Thankful

After a record month of blogging (btw, did you know that November is National Blogging Month? Now you do!) I have hit a dry spell, a writer's block, a complete loss of motivation. Whatever you want to call it. But alas, I am tired of my latest blog being a post about my hormones. :)

As Thanksgiving approaches I thought it would seem very ungrateful of me to not share the many, many things I am thankful for. Such as, I am thankful that we are going to Mamaw's tomorrow and my only time in the kitchen will be making a cake. Is that bad?

Seriously though, this year of 2009 has been one that has been full of super highs and devastating lows. Thinking back I realize that you can never really term a year "good" or "bad". There are just too many ups AND downs for it to be one or the other. Some of the lows have included my Mamaw losing her house and everything she owns to a fire, Josh losing his job last March, and some health problems experienced by family members.

But this year also saw the beginning of the Fidler Academy of Higher Learning as I began homeschooling. Josh and I finally got to take our honeymoon and it was worth the wait! My sister and her family moved back to the south from Alaska and we are looking forward to a new addition to the family. Um, to THEIR family. :) Which makes it even more exciting for me that I will soon have a baby to rock and cuddle and play with and yet I will have no financial or sleep deprivation responsibilities whatsoever! Josh's sister got married and we added Brad to the family. He quickly moved them off to Italy and I am living vicariously through their pictures. Perhaps the most exciting news for me in 2009 was that my firstborn asked Jesus into her heart and was baptized. See, I knew I needed to write this out because really, there was nothing that could have happened this year that could take the joy away from that event!

The day in, day out routine of life can sure drain the joy and peace from us. As the holidays approach I know that it is easy for anxiety to take over as plans and expenses become overwhelming. The thing that I am MOST thankful for (apart from my salvation, my amazing husband, wonderful children, loving family and awesome friends) is the way that God has used the last year of my life to speak through everyday life. I consider myself homeschooled. God has taken me on an intense spiritual journey by route of the mundane, ordinary and routine. He has used heartbreak and questioning to bring me to a greater trust in Him and He has peppered my life with just the right amount of exciting and happy events to get me through the grind of everyday life. He has met me right where I was whether it be in the laundry room, a hospital room sitting with a loved one, or at Wal-Mart.

Tomorrow my husband will have the day off from his job that he was rehired to just a little over a month ago. Just at the exact same time his unemployment was running out. And we will travel to Mamaw's to share Thanksgiving in her new home full of new things. I am so appreciative of that job and those new things for Mamaw, but I pray that more than anything my heart will remember to be thankful not just for those things, but for the God who provided them and the lessons learned in the days of waiting and seeking.

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name,
O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night."
Psalm 92:1

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE FIDLER 5!!!!!!!!!!
What are you thankful for this year?