parents are the God-appointed mentors of our early years, and siblings often (very often)give you the extra push toward being a more kind, loving, --and patient—servant.

Having a Christ-centered, supportive family is one of the most precious blessings that God has given me.

© countingyourblessingsonebyone.blogspot.com

#2 Beauty. Beauty is everywhere, if we only look for it: in each leaf, each flower, in each toothy smile –God’s creation is perfect, seamless, majestic. Even after the Fall—what unsurpassable beauty must the spotless Garden of Eden have held!--- He has still left us with His creative Beauty on each and every one of His created plants and animals—right down to the smallest snowflake.And not only that, He’s given us the ability to see and enjoy them!! Isn't He marvellous!!

© Google 

#3 Writing—Words. Ideas. Thoughts. Through writing, God speaks to us, guides us, and moulds us to be more like Himself. Through the written Word, He leads us to Himself, and shows us the path to Salvation.

Writing is powerful—perhaps even more so than music.( sorry, musicians…. I’m really biased☺) It is also my life’s calling—to write to His Glory. Writing means a lot to me—sometimes I feel as if I would die from bursting if I don’t sit down and scribble across the page.

I can’t thank God enough for this Blessing!! 

© Google 

#4 Work. This may come as a surprise, but trust me—when you have literally nothing to do in the whole wide world, you’ll be glad to scrub those dishes and sweep those floors, even if just to pass away the time. After all, we are made for work!!!  Mind you, I didn't say I love work—I very rarely enjoy it☺ -- it is still a blessing in disguise; In many, many hidden ways!!!

It gives you a measure of satisfaction to see the results of your work—whether it be cleaning up your baby brother’s mess, mucking up(or down) the stalls, or scrubbing your arms off over the sink. It gives you time away from the grind of schoolwork, a job, or plain boredom. So, praise the Lord for work!!

© Google 

#5 Water. Such a profoundly simple, vitally important element God has given us!! It’s just the combination of two gases, that somehow join together, and become a liquid that all life depends on, that it’s simply profound!!!

Without it we could not quench our thirst, we could not wash our clothes—or ourselves, we could not even flush the toilet. We would not even exist!! We should not take H2O for granted. Water is a great blessing.

So there! A few of the blessings that I receive daily from the gracious hand of God!!

I hope that each one of you have been encouraged by this post, and thanks again, Blessing, for having me here!!!