Thankful

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone. I hope all of you had a great day with family, friends and food. We did. There were 25 of us here at our house. It was a great day, even if my oven was still not working.

It was a very sunny, hot day so Charlie took our kids to the pool along with some other dads and kids while the moms stayed home to cook and get ready. I really enjoyed the peace and quiet and I got a lot done. As I was cleaning and cooking I started making a mental list of many of the things I am thankful for. Here are the top 10:

1.My relationship with Jesus Christ. My faith is not my "religion". My faith is centered around the person of Jesus. Because of Him I not only have eternal life but I have an abundant life now. It's not a perfect life, a pain-free life, nor a problem-free life, it's a life of freedom and peace. It's a life of struggle and growth.

2. My husband. After Jesus, he has been the biggest blessing of my life. He is patient, loving, funny, slow, crazy, spontaneous, consistent, disciplined, quiet, smart, genuine, godly, loyal, brave, and courageous. And he's a pumpkin-pie freak.

3. My four children. They are loving, real, honest, sweet, smart, friendly, courageous, funny, and normal. They fight, flunk tests, make mistakes, break things, make messes, don't pick up their dirty underwear, forget to brush their teeth, and forget to tell me they need cookies for a school party until the morning OF the party (that's only happened once this semester). But they are wonderful and I love them.

4.My family. I miss them terribly. I have not seen my sister and brother (not to mention aunts, uncles and cousins) in 3 years and 2 months. I have a new sister-in-law that I've only met once. I'm thankful I get to see them all in 2008! My parents are supposed to come for a visit in March, then we go to the states in April for three months. Wahoo!

5. My family by marriage. We also get to see them in 2008!!!! There are new babies to kiss and squeeze and cousins to reunite. It's going to be so fun.


6.Friends. God has given me some wonderful friends in my life that are like family to me. Women who are truly like sisters - older and younger. Women who have loved me through hard times, selfish time, happy times. Women who have listened and laughed and cried with me. Girlfriends who have spoken truth to me and pointed me to Jesus and helped me grow in my faith.

7.Africa. I love our life. There are lots of things that make me crazy about our country and this continent. But living here has afforded me some tremendous blessings. And for now, it's home.

8.Food. I love food. I love cooking and feeding people. I'm grateful for my mother teaching me how to cook and modeling for me how to love on people by filling their bellies.

9.The Internet -because it helps me feel connected to people. Reading my email and my Bible are the first two things I do in the morning. The Internet has helped me re-establish some old friendships and make new ones. And yes, I'm considering counseling for my blog-addiction. ;-)

10. My guitar. I'm thankful that my parents bought me my first one when I was 11 and gave me the opportunity to learn how to play. It has brought me much joy and entertainment. And now I get to play alongside my son and that is very cool.

Ok, that was really long and probably boring for you, but I enjoyed it.