Monday, November 30, 2009

Thankful and Content, At Least for Now

We arrived at 1 am. The air was a frigid 29 degrees.

We woke the kids up; pulled on our sweatshirts, the eldest child of our two managed to zip up a broken zipper in pitch dark; and we grabbed our bags and hunted for our one bedroom cabin in a non-moon lit night.

The boys pulled their red and yellow-green, $5.00 Target-special suitcases among the pine needles and dirt while the oldest in his unabashedly, over dramatic tone of voice announced to the world that he was so cold and this was "the hardest thing I have ever had to do!" Of course our cabin was located in the most obscure location, off the beaten path, and I'm pretty sure that our arrival woke many a sleepy visitor.

I’m still really not sure how we found our little spot in the darkest of night.

Being Close to Nature Makes One Thankful
We woke to the morning light all geared up for the chill, and as we looked up, once we were in the fresh air, we saw the big boulder that rises nearly 5,000 feet above the valley floor, cut by a massive ice mass many moons ago. Half Dome in Yosemite, California is an amazing piece of rock to look up to at any point of the day. The trees around us were dense and the vibrant colors abound. The waterfalls were peaceful and the land was a beauty to behold.

I have to confess, a great way to be kowtowed to thankfulness is waking up to nature's beauty. What a great place to be on Thanksgiving vacation. I was so thankful for God's creation and I was reminded of all the other wonderful things in my life that I was thankful for.

Suffer From Discontentment
Now, as my husband will confirm, I suffer from what is called, "discontentment." I just can't live where I want to live, I just can't be completely satisfied with my job, I'm just not where I want to be at this age, and for every year older I turn I just wish I was a year younger. Sometimes it is difficult to have a clear vision, a bigger picture as to where I am today and why I should be thankful.

Not A Moment Too Late
Today, on the last day of November, I thought I better sneak in this post about Thankfulness before it turned midnight of the next month. It was not my intention to write this post on the last day of the month, I just couldn't write it earlier, because I've been sick with the stomach flu.

Let's Be Specific People
Which leads me to what I am thankful for. Now, please beg my pardon, I'm kind of tired of hearing all that sappy stuff about "how wonderful my husband is," and "I have the best family." Not that I'm not happy for those people, because frankly, there are many out there who are in abusive relationships or who are isolated from their family. I know, but let's just add some more specifics to our thankfulness.

I confess that we did the traditional go around the Thanksgiving table and share what we were thankful for last week. You know, family, friends, food, and God were the top items on the list. It was my oldest child who changed things around a bit. Here is what he said in a nut shell:
"I am thankful for those who have gone before me and have never given up. I think of Walt Disney and how he was rejected for his ideas and yet he never gave up. I'm thankful for my dad who never gave up and became an architect…. I'm also thankful for my brother and how he surprise tackles me and how he looks out for me. I'm thankful for my grandma and how she has taught me so much about life and how things work. I'm thankful for my mom for taking such good care of me and for scratching my back when I am sick…."

What I Am Thankful For
He went on, and I was pretty sure he could be a speech writer. It also made me think about what specific things I was thankful for:
  • Since my husband was sick the first two days of vacation, my oldest child on the day before Thanksgiving, me the day after Thanksgiving, and now my youngest child on the last day of November - we are thankful for our health. Yes, I'm thankful for our health. We are not struck by disease, cancer, or any other long-term ailment. This fact is something to be immensely grateful for.
  • That I was able to give birth to two boys during this day-and-age and not in a covered wagon, because frankly, the boys and I may not have survived. As much as I would like to be al'natural at giving birth, my body was not built to push children through that pelvic area. I am forever thankful for the doctors and medicines that bring in life safely.
  • Humor. My husband has quite the wit and my sons can crack the jokes and I love to laugh. I don't have the advance humor to be able to make others laugh, but I'm good at laughing with others.
  • I'm thankful for Christmas parties, because that was when I met my husband 14 years ago.
  • And I am also so very grateful that God had the foresight to direct several people to write down what they witnessed and then directed others to put all those stories together to form the Bible and leave us with a message of love.
In Spite of Discontent
For all those things I’m discontent about, the above things I’m thankful for puts everything in perspective. Okay, what are you thankful for?

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5 comments:

  1. wow what a great post. MMmmmmm I'd marry you all over again

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  2. Thanks Sweetman. I'd marry you again too!

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  3. Awww..Sharon. You're blog brought a smile to my face and at times tears to my eyes. I loved the amazing perspective you had on thankfulness...it really does come down to the simple, sweet pleasures of our life that make it so amazing. I'm thankful for you, my friend.

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  4. @KimberlyScott Thanks sweet lady! I am so thankful for you too. You have been so supportive: reading my blog faithfully since the beginning and even reading my articles in the paper before that. Thanks for being there!

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  5. I'm certainly thankful for you and your family! You are such an amazing example in more ways that you know. Brent and I have learned so much from you and Clif and as we start a family (someday), we will continue to learn more from you all.

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