Thankful ... Still

It goes without saying that being busy (beyond belief) is a constant state of being for this family. I am coming to realize and finally concede that there is little that I am willing to do to change that.

Sounds crazy to embrace it and oftentimes (like tonight) I would rather give it a swift kick to the shins and curl tightly into a doodle-bug position and wait for the busy to pass on by.

To eliminate busy from our life would mean to bid farewell to so many things that make our life rich with experience ... relationships ... and growth in all sorts of areas.

With a heart that is heavy with the trappings of this world I am hoping to be deliberate in finding gratitude in all of it.

• I am thankful to have a boy who loves to play sports ... not because it's sports but because he loves it.
• I am thankful to have daughters who are busy with classes and activities and friends and jobs ... so busy that I am not here as often as I would like.
• I am thankful for these little babies who keep my time at home hoppin' and while there is little reprieve, it is still a task that I would never want to relinquish and I daily purpose to relish.
• I am thankful for a car (that I live in) that has air & heat and a seat for all my lovely kiddos.
• I am thankful for events that make me rush to the grocery store and rush back and sweat and fume while preparing something edible and pleasing and then being surrounded by people who we love and who love us ... and how the grocery store trips and the dishes never seem to be the things we remember.
• I am thankful that with grace there is forgiveness for all things. Ugly words. Ugly thoughts. Selfish acts. Even ungrateful hearts. I am thankful for this every single day.

I need to post some pictures from our precious Thanksgiving with our family but until then I will leave you with this absolutely delightful and almost-too-much montage of our Ben-Ben ... who has suddenly grown up way too fast.