As we approach this holiday each year, we make the effort to pay attention to all we have to be thankful for! There have been years where I joined in with doing daily Facebook posts, sharing something I'm thankful for. Some years I've even copied that over to the blog. As we know this blog has been seriously neglected for years now ... I really do want to get back to blogging, but I just never seem to find the time!
I'll be honest, lately I find myself a little less ... shall we say, content?! On the one hand, this year has brought me so many people ... on the other hand, I feel so lonely sometimes. So in all these thoughts of feeling a little left out and way too far away from family and close friends ... I decided to stop it.
STOP.
Stop the whining. Stop the moping. Stop the pity party.
just. stop.
... and, as my five year old says, open my eyes!
Open my eyes and not only recognize but acknowledge at least a few of the endless blessings I have to be thankful for. So that brings me here, to share. I have a feeling this post might get a little long and it may end being a bit of a wrap up of our year ... and that's just fine with me!!
(all photos from our Thanksgiving "shoot"! felt food from Nene's Numnums!)
I am thankful to have my husband home to enjoy this holiday season with us. Last year he was gone and missed all of it. It's not easy adjusting to him being gone, then adjusting to him being back - we all have our challenges with that ... but this year, he is home!
Along those same lines, I am always thankful for my husband's hard work & dedication to provide for us. His job may take him away from us at times, but he has a job. We have health insurance. We have dental insurance. These are things that deserve thankfulness!
I am abundantly thankful to have four healthy children! We've had a few moments this year where we didn't know if health might be an issue ... but each time we received reassurance from a specialist or test results that were all normal. This is not something I ever take for granted. I pray for many parents & children that are fighting big fights. I also know of many families who have seen their way through the darkest days of illness ... coming through as warriors, some with their sweet ones still by their side and some with their sweet ones gaining angel wings. I know that health is a priceless gift.
I am thankful for friends and community. I've talked before about the honor we've had to meet some incredible people this year. I may have "fought" moving here (you can't truly fight it, so denial is a better word I suppose) but now I wish I never had to leave. There is an incredible down syndrome community in the area and I have been able to join in more this year, that makes my heart SO happy! Zoey has some little buddies, too, and that is an answer to this mama's prayers! Whether face to face or via social media, knowing and sharing with others who "get it" is an incredible thing!
I am thankful for family that have been able to visit us! This summer all our travel plans came to a halt when the hubby had to have surgery. The thought of not seeing his family was hard, but then they came to us and it was so good!!! I am also thankful that my parents are able to travel and see us a few times a year - and this year my mom & I got to go on a trip of a lifetime! How incredible to travel to Australia and see family for only my second time ...and meet brand new family (more on that in a second), too!!! Family is precious. I wish we weren't so far from our family, but I am thankful for the times we do get to spend together.
As for the new family, how grateful I am to have met my aunt. The sister my mom never knew she had. I got to be witness to a side of adoption I never dreamed I'd be a part of and my mom "got" the sister she always dreamed of. It was a treasure to meet Dawn and her husband, daughter in law, and granddaughter!
and finally, I will wrap it all up with being thankful for life.
every day I wake up, I breathe in a new day, I hug my children & say "I love you" & kiss their cheeks! I wish I always remembered to stop and take in the abundance to be grateful for. I wish I never complained or felt sorry for myself. I am a work in progress and I am eternally thankful for the Lord who knows my heart ... His grace is sufficient for me. So, I will always get up and brush off the dust and say:
I am thankful.
now, let's feast!!!
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