Thankful

Several people on Face Book have dedicated their statuses to stating reasons for which they are thankful this holiday season. I loved the idea but never got around to doing it myself, so I thought I'd put down a few things here on my blog. Of course, I am thankful for my husband, kids, home, family, etc., and I don't mean to belittle these wonderful gifts, but in this post I'm going to list a few "less obvious" things for which I praise the Lord.

I am thankful for:

Flip flops: two summers ago, Jon and I house-sat for my parents while they vacationed on the coast. While we were there, Jon realized he'd forgotten to bring his flip flops. While it wasn't the worst thing in the world, he really wished he had some summer shoes. When my parents got home (we were staying a few extra days after their return), they had brought each of us a gift from their vacation. As my mom handed Jon his present, she said, "We didn't know what to get you, Jon, so we bought you flip flops!" If anyone has ever wondered whether or not God is concerned about the small things in life, here's the proof. Jon still has those flip flops.

Spare change: a few Saturdays ago, I was hunting through the house trying to find my little bag of quarters so that I could purchase a newspaper the following day. While my mom usually gives me her newspaper coupons, I wasn't going to see her for a while and really wanted that particular set of inserts. I never did find the bag of quarters, but after hunting through my purse, I came up with 85 cents. After rifling through cupboards, pen drawers, and the car, I couldn't find the rest of the needed 15 cents. So I prayed that the Lord would help me find a quarter. As much as I searched, though, I didn't come up with any more spare change and went to bed. The next morning before church, I decided to check my purse one last time, even though I'd hunted through it at least three times the night before. There in the little change pocket, was a quarter! Why the Lord chose to answer that small plea, I don't know, but I knew for sure that He was listening and caring for me by providing such a seemingly-insignificant thing.

A break in the rain: Lauren woke up early from a nap a few weeks ago, so I carried her around on my hip while the boys were still sleeping. Looking for quiet activities to do with her, I decided to go out front and check the mail. I had completely forgotten that it was rather dreary out, but I was instantly reminded of the fact when I stepped out onto the back steps and saw the rain coming down. I didn't want to take Lauren out in the rain, even for a few seconds, just to get the mail. I was about to turn right back inside when suddenly the rain stopped. We dashed out to the front, grabbed the mail, and had just ducked back under the carport when the rain resumed. It were as if the Lord held back the rain for a few moments just for us, and it made me smile the rest of the day.

These may be quite simplistic things to be thankful for, but they each meant a lot to me at the time. After reading Corrie Ten Boom's "The Hiding Place" and seeing all the things for which she praised God, such as a pillow case, colored saran wrap on a light bulb, fleas, and other things, I realized that there is so much to be thankful for, and not just the obvious blessings that we usually think about.

Happy Thanksgiving!