ARGYLE - Gina Butson, Argyle, felt as though her life was crumbling right before her eyes in 2012. It seemed God had picked up her cup of happiness and poured it all out - but He left her with faith.
"It started with my mother passing away," she said.
And then a rift in her family of seven siblings added to her feelings of sorrow and powerlessness. Finally, she and her husband, Mark, had to file bankruptcy and lost their home of more than 20 years.
That November, using her last ounce faith, Butson accepted a challenge to write down a blessing each day for 30 days.
Initially posting her blessings on Facebook, Butson found the project helped her draw closer to her Lord and cope with the struggles in her life. What's more, she discovered her posts were helping a lot of other people who were struggling in their own lives.
Butson considers herself a "new Christian," baptized but never too involved in church until the past couple of years. Today, she and her husband teach Sunday school, attend Bible studies and pray faithfully.
"Having God in my life helped," she said.
But Butson said she is not adamant about other people needing to attend church.
"I'm not saying, "You have to go to church,'" she said. "I'm not like that. I don't think you have to go to church to have it help you. And going to church doesn't make everything hunky-dory."
The feedback from those who read her blessings encouraged Butson to sit down and expand on her thoughts in that list.
Butson's blessings have become a book, "30 Days of Thanks: A Spiritual Journey," and is now available on Amazon.com. Butson will sign copies of her new book from 3-5 p.m. Jan. 10 at the Pecatonica Grapevine restaurant in Blanchardville.
The forward and dedication explain in more detail the journey that led her to count her blessings, and each short chapter that follows is a focus on one blessing, with a page for readers to insert their own blessings for the day.
The flow of chapter titles is not intended to prioritize the blessings in any way, Butson said.
"They just came to me that way," she added.
But it appears that the people in her life came to mind first. Beginning the list with her husband and ending with God, Butson includes blessings large and small, including a chapter on her favorite things.
"I believe that if you find something you like so much that you should introduce it to someone else," she wrote.
Even intangible things, such as forgiveness and laughter, get a full chapter a piece.
With this walk of faith, Butson has been patiently awaiting the completion of a new home. She and Mark recently bought property from his mother and have set a log cabin upon it. It is in the process of being wired and plumbed. The goal is to have it completed by Christmas.
"It's small - only 700 square feet," Butson said. But with their children grown, it is all they need now, she added.
"We've been married for 28 years, and we always wanted a log cabin," Butson said.
Little did she realize all the blessings she would need to count before she got this one.
"It started with my mother passing away," she said.
And then a rift in her family of seven siblings added to her feelings of sorrow and powerlessness. Finally, she and her husband, Mark, had to file bankruptcy and lost their home of more than 20 years.
That November, using her last ounce faith, Butson accepted a challenge to write down a blessing each day for 30 days.
Initially posting her blessings on Facebook, Butson found the project helped her draw closer to her Lord and cope with the struggles in her life. What's more, she discovered her posts were helping a lot of other people who were struggling in their own lives.
Butson considers herself a "new Christian," baptized but never too involved in church until the past couple of years. Today, she and her husband teach Sunday school, attend Bible studies and pray faithfully.
"Having God in my life helped," she said.
But Butson said she is not adamant about other people needing to attend church.
"I'm not saying, "You have to go to church,'" she said. "I'm not like that. I don't think you have to go to church to have it help you. And going to church doesn't make everything hunky-dory."
The feedback from those who read her blessings encouraged Butson to sit down and expand on her thoughts in that list.
Butson's blessings have become a book, "30 Days of Thanks: A Spiritual Journey," and is now available on Amazon.com. Butson will sign copies of her new book from 3-5 p.m. Jan. 10 at the Pecatonica Grapevine restaurant in Blanchardville.
The forward and dedication explain in more detail the journey that led her to count her blessings, and each short chapter that follows is a focus on one blessing, with a page for readers to insert their own blessings for the day.
The flow of chapter titles is not intended to prioritize the blessings in any way, Butson said.
"They just came to me that way," she added.
But it appears that the people in her life came to mind first. Beginning the list with her husband and ending with God, Butson includes blessings large and small, including a chapter on her favorite things.
"I believe that if you find something you like so much that you should introduce it to someone else," she wrote.
Even intangible things, such as forgiveness and laughter, get a full chapter a piece.
With this walk of faith, Butson has been patiently awaiting the completion of a new home. She and Mark recently bought property from his mother and have set a log cabin upon it. It is in the process of being wired and plumbed. The goal is to have it completed by Christmas.
"It's small - only 700 square feet," Butson said. But with their children grown, it is all they need now, she added.
"We've been married for 28 years, and we always wanted a log cabin," Butson said.
Little did she realize all the blessings she would need to count before she got this one.