A Week of Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is Thursday and I thought I'd just take the next few days and blog about the things I'm thankful for and the whys behind them.

Let me begin with the fact that I'm thankful for my salvation. I know me and sometimes, even I don't like me..but in spite of that, God still loved me enough to give up His Son. Jesus loved me enough to give up His life. Would I give up my life for one of my kids? In a heartbeat!! Would I give up one of my kids for someone else...no. So I cannot begin to fathom the love of God. I'm just thankful that for whatever reason, He loved me..and He loves you. He saved me from the pit of hell, and He'll save you too. Want to know how? Contact me, I'll be blessed to share.

I'm thankful for my husband. Philip and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage on the 16th of December. For the most part, we've had an awesome 25 years, but there was a period in our lives, around the 7 year mark, that neither of us thought we would make it. We didn't know Jesus and our lives were a mess. Divorce was going to happen and we had fought so much, we reached a place of being too tired to try. Our daughter was only 8 months old. We had tried for so many years to get pregnant, and now that we had her we were going to tear her life apart. But we met a Man....Someone Who would not only save our souls, but our family as well. How thankful I am that when we wanted to give up..Jesus didn't. I am married to the most wonderful, patient, loving, kind-hearted, hard working man I know. He is an awesome husband, loving me in spite of me. My kids are blessed to have a Daddy that would give up everything to keep them safe and provided for. Beth has a perfect role model for a husband in her daddy and Zack has a perfect role model of what a great husband and daddy is. I have a safe place. I have strength and completion when he's with me.

I'm thankful for Beth. It took so long to get pregnant with her. 5 years of fertility drugs..and when we finally just gave up, we got pregnant. We had a scare with Spina Bifida and was told it wasn't too late to abort... are you joking??? Now...she will be 18 in January and she is a true blessing. She lives life pushing the limits and can be quite a challenge sometimes, and although she is my daughter first and foremost, she is one of my best friends. I love spending the day hanging out with her. She is so funny and loves life so much! She loves crazy clothes and wild fingernails. Even right now, her brown hair is loaded with hot pink highlights! She loves loud Christian concerts and weeps at sappy commercials. She is strong, but not always confident. She brings a joy into my life that no one else ever could.

I'm thankful for Zack. He's my "Little Buddy", although at 5'11, 225 pounds he's not so little anymore. He'll be 16 in December and fills my life with smiles. Like his sister, I had complications while I was pregnant with him. We know his exact date of conception, and was told when we were 4 ½ months pregnant with him that he had no kidneys or bladder. The sonar clearly showed that these very vital organs were missing. Doc could do what he could, but the Maker of Life was going to have to intervene if my little boy was to live outside the womb. Again, I was told by a nurse that it wasn't too late to abort. Again...are you kidding??? God will choose whether this child lives or dies. 2 weeks later, another sonogram showed that the Maker of Life, decided to let Zack live and made him 2 kidneys and a bladder!! All working and performing in harmony!! He can lift my spirits when I'm down. He's one of my biggest encouragers. He is always taking care of me if Dad isn't around. Still kisses and hugs me even in front of his buddies and tells me he loves me before he hangs up the phone...every time. He's my practical joker and brings so much laughter into our home. He is a tower of strength, in every meaning of the word. My life would be empty without him.

I am thankful for our home. Yes, I'm thankful for our house...a simple 3 bedroom house that has been a constant remodel since we bought it 3 years ago. It's modest and old but notice my wording....I'm thankful for our home. The 2x4's and siding. The sheetrock and paint. The floors and roof..it's all nice..it's all needed...but our home is one of laughter and tears. It is a place where each one of us long to be at the end of the day. We all know that no matter how tough the day's been, home is our destination. We know when we get here that love, hugs, encouragement, conversation, laughter, tears, a cold glass of water, a hot chocolate, a warm bath, a snuggly bed is waiting. Strength is found. The ability to try again is found. Since I stay at home, I know when my family gets home that everything will be okay. No matter how tough my day has been, my Father, my Safe Place, my Joy and my Little Buddy will make everything worth it.

How about sharing what you're thankful for with me..

I'll share more as I have time. Until then..

Blessings...

Happy Birthday Dear Hubby!!

Today is my wonderful hubby's birthday. He is finally as old as I am!! See, I am 2 months and 1 day older than him, so from August 7th to October 8th he lovingly (?) teases me about being "so much older" than he is. But on this day I get to remind him that he is finally as "old as me".

Let me share with you that I have an awesome husband. He has been my best friend for 25 years now. He knows me inside and out and loves me just as I am. He never judges me and never complains (honestly). He puts up with my mood swings (I'm menopausal) and my crying jags, my outbursts..you name it..and just keeps loving me.

He is my fix it man. Whatever is broken, be it my washing machine, the eyes on my stove, the tv, or my heart, he knows just how to fix it.

He never criticizes or belittles me. As a matter of fact, he is my strongest supporter, my greatest encourager.

He is an incredibly patient man...I guess it's a requirement since he is my husband...

He is a strong Christian, a wonderful Daddy, a great son and son-in-law. He works an incredibly stressful job just to provide a good income so I am blessed to stay home with our children. He asks so little in return.

So....Happy Birthday Philip. I hope you know how much I love you and how I could never imagine my life without you.