Thankful

This November, I posted something I'm thankful for each day on facebook. I wanted to record them here too, so I've collected all of my posts together. Some are simple, some are deep, but I tried to be very thoughtful about what I'm truly thankful for... there are so many things! I'm really, really blessed.


Day 1: I'm thankful for God's love demonstrated in Jesus. "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." -John 3:17. It's really awesome to have hope and peace in the midst of a sometimes chaotic and difficult existence.

Day 2: I'm thankful for my in-laws who take us on fun family outings to the park and Sam's Club ("I wuv Sam's Clubs!") and watch my kids all the time for free... not to mention giving us room and board. I hit the in-law jackpot for sure

Day 3: Today I'm thankful for my husband. He works, goes to graduate school full time, teaches Sunday School and helps with other things at church, mows our huge lawn every week, etc., but still makes time to spend with the boys and me, especially to help me out when I'm not feeling well. I'm super blessed and SO spoiled. I love you like crazy, Nathan!

Day 4: Today I'm thankful for my parents (who are visiting me this week)! I had such an awesome childhood and they continue to support me and make my life awesome now. My kids got awesome grandparents out of the deal too! So yeah... they're awesome.

Day 5: Today I'm thankful that my generous mom likes to take me shopping I miss our girls days out!

Day 6: Today I'm thankful for my kids' teachers at church. Be it Sunday School or Awana, they are learning SO much! Orion is memorizing scripture for Cubbies at home, but his teachers are showing him and his brother awesome Bible songs, the days of creation, Bible truths, and reinforcing everything he learns at home. Thank you so much, teachers, for giving your time to my children!!

Day 7: Today I'm thankful that I get to go to the YMCA three or four times a week. The boys get to play with other kids and I get to have fun and stay active and healthy. Thank you to those whose donations to the Y make the financial assistance program possible!

Day 8: Today I'm thankful that my boys have become such good sleepers. Some people aren't naturally good at falling/staying asleep so it was a bit of a journey to get to this point, but that makes me all the more thankful that they (and I!) get a full, healthy night of sleep every night.

Day 9: I'm so thankful for my close circle of friends. In middle school-high school I went through periods of total friendlessness and some bad friend relationships (with a few amazing friends sprinkled in!)... I never could have imagined at that point that just a few years later I would meet people who COMPLETELY love me for me and actually LIKE to be around me... the people who will truly be my friends forever. We've already supported each other through tragedies and happy-danced together in celebration, and we have many more years of leaning on each other to come. I love you guys like crazy. I won't tag everyone, but I'm sure you know who you are :)

Day 10: Today I'm thankful for my church. I know there are people there who love me and will support me when I need it. They're a group of people who like to help each other and people they've never met. I'm happy to have a place to learn and grow. I'm thankful we have a church family.

Day 11: Today I'm thankful for the brave men and women in our armed forces who have sacrificed so much to keep us safe and free. Sure, our country has a lot of issues and it's easy to complain, but we are SO blessed to enjoy the freedoms we have. I'm incredibly humbled that so many have surrendered their own comfort, safety, and even lives to protect the rest of us. You are AWESOME and I could never thank you enough.

Day 12: Today I'm thankful that I live in an area that experiences all four seasons to their fullest. I'm happy my kids get to grow up with the colorful crisp beauty of fall, the magical glittering snow of winter, the fresh newness of spring, and the clear simmering days of summer. Each season has its own beauty and tone, and though we get tired of long icy winters or smouldering summers, change is always near. God made a pretty amazing world!

Day 13: I'm thankful that we've never really had to worry about our finances. We don't make much money, but thanks to support from family(!) and taxpayers (the miracle of Medicaid and WIC), we're able to pay cash for Nathan to do graduate school full time, take care of our family, and even afford fun activities sometimes. We have to be very careful most of the time, but never despair and have been able to stay debt-free. Thank you for supporting my family- we're investing in our future and hope we can repay the favor someday!

Day 14: Today I'm thankful for modern medicine. The treatments and medications we have available to us today save lives that would have been lost not so many years ago. We have amazing tools for diagnosis and treatment at our fingertips!

Day 15: Today I'm very thankful for a healthy pregnancy and baby! I am very fortunate to have had easy and healthy pregnancies so far :)

Day 16: Today I'm thankful for books. I'm a sucker for TV and other entertainment too, but books are magic.

Day 17: I'm thankful for unlimited access to clean water. I can't imagine the thing that keeps us alive also making us sick, as is the case so many places. Indoor plumbing is a super huge bonus.

Day 18: I'm thankful for technology that we have technology that allows us to communicate with friends and family around the world instantly, and tech that allows us to travel hundreds of miles in just a few hours. It's incredible.

Day 19: Today I'm thankful for my firstborn son, Orion Lawrence Lambes, who turns FOUR today! He's funny, brilliant, adorable, sweet, energetic, opinionated, and crazy! I love him more than I can say. Happy Birthday, Orion!!!

Day 20: Today I'm thankful for my second son, Desmond Daniel Lambes (AKA Desy Doodle Bug). He's silly, bull-headed, smart, industrious, rough, social, and SO CUTE.
He spent most of the morning building a Duplo monolith with me while his brother slept in... he gets so focused and refuses to do anything else while he's in the middle of building.
One of the funniest things about him is that he gets SO mad and throws fits, so we'll send him off to sit in a chair until he stops crying... he'll cry hard for a couple minutes, then suddenly be quiet, and then walk into the room with a huge smile on his face. We'll ask him, "are you done crying?" and he'll giggle, "yeah..." :D Every time!

Day 21: I'm thankful for my brothers and sisters (both natural and ...unnatural). I'm so lucky to be tied to a group of people whom I get along with so well! We have lots of fun together and I wish we could somehow all live closer. Love you guys! 

Day 22: I'm thankful for my Sunday School class. Because they are awesome. Also, they're a bunch of nerds. We should definitely hang out more.

Day 23: I'm thankful for a warm house on this cold cold day.

Day 24: I'm thankful for education. I can't imagine not being able to read or do simple math. If I get to the place in life where I need to work outside the home again, I'll (probably) be able to get a job because I'm educated.

Day 25: Today I'm thankful that I get to be a stay at home mom. When I was younger, being a homemaker certainly wasn't on my list of ambitions... our culture simply doesn't glorify "just" being a mom. Now that I actually have children, I could never imagine choosing to do anything else. I'm very blessed to be in a position where I am ABLE to stay home with my kids. Every older mother I've talked to about it has encouraged me, saying, "Staying home with my kids was the best decision I ever made. You'll never regret it." Here's hoping I can make the most of it.

Day 26: I'm thankful I have the use of all parts of my body. Eyes that see, ears that hear. Feet and hands that work. Organs that do their jobs. So many things can go wrong with the body... I have had it really easy so far.

Day 27: I'm thankful for the simple pleasures in life. Some that come to mind are Chipotle, brownies, flowers, pretty leaves, TV/movies/games, art, pop, warm tap water, the smell of fresh cut grass, clouds sliding across blue sky, candles, and a good laugh.

Day 28: Today I'm thankful for those who work in customer service (such as cashiers and waitresses). It's HARD to be a friendly face all day, but some people seem to do it with joy. Thank you for working so hard to help me and make my life easier.

Day 29: I'm thankful for stability in my life. The same place to sleep every night, always food on the table, a family that will never abandon me, absolute truth, and soul-deep friendship. Life can be chaotic and scary; it's wonderful to have a steady foundation.

Day 30: Today I'm thankful for a clear mind and the capacity to learn. I still have a lot of growing to do, and I'm sure life will teach me. I'm plenty stubborn, but... here's to being a life-long learner.