Day 7 - 30 Days of Thanks: Time

Source: ronntorossian.com

This morning, I'm thankful for an extra hour in my day. Even if it didn't mean an extra hour of sleep for me. Because daylight savings means nothing to a six-year-old who is raring to go!

I'll be using my extra hour this morning to make a batch of cranberry bread.

Did you remember to turn your clocks back? How did you use your extra hour?

Day 6 - 30 Days of Thanks: The Weekend!

I asked R at dinner last night what I should write about being thankful for today, and his answer was, "The weekend."

What does the weekend mean to a six-year-old? It means swimming lessons, soccer, a play date with a new friend, fewer restrictions on TV time, and - most importantly - no homework!

What does the weekend mean to me? It means grocery shopping, cleaning the house, lazy mornings, pancakes and bacon, dinner with friends and family, spontaneous day trips, evenings in front of the fire, time outside, and relaxing at home with my boys.

Happy weekend! What does the weekend mean to you?

Day 5 - 30 Days of Thanks: The Best Gift

Today - and every day - I am thankful for the most amazing gift I have ever received ...

... a sweet, smart, funny, tow-headed boy who squinches his eyes when he smiles.

Day 4 - 30 Days of Thanks: Water

On Tuesday afternoon, a construction crew around the corner from our house accidentally cut through a water main. Our water was shut off for awhile and, when it was back on, our water was smelly and discolored for hours. R skipped his bath, we delayed doing laundry, and we drank juice instead of our usual water for the evening. It was a small inconvenience for one night.

Reality check: More than half of Africa's people lack access to safe drinking water.*

I pray a lot when I'm in the shower. In the winter, I usually start my prayers off by thanking God from the bottom of my heart for hot water. Because there is nothing like searing hot water when your toes are numb from cold. In the summer, a cool shower (not to mention a swim in the community pool) changes my whole outlook when I'm sweaty and cranky.

Reality check: The average distance a woman in Africa and Asia walks to collect water is 3.75 miles.*

Today, I am thankful for nearly limitless access to clean, safe water. I turn on the faucet, and it's there. I have water to drink, cook with, bathe in, wash my clothes in, feed to my plants. I even have water to give to my cat and to the birds and squirrels in our yard. To help conserve water, we have a rain barrel, we turn off the water while we brush our teeth, and we try to take short showers, but I know those are just small measures.

Reality check: In developing countries, one person uses an average of 2.6 gallons of water per day. In the United States, one person uses an average of 75-80 gallons per day.*

I promise not all of my 30 Days of Thanks posts will feature me up on my soap box! But I think God has planted a seed in my heart to be aware and conscious of some of the things that I used to take for granted - and to share the tiny shoots of that seed with you.

Thankfulness in Action
*The water facts in this post are from Drop in the Bucket, an organization that builds wells and sanitation systems for communities in Africa. You can donate even just $10 to help provide wells to African schools.

At my sister's wedding last year, I met a fascinating friend of hers that works with Engineers Without Borders. Ruth is a water consultant engineer who travels around the world, working with residents in developing communities to design and build systems to provide clean, dependable water. Although fundraising for her trip to Kenya earlier this year is now closed, you can read more about the project there.

Day 3 - 30 Days of Thanks: Choices

Source: Tuscola Today

Today, I am thankful for the choices I have the freedom to make -- not just the votes I cast on Tuesday for people and questions, but also the hundreds of decisions I have the privilege to make each and every day.

I open the refrigerator and cabinets and choose what to eat for my meals. I go to the grocery store and choose organic or conventional, healthy or junky. I can choose to eat fresh foods, to cook something, or to eat out. I can even choose not to eat if I'm not hungry.

I select the water temperature for my shower and how long to run the water. I choose what soap, shampoo, conditioner to use. I pick from among a closetful of clean towels.

I choose what clothes to wear. I can vary my choices based on the weather, my mood, or what activities I'm undertaking each day. I choose when to wash my clothes and whether to wash them by machine or hand. I can use the dryer or hang them up.

I decide how warm or cool to keep my house. I choose where I want to live, how to decorate my home, what to grow in my yard.

I don't always remember to be thankful for these choices. Too often, I take them for granted. Today, though, I acknowledge how unbelievably lucky, blessed, and privileged I am. I know that there are millions of people on Earth who do not have the choices I do. For so many, food, clean water, clothing, and shelter are not choices - they are inconsistent, inadequate, or non-existent realities. They are distant dreams.

I don't know why I have been so blessed to live where I do, to have the freedoms and choices I do. But I believe that with these blessings comes a great responsibility to share. Over the next few days, I'll tell you about some of the organizations and people that help me share what I have with others.

What choices are you thankful for today?

Day 2 - 30 Days of Thanks: The Ocean

 

"When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Over the last few years, life has become a whole lot busier and more complicated for my little family. Between work, school, after-school, swimming lessons, soccer, play dates, and errands, the weeks seem to fly by. I can get overwhelmed by all the activity.

I cope by going to the ocean as much as possible.

There have been so many Sundays when I've felt the need to head to the shore, and my family indulges the call. So, we pack up a bunch of snacks, changes of shoes and socks, and my trusty bucket for collecting rocks, shells, and sea glass. We throw everything into the car, drive 45 minutes to Gloucester or Rockport, and spend a few hours watching the waves, turning over rocks to look for crabs and snails, building sand castles, and climbing the rocks along the beach cliffs.

My favorite part is when I get to sit with the sea spray on my face, taking it all in and watching my boys explore the beach together.

A always laughs at me because, whenever we're at the ocean, I get all giddy and smiley and I hop and dance around with glee. I thank him for indulging me in these spontaneous trips, but the truth is that he and R love it just as much as I do. Especially R. The ocean is part of his young soul already. I love that he and I share that. When the wind is just right at home, which is a few miles inland from the water, we'll smell the ocean in the air. R always turns to me and says, "The ocean is calling to us, Mama."

It is hard to express how thankful I am for the ocean and the beach and for what they do for my soul. And, I'm equally thankful for the fact that I live close enough to be able to enjoy them year-round. (My favorite times to head to the water are on cold, overcast, and rainy days. It seems even more beautiful to me then.)

What part of nature speaks to you?

Thankfulness in Action
Here are two organizations working to preserve our oceans and the delicate balance of marine life:

• Ocean Conservancy
• Oceana

Day 1 - 30 Days of Thanks: Sisters

Welcome to 30 Days of Thanks! Although I was tempted to start off my series by giving thanks for Halloween candy, I decided instead to kick things off by focusing on some of the most precious women in my life.

I am blessed to have two sisters. When we were growing up together, we often didn't get along, but today, Johanna and Ericka are my closest friends. We rarely see each other these days because we're spread out across the eastern United States, and sometimes weeks go by in between our phone calls, but we always know that we love each other. We are three very different women - in personality, talents, and life paths - but we have one major thing in common: our family. Our family has been through some pretty difficult and crazy times (whose hasn't?), and through it all, my sisters and I have coped and supported each other, usually with laughter.

I am so thankful for and proud of these two beautiful, smart, and kind women. Ericka just completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience and has relocated to another new city. Johanna is raising three brilliant boys, trying to give them the best opportunities in life in spite of many challenges. My sisters are resilient, strong, and two of the funniest people I know.

One of our family's Christmas traditions was watching "It's a Wonderful Life" (of course!) and "White Christmas." We used to quote from those movies a lot. So, here is one of those memories, in thankfulness for my sisters. :-)

I have also been blessed with several women in my life who are like sisters to me. What sisters (biological or otherwise) are you thankful for today?

Thankfulness in Action
In honor of sisters, friends who are like sisters, and all the other wonderful women in my life, I want to share two ways that you can support breast cancer research:

• My friend City Girl, who is undergoing chemo now for breast cancer and who keeps her optimism, thankfulness, huge heart, and sense of humor through it all
  
• My friend Christine, who has formed a team for the Komen Foundation 3-Day Walk to celebrate her 15th anniversary of being free from breast cancer in 2011