Things I Am Grateful For

Last week was a very hard week because of Mr.Sinta's heart attack.

This week has been very stressful for different reasons which I will not reiterate. I will relate the following stressful story which has a happy ending.

Tonight, when I was really stressed, I left the house for the grocery store. At one particularly busy corner, I was stopped for a red light when a biker pulled up beside me. He appeared to fall down in front of my car's wheels, and I thought my car lurched forward slightly in the interim. My engine died. This is mega stress. I honestly thought that I had accidentally run over a biker who was already on the pavement. As I was getting out of my car, he stood up. I had not done anything. His chain fell off, and he bent over to try to adjust it. As he did so, he lost his balance and fell off of his bike right in front of my car. He was embarrassed and not stressed at all. I told him that he scared the bejeevers out of me. He assured me that he was absolutely fine. I must have imagined my car lurching forward. I was now headed to the grocery store stressed and thankful that I did not kill another human being at the same time. This is the happy ending.

It is a little different than the wedding driving story. Cars are stressful.

So, in lieu of doing something else, I am going to give thanks to the Lord. You may hang out with me and give thanks or go watch Nerf Office Wars again. I am not insulted.

Dear God,

I am thankful that I am alive, and the power is on because I am no good at journaling.

I am thankful that each of my family members is alive. Today, Mr. Sinta found out that the window washer's daughter died tragically last year. Please comfort this man; he is still grieving.

I am thankful that I am healthy enough to train for a marathon.

I am thankful for a house to live in, and for food in the refrigerator.

I am thankful that the oven works even though it was too hot to use it tonight.

I am thankful for a bike to ride to work, and that I did not accidentally run over it while backing the car out of the garage because I forgot to put it away after work.

I am thankful that I was able to reconcile four bank statements today, and everything balanced.

I am thankful for the many Bibles that I own, and for my church home. Thank you that I am not being excommunicated, or in trouble with the pastor in any way. Thank you that he even came to the hospital and prayed for Mr. Sinta last week.

Thank you for Bob and Shirley and how much they came to see us last week. I felt really cared about, and I really needed to feel cared about.

Thank you for the small group of ladies that I meet with each week.

Thank you for my prayer partners who are so supportive right now.

Thank you for my hard working husband who takes us to church. I have friends who only dream of those things.

Thank you that my mom is alive and that she likes me. Teresa's mom is alive and hasn't spoken to her for 20 years, and now her grandma, who speaks to her, is dying. Please give her special grace as she goes back to hopefully see her one last time.

Thank you for lots of friends.

Thank you for the cars working.

Thank you for smart, hard working kids who hug me sometimes even when I don't deserve it at all, and rarely mention my 18,000 parenting mistakes that they could mention each time we are together. Thank you that they still speak to me at all, and that they have not gone on Oprah to do a home school expose.

Thank you for being my Shepherd and leading me even when I don't understand. Thank you that understanding is not a necessary part of obeying, or I couldn't.

Thank you that You are God. Always Faithful. And I like Your white horse. If it were up to me, I would make You wear a cape because You seem to rescue me so often.

Thank you for commanding us not to worry because then we can go to sleep knowing it is okay not to be worrying about things.

Thank you that Your mercies are new every morning or we would be burnt toast in our beds when we wake up tomorrow.

Good night.