Thankful Thursday

My Thankful Days by Deborah L. Carter

This morning, Sam missed the bus, and I stubbed my toe on a skateboard laying near the stairs Maggie's hair needing braiding, the sink was full of dirty dishes, and Katie's car was parked behind mine again. I backed into the garbage can, scattered garbage into the street, and had to dig through the glove box to find lunch money. No parking spaces nearby, had to walk clear across the school parking lot hot and sweaty, forgot to comb my hair and the principal called me ma'am. Back at home, piles of dirty laundry, and my mother called, (while I was up on a ladder washing those horribly huge windows,) just wanted to talk. This afternoon, Peter interrupted me no less than five times while I was trying to write. Mom? Did you wash my blue shirt? Our neighbor Cindy is here, Tessie's on the telephone, Something about a party tomorrow? The lawn is covered with bicycles, scooters, baseball bats; Why does every child in the neighborhood flock to my front step, just as I'm hoping to take a quick nap? The phone rang off the hook while I was trying to cook dinner and I burnt the roast, and ruined the gravy. I finally got the kids tucked in an hour past their usual bedtime but the dog didn't want to go out, and Katie forgot to feed the cats, even though I asked her twice, so I did that before I turned out all the lights. Can't anybody turn off a light around here? And then when I finally fell into bed, my husband was watching football on the TV. He knows I can't stand football. Nothing left to do, but say my prayers and end another day; Dear God, Thank-you for busy mornings, noisy children, scattered toys, missed school buses, beloved pets, and the smell of fresh, shiny, young hair as I comb it. Thank-you for another day to walk in the sun and for blessing me with two strong arms to clean my glorious wall of windows, while gazing at the sparrows building their nest in the trees nearby. And for the stacks of dirty dishes, that reminds me of the plentiful food that satisfies my family's hungry bellies. Thank you for doorbells, phone calls from mom and constant interruptions by my teen-age son, who still wants to talk to me. Thank you for the laughter of children at play, drifting like music, from the large front yard. And for another evening, to linger over a one last bedtime story and hear soft whispers of "I love you", as tiny hands stroke my cheek, tired and content. Thank-you for the chance to walk through brightly lit rooms at the end of the night, and reflect on the joy and comfort that each one holds inside. And for my darling husband, the football fanatic, who always fills my car with gas, never complains when I eat potato chips in bed, and still gazes at me with adoring eyes that say "You're still the one, always and forever".

***

Obviously not anything I wrote...but a nice reminder for what I am going to start to call Thankful Thursday in my efforts this year to be more grateful in my every day life, for the little things. And since today is my hubby's birthday I thought I would be grateful for five things about him...

1. He nearly always cleans up the dinner dishes for me after I cook

2. He changes the oil in my car.

3. He takes the kids to flea markets and Zern's so I don't have to!

4. He is a hard worker who puts providing for us on the top of his list.

5. He loves me warts and all!