TEN things

I was so excited and out of my mind busy yesterday trying to coordinate about 17,345 things that I forgot to list my 5 things I'm thankful for...so today I am listing 9...even though there are many, many more.

1.  I am thankful that I am BUSY!  Because that means I have the strength to accomplish what I want to!

2.  I am thankful for my family of origin.  Although no family is perfect, the more I see of others' families, the more thankful I am that my own was what is was: we were loved.  We were taken care of.  A lot was expected of us (ergo we have a work ethic....a foreign concept to many these days).  We had one mom, and one dad.  We had a lot of siblings and a lot of fights but a lot of fun.

3.  I am thankful that my family of origin was a Christian one.  I don't have any jaw-dropping conversion story, because I remember asking Jesus to come into my heart when I was 8.  I don't ever remember a time God wasn't a part of my life, and for that...well, thankful just doesn't cover it.

4.  Although I don't have a jaw dropping conversion story,  I have a jaw-dropping testimony.  There have been times I have felt like Job.  And there have been times I have felt like Judas.  But ALL the time, I have known in my heart of hearts that God would never leave me or forsake me.  No matter what I did or didn't do, He loved me, and He loves me still.

5.  I am thankful for Cindy-Lou from Bugtussle.  There are so many things that I could say about her...I will just say that she is the ying to my yang...she KNOWS me...she has MG like me.  Don't get me wrong...I am thankful for ALL of my MG friends....Rachel, my cheerleader/but kicker (whom I ADORE for being EXACTLY the way she is)...Ellen, my prayer warrior....new friends, old friends...there are too many to name...just know that I love you ALL and would be lost without your prayers and support.  But my CindyLou.  There is just a special bond there.  She is my other half.  We are trying to figure out how she has a different birthday than mine because we are convinced we were separated at birth.

6.  I am thankful for lifetime friends like Joanna, who never fails to make me laugh.  She makes it her mission, I dare say.  We have shared some HILARIOUS moments, some serious moments, some not-so-shining moments, and I'm thankful for every. single. one.

7.  I am thankful for friends like Patty Ann and Joanne, one out west and one in Central America...whom I never would have met without blogging.  Whoda thunk I, little Miss Mid -West, would be sisters in the Lord with a Canadian living in Belize??  IIIIII know!  And Patty Ann....this woman does NOT have MG, but she has had her share of struggles.  Yet EVERY time I hear from her (which is usually every day in one way or another) she encourages ME and tells me how amazing I am.  EVERYONE needs a "Patty Ann" in their lives.  But you can't have mine. : )

8.  I am thankful, thankful, thankful that my Daddy is HOME!!!!  He is cancer-free and Lord willing will stay that way and just keep getting stronger every day. Thank you Jesus.

9.  And most of all, without a doubt, I am thankful for Jesus, my Lord and Savior, who willingly chose to die a vicious, brutal death to pay the price for MY ticket to heaven.  Yesterday I wrote about being a mom and how it has really deepened my understanding of God's love for me as His child...becoming a parent changes a LOT.  Everything really.  Nothing is ever about you again.  And for God, it's always been that way.  It's not about HIM....He is all about US.  Pretty amazing if you ask me.  I really don't think I could send my son across the street for a spanking to save someone else from getting one, let alone send him away for 33 years to live among people who hated him, and then murdered him....Think about that today, will you?  Whether or not you have children, imagine sacrificing a person you love more than life itself, for people who wouldn't appreciate it and certainly didn't deserve it. Powerful stuff.