Thankful Thursday: October 28, 2010

I feel like Winnie the Pooh & his blustery day--the wind here has been blowing (up to 60 mph wind gusts) for three days straight! We had to pull our trashcans out of the middle of the street on trash day and bring our outside rug & door decoration inside. Yesterday we lost power for a few hours, and today we're huddled upstairs around our little space heaters.
We're determined not to turn the furnace heat on until November.

Which is just around the corner--along with all kinds of fun fall, sparkling adventures.

Including this weekend--we've got surprises, cuddle times, photo ops, and some tricks & treats up our sleeves...I'm sure I'll be sharing thankful notes next week.

For today, though, with the blustering gusts swirling around us,
I've got a warm heart of thankfulness.

I'm thankful for my awesome husband--who grilled salmon for dinner on Monday, left me a love note on Tuesday, gave me encouraging hugs yesterday, and helped a little boy with his stuck dinosaur this morning. I am blessed.

I'm thankful for my baby boy N who is snuggling quietly on my chest as I type--he makes me smile on dark days and is constantly impressing us with his cuteness. I just want to eat.him.up. I am blessed.

I'm thankful for my super smart toddler J who is expanding his knowledge and scope every.single.day. He showed me how his banana fit together like a puzzle this morning (after I broke it into a few pieces on his plate). Brilliant. I am blessed.

I'm thankful for my Mama who listened to me whine yesterday about my lack of sewing skills--and more specifically, my lack of knowledge of my particular machine (cerca 1975). She actually went into her craft room and got on her machine to walk me through some trial steps. I still didn't get the results I was going for, but she encouraged me and offered her help as best she could...even from 537 miles away. I am blessed.

I'm thankful for examples of patience, strength, and faith that I NEED in my life. I'm talking about people who weather the blustery storms and stand stalwart through it all. Some of these examples are in my circle of friends, some are in my family, and some I don't even know--but I try to remember their moments of strength when I am feeling weak and thrown about by the winds of my days. I am blessed.

I'm thankful for my friend Bekah who has been reminding me all month (Husband Appreciation Month) about the special relationship between husband and wife and the sacred responsibility we have to truly LOVE one another. I can always use these kinds of reminders. I am blessed.

I'm thankful for the amazing leaders that I have the opportunity to serve with in Church. I get to work with the Primary program (children's organization) and we had a very big weekend with a pizza part/practice on Saturday and then our special Sunday service. It was inspiring to work with these women, and even more--to watch the children as they shared their love for the Savior. I am blessed.

I'm thankful for some extra time recently to explore my talents and hobbies. I had temporarily forgotten how much I enjoy crafting and finding new ways to use my artistic energy. I am thankful to have a husband who supports me in these kinds of projects and pursuits. I am blessed.

I'm thankful for a healthy body. Only 5 years ago I was living with a rare blood disorder. Only 4 years ago I was healing my heart from a miscarriage. I do not believe that I have been given an exceptional amount of health challenges, but the ones I have experienced have taught me that health is not something to take for granted. It is easy to forget those lessons, but today I am thankful. I am blessed.

I am thankful for Thursdays to sit down and think of all my thankfuls...many more every week than I actually post, of course. I'm Thankful to Heavenly Father, the Giver of all our blessings. We are blessed.

What blessings are blowing your way today?