100 Gratitudes

I'm Thankful... (in no particular order)

1. for my awesome children (even during the 20% of the time that they get on my last nerds)
2. for my awesome husband (even during the 8% of the time that he gets on my  last nerds)
3. for my mom and dad who should teach classes on how to be divorced with grace
4. for the little girl who will one day become my daughter
5. my grandparents- especially my grandmothers who amaze me continually
6. my in-laws (okay- most of them :-)  Just- kidding.  All of them!)
7. the MRG's- the best group of friends a girl could ask for
8. Jess- who has been my BFF since college and still can listen to me rant like a champ
9. diet Pepsi
10. enough food in our stomachs and a warm house and more that enough clothes and shoes
11. for my husband's job and the security it provides
12. reality television
13. the Internet
14. for books- especially children's books
15. for Our Family In Africa and Jabu Africa who are doing such good work for children in DRC
16. for the convenience of cell phones and how they make our world so small (but buy used- conflict minerals, you know!)
17. for Christmas music... and novelty rap music
18. to be an American and for the people who fought for my freedoms
19. for the blogging community
20. my minivan which not only gets me where I need to go but also makes me oh so cool
21. for Jesus and my freedom to follow him (I should move this up the list, duh)
22. for whoever invented cobbler, brownies, and pie
23. for people who work in the social services fields advocating for children
24. to have enough money to pay my bills every month
25. to have access to food any time I want it
26. for cheese
27. for board games and the hours of family fun they provide.  Hello Yahtzee!
28. for little children snuggles that are now freely given, especially those we fought hard for years to get
29. for medical care and a rockin' pediatrician
30. for our big crazy yellow beast of dog, Emma
31. for a backyard and a neighborhood where my kids can run safely
32. for my family photos.  They are so cherished.
33. for my bathtub and the stress relief it provides.
34. for babysitters who will take on three (and soon to be four!) children
35. for cartoons to entertain the children when I need a minute- or lots of minutes
36. for public school and the great teachers that my children have there and the blessings of a free education
37. that my children have a church they love and a program they think is awesome to go to on Wednesday nights
38. that the door on my bathroom locks so that for at least 10 minutes a day, I can get some privacy
39. for the people who love and encourage me every day with their kind words
40. for antidepressants
41. for vulnerability and the unlikely friendships it creates
42. for date nights that come few and far between but are always lovely when we get them
43. for one on one dates with each of the children- even if it's just to the grocery store
44. for therapists who have given my children so much time to help them be the best that they can be
45. for our son's psychologist who helped us sooth some of his demons and make him (mostly) whole again
46. for chocolate
47. for my children's friends who are all such good kids
48. for neighbors who will give you a cup of sugar or a listening ear or help you corral kids in the back yard
49. for the opportunity to travel and take vacations on a regular basis
50. for my microwave
51. that I've learned (for the most part) to be okay with my own weaknesses
52. for growing up in a small town
53. to have been able to go to college without debt
54. for email
55. that I can usually laugh about it when really crappy things happen
56. that I live in a place where we get to experience all four seasons
57. for Eron (a little girl that I met briefly in DRC) who has changed so much about the way I live and think about life and my mission and purpose in caring for the fatherless
58. for my dad's and my granny's farms and how walking around there makes me feel like I'm free
59. for Facebook- which seems dumb, but is so very awesome for keeping people connected
60. for the occasional cards and letters that still come by snail mail
61. the opportunity to volunteer at some great places and for some great causes
62. the kindness of strangers
63. that I have so many things to look forward to and that life is excited and fresh each morning
64. that one of the things my children do well each night is go to sleep.  Somehow we've managed to get three children that go right to bed when it's time without a fight.  It's one of the biggest blessings ever.
65. for my bout with depression because it has made me stronger and more empathetic to people
66. for life.  My mom was a pregnant teen and could have chosen a different path.  I'm glad she didn't.
67. that my husband eventually said yes when I came to him and told him I wanted to adopt- even though it had never been on his radar
68. for how adoption and being a part of the adoption community has changed me for the better
69. for the opportunity to get to share our passion for orphans issues on a regular basis in front of lots of different people
70. for our health
71. that my parents, grandparents and even a great grandparent are still alive
72. that there are times that I can go days and days without ever having to get out of my sweatpants
73. that we made it through that first year with Miles and that attachment disorders did not eat us alive
74. that we made it through the roughest years of sensory processing disorder with Noah and actually went on to add another kid despite knowing that kids can sometimes screams for years on end
75. that I am not defined by my mistakes and for friends and family that are always willing to forgive me when I screw up
76. that I have a husband who loves me unconditionally even though I am not the skinny girl he married and I am not always loving or even very nice
77. for Pandora and how much cool music it brings into my life
78. that my children are learning to give back and that they enjoy it
79. that I am a morning person and can get my kids off to school without feeling like too much of a zombie
80. that all my children are potty trained and that we are sooooo done with diapers in this house
81. that I feel safe in my own house and don't have to worry about wars happening outside my front door
82. for earplugs- which have single handedly allowed me to sleep and have kept me from having to get divorced
83. that Noah is such a constant source of humor in my life
84. that when I turn on the tap, clear, clean water free of parasites comes out
85. for candy corn
86. for hair color that helps me hang onto my youth and keeps me from being prematurely gray
87. to have a house, that while cramped, provides everything we need
88. for the laughter of children running around in my living room
89. for the freedom of expression that allows me to say anything I want on this space
90. that I had cousins to grow up with
91. for text messaging and marathon texting sessions with my besties
92. for my high school youth group
93. that I have parents who tried their best to give me as many experiences as they could
94. for a  family who values education
95. that I will never have to know the pain of choosing to leave my child at an orphanage because poverty renders me unable to care for them
96. for my Mamaw's homemade sourdough and banana bread and the love she puts into making it
97. that even at times when we've had no money in the bank, we've always had each other
98. for pansies in the spring and mums in the fall
99. for a God who loved me so much that he sent his son to die for me.  Do you know him?
100. for this day.  Happy Thanksgiving!