1. The biggie? I'm so thankful for God. What do people do for meaning, purpose and significance in life if they don't know Him? I like to control things, and when things are completely out of my control, I can trust that He has a plan and a higher purpose for circumstances that are not how I would order them. I just re-listened to John Cleese reading C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters--which I cannot recommend highly enough--and it reminded me of God's perspective on the world, on human beings, on suffering, on pleasure and joy, on the Church, and more. So much truth! Makes me thankful for a God I can trust in, fully and completely.
2. I'm so thankful for our church and all the people in it. We are in an interesting season right now, a season of prayer and listening and discernment. There is a sense that we are being called forward into a new phase. We have been in survival mode, so to speak. So many of us in our small community have been experiencing crises in our lives, our families, and our finances; it's been all we could do just to keep the wheels on at church. But it seems God is calling us to move forward, and right now I am thankful to be surrounded by prayerful, discerning believers and leaders.
3. I am so thankful for my husband--the priest of our church and the spiritual leader of our home. No one sets a better example of godly leadership! I am so thankful, especially with four sons, for a father who models engagement with God in such a natural way. Whether he invites them to go for a run or join him in Morning Prayer, they respond positively. When he talks theology with friends, they enjoy sitting in on that too. They hear his sermons regularly, and they see him reading and preparing for them, as well as disappearing into his office to work at his "real" job to support us, which he does so successfully and so faithfully. Yup, so thankful for him!!
4. My heart is filled with thanksgiving for our children. They are such a source of joy to me! I love watching each one develop in a unique way. Each is so different, and God is at work in each one's life in a different way. They all have unique gifts and challenges. The sight or thought of each one of them always fills my heart with thankfulness and joy.
5. Because I don't know how much longer we will live in it, I am especially thankful for our spacious and beautiful house. Although I am honestly eager to return to a cozier size house, with less square footage to care for and fewer bathrooms to clean, I know I will miss these days when we all have plenty of space to spread out in, and no need to create a shower schedule! I will certainly miss my extra tall kitchen cabinets and all the counter space I have now. Each day I am thankful for one more day here. Hard to believe it will be six years in May.
6+. I better keep it short and just list a few others: all our friends at Spotlight Youth Theater and at Classical Conversations, good neighbors, good health, financial provision, reliable cars, and the little things--comfy couches, music of all kinds, reading books aloud to B8 and C11, B18 sitting at the kitchen counter telling me about his day, Blondechick practicing worship music on the piano, the sun shining on the dining room table, B14 singing out snippets of madrigals as he wanders through the living room, a smile exchanged with Papa R, B22 cheerfully putting away groceries, a new boombox that plays CDs and tapes and works!, a morning by myself at Panera, a good audiobook to listen to while I cook, and laughter around the Thanksgiving table.
I am one blessed woman.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever.
~Psalm 118:1
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