30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 1

Today is the first day of my 30-day Thanksgiving challenge. As outlined in my previous post, the daily challenge has three parts: 1) Find a person/cause to be thankful for and thank them in person and/or in writing; 2) Find 3 things for which you are thankful to God and post them where you can see; and 3) Keep a daily journal of your thanksgiving including situations where you are challenged to be thankful. So here goes today’s round.

1. Find a person/cause to be thankful for and thank them in person and/or in writing.

The person in my life for whom I am most thankful is my wonderful husband. Those who know me know that I was married later in life, at age 39, and I had reached the age where I wondered if I would ever be married. I had passed through various stages of my life where I had accepted that likelihood, where I had despaired over that likelihood, and where I had been completely puzzled by that likelihood. I had spent countless hours in prayer on the subject without receiving a clear answer from God. (I suspect this was due to a defect in my receiver, rather than one in God’s transmitter.) I finally realized, at age 37, that I had been waiting for God to drop Prince Charming into my lap, when God had given me the tools to go find him myself. And so I did. And here is my open letter of thanks to him.

My dearest sweetheart,

For the past four years, you have been a constant source of inspiration and support to me. As you promised me in our wedding vows, you have stood by me and loved me for better and for worse and in sickness and in health. You have been my cheering squad when I was laid off. You have been my shoulder to cry on and my pillar of strength through my mother’s long illness and her death. You have been my patient companion through two difficult pregnancies and a chronic illness. You love and accept me despite my many faults. I am so thankful that you are a part of my life.

I am grateful for all the things, large and small, that you do to make me happy. I am thankful for all the times you’ve gotten up to feed a baby in the middle of the night so I can get some sleep. I am thankful for all the times that you brought me a coffee or a pastry on your way home from running errands. I am thankful for all the times you stayed home with the kids so I could go get a haircut, or a massage, or just go shopping unencumbered.

Most of all, I am thankful for your endless, patient love for me. I love you.

All my love,
Your Sandy

2. Find 3 things for which you are thankful to God and post them where you can see.

Today, I am thankful to God for the blessing of a loving and supportive extended family. I am thankful for the beauty of autumn in New England. And I am thankful for two children napping at the same time!

3. Keep a daily journal of your thanksgiving including situations where you are challenged to be thankful.

Today’s greatest thankfulness challenge is simply the exhaustion of parenthood. I am thankful that I am able to stay home and take care of my children, but some days they try my patience and my thankfulness. But I am trying very hard to be thankful that it’s MY patience that they’re trying, and not a paid stranger.