While many seem to pass over Thanksgiving with little thought or ceremony, except of course for eating some Turkey and watching some football, there are some who have started the "30 days of Thanks" tradition by using social media to post something they are thankful for everyday for the entire month.
We spend so much of the year worrying over what we don't have, what is going wrong, the things that are creating stress in our lives; so, how wonderful it is to reserve a month simply to give thanks, to take time to find the blessings in our lives and celebrate them.
I have given some thought to this and decided that instead of giving thanks for the obvious, I want to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, or even in the drudgery and give thanks for those things that may not always seem like a blessing, to remind myself that the daily grind, while seemingly mundane at times, is actually full of some of life's greatest blessings. So, in honor of Thanksgiving and the month of November, here are my 30 unlikely blessings that I am thankful for (in no particular order, other than the order they came to mind or were sparked by an event of the day). This could get long, so either turn back now, or strap yourself in for the ride . . .
30) I am thankful for the bottomless laundry baskets at my house. Laundry is never ending at our home. Sometimes I joke that other people must be dropping their laundry off when I'm not looking because we couldn't possibly create SO much and let's face it, no one likes laundry. It's time consuming, repetitive and just plain not fun. At my house I not only have to wash and fold laundry for seven (with help from my wonderful husband), but I'm also the one that puts up the laundry for six of those seven people (without help most of the time). But the baskets of clothes, both clean and dirty that are constantly cluttering my living and laundry rooms, mean that my family is warm and clothed. So many of those clothes are hand-me-downs and I realize every time I fold them or put them away, how blessed I am that we have been provided for.
29) I am thankful for a sink full of dirty dishes and a dishwasher that always seems to have a full load. There is a CONSTANT and predictable cycle of rinse, wash, put away around here. Our dishwasher is usually run at least 3 times every two days. I will admit that at the end of most days, when I am on my third FULL sink of dirty dishes for the day, I'm often irritated, tired and grumpy, but a sink that fills up with dirty dishes 3 times a day means that my family was well fed for 3 meals. It means that no one at my house went hungry that day. If that's not a blessing, I don't know what is!
28) I am thankful for sticky door knobs and tiny hand prints that are currently in abundance at my house! I'll admit to an exasperated sigh when I put my hand on yet another sticky doorknob or walk into the kitchen to see hand prints on every appliance, that seem to reappear the moment you wipe them away, as if by magic, but these messes mean that I still have tiny people at my house. That for a few more very short years, there will be toddlers here; to make messes, to giggle, to discover, to be joyful and to remind me how enchanting and engaging the world can be through the eyes of a tiny person who is just discovering it. One day very soon I will look back and long to touch a sticky doorknob or see a hand print on my refrigerator, so for now I will try to enjoy the mess.
27) I am thankful for screaming, chaos and noise. It's sometimes hard to take and I don't always handle it with grace, but it means that I have a house FULL of kids. It means that my family is complete. It means that there is no empty spot at my dinner table and that prayers, loud as they may be at times, have been answered.
26) I am thankful for the fights that I already see happening between my 5 kids. I often have to play referee and by the end of the day this is exhausting and frustrating and sometimes I want to put myself in time-out instead of putting them in time-out, but it means that my children have bonds that cannot be broken, the bonds of siblings. It means that I have given my kids one of the most amazing gifts a person can be given, the friendship and love of siblings. It means that my kids have people in their lives that will ALWAYS be there for them. They may fight, scream, push, shove, hit, claw and sometimes even bite, but at the end of the day, they will forgive and forget; okay, maybe they won't forget, you've got to have that token "remember when" card in your back pocket when dealing with siblings once in while, but they will endure and support through thick and thin. Siblings are one of God's greatest gifts, even if they are sometimes the people that you fight with the most.
25) I am thankful for fights with my husband. When it comes to an argument, I tend to get way more worked up than Clint and I'll admit to being a little unreasonable now and then. Sometimes I'm in the right, sometimes I'm in the wrong and more often than not "fault" falls somewhere in the middle, but when it's all said in done, we still love each other. "Surviving" fights with my husband means that we are living this crazy life together, that we are facing the stresses of life head on, together. It means that our bond is stronger than a petty issue. When we come out of a disagreement, it just shows me how much he loves me, that no crazy ranting on my part will make him walk away. We're in this together, through the good and the bad and together we are strong!
24) I am thankful for a tummy covered in stretchmarks and saggy skin (sorry for the image, but it's true). I would be lying if I said I like the way my stomach looks, but let's face it, if I had not been able to carry my beautiful foursome long enough to stretch my stomach into the cosmetic mess that it now is, I might not have such healthy little miracles. I wouldn't turn down a tummy tuck if the opportunity ever presented itself, but I am truly grateful that my body held strong and allowed itself to stretch to astronomical proportions to get my babies here safe and sound!
23) I am thankful for paperwork. The fact that I have paperwork to do, means that I have a job in this economy where so many are without. While I have a job that I truly love and work with people that are amazing, I hate the paperwork. But if doing paperwork means that I can continue to work at a job that I love and I can continue to help provide for my family, then bring it on. It's a blessing to do paperwork!
22) I am thankful that Clint does not get home until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. This means that four days a week, I am fielding the 5-7 o'clock hours alone, and these my friends, are the hardest hours of the day. These are the hours when I look at the clock every five minutes counting down until Clint gets home so that I have help and another adult to talk to. These are the hours that seem to take a year to pass by. These are the hours when my children often scream, cry or fight with little or no provocation. These are the hours when I get frustrated with myself, with the kids and with Clint for not being there. Admittedly on Wednesday and Thursday, I don't get home until 5:30 or 6, so technically on those days, I only have to suffer through an hour alone, but sometimes those days are worse because everyone is so excited to see me that they fight over me and I get overstimulated REALLY fast. But, the fact that he gets home so late, means that he has put in his 40 hours by the end of Thursday and he is home Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It means that we get three family days and that my kids get to enjoy their dad being around more than some kids do.
21) I am thankful for disabilities. Okay, this was hard to even type, but it deserves recognition nonetheless. As a pediatric Physical Therapist, my livelihood is disabilities, but this is not at all the reason that I am thankful for it. Truth be told, if I could wave a magic wand and wipe out disability, especially in children, I absolutely would. However, I can't, so instead I look at the joys that come with the disabilities I see everyday. I am blessed to work with so many amazing children and their families. I have learned so much from all of these people and they have enriched my life in countless ways. I am supposed to be the one helping them, and I know I do, but I think they give me so much more! You do not know courage, strength, perseverance or faith until you watch a child who was told he/she would never walk, take a full lap around the gym and even get back up without hesitation when they fall down! You cannot explain the joy that is seen on a child's face when they discover independence they didn't have before and I can't even begin to describe the joy you see on the parent's faces. I am thankful for the experiences and the "firsts" that I have been able to be a part of. It reminds me to never take anything for granted and it allows me daily opportunities to experience true faith!
20) I am thankful for my mortgage payment. I hate transferring that rather large chunk of money every month, but it means that my family has a roof over their heads, that we are financially secure enough to provide that roof for our children and that they have a safe place to make their childhood memories.
19) I am thankful for the mistakes that my mother and father made when we were growing up; for the fact that they were not perfect. It means that I don't have to be perfect, because despite my parents flaws, they are the best parents that I ever could have asked for and despite their imperfections, I think they did a perfect job in raising us. It means that maybe, regardless of the fact that I feel like I fail ALL the time as a mother, just maybe, my kids will also one day look back and think I did a "perfect" job. It means that it's okay to be human, even when you are a parent.
18) I am thankful for the death of my amazing grandmothers. Yes, I would give almost anything to have them here with me still, so that I could share my joys and sorrows with them in a tangible way, but through their deaths I have come to know them in ways I didn't when they were alive. I have heard stories I never knew about, as people reminisce on the lives they lead. I have come to appreciate them in a whole new light and I have reflected on what they taught me and what they meant in my life. I would have been very blessed to have them a little longer, but I'm grateful for the time they were on this earth with me and I look forward to getting to know them even better one day when we are reunited.
17) I am thankful for times of crisis, fear, grief or sorrow. It is in these times that we often realize how much people mean to us. I am especially thankful for how times like this allow me to see my husband in a completely different light. To watch as he steps up during these times to take the reigns from me when I need him to. It reminds that while their may be daily frustrations in our relationship, when it really matters, he is my rock and my safe place. It reminds me that he is a gift from God, just for me, as I am for him and together, with God, there is nothing we can't handle.
16) I am thankful for the dark moments, those moments when you feel all is lost, or you allow frustration and stress to turn into self-pity. It is in these moments when I turn to my faith. You have to fall down, to get back up. These moments give me a chance to realize that there is something so much bigger than I am. I get a chance to turn my self-pity into an opportunity to deepen my relationship with God and remind myself that I am to rely on Him, not on myself.
15) I am thankful for medical bills, because the stack that is currently sitting on my desk is a reminder that when my family is sick or injured, we have access to wonderful doctors that I trust and that take good care of us. It also reminds me that I am able to provide good medical care for my kids, which I know many in the world are not able to do, either because of money or lack of medical technology and resources in their country. I am truly blessed to have good doctors and amazing medical technology that are accessible to me.
14) I am thankful for oil changes. Just another mundane task that costs money, but it means that our family has two running cars and that we are able to afford basic maintenance to keep them running well so we can get to work, go on trips, and travel to do fun things with our kids.
13) I am thankful for telephone lines and other discoveries made by a child. Okay, this one seems a little odd, but there is a reason, I promise, and it is line with #14 (oil changes) . . . during a regular, mundane oil change last week, when I had Jackson with me, he blessed me with an opportunity to see the world through his eyes. While we waited for the car, we decided to explore a little instead of sitting in a boring waiting room (the weather was BEAUTIFUL!) First we discovered that there were a few small cotton bushes outside the oil change shop, Jackson thought these were so cool. We even picked one piece of cotton so he could find the seeds in it. Then Jackson pointed to a grassy patch that was close by and he engaged me in a game of tag . . . aaah the joy of being a child and seeing an opportunity for play WHEREVER you are! If you're wondering where the telephone wires came in, well . . . a few minutes into our tag game, Jackson looked up at the telephone pole, pointed to the wires and said, "I love those things. They are really cool when we are driving because you can see them moving!" This made me smile, I remember watching them "move" when I was kid! When the oil change was complete, the man came to get us with a smile on his face and said, "You aren't going to know what to do with yourself when he goes to school." Little does he know, ha! But, it was obvious that our fun while we waited had brought him some joy too and maybe it brought joy to cars that passed on the road and saw us running around like crazy people! The oil change, the cotton, the tag and the telephone wires, all very normal everyday things, but they brought me so much joy that day!
12) I am thankful for stuffy noses. Last night, Brooklyn woke up crying because her nose was stuffy and she was having trouble sleeping. I got her up and gave her some medicine, then she put her head on my shoulder and we sat that way for 30 minutes. In this crazy, chaos that we live, it is very rare that I get to snuggle any of my children for more than 15 seconds, but because of a stuffy nose, I got 30 minutes of perfect, warm and cherished snuggles. (This actually goes for any little ailment in the middle of the night, this just happens to be the most recent!)
11) I am thankful for looks of frustration or irritation on the faces of my family. When we ALL get together as a family, it can be a little overwhelming. All of the people and the change of routine, can make four toddlers get a little overstimulated and fussy and sometimes they scream (this has happened on a couple of family weekends recently due to overstimulation and/or illness). I can tell at times that my siblings, in-laws, and parents are irritated or want to run screaming themselves (heck sometimes I want to), but they don't. They hold strong and help me out, knowing that typically I do it by myself. Those looks of frustration, remind me that though they may feel a little crazy themselves during that kind of chaos, they will endure regardless because they are my family and they are there for me!
10) I am thankful for 9/11. Don't get me wrong, I wish that there was some way to undo the unspeakable hatred of that day. To save the many lives that were senselessly taken for no other reason than hatred born of ignorance, but I can't. Instead, I choose to be thankful for the unity and brotherhood that came out of that horrible event. In a nation that is currently experiencing a time of great political division, a nation that is attacking it's own verbally, it is comforting to know that when it counts, we reach out to each other, we band together and we do not let hatred, differences or fear shut us down and break us apart. I am thankful because this horrific event reminds what it really means to be an American and I am so blessed to live in this country where others will give completely of themselves to defend my freedoms, to see that I remain safe and to make sure that no one else ever suffers a loss of this proportion again!
9) I am thankful for "Christmas Spirit" in the form of styrofoam all over my son's bedroom. Yes, this really happened recently and if I think of it, I will post the pictures here. It was a mess of great proportions (though easier to clean than I expected, with some remnants being found daily). Just to fill everyone in on the whole story, Jackson had a friend playing here. They came out of Jackson's room to inform me that they were hungry and also that they had made it "snow" in Jackson's room. As I looked at Jackson, I saw little white pieces of something all over him. My obvious question was "What did you make it snow with?" (said with some trepidation). The response . . . the styrofoam packing of the new piggy bank he received for his birthday and we had not yet taken out of the box. To my credit, I stayed very calm (pat on the back for me) and was then told that the "snow" was on the bed too (not to mention all over the toys that were wall to wall and covering the floor). When asked if this was okay by a very proud and smiling Jackson, I calmly replied, "No not really, but we'll handle it." At this point Jackson said, "We just wanted some Christmas Spirit in my room!" I was so glad that I had kept my cool because how can you be mad at a little boy who is so proud of the "Christmas Spirit" he created?! It was really kind of funny and we made a game of cleaning it up: disaster clean up with rescue and recover as well as some "snow" shoveling at the end. My thankfulness for this event is really twofold: First, that I am learning to put the messes in perspective. A mess is not a crisis (usually), it can be cleaned and the world won't end. There is no reason to increase the stress level and make a little person feel bad in the process by freaking out (not that I don't sometimes or won't in the future once in a while). Two, this mess and so many others are the result of a child experimenting, being joyful and having fun. This is always a blessing. To look through the eyes of a child and see the "beauty" of the mess they just made is an amazing gift, plus, it usually gives you a good story to tell!
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| The pictures don't do it justice! |
8) I am thankful for stressful, crazy and crummy days whether it's because of work or home. These days make me appreciate the really great and amazing days and moments. And sometimes, something really great comes from my crummy day. Yesterday is a perfect example of a bad day turned wonderful. I had a very stressful and ridiculous day at work, but this sparked me to try and find a sitter for an impromptu date night with my husband. Sitter was found and date night was awesome!! Without the stress from earlier in the day, I wouldn't have wanted to get away with just Clint NOW or even thought to attempt to start looking for a sitter at 6 p.m., but I did and I enjoyed some time with my husband even more because I really appreciated this time after a chaotic day!
7) I am thankful for windy West Texas days, blowing dirt, brown skies and all! I am admittedly not a West Texas girl (though I've lived in West Texas longer than anywhere else I've ever lived). I've been here a long time now and I still can't quite call it home. There are many reasons that West Texas doesn't quite fit me, the dust storms that I have just said I'm thankful for being one of them! However, while the blowing dirt and the brown skies are miserable, there is something about a bright, blue West Texas sky, free of clouds and free of obstructions that comes the day after the dust storm. It just seems a brighter blue. Maybe it's not . . . actually it's probably not, but is sure does seem brighter and clearer after a brown day. So I guess I'm thankful for the dust storms, because they make me really appreciate the beauty that is a blue, clear sky. One of the many amazing pieces of art that God has crafted!
6) I am thankful for living far from my parents. Okay, okay, I know this sounds mean, but it's not. Really I wish I lived in the same town as them, but I don't, so I have to find the silver lining. Living 5 hours away means that I have to make an effort to see them. I don't take it for granted and really enjoy and appreciate the time that I get to spend with them. I might be stretching on this one. I'd like to be able to call my mom and dad to come over anytime, but since I can't, I'll just be grateful for the time that is spent with them and try to treasure it all the more.
5) I am thankful for the crazy comments, constant double takes and prying questions that I get asked every time I go out in public. It is a chore sometimes just to run a simple errand. I get stopped 10 times and I put up with ignorant, silly or just plain rude questions and comments (I will say that I often get really nice comments too, but they still slow me down when I'm on a mission.) I have learned a few tricks to keep this to a minimum and I have learned to politely continue on my way, but occasionally I still get cornered. However, this craziness is the result of the unique structure of my family and I wouldn't change my family for anything in the world. These comments mean that my family is just as it should be, so we will put up with a little ridiculousness and plan a little extra time for errands. This is a small price to pay for the perfection that is my sweet,
4) I am thankful for dirty floors. My floors are ALWAYS dirty, even if they were cleaned 30 minutes ago. Clean floors just don't last in a house with so many very little people. But sometimes my floors are dirty because I didn't clean them right away (okay, this may happen more than sometimes, too many things to keep up with and not always enough time or energy to do it, yes I am making an excuse!) When this happens, I reflect back to the saying that goes something like this "Moms with dirty floors, have happy kids." The bottom line is that dirt will always be there, messes are always waiting, but my kids will grow up and it will happen in the blink of an eye. If my floor, or for that matter anything else in my house, is a little dirty sometimes, so what. It means a few more minutes to spend with my kids and my husband and this is time that I don't want to take for granted. I want to look back on my life and remember that I lived it, not reflect on how perfectly clean it always was!
3) I am thankful for football. Those of you who know me well are probably laughing right now and thinking that this is the opposite of true! I will be the first to say that I HATE football. I will get into a game now and then when it's close, but ultimately I could live without it and truly believe that the world might be a better place without football. However, my husband cannot live without it, or at least he thinks he can't. It makes him happy (in that I'm so stressed out over how "my" team is preforming kind of way). It brings him joy and it is his "break" from the chaos and the daily grind. And while I feel that the serving tray my mom once gave me, that says "We interrupt the marriage to bring you football season" is absolutely the truth, Clint loves it!
So, for the sake of a happy husband, who has something in his life that he enjoys and provides him with a way to sit back and unwind, I guess I am grateful for football.
2) I am thankful for "managing" my sons 4 year old soccer team this season. I didn't want to do it. I didn't think I had time or energy to take on anything else, but when I was told that no one wanted to do it and if someone didn't volunteer, the team would be dissolved and money would be refunded, I didn't have a choice. I couldn't let Jackson (who loves soccer) be disappointed! So, I called my brother and asked him to coach and I would manage (i.e. handle parent issues, uniform ordering, pictures, etc . . . you know the really "fun" part). I wasn't excited about it, but hey, Jackson was thrilled and that was all that mattered. How did the season go? Not bad. It wasn't something I didn't want to do, but it turned out that I was blessed with an opportunity to see my little brother coach his first little league team. To see "Coach Jacob" in action and watch Jackson's excitement over the extra time with his uncle that he is SOOO crazy about! It was a fun season and I will always treasure the memory!
1) I am thankful for the unexpected. The unexpected, yet fun surprises in life are easy to be grateful for. They usually bring us joy and happiness, but there are also the unpleasantly unexpected . . . a diagnosis for a friend or family member that rocks your world, expenses that you didn't plan on or a "disaster" of any kind, be it natural or a flooded kitchen due to a broken dishwasher. These kinds of unexpected circumstances are more difficult to be thankful for and yet I am. I find that it is often the unexpected that gives us a new or different outlook on life. It provides an opportunity to sit back and look at the big picture. Sometimes the unpleasantly unexpected makes you live life a little fuller and sometimes it helps you put things in perspective and sometimes an amazing blessing comes out of something seemingly devastating. When I found out I was having quadruplets, I felt devastated. I was scared, overwhelmed and just plain didn't want to do it. I worried about the worst outcomes and was blessed with one of the most amazing journey's of my life. I find that a lot of seemingly or truly bad things are this way. If you wait it out, pray about it and try to see the big picture, there is often a blessing waiting to be discovered underneath the fear, shock or anger.
There are so many more things that I am thankful for. God has truly blessed me beyond measure in so many ways. I hope this month has been as blessing filled for each of you as it has for me!
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