Thankfulness - a list

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And as I prepare to have many relatives from my mom's side of the family over for our Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow, I've been thinking all day about all of the things I'm so thankful for.

I have been abundantly blessed by God. An embarrassing amount. Much more than I ever deserve. But that's the great thing about God - He doesn't actually give us what we "deserve." His grace and mercy overflow for His kids. And I am so thankful for so many things he has given to me. In no particular order, I am thankful for:

1. My sisters. This morning I was looking at the three photos I have framed on my bedroom wall. Each 8x10 is a photo of my two sisters and me, at each of our weddings. Each of us had two maids/matrons of honor...our other two sisters. We each took a turn signing the marriage certificates as witnesses. I signed Laurie's, Michelle signed mine, Laurie signed Michelle's. The three of us are close, with  no drama ever involved in our relationships with one another. At least, not since 2002 when Laurie and I stopped living together. :) I am so thankful for their support, the laughs, the inside jokes, the venting to one another, the countless texts, and so much more. If I go more than a couple of days without talking to either of them, I start to miss them. One sister lives four miles away, the other lives over 50 miles away. But distance is nothing between us. I'm thankful for these bonds.

Love my sisters - one of my favorite pictures of us

 2. My house. I love my house. I think it's beautiful. When I turn up the thermostat, I get heat. When it rains, everything in my house stays dry. I get instant electricity when I need light, or to dry my hair, or to charge a cell phone. When I need water, I just turn on the faucet and I get water immediately. It's a cinch to cook a meal, take a shower, wash and dry our many clothes. This puts me is in a small percentage of people in the world. So many people in the world have NONE of these things. I do not take any of it for granted and am so thankful for it all.

3. My child. I waited a long time to be a mom. And I am loving it. I love taking care of my girl. She is so sweet. And social. And developing quite the sense of humor. She is bright and curious. I am enjoying each stage as she develops and treasuring each milestone. I don't want to take anything for granted and "wish" for the next stage. I'll never rush her growing up, I'll delight in her growth, and I'll treasure her achievements. I am so thankful to be her mother.

My little Tuppy. Ten months old.

 4. My husband. We have so much fun together. We laugh a lot. We make a good team. He is so supportive of me, he encourages me, he prays with me, he loves me just the way I need to be loved. He knows how to speak my love language. He is the second best thing that's ever happened to me. Choosing to follow Christ is the best thing that's ever happened to me. He knows that he will always be number two in my book and he's just fine with that. :) I am incredibly thankful for him!

A couple of months before we were married!

5. My church. I love Faith Community Church. I started attending there about seven years ago. I've served in a couple of different ministries. Husby and I did our pre-marital counseling through the church. We were married there. We dedicated our little Tuppy as part of this church. And now I work there part-time as I help behind the scenes of our Wednesday night children's ministry. I have come to know so many quality people that attend Faith, work at Faith, and volunteer at Faith. The staff of pastors and fellow attenders encourage me, build me up, and teach me how to have a deeper walk with Christ. This is a church that loves people through Christ! And I am thankful for this church!

6. The rest of my family. My parents, in-laws, nieces, nephews - we all get along and enjoy spending a lot of time together. Not all families are like this and I'm so thankful for all of the time that we have had together, growing closer, laughing, eating (lots of eating), just being invested in one another's lives. I am so thankful for functional family love.

7. Pie. I'm thankful for pie.

Happy Thanksgiving!