Reflections On Thankfulness

It's only November 3rd and lists of "What I am Thankful For" are floating around the social media world. Each day many of us see or remind ourselves of what we are thankful for. But this time of year we get an extra dose of thankfulness. Its a good thing to do.
 

The early lists got me in a reflective mood. Maybe its not the lists I have seen, maybe it's the hours of down time that I have had the last three months. So, yes, I am going to inflict a list on our readers. Most of you do not know very much of the back story...someday I will get it up on here. But for now, here is my list of four things I am thankful for.

First of all, I am thankful for life. Thankful that I survived the last 12 or so months. Its been a crazy year and I don't mean crazy busy. It was in a way, but it was also full of some pretty scary times for me. I ran into some pretty nasty health issues and a few times I saw that line where everyone crosses over at some point. It was a quiet glimpse, but just enough for me.

I am very thankful for my husband and that we took the opportunity to get married when we did. It was not the most ideal situation and we were both really happy when it was all over. But, I am so grateful that we were married when my health took a dramatic turn verses not married. We had been praying that the Lord would draw us closer to Him and to each other. Being separated by several thousand miles and being in the middle of a frightening health crisis one month into our marriage and not being able to live together for three months out of the four months being married - was not our idea of drawing closer to God or each other. But it has. It has not been fun, let me put it gently....it's been a living hell. But. We have seen God's hand work in a very real way. We have gotten closer to each other and have had tons of opportunities to get to know each other in ways that we would not have had if we were together. We are longing for the day to when we can live together again, set up in our new apartment together, enjoy our new city and state, and just start over. 

There are a few more things about my husband... Chris is amazing. The End. This whole crisis (trial, struggle, what have you) started out messy, confused, emotional, and a bit blurry. But, after the dust settled, Chris grew (and is growing) into this loving, sacrificial, perceptive, and wise man. He faced a crash course in compassion and how to lovingly handle life with a very sick wife. He searched Salt Lake City all over for a safe place for us to live. Every time he had a few days off, he would fly across the country to spend just one, two, three, or four days with me. He moved all our stuff over to a new apartment and cleaned everything to make sure not to contaminate our new place. Each wedding present package that came in the mail would be opened with me on the phone - Chris giving me a play by play so it was (almost) like I was there. He sweetly and lovingly put aside many of those gifts so we could use them for the first time together. He takes pictures of our view and sends them to me. We would cook, clean, and do laundry over the phone. We would create meals and go shopping. We spent two hours on the phone with our new doctor in Montana. Chris in Utah, Me in Pennsylvania, and the doctor in Montana! He asks questions about my illness, is reading up on it, getting to know it so he can protect his family from it in the future and make me more comfortable when I do arrive home. He has had to go through his wife rapidly fading in front of him to her coming back slowly...my brain came first and boy was he in for it! Chris is not perfect, but I love him and each day see him grow and change. It's pretty awesome. He believed me and I trust him. 

The third thing that came to mind in reflecting on the last few months, is how thankful I am for my parents (and my brother of course!). They fought (along with Chris) to find answers and fought for my life. They gave up their emptynestness for a few months to take care of their daughter and gave loving support to their new son-in-law. They grieved with us for the loss of our first baby. They would not give up to find help for us. They have sat up with me until 3 am, just so I would not be alone when I felt so sick and was terrified at the pain I was in. My mom has been doing everything for me since I got marooned here, since I could not do anything for myself. On my good days, they have cheered me on and given me great encouragement. On my bad days, they have still cheered me on. Sometimes crying with me, other times being silly to get me to laugh, or helping me think of a goal to reach and then help me to reach it. The time here with them has been a blessing. It's been a time of healing - both bodily and in our hearts. A time to make up for lost time. I am so thankful for that.

The fourth - for the friends who have been praying and supporting us through this crazy time. The friends that have been praying daily since January when we first noticed that something really wrong was happening and could not figure out what. Our new friends in SLC that have lovingly reached out to us. The friends that call, text, or write almost daily to check in. For the fresh organic veggies left at our door, for the cards and notes. The friends who love and show love, even when they don't understand. The friends that believe and trust. They have been a balm to my soul and a great support to my husband (who barely even knows some of these friends) and to my parents. 

 Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, — a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
~George Herbert~

(www.petermahar.com)

Kinda related -  The Most Overlooked Characteristic Of  Who You Want To Marry. This is floating around Facebook and is a very (very) good article.