Thankful "G"

GIRLS - I absolutely love raising little girls...at least so far. :) People say they can be extremely difficult when they become teenagers, but I hope my girls will stay their sweet, tenderhearted selves as they grow up. My two are both so talented and so different. One is gentle, easy to please, very creative and loves to read. One is spunky, very opinionated, a little storyteller, and loves sports. I cherish these two treasures that the Lord has given me for a season and I cannot wait to see the women they will become!

GIRLFRIENDS - I have always longed for a girlfriend. Growing up they were few and far between. This very long year of cancer treatment has given me the desire to be a better friend, and to love more the girlfriends that God has placed in my life. I am very much a homebody and content to be with my family, but I am so, so grateful for the unique friendships God has given me. I have my sisters, who are my closest girlfriends in the world. I have a couple of friends from high school and college that I keep in contact with. I have some women in my church who I love dearly and who are so good to me. I even have some Dillon adoptive moms (only 1 I've ever met) who may never know what an encouragement they have been to me this past 2 years. Some on the phone, some through e-mails, and some just through comments on this blog. God created us for relationship and I am so glad He has been so gracious to me!

Thankful "F"

FLIP-FLOPS - These are my favorite shoes! I would love to have some in every color and I would gladly wear them year round! They are universal! You can wear them with jeans, a dress, shorts. If you buy them with sparkles, you can even wear them with a fancy dress! What is not to love about flip-flops?

FALL - Fall is my favorite time of year. I love when the weather starts to have that crisp, cool feeling and the leaves begin to turn shades of gold and red! Something about the clarity of the blue sky and all the vibrant color makes me feel closer to the Lord somehow. It is a reminder to me of the beauty of God's creation and His care for us. It is during this time that I sometimes wonder what Heaven will look like. If God created our world in just 7 days, I cannot even begin to imagine what He has created in about 7000 years!

FAMILY FUN FRIDAYS - This is what we call it at our house on Friday nights. We celebrate the fact that there is no school the next day and we party. We have supper, maybe play a game or put on a show, we make pallets on the floor and couches in the living room, and everyone falls asleep watching a movie! Of course, Mommy, stays awake to tuck everyone in and then I head to my bed to sleep. :) This has been our tradition for a couple of years now. Sometimes we have friends or cousins that join us and sometimes it's just us. Micah has always slept in his bed, but now feels that he is old enough to join everyone else on the floor, so we have let him. Of course he LOVES it! I look forward to many more years of Family Fun Fridays to come!

Thankful "E"

EVENING - I am thankful for evenings. That is my favorite time of day. I love sitting out on our porch swing and watching the clouds roll by, the storms move in, or the sun setting behind the hills. It also means that it is almost time for bed, which I look forward to now more than I used to. :)

ECHOS - I guess it seems a little weird that I am thankful for Echocardiograms, but I am. Just a year ago, I did not know what they were or what they were for. Tomorrow I will go in for my 4th this year. It has been comforting to have the guess work taken away and know for sure that my heart is staying strong through this year of treatment.

ELVES - Yes, elves...or 1 in particular. Our elf's name is Pepper and he came to our house last year for the first time. He brought a lot of fun when he came and he is doing the same this year. Because of him, I know what our kids want for Christmas and I have enjoyed watching Micah wake up each morning and get excited when he realizes that Pepper has moved locations during the night. Hopefully Pepper will keep coming back for many Christmases to come!

Thankful "D"

DAVID - I love my husband, David! We are total opposites, but somehow God brought us together. I am thankful for David's patience with me, I am proud of his talents and abilities, I love the father that he is to our children, and I am looking forward to what the Lord will do in our future together!

DADDY - I love my Daddy! I guess no matter how old I get (and today I am another year older) I will always feel like "Daddy's little girl" when he is around. My Daddy has always loved me, guided me, and taught me, and I feel loved, safe, and secure in his presence. I am grateful that God placed me in my family!

Thankful "C"

CHRISTMAS - I love everything about Christmas! I love the food, the music, the lights, the message, the spirit! This year, for some reason, it has all had a particularly calming effect on me and I am grateful. I have even given in and done something that I said I would never do...I have put an inflatable snowman in my front yard! I guess having kids changes everything. :)

CHOCOLATE - Chocolate is my friend. Let me introduce you to Five Layer Chocolate Cake, Dark Chocolate York Patties, Breyer's Extra-Creamy Chocolate Ice-Cream, Chocolate No-Bake Cookies...you get the idea. I salute whoever figured out that you can grind up a cocoa bean and make something so delicious!

COMPASSION - I love the ministry of Compassion International! I am thankful for the work they do in countries where I will never be able to go. Someday I hope to be able to travel to Africa and back to India to visit the little girls that we sponsor. To see all that Compassion does, please check out their web site at Compassion.com. They also have an area for kids where they can play games and learn about how kids in other countries live. An awesome book that you can read about their president is called "Too Small to Ignore," by Wes Stafford. I hope you will check it out.

Thankful "B"

BOYS - There is just something about Momma's little boys. :) It's so special to me when one of my boys comes over on his own and gives me a big hug and kiss and says, "I love you, Mommy!" I don't know how long it will last, but I am cherishing it now. Nathan is at the stage now, Kindergarten, where he is still very affectionate and doesn't think much about it. However, he has started not wanting to "give hugs" to others so much and for the first time last week when I leaned over to kiss his forehead, he said, "Mom, don't let Paige (his cousin who was over at our house) see you do that!" Oh well, I will do it for as long as I can! Micah (2 1/2) is at that fun stage where he is figuring out that there is a difference between the sexes. He will state, "You a gil and I a boy." I'm so thankful that I have gotten the chance to experience the joys of raising little boys!

BOOKS - Of course this was a no-brainer. :) I am thankful for the authors who share their stories! I have always been an avid reader, but as our family has grown and lives have gotten busy, my chances to read for pleasure have gotten fewer and far between. One thing this year of cancer treatment has given me, is the opportunity to pick my books back up...which I have done with a vengeance! I have been carrying books in the car, books in my bedroom, books in my bag. Now that I have a Kindle, which I am enjoying by the way, my bags are much less heavy! :) Besides just reading books, I feel strangely that God has placed the desire in my heart to write a book (or several) someday. It must be from God, because this is the same girl who failed Freshman English in college because I was so fearful of writing, I would not write the papers. I am waiting to see what God will do with this desire, and while I wait...I am reading a book!

BIRTHDAYS - On December 14 it will be 1 year from my cancer diagnosis. Next week is my birthday. What a year it has been. Needless to say, I am super thankful for this birthday! I have learned so much this year about myself, my Heavenly Father, my priorities, etc. I am grateful to be where I am at this moment and I am looking forward to what this next year will bring!

Thankful "A"

ADOPTION - This is probably an obvious one. :) I cannot even begin to describe how adoption has changed our lives forever. It has changed us as individuals in the way we think about people. It has changed us forever as a family. It has changed our relationship with and our trust in our Heavenly Father. We will forever be grateful that we followed God's heart and took the step of faith to adopt!

ANGELS - I am grateful for Angels. In a world filled with craziness, it seems comforting somehow to know that there are Angels walking among us. I think it also reminds us to stop a moment in our busy lives and show a little kindness to strangers that we meet. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

Loss for Words

I can't believe that it has been over a month since I have written anything, but I have been at a loss for words. For me that is saying something. :) I'm not sure why, but my soul has been restless and my ability to put it into words just has not been there. My emotions have been on edge and I feel very unsettled. Maybe it's the medication...it seems like I am using that one a lot lately. Whatever the reason, I have wanted to write but have been unable to find the words. There are sudden random things that I've seen or heard that cause a sense of peace and gratefulness to wash over me...a rainbow, a Christmas song, a kiss from my little boy, etc. So, I decided I am going to just take time to voice my gratefulness for the small things that I am thankful for. I thought it would be fun to try something that another "Dillon Mom" did on her blog a year or two ago. She did a blog for each letter of the alphabet. So, for each day leading up to Christmas I am going to try it, starting with "A" for today!