Stuff I'm Thankful For

1) My loving husband. When I think of him, I think of a line from a song by Train (one of my favorite bands), "I look around at what I've got, without you it ain't a lot, I've got everything....with you, everything."

(I was hugely pregnant with Cakes in this picture, and it appears that he was teasing me...but that's nothing new).

2) I don't have to cook Thanksgiving dinner this year! We're going together with my parents on a pre-cooked dinner from the grocery store. All I have to bring is my famous Thanksgiving cheese ball, and orange fluff salad. This makes me very happy, because I'm so tired and uncomfortable, due to this....

3) Giant, 31-weeks-pregnant tummy.

Look! My stomach is so huge that it provides a little shelf for my equally huge bosoms to rest on. See, you can always find the good in every situation, if you look hard enough. No seriously...I'm very thankful for this little boy, growing and kicking and squirming inside me. My long-time readers know that last year at this time, he seemed like an impossible dream. And while we're on the subject, I'm thankful for...

4) These little girls. They make life fun (and funny).


5) My Dad and Karen. It's at times like this, when I'm exhausted and irritable, when I realize just how much I rely on them for help and support, how much they do for us, how much they love our kids, and how much we all love them. I hope they don't ever decide to move away, because we would be lost without them.

6) Our friends and family. At this time of year, when so many people are sad and lonely, we are blessed to have people who care about us. This is no small thing, but it's something that many of us take for granted.

7) My husband's job security. In a year that has brought trials and hardships to so many, we've been fortunate. We thank God for this every day.

8) Milk. But you know that already. Sometimes it's the only thing that gets me through the day. I could be an advertisement for the Dairy Council.

9) Our church. I just found out that they have a meal service for new parents, and I signed up for it. After DJ is born, some kind soul will bring us food each night, for as long as we need it. Now we won't have to survive on Pop Tarts, granola bars, and lunch meat for a month, like we did after Cakes was born.

10) YOU. At a time when I was terribly discouraged, and thinking about giving up on this blog, you all came out of the woodwork in an outpouring of love and support. I was overwhelmed, and reminded of why I write. Thank you.

At church on Sunday, our pastor gave a sermon about gratitude. He explained that while gratitude doesn't come naturally to us as human beings, we can learn to be thankful if we make a habit of it. It just takes practice. He suggested that every day, not just on Thanksgiving, we should write on our calendar at least one good thing that happened. When we get in the habit of recognizing the good that God does in our lives, gratitude - instead of grumbling - becomes as natural as breathing.

I'm going to take this challenge. Will you?

This will be my last post until after the holiday. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!