30 days of Thankfulness

Thanksgiving.  Yes, its a holiday, but its can also be a verb: the act of giving thanks or grateful acknowledgement of blessings.  I realize that the blessings in my own life are too numerous to spend only one day a year acknowledging them.  Some people might consider it cheesy or cliche, but I am going to jump on the bandwagon of people who are daily listing something or someone that they are thankful for and why.

I had good intentions of doing a single blog entry each day for this, but its November 3rd and I am obviously behind, so there is gonna be some doubling, or in this case tripling up.  I blame the craziness of Halloween for November sneaking up on me.  I had no idea it was November 3rd already. I only realized it today when I went to use a Groupon that had expired on November 1st..whoops!

So, here's a little catching up.

Day 1: I'm thankful for motherhood. Being a mom has been the most life-changing, challenging and rewarding job that I've experienced.  A long time ago, I use to wonder if I'd ever become a mom.  Many years later, my arms and my heart are full.  Pretty much nothing about my journey of motherhood is how I pictured it as a teenager or young adult.  Getting pregnant didn't initially come as easily as I had hoped, our first pregnancy gave us two babies instead of one (surprise, surprise), and we lost our 4th baby to a miscarriage but through all of that God has blessed us immeasurably.  Today, we have four active and healthy boys.  These boys keep me laughing daily, provide me with more loads of laundry than seems possible and teach me so much about life.  I am thankful that I get to be their Mommy.

August 2012

August 2012

Day 2: I'm thankful for my husband.  I'm thankful that after an ambiguous double date with my roommate and his best friend 12 years ago that he left behind his winter coat at my apartment (Yes, he left his coat behind in Chicago in January--very strategic). 

I'm even more thankful that the next week when he showed up to get his coat back and take me out for coffee that he didn't run the other way when we misunderstood each other and I ruined what should have been our first date.  I apparently didn't realize he was asking just me out, so I thought it was another group date and had told my roommate to come with us.  I expected it would be the four of us.  It was not.  It was three of us and slightly awkward.  I'm thankful that he powered through that and asked me out again. 

I'm thankful that 11 years ago this month, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  Best decision ever.  I'm thankful that I get to share this loud, busy life with him.  I'm thankful that he supports me in my goals, listens to the many, many words I have to say each day, makes me laugh and that he loves to cook dinner for us.  I'm thankful that he is willing to run with me for miles and miles and then let me have the hot shower first when we get home from said run.  I am blessed beyond measure.

Good Friday 2002 Hours after we got engaged.

August 2012

August 2012: He still sweeps me off my feet.

Day 3:  I'm thankful for grandparents.  Mine are both in heaven now, but their influence in my life has had a lasting and profound impact. 

One of my favorite pictures of my grandparents.  This was at my brother's wedding.  I think I love it because it shows how in love with each other they were even after 50+ years.  They were the cutest!

They invested so much time, love and energy in me as a child and teenager.  I could write a book on the ways that they've made me who I am today.  A huge part of the reason that I came to college here and wanted to live in the Chicago area as an adult was because my childhood is filled with amazing stories of their growing up and young married life here in the suburbs of Chicago.  When I was 8 years old, they brought me on a trip to Chicago with them. 

I spent two weeks seeing their childhood homes, meeting second cousins and relatives I had heard stories about, seeing where they got married, and taking the train downtown.  I loved it.  I made a very detailed scrapbook of that trip.  Chicago was magical to me.  And that is a big part of the reason that I landed here. 

My Grandpa was an avid exerciser.  Well before I was born, he had a heart attack, his first of three.  He had to make drastic changes to his diet and the prognosis was not good.  He went on to live a long time  (decades not years) after that first heart attack due to his lifestyle changes.  As a young child, I would do exercises with him on his living room floor.  During his elderly years, he would go to the local mall on a daily basis and walk laps.  When I was home on college breaks, I would go with him sometimes.  After he passed away, he left us some money.  I used that money to buy our treadmill.  Every time I get on that treadmill I think how he would get a hoot out of the fact that his grandchildren run marathons now. 

My Grandmother would have me over regularly for tea and use her fine china.  We would sit around and talk.  I remember man of the stories well.  She passed on family history to me.  Stories about her daughter (my aunt) that I never got to meet.  Stories about how God provided for them in tangible ways (groceries showing up on their doorstep when they were out of food).  I cherish those memories.  She also taught me practical things like how to clean baseboards, to bake and how to crochet (although I completely forgot those skills).

Right now, my children have all four of their grandparents in their lives.  Since mine had such a lasting impact on me, I am so grateful that my children are building these memories and relationships with their grandparents.  They have one set of grandparents that live twenty minutes away and get to build weekly memories with them including sleepovers (I'm not sure who is more excited about those, the kids or Jon & I) and going to church with them on Sunday mornings (Our church meets on Saturday night, so the kids "double dip".)

Grandma & Grandpa Shogren with our littlest at his baby dedication.  June 2012

The other set of grandparents live farther away (a 10-12 hour drive to be exact), but distance doesn't stop meaningful relationships.  We have built special memories with them during our annual vacations to places like the beach, Disney world, and Oregon.  We visit their home in Pennsylvania at least twice a year and the boys LOVE going there.  And on a few occasions, they have visited Grandma Mary & Pa Lynn's house without us (so that we could go on vacation).  Again, I think its a tie for who is more excited about those trips. 

Grandma Mary & Pa Lynn with their grandchildren.  Well, all but the newest one (Harvey) who is only two months old. December 2011

Pa Lynn and Grandma Mary