Thankful Thursday

This morning as we prepared for a friend to come over for lunch, I felt overwhelmed by the chaos in my house.  I could not keep up.  Ella's bin of shoes had been thrown, one at a time, across the living room, and her entire basket of undies was among them, too.  She had dumped out some baking soda outside the pantry and had wanted to take off her diaper and potty train herself today, too.  The boys were distracted by new library books and were not doing their chores, either.  Magazines, clothes, toys, and books were strewn across the floor of every room of the house, and I had dishes and laundry to add to the mix.  I so badly wanted order in the house, and then I stopped myself.  This is not my season for order.  Maybe there can be order at nine o'clock at night when the children are all fast asleep, but nine in the morning??  When the day is wide open to be explored and played in and experimented with?  Not the time for constant order.  So I did what I knew to do.  I started taking deep breaths, attempted to gain some perspective, and started naming my gifts.

Today I am thankful for Ella's sweet smile and her tiny little arms that occasionally want to just be around my neck, held close to me.

I am thankful that my boys love to read so much.

I am thankful that Sophia is so content, even though she doesn't take the best naps.

I am thankful for a sweet time today with a new friend and her babe.

I am thankful for homemade cookies from my mother-in-law, fresh from the oven.

I am thankful that someone from our small group generously brought us dinner.  Seriously.  I don't think anyone has even done that besides after having surgery or having my babies.  What a treat that was!

I am thankful that we are packing up clothes and blankets and books to head to Michigan for the weekend to spend the weekend with my brother and my best friend and my nephews.

I am thankful for the way Micah's mind works...Me: "Infinity means that the numbers just keep going and going.  You can't really add to infinity."  Micah: "Yes, you can.  Infinity plus zero equals infinity."  Love it.

I am thankful for hot tea.

I am thankful for fall flowers.

And I am thankful that I am a work in progress, working towards something greater than myself.


Looking for a fun thankfulness activity this month to do with your family?  Ann Voskamp has a free printable and guide to a Thanksgiving activity with Scripture and leaves.  Just printed out mine this morning.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/11/a-christian-family-thanksgiving-activity-the-thanks-giving-tree-free-printable/

What are you thankful for today?