Thankful Thursday!

Headnod to Henk for this awesome cartoon and also to Jettybetty who does Thankful Thursday every Thursday, not just the most thankful of all Thursdays.

Now, because turnabout is fair play, after whining all day yesterday, I will list ten things I am thankful for.

10. I am thankful for our home. It isn't anything fancy, but we have made it our own and we love it. It keeps us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Many people don't have a home and bounce around from shelter to shelter, live in cars or on the street.

9. I am thankful for blogs and the blogosphere, it keeps me sane. (That is HUGE!)

8. I am thankful for books. They help me, entertain me, inspire me, educate me, and give me quality time with my kids. I am particularly thankful for the Bible, especially my audio Bible which puts it all in a whole new light.

7. I am thankful for all the hardships I have survived. They have made me who I am. I appreciated the grace it takes for God (and others) to forgive me and I thankfully usher in those new mercies every morning.

6. I am thankful for my health. Hubby and I are surrounded with people who are struggling with health issues. It has caused us to wake up and take notice that we are well and hope to stay that way so that we may serve the parts of our family that are not.

5. I am thankful for sisters- my three and Erik's one. They are truly a treasure. All of us have our little quirks, but we love one another and it is a blessing to share life and the workload with others who laugh and love alot. It s also fun to compare the memories with someone who grew up right alongside us!

4. I am thankful for Erik's grandma. She is the last grandparent Erik or I have and she is truly a blessing and a treasure. I hope we have many more Thanksgivings with her. I think it is cool that all 50-11 of us will overfill her house and she will be tickled to have us there.

3. I am thankful for my parents and also my in-laws. Family is so precious. As they get older, I fully appreciate the fact that this world is not our home and these temporary shells called bodies will fail us! To quote Patrick Mead, we all have a 100% mortality rate OR one in one dies.

2. I am thankful for my children. They make me crazy sometimes, but I can't imagine life without them. I know so many who can't or didn't have children, it is very selfish to take them for granted-even a little bit.

1. I am thankful for a husband who loves me and a marriage that is intact. We will never be models for the perfect marriage, but we sure do try to do all the stuff that keeps a marriage together. It helps that we are both stubborn mules determined to make it work. Plus, we really do love each other, at least most of the time.

I am blessed and I know it. You are too. If you are reading this on a computer in the comfort of your own home, you have too many blessings to even count. Try anyway!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!