1. My God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and my growing relationship with God
2. My Husband -- Shawn -- my best friend, lover and true partner
3. All 3 of my wonderful girls ... each have been a blessing in their own right, including Emily who continues to bless me with lessons even as she waits for us in Heaven
4. My Health -- this year I have been blessed beyond measure with a return of good health and I am thankful beyond words
5. Family -- not the just the delightful ones that live with me, but those that we travel to see on Thanksgiving, Christmas and more
6. FOOD -- pure wholesome food that seems sent straight from God to me (sometimes via our friendly CSA, market or family farm). I have learned an entirely new appreciation for food and its healing powers this year
7. Our Church -- our Good Shepherd family continues to bless us in many ways and I am thankful for the community for faith and fellowship
8. Our jobs -- even with tight deadlines or crappy projects at times, our jobs always provide us with more than merely a pay check
9. My family's health and safety -- between a car accident and Celiac diagnosis I do not take these things for granted ... we have been blessed in so many ways
10. The Internet and the communities and opportunities is brings me
This picture of my family is the background for my computer monitor at work right now so I get to see it a lot, and it always reminds me of just how blessed I am. Oh, and I love how Nessa is showing us the stamp on her hand (or simply not letting it get covered by her sweater!). :-)
11. Shawn's grateful heart and ability to share all of those things with me
12. Nessa's smile
13. Megan's smile
14. Laughter
15. Instant Messaging -- and the winks and more from Shawn via IM each day
16. All the Raw Divas -- the knowledge and support they have brought me is incredible
17. All my BES (Body Enlightenment System) buddies
18. Goodwill!!!! (I'm truly becoming addicted to the selection ... and how else do you refill your closet when you remove everything that is suddenly too big?)
19. The Green Smoothie Blog -- an opportunity to grow and learn with other fantastic contributors.
20. GMAIL -- there is no other way I would be able to manage my massive email inbox
21. ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Association) and the wonderful women that make the organization what it is -- I use what they taught me a decade ago, each and every day
22. The Off Topic list and all my wonderful friends there :-)
23. The ICAN Loss and Recovery list ... I never want new members but I'm so thankful for the community we've become
24. Facebook -- I've rediscovered old friends and gotten to know new friends better ... addictive but wonderful
25. Our own blog :-) ... communication as well as keeping memories for us!
26. Our van ... sometimes I feel guilty driving it but it's ever so useful at this time in our lives
27. Heated seats in our van (yes, this deserves its own line!)
28. Cell phones
29. My new Blendtec Blender ... worth every penny when needing nutrient-dense food to heal!
30. My massage therapist/yoga instructors ... again an important part of healing...
31. My chiropractor ... especially thankful during my post-accident recovery time :-)
32. Our home ... plumbing problems and all ... it has been a wonderful place to grow and nourish our family and it will indeed be hard to say goodbye when the time comes
33. Quilts!!! All the quilts that my mom made and gifted us do get used constantly ... especially now that cold weather is here!
34. My wool socks and wool slippers ... that house I love is a wee bit drafty. ;-)
35. My new size 12 jeans that fit!!!! :-)
36. Our Honda Civic ... although I prefer not to actually drive it, it's very reliable and the gas mileage is great.
37. My hair stylist that always works magic
38. Our credit union that is being helpful as we make plans to consolidate, pay off debts, and become students again (are we crazy or what?)
39. Being able to watch Nessa and Megan play and giggle together
40. For all the people that remember Emily Lin each year (she would be 7 years old and in 1st grade ... and ever so beautiful with brown eyes, I just know it)
41. For the beautiful memorial stone that we have at Emily's grave and for all those that help us decorate it each season.
42. For my parents that go out of their way to see all of their grandchildren as much as possible.
43. For all of Nessa's grandparents being there to watch her when Shawn and I need to go do things like visit seminaries for a weekend. :-)
44. For Nessa's daycare and the wonderful teachers there that not only stimulate her mind so she's learning new things faster than I can keep up, but, and this is really important to us, they feed her food safely (gluten and also dairy free) -- they are SO good and we are so blessed to have that center as part of our lives.
45. That my husband seems to actually like doing dishes ... or rather he likes a clean kitchen enough that he is more than willing to do the dishes (I am SO lucky).
46. That my dear husband doesn't mind cooking even more often because I'm busy making (not cooking!) my own food most nights (sometimes I do both but we do like to eat before bedtime too).
47. That my dear wonderful [inset more adjectives] husband is more than willing to do the grocery shopping - even when it includes a long list of vegetables and fruits that not very long ago he would have had no idea how to recognize. :-)
48. That my entire household loves to listen to and sing Christmas music (bring it on!)
49. That my parents are here on earth to get to know my daughters and all of their grandchildren.
50. That Shawn's parents are here on earth to get to know their grandchildren.
51. For the family I "married into" ... you won't hear me complaining about in-laws. :-)
52. Shawn's sparkling eyes. When Irish eyes are ... (you get the idea)
53. Megan's contagious giggling
54. Megan's big hugs
55. Megan's email messages -- even when it's just a big smile or "love you too" message
56. Nessa's quiet "I love you mommy"
57. That Nessa loves to read ... when she snuggles in to read on my lap it's the best!
58. The Bible Study groups at church
59. My rebounder ... the only way I get my 20 minutes of exercise most days (it must be working!)
60. Hot water ... especially in the morning
61. Our food co-op
62. The Farmer's Market (and farmers!)
63. Our CSA and our ability to be a part of a CSA this year!
64. Sisters!
65. Our 90 day Bibles and the blessing that it is to read through it together with Shawn :-)
66. The ability to have intelligent and interesting dinner conversations ... not just with Shawn but also now with Megan ... and Nessa is starting to ask good questions too ... what a blessing to have intellect and curiosity!
67. Doctors that were able to help us -- especially the Mayo Clinic and Allergy Associates with Nessa's Celiac
68. EMTs and First Responders!
69. People who stop after and accident to check on us and just be there.
70. Teddy bears for Nessa to hug!
71. An abundance of books to read!
72. Friends that understand
73. All the support and enthusiastic well wishes we/Shawn is receiving about our news that Shawn has entered the ELCA candidacy process and is applying to seminary
74. The stimulating intellectual communities at Luther Seminary, Wartburg Seminary, and the ELCA synods
75. The wonderful staff, volunteers/students at Wartburg, including those that opened their homes to us, that make us feel so welcome (they even were able to happily accommodate my food needs)
76. Megan's school and the teachers and friends that have helped her thrive there
77. Megan's trumpet that I love to hear her play :-)
78. My little MP3 player
79. Pod casts and recorded teleseminars
80. Wisconsin Public Radio!!!
81. Friends that are photographers!
82. Google ... sure helps satisfy my curiosity in a hurry!
83. Amazon ... they always have what I'm looking for
84. e-Bay ... for when Amazon doesn't have it or I want it used
85. Social Networking online ... connections and more info!
86. All the of the wonderful people that write helpful books about Celiac and avoiding gluten
87. The Celiac support groups (Raising our Celiac Kids and more!)
88. HyVee in Dubuque ;-)
89. Friends and family that love me/us no matter what
90. Coconut oil ... and finally discovering a healthy oil that I love (and I no longer need to buy expensive facial moisturizers!)
91. Raw Food bloggers
92. Vegan bloggers
93. Celiac / Gluten Free bloggers
94. Our kitchen table
95. My dehydrator ... what I can create and the food I can save from spoiling by using it!
96. "Ice Cream" made by a Champion Juicer (thanks mom!)
97. Having to think about which shoes to wear in the morning
98. A choice of wonderful warm winter coats, hats and mittens
99. Having abundance to share (Nessa donated to Toys of Tots last weekend and it was so nice to see her doing it)
100. Grace ... my life is filled with Grace -- thank you God.
In gratitude,
~Tami
2 comments:
I am grateful for many/most of these same things, but even more I am grateful that God led me to the perfect partner, for that has led to all the other blessings.
I love you, Tami! Always and forever!
that was so nice :)
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