Thankful Thursday, Again

Lots of things today!

1. It's national day of prayer.  Cool!! I hope He will forgive me for not making enough time to pray, because I am really, really bad about giving myself that time, even though it is SO beneficial when I do.  There is nothing like taking the time to reflect on what is good in my life, to give thanks, and to let the burden of some of  my worries be lifted from my shoulders to Him.  I also know that I should pray way more often.  At any rate, it was great to have a reminder to do so today, even if some of the prayers were just quick, small reflections on who or what I am thankful for.  I am also so grateful that my path (even though it is imperfect and there are things I regret) led me to where I am now; and that there is no doubt in my mind that He loves us and is always with us.  While I have lost loved ones (and of course, being human, and being selfish, I still have my why? times), in some unexplainable way, the loss of those people has simply strengthened my belief that there is so much more to life than just living in this world.

2.  For whatever reason, I was in a good mood today, and work went nicely (only a couple of minor snags).  I wish every day could go like that!  (Mostly) nice customers, good tips, 2 compliments.  Did I mention that I wish every day could be like this?  It's nice to know that I am doing a good job- even though it is not my ideal job- and it feels good to be appreciated and know that my hard work pays off.  On a soapboxey note, not that I think anyone reading this thinks so, but for those who DO think that servers are lazy, or stupid, or that serving is not a respectable job- you're wrong!  Servers have to be focused, pay attention to details, be organized, be speedy, carry around HEAVY plates, trays, etc; and, oh! we have to smile and put up with people who are rude and/or condescending and/or cheap and/or messy and/or clueless and/or loud and obnoxious (kids included!- YOU may think your screaming, demanding, messy kid is cute, but, weird! I DON'T).  Ok, off the soapbox; but seriously, if you want to be under appreciated, be a server.  It was GREAT to have a day where I know the majority of my customers truly appreciated my efforts, and were friendly and nice and treated me like a PERSON.

3. Today we graduated in karate; now Trent and I are green belts and Taryn is a purple!  Graduating is always exciting; with every step we make, it feels like part of something bigger.  We have all made great strides- physically and mentally, and it is fun to visualize how far we will all continue to go.  I never expected that we would all be undertaking this journey together, and although it has a few downsides (price, one not always awesome instructor, days where one or the other of us has that "i just don't wanna" attitude), it is SO cool to be able to all do something as a family that helps us in lots of areas in our lives and gives us all a big goal to work toward.

4.  It's almost Mother's Day!  I love being able to celebrate being a mother and spending time with my children.  There is not a day that passes that I don't thank God for each and every one of my children.  I also enjoy letting my mother know how much she means to me.  Furthermore, I now have a wonderful mother-in-law to celebrate as well.  AND, I still have my sweet grandmother and my husbands grandmothers, and we enjoy letting them know how special they all are to all of us.  We are blessed to have so many amazing women who love us and show us exactly what it means to be family.

5. It's Cinco de Mayo. While that doesn't necessarily matter to me, personally; it is fun to have known a lot of people from work who it does matter to.  And to Rigo, I hope you are resting well, I don't think of you often, but I do think of you fondly, and with sadness that your short life came to an end in such a tragic way.  I miss you at my mom's work, teasingly calling her "mudder-in-law" (that seems like a lifetime ago!)

Thankful Thursday, #1

I want to try something new, and since I use this space to do a lot of complaining, or woe-is-me-ing, or basically just being negative, I thought I'd start off with Thursday, and being thankful. <Although I do like the idea of a WTF Wednesday, so we'll see ;)>

Here are some things that I am thankful for:

One perfect little boy and many years of amazing memories; looking at him and still smiling every time I get to admire his cute little (big) face.

One perfect little girl who still loves to cuddle and snuggle up; watching her suck her thumb (yes, she's old for that; yes, she'll be mad at me for telling everyone), but DANG is she so cute and sweet with her "mankie" (blanket) and her thumb.

One little angel who I didn't get to meet or even find out much about; even though losing is painful, I am happy for the time I got to have with him or her. <3

A husband who is fun to be around and who helps take good care of us.

A mom who is always willing to help and who we can have fun with.

A house that not only provides shelter but also is full of beauty and love.

A car that gets me around and is also pretty and fun to be in.

Music.

Time to be with my family.

Friends.

Going for walks.

Spending time with the kids at their school things and being a part of their learning and extracurricular activities.

Reading and writing.  And the library.

Sometimes I need to take the time out to remember how much I have to be happy about.  I hope this will inspire YOU to take a second to think of some of the things you have to be thankful for, too.