50 Things I'm Thankful For | 2018 edition

I planned to publish this Thanksgiving Day. But life got in the way of me finishing the list, so I'm posting it the day after Thanksgiving.

Since the start of my blogging days, I've been posting a list of 50 things I'm thankful for each year on Thanksgiving Day.

Fifty, because boy, getting to fifty really makes you start to think.

As always, I never look back at my previous lists before making the current year's list, and I list things in the order they occur to me, which is not necessarily in order of importance.

So.

This year I am thankful:

1. that God is always working. 

Always, regardless of whether I can see it or not!

2. for this song by Andrew Peterson.

You're always good, always good
As we try to believe what is not meant
To be understood
Will You help us to trust Your intentions for us are still good?
'Cause You laid down Your life and You suffered like I never could,
and you're always good.

3. for my three besties.

(apparently I am always on the right side of every picture with my friends!)

4. for my siblings.

They are a blessing to me. <3 

5. for my washing machine.

I used several other washing machines while visiting friends and family this year, and I gotta say, my old ugly washer works better than every other new machine I've used.

6. for hugs from Mr. FG.

He gives very good hugs. Also, he is a top-notch back scratcher. Which is really good because I have an itchy back. 😉

7. for photos and the memories they bring back.

Sometimes I get lost in my photo files from years before, marveling at how much my kids have changed, and remembering the good times from when they were small.

(I don't really have photos of the bad times from when they were small, so these are all happy memory jogs. No one takes photos of the days when their toddler follows them around the house crying. Or at least, I didn't. Ha.)

8. for sunshine.

My goodness, I love sunshine. And the scarcity of it at this time of year makes me appreciate it even more.

9. for my new blog hosting company.

My old one got bought, and I was so sad. But now I've switched to a new company and they are SO MUCH BETTER. The service is out of this world, and losing my old company was a serious blessing in disguise.

(I'm using Agathon now.)

10. for our cars.

All the car issues we had this spring/summer while trying to get Joshua into a car after his wreck are making me really thankful that all of our cars are fine right now.

11. for Joshua and Lisey's driving safety.

We've had one wreck so far, but no injuries, and I'm really grateful for that.

12. for my kids' cousins.

They have a lot of local cousins, and I'm happy to see their friendships.

13. for great preaching at my church.

I'm thankful for really great gospel-centered sermons that are good for me and for my kids.

14. for other adults in my kids' lives.

It's so great that God has put people besides Mr. FG and myself into my kids' lives...people to guide and encourage them.

15. for Zoe's sincerity.

One of the things I love about Zoe is how honest and direct she is, and how much she is in touch with her feelings and thoughts.  What you see is what you get with her, and I admire that.

16. for my kids' jobs.

Joshua and Lisey both work for small local companies, and I'm thankful that they are both working hard and taking their jobs seriously.

17. for Lisey's sense of humor.

She makes us laugh so much.

18. for my friend Stacy.

She's always checking in on me and encouraging me, and I really appreciate that.

(oh look I'm on the right side again!)

19. for my parents.

I'm really grateful for their prayers and support and encouragement, even in my adulthood.

20. for provision for our financial needs.

We've had some tough expenses this year, but God has provided the money we needed to meet those expenses, and I'm thankful.

21. for my house.

It's not perfect, it's not my dream house, but it is home, and I'm grateful to be here.

22. that Mr. FG and I have our faith in common.

I'm so glad that we can pray together and read together and talk about our faith.

23. for our cat.

I was pretty nervous about getting a cat (I've never had a pet outside of a cage before!), but I've been pleasantly surprised at how easy she is. And she brings lots of joy to our household members.

(I AM STILL NOT SAYING YES TO A DOG. We all have our limits, people.)

24. for Sonia's allergy shots.

I'm thankful that there's help for her, and that this spring promises to be the first in a long while without so many struggles.

(Also I am grateful that we're down to once a week for the shots instead of twice a week!)

25. for our fire pit.

It's a really lovely gathering place. And also a very handy place to dispose of all the branches and sticks our trees deposit in our yard. 😉

26. for our wood floors.

I like them so much better than the carpet we used to have!

27. that Sonia and Zoe have each other.

Their relationship is not always smooth, of course, but since Joshua and Lisey are growing up and doing their own things and are around less and less, I'm especially glad Sonia and Zoe have each other.

28. for my lovely blog readers.

You guys are a delightful group of people, and I'm thankful you make your way over to my corner of the internet.

29. for Joshua's thoughtfulness.

He frequently sends me cute/funny things he finds, or he shares music that makes him think of me, and sometimes he puts sweet notes about me on his Instagram stories. <3

30. for Sonia's creativity.

She's always knitting, painting, doing makeup, painting her nails, baking...she likes to make things, and she likes to make things beautiful.

31. for my kids' friends.

I'm so glad that they all have people who are their kindred spirits.

32. for a healthy body.

My body gives me minor problems, of course, but overall, I am super blessed with good health.

33. for a warm house.

We got some seriously cold weather this week, which made me think of how grateful I am for a warm place to live.

34. for my under-cabinet lights.

They make cooking at this time of year SO MUCH BETTER.

(The kitchen is dark at dinnertime, and without under cabinet lights, it's hard to see what you are doing at the counters, because your body blocks the overhead light.)

35. that Sonia still will not be old enough to drive on her next birthday.

Joshua and Lisey are so close in age, I practically went right from teaching one kid to teaching the other.  So I keep feeling like, "Oh, Sonia will be ready for this soon." and then I remember that there is a blessed three year gap between Lisey and Sonia.

I'm glad Joshua and Lisey have their licenses, of course, and I was happy to teach them how to drive.  But I am also happy that Sonia is not nearly old enough yet.  I'll take a little more of the mom chauffeur stage first.

36. that Sonia is doing great at her tutorial.

This is her first classroom experience, and she's humming along just fine both academically and socially.

(Sonia is, like, 100% extroverted so honestly none of us are surprised that she made friends quickly!)

37. that each stage of parenting life has good parts.

The next five years will bring a lot of big changes in our family life (Zoe, our youngest, starts high school next year, so in five years, all our kids will graduate!), but I know that every phase of parenting thus far has brought good things.

Which gives me reason to believe that this next stage of nest-emptying will bring good things too, and I look forward to seeing what those are.

38. for coffee.

I started drinking coffee this year, which is rather shocking because I've always hated it before.

I add sugar and heavy cream to mine, though, so it's not like I've become super hardcore.  If I start drinking black coffee, THAT will really be news. 😉

39. for sleep.

I know so many people struggle to get a good night's rest, and while that happens to me sometimes, I mostly am able to sleep when I lay my head down on the pillow.

40. that I had a healthy Thanksgiving Day yesterday.

Last year I came down with a rotten digestive bug, which kind of ruined the day. But this year, I felt good! And I was able to cook and enjoy a meal with my family.

41. that there are always mercies mixed in with hard things.

When I think of the tough times in my life over the years, it's always clear to me that no hard time has ever been 100% hard.  There are always mercies mixed in...small bright spots punctuating the darkness.

42. that information is so easy to access on the internet.

I love that I can learn things so easily with a quick google search...I can find out more about historical figures, learn about the etymology of a word, figure out how to fix an appliance, or understand a recipe better, to name a few.

43. for car singing sessions with Zoe.

Sometimes if we are in the car, just the two of us, we sing along really loudly to pop songs on the radio.

44. that my kids play instruments because they want to.

There was some non-negotiable learning when they were younger, of course, but it's lovely to see the way that they are playing now for their own pleasure, whether it's guitar or ukelele or piano.

45. for my neighbors.

We are surrounded on each side by people who are lovely neighbors, which is a serious blessing. You don't get to choose your neighbors, so when they happen to be great people, it's pretty awesome.

46. that math teaching is getting easier.

Joshua's all done, of course, Lisey is nearly done, and that just leaves Sonia and Zoe. And since math with Sonia is my third trip through the books, and math with Zoe is my fourth trip, it's just not as challenging for me now.

47. for food and always enough of it.

It's not something to be taken for granted.

48. clean drinking water.

see above. Not to be taken for granted even in 2018.

49. that we get to see some friends from Florida tonight.

They're here visiting family, which means we get to see them too!

50. that every day is a fresh start.

It's like Anne of Green Gables says...“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

Happy Belated Thanksgiving, friends.

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