Thankfulness, day 8

I am thankful for the way chicken soup smells when I slow cook it for 24 hours. I am thankful for slow food..taking time and love to make something REAL! I am thankful for the way sheets smell when you can dry them outside, and I am thankful for little sweaty boys who lay on their unmade mattresses to practice Nativity songs with their Poppa. I am thankful that he is taking time to learn these songs with them, that its one less thing for me to do, and that it will be a surprise for me in December! But really, I love that smell of chicken soup...mmm. Thank you God for how wonderful that is!

Thankfulness, day 7

Days of rest with the whole family, I am so thankful for them. My husband works at a church so he is generally working through the weekend. His day off is Tuesday, and if I squeeze school in for my 5 year old (this morning we did math and government over breakfast...describing the 3 branches of government in the US and why we have elections, If there are 2 senators for every state and 50 states, how many senators are there? Ethan thought for a moment and said..100! Can I say I am thankful that children have a natural desire to learn and do it no credit to me!)
Then we get to have a day out together as a family, while most people are off at work and school we get to be together. We went to a major shopping area today and wandered the streets with Tim on Todd's shoulders and the stroller getting filled up with parcels. Thank you for new trousers for Ethan, thank you that we can buy some things for the operation christmas child shoe boxes, and thank you we could get a few things for ourselves! Thank you for the "Everything under 99p store!) Thank you God for time to rest, for little boys who have afternoon sleeps, for how good it feels to have my husband home.

Thankfulness, day 6

Today I am thankful for the women who gather together once a fortnight to study the Bible. How sweet and wonderful it is to study a passage of God's word together and encourage one another to live out what we believe. These women who come from different backgrounds (and countries: Scotland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, Ireland, Germany, Hungary, United States)have children of different ages, make their way to the hall at our church to pour over Scripture together. I am thankful for each of them, and of course thankful for the word which is a lamp to my feet. I am thankful too for the sweet ladies who so faithfully watch over our little ones.

Thankfulness, day 5

Tonight I burned my fingers as I was serving winter root vegetable soup out to my family and it spilled the hot soup on my hands. As I ran my fingers under the cold water I said, "I am so thankful I can feel the pain, its the really serious burns you can't even feel!" I am thankful for my health. When I think of where I was in my health 15 years ago, and even 3 years ago, its wonderful to know how merciful God has been in bringing slow healing to me. I am thankful for my friend, Priscilla, who when I was at my wits end and being eaten alive by Candida took me to see a nutritionist, Margaret. I thank God for this wise woman who gave me the courage and knowledge to set things right in my body and who so wonderfully supported me in this process. Thank you God, its so nice to have health in my body, with my only ailement at present a few blisters on my fingers.

Thankfulness, day 4

Today I am thankful for how free my son is to do crazy skipping and jumping down a city sidewalk. When I asked him what all the jumping about was for he says, "Just practicing my soldier moves" I am thankful for my 2 boys and their wonderful daddy and God for blessing me with them all. I am thankful for the freedom and happiness of a child to move about anyway they want to without the restraint of self consciousness. Thankful that as a mom this kind of joy streams into my life everyday.

Thankfulness, day 2 and 3

OK, so I didn't get off to a good start! Here's a combined thankfulness! Just shows how hard it is to be thankful, can't really do it on my own strength!

So today I am thankful for the shop keeper at the news agent who was smiling today. A smile in the midst of a sea of disintersted, apathetic, or even mean faces is so refreshing. Thank you, God, for people who smile!

Yesterday, I am thankful for friends and birthday parties. For friends with listening ears and cups of tea who make you laugh at the end of it all, thank you God!

Thankfulness, day 1

So lately I have been festering and fostering a lot of grumbling in my mind and heart. To combat this, I am going to try and blog each day between now and Thanksgiving about something or things that I am thankful for, and perhaps the grumbler will be evicted by the end of it all.

Today a friend was telling me how her grandfather survived during WWII and the horrors he endured. Being forced out of his home country of Poland, he and countless others were abandoned without food and freezing. One in seven made it back. I am thankful tonight to be in place of peace, not having seen the horrors of war. Thankful to lead a life of freedom, I am thankful for the basic essentials. The things that would create a state of desperation if I were without them...food, clothing, shelter. Thank you, God, for these good gifts. Thank you also for bringing my friend's grandfather through, and for her sharing that story with me today.