Thankful

I have a confession to make. I have been feeling incredibly whiny lately. I don't like it, but I seem to be stuck.  As evidence, notice the beautiful gratitude journal that my daughter gave me for my birthday (September 28) that is still pristine, untouched, not one thing written in it. It's not that I am really, truly ungrateful; it’s more that I'm enjoying whining. It's OK. I plan to knock it off, and here’s my start. Here are some things I am grateful for in 2014.

1.    Pinkeye. You read that right. I have had a virus for a little over a week now. It started with a nasty fever and progressed to a cough and sore throat. One week in, I added pinkeye. My pity party, in full swing, is being curtailed.  I am not sure why I took this whole thing so seriously in the first place. It's a COLD, people. I'm doing my eye drops and remembering days gone by when we had to wrestle kids to get those things in their eyes. It is much easier to get them in my own, and I am grateful that there is a simple fix for this simple problem. I will get better soon, thanks to my immune system that the Good Lord created in me.

2.    While we're at it, I'd like to say I am grateful for my coworkers. Several have come up and asked me this week, “Liz, how ARE you?” with genuine concern in their voices (probably because I've been so whiny, what with the pinkeye and all). They are so sweet to act like I have something seriously wrong with me. I am grateful to be loved by so many. My coworkers are amazing, caring, praying women. I cherish them.

3.    This is a little thing, but I am grateful for the pride every single one of my preschoolers takes in being able to say the word “cornucopia” and know exactly what they are talking about.  They mastered that word, and they showed it off beautifully at our Thanksgiving party.

4.    I am grateful that I have sent most of my Christmas cards already. (Yup, I sent out the year-old ones, and plenty early, too!)

5.    Oh yes, and I am grateful that I got my fall bulbs planted on just about the last possible day that the ground was not frozen like a rock here in Minnesota. I listened to the forecast and decided I really needed to plant those bulbs I had purchased a month before. Good plan! Go me! (It was really only on November 8, but it feels like an eternity ago that the ground was soft and the air was warm.) I just love planting bulbs in the fall and then forgetting about them over the winter, only to have them bloom in the spring. It gets me every time.

6.    I am grateful for my messy house with four people living in it full-time and others coming home for the holidays. This year has been a bonus year to have Laura at home, with her current job at Kingdom Kids. I am enjoying her lively conversation, yarn-messes, and clutter mixed in with my own. I like the new things I learn about, because I have young people living in my house. Take, for instance, “Good Mythical Morning,” a YouTube show I would know nothing about without them, but I find incredibly entertaining. (You should check it out and have one more thing for which to be grateful.)

7.    I am grateful that we had a short vacation this past summer. I remember how much I wanted a longer vacation, and how whiny I was that it didn't happen, and I THANK GOD that He did not let me have my way. We were home from our short vacation for just three days when my mother-in-law had her cardiac arrest. God knew, and He put us right where He needed us during the weeks that followed. This was NOT the year for a long vacation, and I pray that He will put gratitude in my heart to accept many more years without long vacations, if that's His plan.

Oh, I have lots more gratitude in me, but I think I’ll get that journal going rather than rambling on here. Let me say that I am really, truly grateful for my friends and family. You guys are the best, and I'd hug you all, except I'm sick with pinkeye.  J