Thankful

One week ago at this time I was sitting thinking about how thankful I am. I say "I am" and not "I was" because those thoughts have stayed with me every day since, and I continue to ponder more and more ways each day. This is a season of life that I have found myself discovering the reality of God's mercies being new every morning. Almost always in ways I don't expect, and ranging from the simple to the very, very deep.

Last Wednesday Maggie and I were on our daily post-nap get-out-of-the-house-before-we-both-go-crazy outing. I was very excited, as the plan was to go to the mall where we could a) be productive and run some errands that I needed to do, and b) hopefully find a playplace or something fun for Maggie.

Unfortunately, our little outing was curtailed when a car pulled out of an adjacent lot in the mall and didn't see us coming.


Thus begins my rant of thankfulness...

Fortunately, I saw the car and was able to at least brake. Not in time for her not to hit me, but at least I wasn't going full-speed. It was not a hard hit, but as soon as I saw it coming I knew I wouldn't be able to drive our car home. Amazingly enough, Maggie and I were hardly jostled.

Maggie didn't even know what happened. When I turned around to see/ask her if she was ok, she just smiled at me, reached her hand out and said "Gook?" As in, "Can I have another cookie?" Which I gladly gave her.

My mom was due to leave town in two days. She was able to come "rescue" us immediately, and due to her trip, we have been able to use her car all week.

Insurance. As many horror stories as you hear, our experience was a dream, and has continued to go smoother than I ever expected. This is also an even bigger deal than it sounds as Gary would usually be our go-to person to handle things like this...not exactly my forte, but so far so good.

(I could go on and on about the "little" details of the day. On to the bigger things...)

My son. My head spins when I think what could have happened to him. Just earlier that day I had my first moment of, "I can't wait to meet this little person!" What an amazing week of bonding this has been since then.

My daughter. I am actually thankful that she was with me that day. The fact that she was totally unaware of what happened, in addition to her happy spirit and need for me to entertain her while all of the details were being hashed out was a wonderful distraction from a situation that should have been very stressful for me. I am daily thankful for Maggie's companionship and presence in my life...what a little ray of sunshine she is!

My husband. Even hundreds of miles away he is my biggest support and a wonderful friend. This experience has also heightened my thankfulness for his own safety, as he travels so much each week and even each day.

My friends. Like I said, since the accident I have been reflecting on so many things that God has put in my life each day that I am thankful for. This week we have been kept wonderfully busy with great friends. And while staying busy (especially on cold days when Dad is gone) is something to be thankful for in and of itself, these individuals are true gifts! This week I found myself especially thankful for friends who are going through similar spousal separation situations. How nice to have someone to relate to! Also for friends who make you feel a little more normal for having a picky eater (and actually say how awesome it is that she loves chicken nuggets!) Also for friends who are not afraid of a spontaneous phone call to see if we are available for lunch or play...etc, etc.

Really my heart is just bursting with thankfulness, These things don't even scratch the surface. In the middle of this presently dark/hard time for our little family, it is wonderful to be reminded that I have so much - circumstantially and at large - to be thankful for.