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.
Category Archives: Thankfulness Challenge
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 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.
Thankful challenge, Day 3
Today I am thankful for the privilege of voting. While it’s certainly not something I look forward to, as I just spent the last two hours researching and completing my sample ballot to take to the polls later, it is something I am proud to be a part of. We live in a country that gives the people opportunity to make their voice heard. What an amazing thing, a formal system for figuring out what people want. The results tell a story – who wants what, and how many of them want it? We decide. So if you haven’t voted yet, please get out and vote. Polls stay open late for those who work during the day. Oh, and they even have this Automark Voter Assist Terminal to help people with disabilities! I plan to use that, as I would have difficulty reading the paper ballot. I guess that makes me thankful for two things today, the opportunity to vote and handicap accessible technology.
If you are registered and plan to vote, but you need some help choosing, check out this Michigan Voter’s Guide. If you live outside of Michigan, you may be able to find a similar guide for your state with a quick web search. If you aren’t registered to vote, or you don’t care, I can’t help you. Just don’t let me catch you complaining about decisions our governments are making, got it? Got it.
Thankful Challenge, Day 2
Just so there is no confusion, I started this on November 1st, so it will always look like I’m one day behind.
Day 2! My daughter woke up and I said “Good morning! It’s Monday!”. And she replied, “Yay! We get to go to school!”
Now, that’s a perspective I like to see. They GET to go to school. It’s a privilege. And my children are truly blessed to be at the school they attend, for many reasons. One, the principal is a good friend of ours from way back before we had kids. And because we know her and like her, we are confident that she does an amazing job. That and it doesn’t hurt that she has known and loved our kids since they were born.
The school is particularly special because it is an IB World School. I encourage you to visit the site, but what it basically means is that they are held to a higher standard of academic and social learning. And because Chinese is the language of choice, they are taught half the day in Chinese.
My kids are learning how to read and write, but they are also learning some crucial life skills. They are learning how to be problem solvers and work productively with kids who come from a variety of different backgrounds. They are challenged daily to realize their potential and work towards it.
But aside from all that, I am grateful to live in a country, in a city, where public school is available. I know that is not a privilege every community has, but one that is so important to our future. Cue Whitney Houston…
Thanking God, one day at a time
A friend on Facebook mentioned she would be spending the entire month of November taking daily pause to recognize what she is thankful for. I think that’s a great idea. Thanksgiving is, after all, at the end of this month. It is also one of my favorite holidays.
So today, the 2nd of November, I will share what I am thankful for by way of telling you what my husband and I discussed on the way home from church today.
Okay, #1 is the fact that we can even have a conversation while we are in the car. But that’s not the thing. The thing we were discussing was that last fall was such a scary time for us. In fact, I don’t remember much of it. I lost my hearing and then shortly after started losing my vision and got very sick. I was what you call “checked out”. I was falling asleep at all hours of the day, I couldn’t remember where I was, or why I was there. I was in and out of the hospital as they tested me for everything under the sun. They were looking at some very serious diseases, some even fatal. This went on from mid-August until some time in January. My husband feared that this would remain a permanent state for me, awake for four hours a day, and not quite conscious even then. My mom and perhaps many others feared that I was dying.
But what a difference from last fall to this one. I am back! I still have a terrible memory, but for the most part I am here. I am present, living every moment as if it is a gift, because it is. It is such an amazing gift to have my mind back, and to be able to hug my children and tuck them into bed each night. To lovingly and thoughtfully prepare meals for my family, and to sit around the table, fully awake, is tremendous. It’s been almost a year from the last time I fell asleep sitting in the living room and had to go to bed before dinner with my family. Not a day goes by where I don’t thank God for that.
Tell me, what are you thankful for this season?
Little M.S. Runner 