Thankfulness

Psalm 118:24 – “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (NIV)

I thought I would take a few minutes to be thankful.  There are so many things in life that people complain about (myself included) but if you look hard enough, you can find a way to be thankful for just about anything.

I’m thankful that I have a job that allows me to stay at home with my kids while still earning a living.  It means that I can pay the bills I need to cover and sometimes have a little left over to help cover other expenses that always inevitably come up.

I’m thankful for my messy house.  I would rather have a house filled with family, kids, chaos, and the occasional dog hair (along with lots of dust bunnies) than a neat and tidy house that only I can enjoy.

I’m thankful for my husband who is also my best friend.  I’m thankful for his patience, his sense of humor, and the kindness that he shows not just to me and our kids on a daily basis but extended family, strangers on the street, and friends.  I’m thankful that he is teaching our kids by example how to live as a responsible, kind, productive adult.

I’m thankful for my children.  I’m thankful for the unexpected, “I love you’s,” being the one to comfort them when they are sad, the one they want to tell their secrets to, and the one who gets the privilege of watching them grow up.

I’m thankful for my health.  I may not be where I want to be, but I’m a lot healthier than I could be, and I’m healthy enough to work toward the goals that I want to achieve.  I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to choose to exercise, to choose balance in my diet, and to choose how I take care of my body by what I put in it and what I don’t.

I’m thankful for my friends.  I’m thankful that they care about me, make time to spend with me, and share their hearts with me.  I’m thankful that I can rejoice with them in good days, cry with them when there just aren’t the right words, and pray for them always.

I’m thankful for family, whether close by or miles apart.  I’m thankful that distance is only as far away as your heart is from someone, not the actual mileage between homes.

I’m thankful for hand-me-down clothes, Mom-to-Mom sales, long summer days, cold winter nights, lots of hot coffee, rainbows, animals, children, rainy days curled under a blanket, bike rides, funny movies, and family activities.

Most of all, I’m thankful that God loved me enough to want me as His child and provided a way for that to happen.

What are you thankful for?