Thankful Thursday

I'm tired again today, thanks to another near-sleepless night trying to fend off a little arm that flails about as Dani sleeps, honing in on eyeballs, lips, and hair as if she had a heat-seeking guidance system! One of these days she'll sleep through the night, but I'm not holding my breath. After all, every single one of my five children has detested sleep with a passion, and they have gone far out of their way to avoid it until well past their first birthdays! However, staring at those wide-open eyes at 2am and then again at 5am....and 6am, a sense of gratefulness overtook me that I haven't felt in a long time. Perhaps I've been too caught up in the daily battles with the way-beyond-normal teen rebellion to really take stock, or maybe Satan is just really working on me right now to overshadow the blessings God has showered me with. Whatever the reason, it's unfortunate that I haven't spent more time thanking God for what I have. Life might be lumpy, but it's wonderful!

Pete called me within an hour of leaving the house this morning; he got to his yearly motorcycle safety course this morning to find that his license plate had fallen off somewhere between here and there. It's going to cost $30 to replace the tag...but we don't have to worry that $30 will break us financially like we used to. It still stings to have to pay that much, but that's because I'm cheap, not because we're broke! The Lord has provided for us well through Pete's career. We don't have to worry about having a roof over our heads; it's provided for us (even if it IS teeny and incredibly cramped as we squeeze a family of seven into 900 sq. ft.). We don't have to stress over medical care--when something is wrong, we just call or walk in. It may not be the BEST treatment in the world, but we don't have to choose to leave a condition untreated like countless numbers of people worldwide who can't afford or don't have access to medical treatment when they need it. Even through the worst of financial crises, we always have food on the table and gas in at least one vehicle. By most accounts, we're pretty "well off".

Five healthy children and a husband who is striving to improve himself for the betterment of his family. Ample access to all sorts of communication with wonderful people. The promise that this life, even with all its blessings, is nowhere NEAR the life that God is willing to grant to those who are faithful to Him. What an amazing thing.

Live is good. Thank you, Lord!