Tonight is Christmas Eve. All of the presents are wrapped and put under the tree, Caleb's big presents have been set up, the songs have been sung, the boy is asleep, and I am here taking a quiet moment to write a thoughtful blog post while Matt is stil at church. All is well....except...
...Except that it could be really easy for my thoughts to revert back to an issue that struggles to consume me at times. That's not what Christmas is about. In case you haven't heard, it's supposed to be a celebration of the birth of Christ, who was sent here to save us from our sins! SO, tonight I am choosing to be thankful for everything I do have instead of lamenting over what I don't. Here goes:
I am incredibly thankful for the gift God gave me just 2 weeks after Christmas 3 years ago. That little boy gives me more joy than I could have imagined possible. I love him with every ounce of my being---as is proven by the tears streaming down my face right now! His laugh lights up my day and he can make me smile like no one else can.
Naturally, I am also thankful for Matt. (Without him, I couldn't have had Caleb!) Just kidding! :) Seriously though, he is a wonderful husband and father and is always there when I need him. Most importantly, he puts up with my moods and always apologizes--sometimes without knowing what he did wrong--sometimes without doing anything wrong at all! He knows me better than anymore.
My family is amazing. I have grown to love and appreciate them in a new way since Matt and I became parents. I realize now how much they must have worried about me and how the way they responded to certain situations (like not letting me go to the mall to sing with the choir in middle school without a chaperone!) were just because they loved me and were concerned about my well-being. They say a parent's love has no bounds, and I'm glad I can reflect on the truthfulness of that statement in my own life.
I am thankful that we are all relatively healthy. Caleb gave us a scare a few months ago, but God answered prayers and the tests came back clean. My cousin's son, Jacob, is battling a brain tumor and is currently undergoing radiation therapy in Boston. They are celebrating Christmas a long way from home, but things are looking good for "our Jacob," as Caleb refers to him!
Along with that, I'm grateful for good insurance! Say what you want about our public school system, but they definitely do offer us fantastic benefits. Caleb's bills from Johns Hopkins would have cost us close to $10,000 without insurance. We paid a mere $70 total in specialties fees and copays.
Lastly, in this economy, I am thankful that Matt and I both have stable jobs. While yes, the system is trying to make cut-backs to the budget, the truth is that I will have a teaching job for as long as I want it! I know so many children whose parents have lost their jobs or aren't getting much work right now, and I can't imagine the stress that might put on a family.
I hope that you will join me in focusing on the thankfulness of the season instead of the I wants and I don't haves that we are all so prone to.
With that...
Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!
...Except that it could be really easy for my thoughts to revert back to an issue that struggles to consume me at times. That's not what Christmas is about. In case you haven't heard, it's supposed to be a celebration of the birth of Christ, who was sent here to save us from our sins! SO, tonight I am choosing to be thankful for everything I do have instead of lamenting over what I don't. Here goes:
I am incredibly thankful for the gift God gave me just 2 weeks after Christmas 3 years ago. That little boy gives me more joy than I could have imagined possible. I love him with every ounce of my being---as is proven by the tears streaming down my face right now! His laugh lights up my day and he can make me smile like no one else can.
Naturally, I am also thankful for Matt. (Without him, I couldn't have had Caleb!) Just kidding! :) Seriously though, he is a wonderful husband and father and is always there when I need him. Most importantly, he puts up with my moods and always apologizes--sometimes without knowing what he did wrong--sometimes without doing anything wrong at all! He knows me better than anymore.
My family is amazing. I have grown to love and appreciate them in a new way since Matt and I became parents. I realize now how much they must have worried about me and how the way they responded to certain situations (like not letting me go to the mall to sing with the choir in middle school without a chaperone!) were just because they loved me and were concerned about my well-being. They say a parent's love has no bounds, and I'm glad I can reflect on the truthfulness of that statement in my own life.
I am thankful that we are all relatively healthy. Caleb gave us a scare a few months ago, but God answered prayers and the tests came back clean. My cousin's son, Jacob, is battling a brain tumor and is currently undergoing radiation therapy in Boston. They are celebrating Christmas a long way from home, but things are looking good for "our Jacob," as Caleb refers to him!
Along with that, I'm grateful for good insurance! Say what you want about our public school system, but they definitely do offer us fantastic benefits. Caleb's bills from Johns Hopkins would have cost us close to $10,000 without insurance. We paid a mere $70 total in specialties fees and copays.
Lastly, in this economy, I am thankful that Matt and I both have stable jobs. While yes, the system is trying to make cut-backs to the budget, the truth is that I will have a teaching job for as long as I want it! I know so many children whose parents have lost their jobs or aren't getting much work right now, and I can't imagine the stress that might put on a family.
I hope that you will join me in focusing on the thankfulness of the season instead of the I wants and I don't haves that we are all so prone to.
With that...
Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!
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