30 Days of Thankful…

Here’s an ongoing list of all the things I am thankful for.  I’m adding one each day.  What are you thankful for?

The first thing that I am thankful for makes everything else I’m thankful possible….

1.  I am most thankful for my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  For without Him, and His sacrifice, I would have nothing to truly be thankful for.

2.  The second thing I am thankful is my mother.  She’s the one responsible for the relationship I have with Christ.  And she’s the reason that I am who am I today.  I miss her terribly but am grateful that she was able to teach me everything I needed to know – about being a Christian, a decent person, a mother, a wife – in just 24 years.

I’m not sure the next ones are going to be in any particular order but they do flow in a certain order.  Since my mother is the reason I am who I am, and my husband loves me for who I am, then…

3.  I am thankful for my husband.  For the 10+ years we’ve been together and all that we’ve been through progressing from high school sweethearts to husband and wife.  And without him I wouldn’t have the fourth thing I am thankful for…

4. I am so very, very thankful for the miracle that I didn’t think we were going to get.  And that’s my son.  My precious, beautiful, loving, amazing, inspiring, adorable, smart, energetic, little boy.

5.  I am thankful for all my family.  My dad who is always there for his “little girl”.  My terrific big brother and my amazing sister-in-law who is the mother of my FOUR beautiful nieces and ONE adorable nephew!

6. I am thankful for our home that Hubs and I were able to purchase shortly after we were married.  We are blessed to have a place to call home that is comfortable, affordable and ours.

7.  I am thankful for my job as a preschool teacher.  That I’m able to spend four mornings a week getting to be a kid!  Not many people get to go to work and “play” but I do.  I love children.  I love watching them learn and grow and laugh.

8.  I am thankful for my “new job” – the blog.  And that it has allowed me to fulfill a dream of not having to work 40 hours a week outside the home (4 months ago I cut back to 16 hours a week at my “day job” at the preschool).

9.  I am thankful for every person reading this right now.  You’re the reason this blog is successful and allowing me to fulfill my dreams.

10.  I am thankful that my husband has a good, steady, secure job.  After almost 2 years of job uncertainty and bouncing through a few jobs, finally, he found where he needs to be,

11.  Day 11 was easy – Veteran’s Day.  I am thankful for all the people who are serving, have served, will serve and those that have died serving this country.  This includes my father, two grandfathers, uncles, and a great uncle who did give his life.

12. I am thankful for coupons!  And no, I’m not being silly.  Coupons have allowed me to carry my family through tight times, connect with other people, make new friends and be a better steward of the money God has blessed my family with.

13. I am thankful for my church.  I am thankful that I have the freedom to go to church.  I am thankful for a place to worship and a place that teaches my son, even as young as he is, the word of God.

14. Today  I’m thankful for the 12 smiling faces that greet me on Monday mornings. I am thankful for my kindergarten class!  I love each any every one of them and am thankful that their parents entrust them to me for 3 hours a day, 4 days a week!

15.  I am thankful for a place to take my son where he can learn and grow and make friends and build relationships.  And I am thankful that he can do all that right down the hall from me while I’m at work.

16. Today I am thankful for the ability to give back through couponing.  We delivered our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to our church and worked at the collection center for a couple hours.  Bug even helped move shoeboxes from the boxes they were brought in on to the tables.  He asked questions about all the “presents” and I tried to explain what they were and where they were going as best as I could on his level.  He doesn’t realize it, but those boxes he carried are going to impact children around the world and change their lives.

17.  Today I am thankful for sunshine and fall days.  It was a beautiful day.  :)

18.  Today I am thankful for lazy days.  A day spent lounging on the couch watching movies, running around the house saying, “can’t catch me!”  A day full of laughter and hugs and still being in our pajamas at dinner time.

19.  I’m thankful for our health.  Hubs, myself and Bug have no real medical issues and for that I am grateful.

20.  Today I am thankful for time with family.  We spent several hours at my dad’s today spending time with lots of family.

21.  I am thankful for modern conveniences today.  I’m blogging from bed with my laptop and Bug is sitting beside me watch cartoons on Youtube with my iPhone.  I know it’s a silly thing to be thankful for but we’re both under the weather with colds today and I’m thankful that we can just relax and be comfy.  :)

22.  Today I am thankful for the magic of Christmas, especially in a child’s eye.  We went to see Santa yesterday and Bug was so happy.  And now he’s SO excited for Christmas.  I got the tree out today and started decorating it and he is mesmerized by the lights and the “pretties”.  He keeps asking all kinds of questions about Christmas and I’m reminded that this is going to be the best Christmas so far because it’s the first one he’s really going to understand.  :]

23.  I took Bug to the fire station today to see the firetrucks.  The fireman were super nice to him and let him climb all over the firetrucks.  I am thankful for the firemen, police officers and everyone who’s job it is to keep me safe.

24.  Today I am thankful for Thanksgiving.  For an opportunity to express my gratitude and for having things to be thankful for.

25.  Today – as I spent countless hours shopping – I am thankful that I have such a well behaved little boy who looks at each store as an adventure and leaves saying, “That was fun store!”

26.  I am thankful for time off.  I’ve been off work for a week and it’s been wonderful.

What are you thankful for today?