171-180/1000 of things I'm thankful for.
#171: Christmas. In all honesty, who isn't thankful for Christmas for some reason or another? I don't love the busy-ness of the season but I do love the reason of it. It's good for people like me, who've been Christians since they were itty-bitty, to stop and think about it a little longer than usual; stop and remember and re-read the message; stop and sing about it and teach it to my own kids. What an amazing thing that God came to be with us - that He'd rather be with us as a crying, drooling little baby, than not have us with Him for eternity. Amazing. I'm thankful for Christmas.
#172: Family. Somehow, in this season, this goes hand-in-hand with the last one. We had our family gathering this past weekend with my side of the family. I love those people. Mom, Dad...my brother....we're a small crew, and we're vastly different in many ways, but I love them.
#172: Generosity. When I see it in action, anywhere, it almost always brings me to tears. I think it's one of the greatest witnesses we can have - being generous with our time, our things, our selves.
#173: Grandma: At this point, she doesn't always remember who I am, or who my kids are....but she always has her hands out for a hug and she knows that she's been praying for us. I know she won't be around for that much longer....and she's definitely anxious to be home with her Lord, but I'm thankful for this woman!
This photo is my kids with her this past weekend.
#174: Chicken & Rice soup :)
I'm sick....I can't remember having a cold hit me this hard, ever. The doc says it's not a sinus infection and the best thing to do is let it heal so I've been given a week off work to let my body do that. I feel a bit silly staying at home when really, I could be working....but he classified me as "highly contagious" and since I work with high needs kids and often kids with compromised immune systems....this is probably best for everyone. I'm hoping the extra sleep will get me well for Christmas holidays!
#175: Friends with skills. And friends whose spouses have skills. This is a new thing for me, trying to do things on my own at home and I'm extremely thankful for friends who've offered to help out with things around the house that I'm not totally comfortable doing. I have one friend working on fixing the fan in my laptop (not my area of expertise). I have a friend who, together with her husband, have helped me move furniture. I have another friend's husband who dry-walled for me and another friend's husband who's mudding and taping in my basement for me. I will never, ever be able to pay you people back. Ever. I hope that someday I can pay it forward and help out others who may need skills that I have.
#176: Tools! I now have some tools :)
My dad: former farmer, bus driver, welder, fix-it man extraordinaire...dug through his hefty collection of tools and put together a little pile for me. I haven't needed to use any yet but it feels so good to know they're there and I don't have to find a neighbour with a pair of pliers or a flat screwdriver every time I need one. Oh...and I got a cordless drill for Christmas....I'm really, really exited about that. I'm almost tempted to put something up on the wall just to see if it works :) I won't....I'll control myself.
#177: Scrapbook Stash. It was my goal this Christmas to supply all the stores that sell my cards with Christmas cards made entirely of my stash and not buy any product. And, I did it. I made so many Christmas cards this year - I'll probably even have leftovers for next year. I'm a little sick of one or two of the lines of paper b/c I've used the entire line up twice now but I did it. It felt a little like the widow's oil....I wondered for awhile if I'd have enough and then as I kept going and going making cards, there seemed to be no end in sight. It's either a sad report on how much stash I really do have, or a testament to how God provides for me :) I'll choose to believe the latter.
#178: Peace & Quiet: If I listen closely these days....that's what I hear and that's what I feel in this house. Peace. And Quiet. I love it.
#179: Homework. I sure wasn't thankful for it when I actually had it....and my kids probably would argue this one but I'm so thankful for a.) teachers who expect much from my kids and b.) work that I can actually see them do here at home. It's a different experience than just walking into Parent/Teacher interviews a couple of times a year and seeing what they've done. Tonight I watched my middle son work on a project from the moment he came home until the moment I finally made him go to bed. He even took it to Trev's to work on a little in between. The reason it is taking him so long? He's artistic, slightly perfectionist and very, very meticulous. And I'm fascinated watching him work. I love this side of him that I get to see when he's got work that he has to do at home. And I love the discipline it teaches him. I'm so proud of him.
#180: Eggnog. Yum. Enough said.
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