30 Days of Thanks (11-20)

Day 11:  I am thankful that we have God’s Word available to us.  There are many times throughout the day when His Word will speak to the exact situation that I am dealing with.  The Words of the Bible speak to people today just as they have for many years.  I am so thankful that I have a Bible and am able to read it whenever I want.

Day 12:  I am thankful for my home.  Although we do not own the home that we are in, I am thankful that there is a place here for us to live…that keeps us warm in the winter, cool in the summer, protects us from the “elements.”  We have a place to sit, a place to lay our heads at night, running water, and so many more conveniences that were never even thought about years ago.  I have a dishwasher, a washing machine, a dryer…so many things that I didn’t have when we were first married, but they have made my life much easier.  So, along with being thankful for my home, I am also thankful for the things inside my home that help me to do my “jobs.”

Day 13:  I am thankful for my husband’s job.  It is NOT the greatest, easiest, or most desired job in the world…but it is a JOB.  Many people are without a job…but we are blessed that he has had the same job for the past 7 years.  Yes, we are living paycheck to paycheck…but at least we have a paycheck that we know is coming.  My desire is that he will truly have a job that he enjoys, but I am thankful that he does what he has to do to provide for our family.

Day 14:  I am thankful for my vehicle.  When we first moved to South Carolina, we had an S-10 truck.  It was a “stick shift,” and to this day, I do not know how to drive a stick shift.  There were only four seats in that truck…and soon after we moved here, God surprised us with Gould #5…so, we had no vehicle to transport our entire family to places that we needed to go.  We were blessed with family and friends who helped us out, but at the same time, it wasn’t easy.  We had to do a lot of planning for anything like trips to the grocery store, doctor visits, church, etc.  Then, shortly afterward, we were blessed with a great deal on a car!  That car served us well for many years…but then, my husband got a boat…can’t pull a boat with a car.  So, we switched up to a truck…a BIG truck.  I hated that truck with a passion.  I always felt like I was running over everybody (and did accidentally hit a parked car one time because it was so hard to see where you were going in that thing!).  So, recently, my wonderful husband decided to trade it in on something easier for me to drive.  Now, I have my PERFECT vehicle…it is a Buick Rendezvous…not too big, not too small…just RIGHT!  I love it and am thankful that things worked out for us to get it.  I was praying the ENTIRE time that we were at the car dealership, which made me nervous in and of itself! 

Day 15:  I am thankful for the freedom to homeschool my children.  I know that the rules are different in different states…some are much more strict than they are here in South Carolina.  I have heard really bad stories about people in other countries trying to homeschool…it is not a “welcome” thing in many places.  So, I am thankful that I am able to do it, legally.  I am thankful that God called me to homeschool my children when I thought that I “would never do that.”  Be careful what you say “never” to!  I enjoy being with my children, I enjoy seeing them learn, and I enjoy being here for them when they need me.

Day 16:  I am thankful for time that I was able to spend with my grandparents growing up, and that my children are able to spend time with their grandparents now.  I was about 8 or so when my grandmother (my dad’s mom) passed away.  I didn’t really know her that well (my fondest memory of her is that she always bought me blocks of cheese that she would give to me when we would visit…she knew how much I loved cheese!)…but I do remember the funeral, and seeing Daddy cry.  I had never seen him cry like that before.  Then, when I was a teenager, my grandfather (my dad’s dad) passed away.  I knew him a little better, and have good memories of times that we spent together.  His house always had a certain smell to it.  It didn’t smell bad, just like an old house smells.  I am glad that I was able to know them even if it wasn’t as well as I would have liked, and that I have fond memories of them.  My mother’s parents were our next door neighbors…so I knew them as well as anyone could know their grandparents.  I was very close to my grandfather, calling him Papa after I hit my teenage years because I like a commercial on TV that sang the word “Papa” in what I thought was a catchy way.  I spent a lot of time sitting with him…outside, inside, watching western shows, watching him whittle, listening to him whistle…so many, many fond memories…I could write pages on the memories that I have of Papa.  He passed away almost 6 years ago, but the hurt in my heart is still as fresh as the day he died.  I miss him so much, and have dreams about him often.  He was a great man, and I am so thankful that I was able to know him in such a way that I can pass those memories on to my children.  They were very little when he passed away, so they didn’t get to know him.  My grandmother, or Granny, died earlier this year.  She and I were not very close, but I am blessed that I was able to have her as part of my life…  Grandparents are very special.  That is why I am also thankful that my children get to spend time with their grandparents.  My husband’s parents live here, so we are able to see them often.  My parents still live in Tennessee, but they come to visit at least a couple of times a year.  My children are making great memories with their grandparents, and I am thankful for that. 

Day 17:  Today I am thankful to be living here, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Yes, we live at the beach, and yes, there is some desire for most people to live near the beach.  That is one of the attractions, for sure…but I am thankful that we do not have to deal with hard winters (as I am not a fan of winter anyway)…I am thankful for so many places around here that we can visit and have fun family time…I am thankful that we have family members that live nearby. 

Day 18:  I am thankful to know that God took a day of rest…and that He expects us to take one as well.  Today, which was Sunday, I rested quite a bit.  My husband and I took advantage of the rain and clouds to make for a nice nap time.  We rested…and it felt good to rest.  He works hard, and I am going all day with the children most days…so to get a time of rest was something that we both really needed.

Day 19:  I am not feeling well today…my children are not feeling 100% today either.  It’s not easy to do the things that need to be done when your body doesn’t want to cooperate.  I am thankful that I am still here for my family though.  None of us are deathly ill.  So, even though we aren’t feeling like ourselves, I am thankful for the health that God has given to us…because it could be much worse.

 Day 20:  I am thankful for memories that are being made.  My children get a little loud and rambunctious at times, but I look at them and think, “This is going to be a memory for them someday.”  I am an only child, so growing up, I played by myself a lot.  My mom played with me, and my dad played with me…but I mostly got used to playing alone.  However, when our family got together, it was play time with the cousins…I had a cousin a few months older than me, a cousin 2 weeks younger than me, a cousin one year younger than me, and a cousin that was 4 years younger than me.  When we all got together, memories were made…and a lot of times, we were loud…a lot of times, we got hurt…a lot of times, we were rambunctious…BUT we survived, and now that we are all grown up, those are memories that will last us a lifetime.  I can think back to times with them, and it seems as if it were yesterday instead of YEARS ago.  My kids are a little loud and a little rambunctious right now, but they are making memories that will last a lifetime…and I am thankful for that.