I am Thankful for... - A Wendy Post

In spite of the "crazy" and the things I am not pleased with, there are literally thousands of things I am thankful for.  I do believe that gratefulness & contentment go hand in hand.  God's Word tells us to give thanks in all circumstances.  It is a good thing to set aside a time of year for thanks.   For what it's worth, here are some things that come to mind this Saturday morning at 7 a.m.!

I am thankful for....

~quiet mornings when I am the only one up!

~the blessing of being a homeowner.  I remember when Ken & I had our first night in our Pearl Street home & we just couldn't believe it!  It is SO nice to have a home!

~My home in particular, the location & view & structure & grey shingles & big rocks.

~My salvation, which is without a doubt, the biggest gift.

~warm cups of hot chocolate, chai, coffee & tea.

~letters in the mail.

~the fact that we now have high speed internet!

~the seasons.  Life would be so boring without them.  My favorite is autumn.

~my vehicle.  I would feel trapped without a vehicle.  SO, so thankful.

~access to good healthcare & providers.  I am thankful for the speech therapist & physical therapist & physicians we have seen & known & know.

~good, clean drinking water!  

~refrigeration

~Animals in general, (how wonderful to go to a zoo & see the variety of animals there are!)

~My animals in particular!  My Nubians, Katahdin & Clara.  My chickens.

~The miracle of birth.

~The miracle of adoption.

~God's Word to us.  (Can I hear a 'Hallelujah!')

~Music & dance & poetry & art; the ability to express ourselves

~The beauty of God's creation, ('Hallelujah?!?')

~The places I have been able to travel:  Belize, South Dakota, PEI & Texas.

~My HOBBIES!  I am thankful for cooking & knitting & hiking & reading & (someday) scrapbooking.

~the support I receive from those who love me.  Or at least feel sorry for me (!!!)  

~that, PTL, I am going to heaven someday!!!!!!

~the gift of sleep.  And I am a deep, deep sleeper.

~that I knew, at least a little, my great grandparents and that they provided a godly heritage & I am reaping the benefits of that.

~that I knew all 4 grandparents & that all 4 are now in heaven.  For the examples they set & the groundwork they laid.

~for my parents.  that they are still married.  That they raised us in a Christian home.  For ALL the things that parents do, like drive you back & forth to your $3.85/hour job at McDonald's, take your on vacations, put up with you as a teenager, listen when you call them crying, even though you are 38 years old, forgive you when you scratch their cedar chest...

~My BROTHERS!  My older brother who passed along a love of reading & playing, (and winning), games, who was my playmate.  My younger brother who was sweet & loving.  Well, still is!

~My sis-in-laws.  They add much-needed humor to my life, they are good mommies & wives.

~Oh goodness, my precious niece & nephew!   LOVE them!

~All the other relatives!  Let's lump them together!  Great aunts & uncles.  great aunts & uncles, cousins & their spouses & their kids, relatives from 'further out', so to speak!  I could write a book about their importance in my life.  Love them.

~Mountains!  And quite frankly, even more than mountains, I am thankful for all the parts of hiking that are not mountains!!

~Long, hot baths.  Especially with California Baby bubble bath!

~comfortable clothes

~the fact that I had the privilege to attend Philadelphia College of Bible & all the friends I had there & all the things I learned there, majoring in Bible & Elementary Education and the fact that I don't have college debt!!

~All the small things that bring me great pleasure - twinkling lights on a Christmas tree, playing games, warm blankets, a good photo...

~Our traditions:  Labor Day weekend campouts, Memorial Day weekend camping, MLK Jr. Ice Fishing Weekend.

~Holidays, especially Christmas.

~Biking, Fishing, Kayaking, Snowshoeing, Snowmobiling, Walking.

~quality ice cream & chocolates & cheese & crackers & strawberries & all my favorite foods.

~That I have enough to eat.

~those who have died for my freedom.

~the United States of America.  Our heritage & even what we are right now.  Our constitution & our freedoms.  (Could write a lot about that too!)  Including freedom of religion.

~The freedom to homeschool.

~My state.  I do believe this is the best one!  

~Movies.  I love movies!

~Good TV shows, my favorites usually being suspense.

~cheesy, sappy, Hallmark-ish movies.  Especially Christmas ones!

~the physical abilities I have - my senses, I can walk, talk, use my hands...

~88.5 and the shows that have made such an impact for me:  Family Life Today & Focus on the Family & Adventures in Odyssey, in particular.

~The PLETHORA of excellent resources available!  

~good fiction books

~Incredible choices of good, Biblical places to worship, even in our rural area.

~The programs my children have benefited from, in our local churches:  Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, Youth Group, AWANA.

~my job!

~my friends!

~My husband:  he works hard, he communicates thoroughly, we have similar interests, we have common goals, his choice of career, we might just make it!!!

~hand-me-downs for myself & my kids!

~chicken coops & goat sheds!

~wild berries!  

~the moose & deer in my freezer!

~light

~My firstborn, Noelle.  And to think I wanted a boy!  I am simply thankful that she is in my life.  That is enough for me.  But she brings so much more.  She is often a delight to homeschool, she is motivated & independent & has a fire in her belly for certain things.  She is quirky & funny & sensitive & smart.  I am most thankful that when she was 3 years old she gave her heart to Christ.  

~My second born, Micah.  He is full of mischief & jokes, (often at the wrong time!), & love & he notices what happens in his world.  He is sensitive & caring & is gaining confidence daily.  He, too, gave his heart to Christ at the age of 2.  I am thankful for the joy that he brings to my life & for just who he is & that he is here.

~My "bonus one", as they say!  No matter what the future holds, I am thankful for all that we have shared these past nearly 8 years.  The uncountable hours of reading & teaching & shared family fun & doing hair.  She is also heaven-bound & we feel she is in the best school situation we could hope for, for her.  She is generous & resilient & determined.  

Well, that was 45 minutes of stream-of-consciousness writing, as it came.  There are many, many more things I am thankful for.  And, to be clear, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who receives the praise for each & every one of these things.  I am not randomly saying what I am thankful for, sending it to "the cloud".  I am thanking Him personally, as my Provider, Protector & the Giver of all good things.