Giving Thanks

 Most nights before I tuck the kids in for the evening I ask them what they are thankful for. Some nights their lists are long and other nights they may have only a thing or two that they can think of to give thanks about. I thought it would be appropriate on the eve of Thanksgiving to compile a list of things that I am most thankful for.

I am thankful for:

1. My husband. Bob is a man of honor. He is a hard working quiet man who tries his very best to provide our family with the best life possible. He carries the weight of being the sole provider for our family, and somehow always manages to provide just what we need. He is also a wonderful father who has built this family of ours day in and day out with me as an equal partner. Who knew 14 years ago that two twenty year old kids scared out of their minds at becoming parents could create a family as awesome as ours?
2. My children. I have four of the greatest children on the face of this earth. I mean it. My children, even though I struggle very much with my faith, are proof that there is a God. They are the greatest gifts that I have ever been blessed with and I am honored to be their mother. 
3. My sister. I have an amazing sister. She would do anything for me, and has time and time again. I can call her anytime and know that I will reach someone on the other end of the line who will  call me on my bs, but also is one of my biggest supporters. I wish everyone had a sister like mine. 
4. My family. My parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents have always been a huge part of my life. They were a really big influence on me in my younger years and distilled in me the sense of family that I carry with me to this day. 
5. My strength. I did not have the easiest time growing up. Sometimes I felt very alone, and that I had no one to protect me when I needed it. I see those times as a blessing now because they have made me the person that I am today. I am not afraid to go against the grain and to stand up, sometimes alone, in what I feel is right. I would not have been able to do that if I did not have some of the experiences I did growing up. 
6. My friends. I have great friends from all walks of life that I love dearly. I am thankful that I have so many people in so many areas of my life that I could all in a moments notice and know that they would do anything that they could for me. 
7. Just enough. I am thankful that I always have just enough. Never too much or too little. I have just enough money. I have just enough of a house. Just enough food. Just enough clothing. I have never known what it feels like to be in so needy that I am desperate. On the flip side I have never had too much to cause me to be a glutton. Just enough is perfect for me, and I am thankful for that.
8. Second chances. I need second chances. I am thankful that each day I wake up now and know that I can see. I was blind before. Going through life without truly seeing the beauty in it. Sarah's MS has opened up my eyes in ways I did not even know they were closed before. 
9. Sarah's strength. I have a fighter for a daughter. In an 8 year old's body lies a tigress willing to fight any battle necessary to be well. Sarah's strength amazes me for it is boundless, and teaches everyday what it means to be a true fighter. 
10. Alternative medicine. I am thankful that there are others out there in this world who see the place in which we reside through similar colored lenses that allow me to have other choices besides the mainstream ones. 
11. Blogs. I am thankful that I know that I have a place to go where I can vent and share successes, and know that there are others who are reading this who are traveling on journeys not so far from my own. I am also thankful that there are others to whom I can go for ideas and an escape, momentarily, from my life to peak into how others live their lives.
12. Generous people. In six weeks time Team Hope was able to raise thousands of dollars for the National MS Society all because of generous people who took the time to make my family's cause their cause. 
13. Public School and Homeschooling. I am so thankful that I have the right to both homeschool my children and also the ability to send my children to public school. The ability for Bob and I to make these choices are not something that we take lightly. I am lucky to live in a society where I have that right. I do not take that for granted. 
14. Sarah's vision. I am thankful that Sarah can see. I know that it is not the same vision as it once was before, but for now, she has a good amount of her vision back. 
15. Memories made. I am glad that the kids are home during the school day and that Bob is currently working second shift because it has allowed our family to make some pretty great memories. These memories are nothing out of the ordinary, but that is what makes them extraordinary for it is the mundane and every day things that make us who we are. I am thankful that we have been able to do things as a family day in and day out that we will remember forever and will be a part of who my children become as they grow older. Memories like these are what Sarah will come back to should she, God forbid, lose her vision completely. 
16. Bob's employer. I am thankful that Bob works for a company that is flexible. He works for a company that values a work/family life balance. They have always been very good to him, and I am thankful that they appreciate his hard work. 

While this list is by no means all encompassing it definitely shows how very much I have in my life that is good. It is so easy some days to be down in the dumps by some of life's challenges, but really I have a lot to be thankful for. Tomorrow, as I gather around the table with Bob's family, I will bow my head and thank God for all these wonderful things in my life. I wish you also a very thankful Thanksgiving.