Thursday, November 23, 2006

I'm Thankful For...

Thanksgiving is almost over, and the last 48 hours have been quite an adventure. We made it to Houston safely although we had to make a few extra stops for our kids who weren't feeling well. When we arrived, Caelyn took a speedy turn downhill and visited the bathroom a dozen times in the first two hours. Noreen unearthed some anti-diarrheal medicine, but I noticed that it had expired in 1997 so I opted to send Kevin to Walgreens. Caelyn later perked up, but then she got a fever and her other symptoms continued. Now David's sick with a pretty high fever, too. The poor guy took three naps today. Kendra's hanging in there but says her tummy hurts. Tonight's Thanksgiving Feast? Each of the kids ate a roll and part of a banana. I know the kids wish they were in their own beds, and I really wish we were at home, too. But we're not, and it's probably just as well that we stay until Saturday so David has time to recover before hitting the road again.

Despite our less-than-stellar holiday, I am thankful for so many things. The short list:

1. I am thankful for my husband, who puts up with me and loves me and challenges me and laughs at/with me. Every day for the last dozen years, Kevin has never failed to tell me that he loves me, even when I'm not acting very lovable. Kevin is faithful, loving, selfless, and a great dad.
2. I am thankful for each of my children. I love Kendra's literal view of the world and her growing heart for God. I love Caelyn's ability to always see the bright side of things. I love David's sweet spirit and his play hard/sleep hard tendencies. I love how God is training me in righteousness through my children.
3. I am thankful for my friends. God has truly blessed me with a great group of women with whom I can share, pray, cry, laugh, and be myself. I love all my friends dearly and I'm so grateful to have you in my life.
4. I am thankful that I'm able to stay home and be a mom. Housekeeping with a joyful heart is a struggle for me, but I am truly thankful that I can focus the majority of my energies on home and family. I'm thankful that I'm always available when my kids are sick, that I have the freedom to attend Tuesday morning Bible studies, and that I'm the one who picks up my kids from school every day.
5. That said, I'm also thankful for my parttime jobs. I need to learn how to manage my time better, but I'm thankful for my curriculum writing job and for my eternally patient boss. I'm thankful for my fun mystery shopping jobs and for the free food and stuff that they provide for our family. I'm thankful for the unexpected editing job my sister provided for me recently.

This is the short list, of course, because I'm thankful for so many other things, people, circumstances, etc. God is good and He has blessed me richly! Happy Thanksgiving!

2 comments:

Amy Soupiset said...

Were we blogging about Thanksgiving at the same time? I like your list. If I hadn't been so tired, my list would have included some of the same things that yours did. (friends, part time jobs, being at home, etc.) We are truly blessed! I pray for a quick recovery for your family and a safe trip home.

Stephanie said...

Goodness, sounds like a memorable one. Glad you were able to come up with such a good list, despite the circumstances!