Thankful Thursday, HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I've read this week some posts this week about struggling with the holidays after a tragedy or particularly hard year.  I know that I can not possibly imagine all the horrible circumstances some people are dealing with this holiday season and understand that we all deal with loss and grief and struggles differently.  I hope that maybe if you are feeling less than thankful this year, maybe you will take a moment and at least try to see what you have in your life to be thankful for.

Personally I have endured some difficult holidays.  There have been several where I considered it may have been my last with my mom.  Those were hard because my heart wanted to be with her every second of those holidays in case it was her last but she was too tired to want to celebrate much, if at all.  And then there was last year when Thanksgiving fell almost a month to the day of her passing.  It would certainly be easy to be consumed by the grief.  To dwell on the fact that someone I love very much is not here to celebrate the way we have for some many years.  I could crawl in bed and let the holidays pass without any notice at all.  But for me, it has been better to grab a hold of each holiday and shake every last bit of goodness I could out of it.  For the lesson I've learned from having a loved one taken from me too soon was that we are not promised a next year or another holiday.  And while I miss my mom terribly and there are many tears in the holiday season as I am reminder of her and wish she could be with me, I am still surrounded by too many loved ones to not see what I have to be thankful for.

I hope that you all have a beautiful day today. And while you're enjoying the food and the company of the holidays, take some time to consider how much you have to be thankful for too!

The things I am thankful for...in no particular order (and certainly not a complete list)

• my personal relationship with Jesus Christ
• the faith to know that while my mom is not with me (where I want her) she is in a much better place
• my husband
• Timmy
• Johnny
• Bryan
• my large extended family
• amazing friends
• a job
• a home
• food
• heat
• warm clothes
• (semi reliable) vehicles
• my health
• healthy kids
• our freedom
• the many men and woman who serve to protect our freedom
• music
• the ability to HEAR music
• movies and tv and the luxury to be able to watch them
• my children's giggles
• watching my kids play a sport they love
• this blog, my readers and the opportunities it has given my family

Thankful Thursday 12-3-09

I am feeling very thankful. While I still have plenty of things I grump about, I'm just feeling generally all around thankful.

I am thankful for amazing friends and family.
And the prayers of many that have given me a strength I could have not imagined to get throught the last couple months.
I'm thankful that I started shopping early and am almost done. As I don't know that any would be getting anything if I had to start right now.
I'm thankful for all the amazing things we have going on in our lives. With basketball, and Cub Scouts and church and school we keep really busy but without things to keep me going I don't know that I'd have done much at all this last month.
I'm thankful for all the things we have. The cars may both need work, but at least we have them. The house may need tons of work but at least we have a home thats heated and warm for the winter. Our clothes may not be designer but we have what we need to stay clothed and warm.
I'm thankful that we make choices to take what little we have and help others in small ways when we're able.
And I'm especially thankful today for my boys and their beautiful faces. And I suppose I should include that I'm thankful to my husband for getting a up just a bit early getting himself some coffee and getting the boys going today so we didn't have our usual morning insanity which allowed me to start my day on a good note, leaving me feeling so thankful!!!

Thankful Thursday, 4-30-09

It's been awhile since I've done a Thankful Thursday.  Not because I'm not thankful, just because I simply haven't done it.

But this week I'm especially feeling the need to share how blessed and grateful I am.

I'm thankful for my kids because as much as they make me crazy, I probably wouldn't even bother getting out of bed if it weren't for them.  They are my sanity AND my insanity all rolled into one!

I'm thankful for a husband who may not be perfect or even everything I'd really like him to be right now, but is amazing at letting me have the time to what needs to be done right now.  Not only does he not ever make me feel guilty about it but he often tries hard to ease the guilt I put on myself.

I'm thankful for a friends and extended family who, although I will likely never take them up on them, have made wonderful offers to help DO for us.  For me it's not about doing, maybe it will come to that but for now them just BEING, makes such a huge difference.

I'm thankful for every single phone call, visit and real conversation with my mom.  I'm thrilled that today they are ale to get away for a night to celebrate their anniversary!  And even more thrilled that she plans to attend a Mother Daughter brunch with my on Saturday.  While it's always possible that she may not feel up to it when Saturday comes, I'm genuinely just thankful that she feels well enough to want to go.  If we do get to go I'll just be that much more thankful.  (Last year we did not go.)

And last but most definitely NOT least, I'm thankful for God and his amazing works.  For some reason I never cease to be surprised by how I can be given just what I need, when I need it, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

This verse popped up as a status update for one of my friends on Facebook the other day when I REALLY needed it.

Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous do not be terrified; do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Thankful Thursday, 3-12-09

It's that time again.  I'm not sure where this week has gone but it's already Thursday.  Which means 1, we're one day from Friday AND 2, it's time to make my Thankful Thursday list.

This week I'm thankful:

for the day home with the boys.  I have a hard time getting moving to get everyone up and up to get Timmy to school with the other boys.  But once that's done it's a nice day.  

for my kids love of books.  Even if that means every one of them has gone through (or is going through) the phase where they pull every last book off the shelf!

for my kids love of music.  There is nothing better than watching them dance around.  But especially when they're toddlers.  Bryan's been dancing around on his knees today and its hysterical.

for the fact that people can forgive me when I get into a funk and totally forget about commitments.

for hearing from Timmy's teacher that he's continuing to do well. And for seeing myself how much he is improving in his reading.  He's becoming fluid in his reading so it's so cool to sit and listen to him!!

that I finally bought a stinkin' 2009 calendar.  Yeah it's March and I didn't have one.  Maybe now I can get organized.  

for all the opportunities we have to do stuff.  The calendar is already crazy full from April to July!

Thankful Thursday, 3-5-09

I'm starting to feel a bit like a broken record when it comes to my Thankful Thursday posts. But it is what it is and there are just many things in life that we should constantly be reminding ourselves to be thankful for. If you haven't jumped in on Thankful Thursdays, I'm encouraging you to give it a try this week. And leave me a note and let me know you did so I can be sure to read!

This week I'm thankful:

• for the chance to finally get away.  It's been over two years since our last family vacation.  It's not exactly our normal trip to Florida but I will take it.  The boys have serious cabin fever and from the website it looks like they should have PLENTY of stuff to keep them busy working off some serious energy.  
• that my mom has been feeling better.  She's even been out and about this week.  And would you believe she made us a meatloaf.  It's of course appreciated (and delicious) but makes me feel a bit guilty!
• for nicer weather.  The boys got out, not for long but they DID get out.  I can't wait for spring to be here and stay.
• friends I can talk to online, even when I have silly questions.

Thankful Thursday, 2-26-09

It's been a while since I did a Thankful Thursday post and I think I could use a little attitude adjustment today too.

I am thankful for

• a God who loved me enough to give his own son.  I know it should go without saying and should be at the front of my mind everyday all day but I am LOVING my oldest having weekly Bible verses to memorize that we review, nothing like hearing the word in my child's voice!
• a church family who isn't perfect (what family is?) but clearly cares about my biological family.  I 'think' I'm learning more each day to over look the church "stuff" to see the hearts of the people there who really love my family and reach out.
• my husband.  Even though I may not always like him, especially at a certain time of the month, I couldn't do it without him.
• Timmy.   Timmy is reading more and more each day and I am loving his writing (in case you couldn't tell).  It's so fun to have my child enjoy some of the same things I do!!  He is getting interested in my blog and has been interested in my photography for awhile.
• Johnny.  Johnny is working so hard at his speech therapy (you can tell he really does because its the only day each week he takes a nap!) and is really into math write now.  He's still a bit behind on his letters/pre-reading but wanting to learn multiplication.
• Bryan.  Bryan is changing so much each day.  He is getting to be some much fun.  
• the love my kids have for each other.  Granted the older ones don't get along ALL the time.  But for the most part they're great brothers!!
• weekly dinner with my father.  It's always a hectic time! (Tonight included 2 spilled drink and one entree dumped on the seat!)  But it's so great to see the boys developing such a bond and being able to stay up to date on each others lives.
• the time we were able to spend with my mom last Saturday.  She fought to stay strong for a good 3+ hours.  I doubt I really know what that really took for her but it was wonderful to see her smiling and enjoying the boys!!
• my job.  Not always perfect but at least I have one.  As the sole bread winner, who knows where we'd be without it.
• the amazing opportunities and friendships that blogging has brought.  It's amazing how much of a bond can be created simply by reading each others blogs. 
• rekindled friendships.  Its been great staying in touch with a group of friends from high school.  Our lives may have changed much, but WE really haven't!