A Month of Thanksgiving

I'm taking a little step out on faith here and trying something that I know I am not capable of doing on my own. But I really want to do it. :) And that is to post something that I'm thankful for every day this month. This is hard for me, not because I don't have a lot of things to be thankful for, but because I'm just not very good at doing things consistently. But this is an area of life that I am working on (and probably will be for the rest of my life!) so I think this is a good thing for me to try. :)

Before I share what I'm thankful for, I think this is kind-of neat. I was (and I have to be honest here, given what I just wrote above!) catching up this morning on a past study in my Daniel homework that I'm a little behind on. I was up a little early because silly me forgot to set my clock back and I woke up an hour early and couldn't go back to sleep! But I think the Lord had a plan, because I had this idea about doing the Thanksgiving posts this month and then I came across this verse in my study this morning...

Isaiah 63:7

"I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord

the deeds for which He is to be praised,

according to all the Lord has done for us -

yes, the many good things that He has done

for the house of Israel,

according to His compassion and many kindnesses."

When I saw that, I just thought it was kind-of the 'nudge' I needed to get me here, writing down what I'm thankful for this month. So here goes: :)

Today I am really thankful for the love and generosity of parents. My mom and dad and Jack's mom show their love for us in so many ways. In just the last month I've had to call on my parents to step in and take care of my kids overnight when Jack and I didn't get back from a weekend away when we thought we would. Many would consider this an inconvenience - especially since they had to get them up early and off to school! - but my mom and dad saw it as a blessing to them. Jack's mom just came up for the weekend so that she could come to a football game with us and see Mackenzie march with the band. So she endured a ridiculously long football game and windy, cold weather just to encourage her granddaughter. Then she got to be a part of a rather impromptu 'Teen Scary Movie Night' at our house and she just rolled with the punches! ;-)

Jack's mom, Louise, doing one of her favorite things with her grandkids - putting together a puzzle.

Both sets of parents are unbelievably generous with us - from my parents buying us beautiful dining room furniture and offering to put hardwood flooring in my family room as a birthday gift to me -- to Jack's mom paying for vacations and passing down a wonderful car to Mackenzie... and many other things too numerous to mention. They've given so much over the course of all of our lives that we could never repay -- and for that I am so very thankful.

My mom and dad with my brother and sister this past summer doing what my parents' love most - having the whole family together at one time.

Makes me think of someone else I will never be able to 'repay' for all of His love and generosity to me. Jesus. :) As Ps 116:12 says, "How can I repay the Lord for all of His goodness to me?" Well, I can't. Plain and simple. So with humility and a sense that it really isn't enough, I say thank-you... to my Lord, to my parents, and my mother-in-law. God is so good. :)