Today I am thankful for God’s provision for our family. I haven’t been able to work in well over a year, and yet we are okay financially. Mike has a good job that he is successful at and enjoys. I receive disability benefits and am able to get the rest my body needs as well as take care of our home. Between Mike’s income and my disability benefits, it’s enough. We gratefully give the first ten percent of our income (the tithe) back to God, and we are careful with how we spend the remaining ninety. I am thankful for it all. Every day. Thank you Jesus.
All posts by Little M.S. Runner
Thankful challenge, day 10
Today is Veterans’ Day, so it’s only fitting that I mention I am thankful to all the men and women who have served and are currently serving our country. It is such a huge sacrifice, and for not much in return. Hard, grueling training, months and often years spent away from home, and no tangible reward. There are intangibles: comradery, respect, honor but far too many don’t get to experience those in their lifetime. Memorial Day will come and then we can pause to remember those who died in service. But today – today is a day to take time to honor and thank those who are still with us. Do you know a veteran? Please take a moment or three to thank them for their service to our country, and for fighting for our freedoms.
Thankful challenge day 9
Today I am thankful for the intimate ways God speaks to me. I read Scripture every morning as part of a reading plan set by the creator of the Kindle app I use (OliveTree), and every week our pastor somehow manages to preach on a subject or read an exact verse that I have read that week. I was a few days behind on my reading, and today’s Scripture was about the parable of the sower. And what did we hear about at church on Sunday? You got it! We learned about planting seeds, sharing our faith with others, and letting God do the rest. It’s a great lesson, and I feel I learn it best through repetition, so I’m extremely grateful that God works with me and has patience as I slowly grasp these concepts. Thank you Jesus! 🙂
Never too early
My first real home decoration. Fourteen years we have lived in this house and just noticed a nail up there, perfect for a wreath! I feel like a grown up now!
Thankful challenge, day 8
Today I am thanking God for my church family. We are so blessed to see these people each week, and they truly feel like family. Today was Natalie’s birthday party. If you know me well, you know I hate crowds and parties and most things social. Especially if I have to plan it. I’m an introvert, what can I say? But I went into this with a plan and started preparations as early as possible. I was feeling very ready, but as soon as it came time I started to panic a bit. How can I herd these youngsters and keep them contained? (The answer is, you can’t) The wonderful thing is that I didn’t even have time to freak out because the other moms saw what needed to be done and jumped right in to help. It was amazing. My anxiety level came right back down, and we all just had a good time celebrating with each other. So that’s what I’m thankful for, especially today.
Thankful challenge, day 7
Today I am thanking God for my mother-in-law. From day one all those years ago, when I was nervous as hell to meet her, she has treated me like one of her own. Then, when we gave her grandbabies she just stepped it up another notch. She loves on our kids like it’s goin’ out of style. She bakes, she cooks, she does all sorts of fun things with the kids, and they love her dearly. When I was sick last fall, she took the kids weekend after weekend in order to give Mike the break he so desperately needed. She let all of us stay with her while our power was out during the ice storm last winter, and she was even with us for my cochlear implant surgery and subsequent activation. She is truly a gift and I can never thank her enough. Thank you Ann, for being the best mother-in-law a girl could ever hope for!
Thankful challenge day 6
Today I am thankful for potlucks (or as I like to call them now that I am visually impaired, “mystery dinners”)! Luke’s soccer team held a potluck for the families for a last hoorah and a chance to award everyone their trophies. Luke had a great season and learned a lot about teamwork and focus. We are so proud. We drove the kids straight to Grandma’s house from the potluck, where they will be staying for the weekend. That leads me to another something I am thankful for, but I will save that for tomorrow. G’night folks!
Oldie, but goodie
Did I mention that I found my ipod awhile ago? And then lost it? I was very distressed over this, because I had finally learned how to use a cord to plug my ComPilot into the ipod or phone, so the sound is transmitted wirelessly to my cochlear implant (translation: learned how to listen to music). I have so much of my favorite music on that ipod that it would be great to listen to and “practice” listening with my ci. I sometimes get a little over zealous with de-cluttering, so I had started to think maybe I had disposed of it.
But then, last night my dear daughter walked up to me with a big smirk on her face and my ipod in her hand. She had hidden the damn thing from me. I’m a huge fan of her sense of humor (she loves Mr. Bean) but this went a little too far. I gave her a pass this time though, since it was the first time she’d done anything like this (I think), and it was her birthday, after all.
So this afternoon I am listening to MY music, music that I am familiar with and love. Mostly they all sound very strange and distorted but occasionally a glimpse of a note or a beat comes through sounding very real, and that makes me happy. That happened just now with Carole King. I remember listening to my mom’s Tapestry record when I was little and dancing around the living room. Today that soulful, raspy voice came through for just a split second and my heart skipped a beat. Or, I suppose you could say I felt the earth move 🙂
Thankful challenge, day 5
Today I am thankful that I am still walking unassisted. As I have mentioned on the blog, I have MS. I was diagnosed in October of 2009, just one month shy of my daughter’s birth. Since then relapses have come and gone, and some symptoms still remain such as balance problems and fatigue, but overall I am far better than I had feared I would be. I was afraid I would be completely disabled within a couple years, but that doesn’t even scare me so much anymore. I have wonderful support from my husband, children, family, friends, and in this day and age we have great resources and tools to aid disabled people. Not walking no longer feels like the end of the world.
So today… today I am still able to walk my kids to the bus stop. I am still able to move freely around the house. And I treasure every day this is true.
Thankful challenge, day 4
Today I am thanking God for my baby girl, Natalie Joy. Today she turns 5! It was during my pregnancy with her that I discovered I had MS, but she was my hope and joy through what would have otherwise been a very dark time, and she still exudes those qualities today. Can’t you just see the pure joy in those beautiful blue eyes? Happy birthday, baby girl. Momma loves you.
Little M.S. Runner 