Counting my blessings

One of my favorite church hymns is...

"Count your blessings, name them one by one.

Count your blessings, see what God has done."

On this day of Thanksgiving, as I scurry around preparing my home for eighteen guests, I have an amazing amount of blessings to thank God for.

Our home. A place where guests feel welcome. A place where my kids can feel at home, not afraid to make a mess when they're knee-deep in their imaginations (and Hot Wheels/Legos/Dinosaurs). We've lived here for nearly eight years now, and love it even more now than we did when we built it.


Nature hikes. Joe's sister, Jill, just moved back to Ohio from Vegas, and has since discovered a new nature preserve full of beautiful hiking trails. One thing that Joe and I love to do with the kids is hike and explore all that God has created. He came by that honestly, since his mom loves to hike, as well. Last weekend, Kay drove me and the kids out to meet Jill and her new husband at the trails, and we took tons of pictures of the kids and the views. This tunnel of trees was one of my favorites.


Since I was eleven years old, I could not wait to be a mom. (Made my parents very nervous, I tell you.) So, of course, my children are my most precious blessings...

Isabel. With her beautiful spirit, her kind heart, and her amazing attitude towards life, this daughter of mine makes me smile every day.


Gabriel. Our bonus baby, in so many ways. His stories bring joy to you, my blog readers; you can't even imagine how much laughter and joy he brings to our family. He could make a friend in a box, and I'm sure he's destined to be a politician of some sort (though he has his eyes set on a policeman or firefighter at the moment).

Elijah. My first-born. His intelligence astounds me, his athletic prowess is thrilling to watch (left-handed pitcher, remember?), and he is the best big brother to Gabe (and sometimes even Isabel).

Joe. This may seem an odd picture, but one of the things I love most about Joe is his handiness around the house, and his determination to do the work himself, whether he's ever done it before or not. His current project is our master bathroom. He has torn out the bathtub and toilet, completely revamped the design, and is in the process of tiling the floor and walls. Did I mention he's a math teacher to troubled kids and an incredible dad to boot?

Kay. Not many people have great relationships with their mother-in-law, but I am blessed beyond measure to have this woman in my life. She helps me with housework, loves my babies as much as I do, wants to spend time with me and my family, is a great euchre partner, and is the best example of a Christian woman that I know. She welcomed me into the family with open arms fourteen years ago, and her friendship is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

I'm also so thankful for my sisters, my mom, my nieces, my health, and my friends. Oh, and a job that I love where I can make good money to help support my family. Truly, my list is so long, I almost feel guilty about being blessed with so much. I hope God knows how much I appreciate every one of them, and that on this day, I am counting them all.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, and may you use this day to count your blessings...