The Thankfulness

Adam, Noah and I have had a weekend. A good one(spent the weekend in Birmingham with family) in ways and a yucky tiring one too(stomach bug). I was laying in bed waking up from taking a short nap during Noah's nap thinking about all the one hundred and one things I need to accomplish tonight to get the week started off right and I thought I would instead blog. Productive.

This week I turned 28. It seems old and young at the same time. And reflecting on the celebrations of my birthday this week I was overwhelmed with a sense of thankfulness for the love and joy in my life. Sometimes my life feels heavy. When I focus on the things that I want to accomplish or the way I wish I could be this or do that, or think if I just had the energy I could... I spend so much time on those thoughts that I miss all the things I have to be thankful for.

First and foremost I am so thankful for my God. Just Friday some lyrics to a song struck me and the truth I have known all my life suddenly became more real. Isn't it amazing that God know our dirty little secrets but loves and adores us any way. So much that He became human and died for us?

Then I am thankful for my husband. He did such a good job making me feel special during a crazy stressful week. He is sick with this nasty stomach bug and he is sorry and concerned that it is too much for me!?? because I didn't sleep well and have to drive us back to Tuscaloosa. I love him! And I love we know each other well. We kicked butt on the Newlywed game we played Saturday night and will celebrate our victory at Carrabbas with our gift card.

II am thankful for my parents. My mom always finds new and creative ways to celebrate me, she spoils me even at 28! And she is just as sentimental as I am. One of my birthday presents was my favorite book when I was a kid, Harold and the Purple Crayon. She had written Noah and I a note inside the cover and cut a comic strip about a mom and her teenage son finding a box of his old books. They went through all the titles (many of them Noah's favorites) and then they found his favorite. Harold and the Purple Crayon. Having battled this week with the last night night bottle, I of course cried! I am grateful for my parents help, flexibility, and delight in Adam and Noah!

I am thankful for my sisters. For their humor and their willingness to play along. For saying it how it is, when they need to.

I am thankful for my in laws. Both who went out of their way to wish me Happy Birthday and celebrate it and doing it in a way that left me feeling like they really wanted to and not just because it was the right thing to do. I love that my MIL brings such a different and needed perspective to my teaching and balancing it with motherhood. At one point Saturday I was in the living room wrapping up a jewelry party with my sister and I heard my mom and my MIL laughing together. I can not even express how happy it makes me that they can be in a room alone together and enjoy it! This thought led me to think about my own daughter in law one day. I'll spend 25 or so years raising, praying for, serving, loving, worrying over Noah to hand him over to another woman who I don't get to pick out. And I will just have to trust that she will love him in the way he needs. And while my loving, praying, hoping, worrying and serving won't stop my place in his life will. And I have to trust this unknown girl will be everything he will need. And I will have to keep my mouth shut when she makes her mistakes. I am thankful for the example I have to learn from!

Hopefully through this next stressful week I will focus on thanksgiving instead of the growing to do list!