Precious Gifts

So the past few weeks have been a reflection time for me as we prepare to add a new little person to our family and so I've been feeling like I needed to post a post for me of all the things I'm grateful for.

It's funny, through the holiday rush and all the things we have going on, I think we all have a tendancy to forget to be grateful at times -especially in the rush of things. But what prompted me to start thinking about this was this little, seemingly unconsiquential (spelling?) thing that my mom did for me. So here's the story and then my list of things I'm grateful for.

Back in the beginning of December, I received one of those infamous emails that says fill out all the stuff about you and forward it to all your friends, but it had to do all with Christmas things, so having a few moments to spare, I decided to humor all my friends and send it out. Well, one of the questions was whether you have a nativity scene or not, and of course, I have never been able to find one, so my answer was "No, I've never found one I liked, but it was my favorite part of setting up my mom's Christmas decorations". Which is very true. Ask my mom - I would spend an hour just setting it all up, rearranging and adding and just enjoying it.

So this year, mom decided she was only going to send "money" for Christmas cuz it's a little easier than buying gifts she thinks no one will like and going through the effort of mailing them, etc. So I wasn't expecting anything, but the day we came back from our "Great Wolf Lodge" adventure, wouldn't you know there are 4 packages waiting at our house from my mom and dad! So I called my mom and she said I could open the one's addressed just to me (there were 2). And imagine my surprise, when I opened them and it was my moms nativity scene!!!! She's had that nativity scene for as long as I can remember and here, she'd given up something that was probably very special to her, so her daughter could have a nativity scene! I was humbled by her very unselfish action and called and told her it was the best gift I'd gotten - it was very special to me.

So it got me thinking, the unselfishness of a mother and how she continues giving and giving to her kids even when her kids are grown and have their own lives, and how I had been being somewhat wrapped up in my own "life" of being pregnant and trying to make Christmas a joyous day for my own family. And I started a list in my head of all the things I'm grateful for, so here is my list.

I'm grateful for:
My God who created us and gave us a way of salvation and forgivness of sins.
My husband who puts up with a lot.
- That he gets up and goes to work every day to support us so I can stay home with our kids.
- That he always takes the trash out.
- That he is not a slob and I'm not always having to pick up after him.
- That he puts up with my cooking and my moods.
My son who brings the sunshine to my day even when he's having a bad day.
- That he is healthy and developing properly.
- That he was a fairly easy baby.
That all of my family is relatively healthy and we haven't had to experience very many major traumas.
That I have 2 wonderful parents who have done all they could for us and are still together after 34 years.
That I have great in-laws who have accepted me for who I am with all my shortcomings and weirdness and who have blessed my husband, me and my son with many wonderful things.
That we have a house and 3 cars that are paid for, we can put groceries on the table and we have plenty of clothes to wear.
That we are part of a wonderful fellowship of churches that believe in church planting and evangilism and aren't involved in the "mainstream" consumerism religion.
That we live in a country where it is still our legal right to preach the gospel and own a gun!!!
For all my wonderful friends who have been an inspiration for me and have helped to guide me.
And lastly (at this point - this is getting to be a HUGE post) I'm grateful that God made chocolate because what else could be better when you have a sweet craving?? :)

Goodnight wonderful world, and all of you who aren't bored by my ramblings.