Thursday's Thankful Things

As you know, we were unemployed for 9 months last year. In my husband's industry, and in our area, work is very transient. So we may very well be unemployed again. Job or no job, God is good and He always provides for our deepest needs. But it's true there are some things only money can buy. They are not the most important things in life, but right now I really appreciate them. I want to thank God for the things He has given us the money to afford recently.

Flowers. At this time last year we could not afford to buy flowers for our porch. We were struggling to survive. Literally. Flowers were a luxury. This year I was able to invest in some beautiful flowers that give me pure joy just to look at them. Each of the children picked out a few flowers for their very own, and we've had fun planting them!

Airtight food storage buckets. Yes, I am thankful for buckets. During the winter of our unemployment, bugs invaded my wheat berries and dried beans. My husband and I discovered them early in the winter. We picked out as many as we could, and then ground the berries to bake bread, and used the beans anyway. We never told the children. It was simply not an option to throw that food out. We didn't get sick, and perhaps it gave us a little extra protein, who knows? But I really did not want a repeat of that experience. So with the blessing of a paycheck, I was able to buy 3 large buckets with gamma seal lids. They are airtight and watertight, yet very easy to open. Every day when I go to the basement and see those wonderful buckets storing some of our staples, I am thankful!

Clothes. I think I have paid less than $200 for clothing for our 5 children in the last 2 years because we have been the beneficiary of so much used clothing from others. And these are nice clothes! I seriously could not put a price tag on all that we have been given, but I know it would probably number thousands of dollars worth of clothing. How blessed we are! I have also been able to buy a few new tops for myself this spring, and 2 new capri pants for summer. I'm feeling kindof cute these days!

Soccer. I'm so thankful for the ability to pay for soccer, and for the scholarships we have received from our soccer club so we could continue to play when finances were tight. It makes our schedule crazy, but it's a sport that draws us together as a family, everyone in the family enjoys it, my husband is an assistant coach so he gets to do this together with his sons, and the children are learning so many valuable lessons through this sport. Plus we have made some wonderful new friends. Plus it's fun to watch. And I have the reputation of "loud cheerleading parent from the sidelines" to uphold.

The means and ability to fix things. Last year when a bedroom doorknob broke, we had to just leave that door unlatched. When the screendoor ripped, we had to leave it ripped. I know it's a pain sometimes to spend time fixing things, but when you haven't been able to fix anything for awhile, it is a real blessing to have the means to do it!

Field trips. We can pay to go on field trips now! We are all very excited to be going to the zoo tomorrow with our other 3 co-op families. We did enjoy some field trips last year, but they were all of the free variety, such as parks with sprayscapes. And let's face it, the zoo just isn't free. So it's extra fun to be able to go there this year.

There are so many more things I am thankful for. Money comes and money goes. I am learning not to worry so much about the amount we have at any given time, but to always have a grateful heart regardless of our bank account, and to wisely use (and enjoy!) the money we have when we have it, because there will probably come a time again when we don't have much.

Thank you Lord, for all that You give me on a daily basis which is intangible yet so much more important than money. Help me to have a grateful heart. Thank you for all that you have allowed us to buy with the money you've given us. Help us to be wise and careful stewards, and to keep our eyes on You at all times. You are so good, Lord. Thank you for being You.