Thanksgiving 2007

I’m going to be in North Carolina with my family for Thanksgiving next week so it’s probably best that I post about Thanksgiving now as I probably will be too busy eating next week to post much.

This Thanksgiving is definitely not what I expected it to be 7 months ago. At that time I thought my #1 blessing to be thankful for was the soon-to-be birth of my firstborn child. And even just a month ago I thought I would at least be thankful for a 2nd pregnancy coming so quickly. What I have been through this year is enough for people to expect me to have a completely bitter & unthankful Thanksgiving.

But I’m not.

Am I emotional or do I get sad realizing this Thanksgiving doesn’t meet my original expectations? Sure.

Recently Jeremy & I listened to a pastor’s message that Jeremy found on sermonaudio.com. It was about Job & the trials that we as Christians sometimes go through. Now Job had every reason (by the world’s standards) to become bitter & turn from God. He lost his family, his home, his entire means of living, & was covered in boils. But even after all that, he still praised God.

What I have been through this year has been hard, but I can still praise God & find things to be thankful for. I’d like to list them, though not in a particular order:

1. First & foremost I thank God for saving me. Why He ever chose to love me I will never know. Even if I was to lose everything, I will still have my salvation & that is worth more than anything in this world!

2. My husband. I’ve told our story & how he’s my best friend. But he’s also a Godly man that I admire & respect. He has been incredible with these loses to comfort me how I need to be comforted but still counseling me as a Christian to keep my heart in check. What we have been through has only brought us closer together.

3. My family. I’m thankful that I was brought up in a Christian home. I’m also thankful that I married into a Christian family. And our families have hurt with us & prayed for us.

4. My church. Jeremy & I used to worry in college that we would have trouble finding a good church. We were very spoiled with the numerous churches in Greenville, SC. But in the 4 years at our church we’ve continued to learn more about God. We’ve enjoyed the studies of John, Ephesians, & Jeremiah (Sunday school study), & our current evening service study of the 10 Commandments. We are also thankful for the friends in our church, people that have become like family to us. So many of the ladies have been there for me to talk or just a hug & have been such a great encouragement to me.

5. My health. Despite everything I’ve been through, including the D&C I had in May, my body has healed & I haven’t had any complications.

6. My doctor. When Jeremy & I first sat down with Dr. Cummings in May, he made it clear to us that he is 100% pro-life & will always call it a baby, no matter what stage of pregnancy. As upset & scared as I was back then, having him for a doctor helped calm me because I felt that he really cared. What really convinced me that he is a keeper was on the day before my D&C when I saw him for the pre-op appointment, he of course asked me how I was doing. But then he asked me how Jeremy was doing. How many doctors ever care about the father? I look forward to having good appointments with him.

7. My dog. Sounds silly to some, but Kaylee is such a blessing. She was when we first got her because she was so easy to housebreak. She’s been very easy to train & we know if anyone tried to attack me she’d kill them (no joke!). But dogs know when something is wrong. On the night that we found out that we lost our first baby, she slept on my side of the bed (on the floor, of course). She never sleeps there. But she knew she needed to be there for me.

8. My house. God gave us a wonderful home with an incredible interest rate.

There is of course much more I could mention but this is already turning into a monster post.

There is always something to praise God for. Even though I don’t have everything I want to be thankful for, it causes me to draw closer to God & rely on Him even more. And for that I am very thankful.