Like my gratitude over God creating what I'm sure is His favorite food, the potato, I have a whole list of things for which I am thankful, but aren't exactly big enough to devote an entire blog post to. So, I decided I'd just write about several things that come to mind from time to time, that I believe deserve an honorable mention.
1) Showers. Any of us with children can recall those early months with a baby when getting a shower was a real luxury. I remember not getting my shower until night time many days, and I even remember not getting one at all.
Now, imagine not having access to a shower, or not having shampoo, or body wash, or a razor. I'm a fanatical shaver...I have to shave daily or I will die. Imagine not being able to shave?
Imagine having to go to bed dirty, because of not being able to bathe daily. Or having to put your kids to bed dirty every night?
I am so thankful for my shower, and I resolve to never look at it as something I take for granted because it has always been there for me. It is something not everyone has. It is a luxury for many--not a right for all.
2) Beds. When I tuck my kids in bed at night, I often thank God that they have soft, warm beds to sleep on. When I tuck them in, I know that they won't wake in the middle of the night to the sound of bombs going off in the distance, and I know that they will sleep soundly in the safety of their own home.
Having a bed to sleep on is yet another thing I could easily take for granted because like the shower, it's something I've always had. So many don't have a bed, or a pillow, or blankets.
I am so thankful for my bed, and for the safety of our home.
3) Refrigeration. It keeps the ice cream ready at all times. In it, I can store left over enchiladas and serve them again for dinner tonight. It's a good friend. :)
4) The Internet. How on earth did we function before? How did we diagnose ourselves, or get that recipe we heard about once, or order things with paper catalogs and a telephone? And if it isn't enough to have the Internet at home on our computer, we even have it in our hand. Now we have something to do while we wait in line at the bank. Oh, I am so, so, so, so thankful for the Internet.
5) Weather Reports. Rather than having to go out and see how thick the fur is on the beavers in the creek to know whether it is going to be a hard winter, we can hear the weather predictions, and pretty much know what is going to go on 3-5 days. Well, sort of. I think Dallas Raines said it wasn't going to rain until noon today, but we woke up to it this morning. Still, we at least knew it wasn't going to be sundress weather.
I read books that tell of how it was unseasonably warm on the farm in Nebraska that January, and by mid-afternoon the blizzard blew in and all the chickens were lost. We're not always caught by surprise like that. We're usually finding that the weather predictions are at least in the ballpark.
6) School. A little boy in Lee's class came in from recess today and said, "I love school." Such a sweet heart! I wasn't surprised. He has bright, alert, and eager eyes. Imagine if that little one was denied the privilege of an education. In our country we consider it a right, but it isn't so in many other nations. I am so happy that as a country we make it a priority to educate our children, whether it's through the public school system, private schools, or homeschooling. All are good, and all offer our kids opportunities that give them much hope for their future.
7) Chocolate. It's up there, with the Potato. I capitalized it for reverence.
8) Holidays. So much fun!! Sometimes it's to remember something serious like Jesus' birth, His resurrection, or the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and sometimes it's just silly like St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, or...OK, I can't think of another silly holiday. Most are more serious, but we make them fun by adding in a plump guy in a red suit, or a rabbit. But either way, I love holidays. All of them. Especially the ones that give us days off from school and work.
9) Snow Days. OK, we just don't get them here in Southern California, but I remember enjoying them in Nebraska, and even though we don't get to enjoy the excitement of lots of snow shutting down the roads in Glendora, I just have to be thankful for them anyway as I live vicariously through our friends and family in snowy states.
10) Cars. Even mini-vans. What would I do without my reliable transportation? I'm so thankful that I have my sandstone-colored mini-van. It holds my precious family, and in it, I hear their laughter, and chatter. I'm thankful that on a rainy day like today, I can go to Lee's or Abi's schools to pick them up without getting wet on the way there, or back home. And I'm happy that it gets us home quickly, so that we can enjoy hot chocolate together sooner.
You know, this is only a list of 10 things. But, as we go about our life, we are presented with so many things that are worthy of our thanks. It's when we notice them and appreciate them that we find fulfillment in hidden places.
This Spirit of Thanksgiving is a powerful thing, isn't it?
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