Thankful...

While I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, I love Thanksgiving. I have to admit that I most of my excitement is fueled by anticipation of the official start of Christmas, but there is something really fun about turkey, family, and slowing down for a long weekend. The pace of life always seems to speed up a little around this time of year though, and it's easy for me to forget to actually be thankful. It's also easy for me to neglect my blog, so I was quick to jump on the bandwagon when I heard about

The idea is to just post a short blurb each day November about something you are thankful for. Don't expect anything profound here, but I am excited about the opportunity to daily, publicly reflect on the incredible blessings God has given me.

So, day 1...

I am thankful for the health of my children. They are of course susceptible to the normal, (though sometimes seemingly endless) childhood sniffles and coughs, but none of them have ever faced any serious or prolonged illness or injury. This stands in contrast to what seems like an inordinate number of our friends and families' children. Especially heavy on my heart today is the home-going of Reese on her first birthday. Her physical challenges and death were not outside of God's plan for her or her family, but I'm grateful that God, to this point, has had a different plan for Alyssa, Parker and Reagan.

(Thanks also to Joy for the heads-up, and Boogiemum for the idea.)