Being Thankful

It took an hour-long conversation about our finances last night to remind me what this weekend is for. Overall, the conversation went well. A few tears later, mixed in with a little anger, some "clearing things up", a list of action items, prayers to start and end the conversation and a promise to discuss further, made me realize how self-absorbed we've been all these years. And being able to not look inward truly opens up a brand new and big world of being thankful.

So in the true fashion of Thanksgiving...
I am thankful for:

My Faith: experiencing unconditional love and mercy; a loving and supportive church family; bible studies geared toward being a better mom; God's words in print and the freedom to read at any time; being able to pray

My Husband: him finally starting to "get" me and how I operate; his somewhat-secure and fulfilling job with benefits; his love for me when I'm most unlovable; improving communication skills; his physical attraction to me (especially in the morning when I could be mistaken for the infamous mug shot of Nick Nolte)
My Children: their hineys poked up in the air while sleeping; soft, silky blonde hair and big blue eyes; everyone sleeping in until 7am (including the dog); experiencing a fraction of the infinite love God has for me, His child, through them; interrupted phone conversations (because they crave my attention and I know it won't last forever); cuddle time; hearing "mama" right before a full body hug; having 2 whole minutes of being-still-to-read-books time with both of them before bed
My Family: having so many family members living in the same county; having so much family that Thanksgiving has to be spread out over 3 days and never wondering if we would see them over the holidays; knowing that I've never been un-loved; growing a garden; laughter

My Friends: old and new friends that challenge me; on a regular basis, running into people that have known me since birth

Our Health: being sick (because it means I'm so used to being well); health insurance; contact lens (Quasimoto has been wearing glasses for 3 days now); the freedom I feel when I've stepped into a public place after being home-bound for 10 days; a good night's sleep; Children's Motrin; toothbrushes and toothpaste; having friends and family bring us meals or call to check in on us; our immediate and extended family's good health

Life: struggles (because it means I feel something and I'm growing); blogging; my husband and I having able minds to work through problems together; having an orange tree in our front yard and getting to share its fruit; music and singing; a clean house; uninterrupted phone calls; our beautiful home; lots of pillows for sleeping; having a sense of humor and being able to laugh at life

My Occupation: being forced to quit work so I could be at home more with kids; having a successful, well-paying job in a positive environment, while it was there

Finances: the opportunity to struggle financially (because it forces us to re-evaluate what is important and not be so full of ourselves and prideful); selling unsentimental gold items from high school days that fund Christmas; being forced to be creative with saving $

After typing all these out I was reminded of how quickly those things that get me in a bad mood tend to overshadow so much of what I have to be thankful for. It was also ironic that it took a heated conversation about finances to stir up this list, most of which has no monetary value at all. I guess the real test is keeping a thankful heart all year, all the time.

We all have so much to be thankful for and I'm learning that if this list were stripped from my life, there is still the joy of knowing we serve a living, loving God. It is hard to fathom how Paul could write of so much joy and hope while being imprisoned, but he did. God Bless you all this weekend. Be safe.