Thankfulness Gratitude Appreciation

I've been having a rough time being thankful of late. I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly what has put me into this ungrateful funk, but its time to crawl out.

So in light of my new resolve I want to share with you a few of my favorite things. Everyone mentions family, friends and faith when they talk about what they are thankful for, but what does that really mean? For me, my faith is my rock. I love that the Creator of the whole, astronomical universe has invited me to have a relationship with Him. I'm grateful that He loves me and I can love him back. That He has forgiven me of all that separates me from Him and that He has prepared a perfect body and home for me when I depart this temporary world. I can't wait to meet Him face to face.

My family is unique as all families probably are, but they are mine. My husband is my best friend and makes me laugh when no one else can. He's adventurous and sees the glass not only half full but all the way full and overflowing. He humors me and has the cutest wink a man can have.

My son is an angel, literally! He has Angelman Syndrome. He doesn't talk, but his laugh is infectious. He loves life and his smiles convey that. Yes, he has his issues and challenges, but he also has his successes. He is loved by many, and loves them back.

My mom and siblings are still around, tho my father is already eating pie in heaven. They are a part of my past, my growing up, and still a part of my present. They pray for me, we visit when possible, we spend time with one another and have lively discussions.

And friends. I have many, many friends. I'm a loyal friend and hate to see a friendship fade away. So I pester them. Stalk them on facebook. Instant message them. Harrass them with phonecalls. I hold onto my old friends even while connecting with the new. I have friends from our first days of marriage, from our days in Bothell and the northend, from our time in Auburn, Puyallup and Sumner, from our sojourn in Twin Falls and Boise. We have friends who knew us before we had Josiah and who knew Michael before his accident. We have friends who never knew us in our early days and only know us as we are now. Each share a piece of our history and we theirs. Many have cried with us as we traveled down the unknown paths. Others have laughed and made merry, played cards and drank sparkling cider with us. All have made an impact on who we are and where we are today.

I'm also thankful this year for Michael's completion of his degree, for the job the Lord provided, for our home here in the gorge, for Josiah's school, his aide, that he gets to join the high school special ed class for swimming once a week and for all the great, compassionate people that have touched his and our lives. I'm thankful for the church we are in now, and all the churches we've been a part of thru the years. For the faithful pastors and teachers, for great worship, for times of fellowship.

I have so much to be thankful for. Sometimes it just takes a little thinking. "Count your blessings, name them one by one" is a simple truth. One good to remember when the grumpies start to crowd in.

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving Day and Year!

Til next time ...

Just Being Real

MOVING is not what its all cracked up to be! You'd think after 20+ moves in the last 26 years I'd know this by now. Sigh ... Guess I'm a really slow learner!

When we moved out of campus housing last May, we made the decision to purge heavily. We had never done such a heavy purge in all of our moves. We had always gathered up our possessions like the turtle and his shell and moved all of it to our next home. But this time, we thought, we don't need all this "stuff", lets not pay for moving it and just replenish what we need when we get to our new abode. So out went the old worn out mattresses, the craigslist couch find, the ancient space hog tv and more. We donated or threw out books, papers, old magazines and anything else that looked disposable. We embraced a leaner, greener look and smiled.

Fast forward to being in our new place for the last 6 weeks. Every week I feel like I'm heading to the not so local wal-mart, fred meyers or target to replace something that didn't make it in the move! Getting new beds, a flatscreen tv and a sofa were automatic purchases that we knew we'd need, but all those little items like comforters, pillows, curtains, lampshades and more did not make it on my radar until we finally were unpacking. Now granted this probably would have been alot easier if we were still in a major metro area instead of an hour away, but I'm still doubting that we will ever move like this again. Is that wrong? With all the talk about decluttering and moving light am I missing something here?

So how bout you? Have you ever done a super purge before a move and lived to love it? Or do you do like most of us and just pack up everything you own and not worry about it?