Thankful

For the last three weeks I have participated in my friend Chance's thankfulness challenge. I have posted on Facebook each day three things I'm thankful for. It has been a really good thing for me because so often I take the blessings in my life for granted. Starting each day by listing three things for which I'm thankful has put my life back into perspective. I have so very much to thankful for.

For the last 9 months about 98% of my blogging effort has gone into my adoption blog. Due to the high risk involved in our adoption, I have not felt free to post much here. My other blog is password protected, and is only frequented by about 50 friends and family members. I have poured my heart out there. Because of the intensity of that blog, this poor blog has been sorely neglected. After the substance of the other blog, everything here feels empty and fluffy. Because this blog is in its 5th year and so many people read it, I don't want to abandon it. But it is time for it serve a new purpose.

I follow another adoption blog in which the blogger posted 1000 things for which she was thankful in one year. Because I love the perspective I've gained during this month of thankfulness, I am going to take the 1000 Gifts challenge on this blog. I will continue my in-depth posts on my other blog.

Without further ado, 1000 Gifts. 1000 things for which I am thankful.

1. Jesus, my Lord and Savior. He saved me from me and transformed my life.
2. My husband, Matt
3. 11 1/2 years of happy, satisfying marriage
4. Snapper, my firstborn child, grown in my body. 10 years of Snapper, filling my life with laughter, sweetness, and excitement.
5. Bubbles, my second-born daughter, grown in my heart. I have gotten only 5 months out of her 8 years, and we are making up for lost time. She inspires me, delights me, and brings me joy.
6. Piper, my third-born daughter, grown in my heart. Her willingness to serve lightens my load, and her sweet kisses melt me. While she is so young in some ways, in other ways she greatly surpasses her 6 years.
7. Pepper, my only son, grown in my body. 6 years of Pepper, bringing humor and laughter to our home, and turning me into a puddle of mush on the floor with his sweet tenderness and concern for others.
8. Sunny, my fourth-born girl and my littlest baby, grown in my heart. This little one is swiftly closing in on 5 years old, and daily I regret not getting to be her mommy from her first day. This child is the refining child who is building a great deal of character in my life, and teaching me to trust God in new ways. I adore her generous hugs, her husky voice, and the way she brightens up the room.
9. My lovely home
10. The beauty of the neighborhood we live in
11. Giant oaks trees, covered in Spanish moss
12. Our amazing neighborhood school where our four big kids go
13. The Christian preschool that Sunny attends
14. Seven teachers who genuinely love my kids (Snapper and Sunny each have two teachers)
15. My wonderful, reliable Honda Odyssey
16. My dear daddy, Jim. He worked hard to provide for our family so my sister and I could enjoy the most charmed childhood ever.
17. My beloved mommy, Lotte, a resident of Heaven. She devoted her life to my sister and me, and I thank her for each day and the knowledge of her unconditional love.
18. The privilege of being in full-time ministry
19. The 30 pounds I have lost since July!
20. Adoption