So thankful

My sweet husband gave me a fabulous idea.  He encouraged me to post all of my Facebook "thankful things" from the month of November onto my blog.  What better time to do so than deep in the heart of the giving season?  This blog is nothing if not a tribute to the journey God has placed us on.  I would be so remiss not to recount His deeds and glorify His name.  So, here they are!...

• Day 1: thankful for the sound of my 6 yr old reading me a story right now :-)
• Thankfulness day #2: Thankful for my man's man who has done 4 loads of laundry and unloaded the dishwasher 3 times...this week! I love you and am thankful for each night our heads lay side by side.
• Day #3 of thankfulness -- FINALLY getting to be "attendees" at a strong bonds event. Having a great time laughing our way to a better marriage!  Also, SO thankful for grandparents willing to take on our kids for the weekend! Thanks Mom & Dad!
• Thankfulness day #4: Thankful for the material blessings God has afforded me and my family throughout our lives. He is such a generous God and lavishes upon us grace after grace. All is grace!
• Thankfulness day #5: thankful for 54 days completed in this homeschool year! So many lessons learned and hills climbed. :-)
• Thankfulness day #6: Thankful for my husband who was not afraid to surrender to God's calling on his life (even though his bride wasn't sure) The signature line on his email reads: Serving God, Serving Soldiers, Enjoying every minute!
• Thankfulness day 7: Thankful for the richness and power of the Word of God. Never changing and always applicable!
• Day 8 of thankfulness: Grateful for parents who nurtured in me a will to persevere, a drive to work hard, and the importance of getting things right. From sports to academia to spirituality, they encouraged me to give it my all and best. Thanks Mom & Dad!
• Day 9 of thankfulness: I'm thankful for the perks that military life offers. For all the bum raps it gets, it really does have its pluses. For example? Four day weekends surrounding federal holidays. Hurray for this four-day!!!
• Day 10 of thankfulness: Thankful for the 2 "arrows" God blessed our lives with. Such a measure of trust it is when He places these precious lives into our hands! Enjoying a blanket fort and Tom & Jerry this morning. I hope this never ends! :-D
• Day 11 of thankfulness: Grateful for all our veterans past & present who sacrificed so much... and sometimes gave their all. And to the families of veterans, who have supported and loved their service member... and sometimes had to say the ultimate good bye Thank you!!!
• Thankfulness day 12: Grateful for the family I inherited on our wedding day. Tim's mother and father gave him a legacy thru their faithful example of keeping their commitment to each other and living out their faith. Thanks, Shelley, for being the first female in his life and getting him familiar with the ways of a woman! :-D
• Thankfulness day #13: Thankful for my sister and the joys she has brought to my life. There was no more exciting news when I was five years old than to hear that I was going to be a big sister to a little sister :-) Praying for you today, Elizabeth, as you start this new adventure of a new job.
• Day 14 of thankfulness: SOOOO grateful for this... "In death, in life, I'm confident and covered by the power of Your great love! My debt is paid, there's nothing that can separate my heart from Your great love!!"
• Day 15 and 16 of thankfulness (because I forgot yesterday :-)... I was reminded this week to be thankful for both the good and the bad in life. As I learn more and more about the sovereignty of Christ, it is becoming clear that He works both out for His best and the good of those who love and follow Him. All is grace!!
• Thankfulness day #17: Thankful for the little things today... Like farm fresh eggs from the Browns, a Starbucks latte hand delivered to my front door by a friend, and enough spare time for a soak in the tub. :-)
• Thankfulness day #18: Thankful for the gift God gave us in the form of music...speaks to the soul the way words can't.
• Day 19 of thankfulness: Thankful for the seasons and their constant change. It gives such beautiful life to our world. What a wonderful Creator!
• Thankfulness day #20: thankful for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical personnel, medicine, and the Great Physician!
• So, I fell off my thankfulness bandwagon, thanks to an illness that knocked out 3/4 of us Raburns...but now that we're feeling better...I'm 3 days worth of thankful for great times with family, overall good health, and the wonderful freedoms we enjoy in this great nation. God bless America!

And just for kicks...

• Reason #418 I love my husband: After a chilly pre-sunrise run, I came home to our indoor Christmas lights on, Christmas music on, fireplace on, and coffee brewing :-)

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

 

 And Happy New Year, too!

The Thanksgiving trail

Our family recently enjoyed a Thanksgiving road trip to the great state of Alabama.  It was our first lengthy road trip since Daddy’s return and BOY did we have a car full!  The two of us plus two kids and two dogs…Whew...Equals one packed car!  Before we left, we enjoyed a mock-Thanksgiving meal in our own home complete with fine china and candlelight.  D thought it was really something special.  He took one look at the table and said, “Oh, Momma!  Thank you so much for doing this!”  His heart of gratitude made me smile in satisfaction, for our family began a new tradition this year: 30 days of Thanksgiving.  Using a piece of paper from the kids’ giant art tablet, we began to list out daily one thing we were thankful for.  Each of us took turns writing, even D.  It became something to look forward to daily.

My dad had recently undergone knee surgery to replace his left knee.  So things were a little different than normal at my parent’s house.  Dad had a rough go of things following surgery, so we were very anxious to see him for this holiday.  He improved by leaps and bounds right before our very eyes while we were visiting!  He went from barely ambulating to walking the house with a cane in a matter of days.  The kids weren’t sure what to think of their “Poppy” in his condition.  D kept asking how his knee was doing and J wanted to check on his “boo-boo”.  My mom was doing a wonderful job of running the house (of a sorts) and keeping up with Thanksgiving traditions.  Thankful for their 35 years together!

One of our stops along the way was to visit Tim’s widowed grandmother, affectionately known as “Granny”.  Our kids had a wonderful time at her house.  It is an old Alabama country home, but it is so much more than that to my husband.  As a missionary kid, it was one of the few “constants” in his life.  The place is full of things to do and tinker with.  Stuff of a boy’s childhood dreams.  And now Tim is getting the chance to share it with his son.  On our visit they explored the upstairs of the “apartment”, shot 2 kinds of BB guns, went to the wood’s edge, and told tales of nearly-legendary motorcycle jumps.  D’s fascination grew until he was hooked.  He cried when it was time for us to leave.  J, too, had fun living vicariously through her brother’s adventures, though most of his exploring was done during her nap.  As I laid her down to sleep in Granny’s room gently warmed by an antique gas heater, I too rested my head for a bit on the king-sized bed.  For a moment, all was quiet and it gave me pause to think.  My heart felt grateful for the chance to be so full of things to be thankful for, for holidays, and silence, and family.  For old houses and deep memories.  For things that change and things that do not.  For a sleeping baby and an adventure-some boy.  For the man whose Army medals hung across the bedroom on the wall.  For his service in Korea to our country.  For the life he lived and the love he shared.  For the time my son had to know him.  For the soldier we welcomed home this year and his selfless service too.

It was on our travels that I really took time to notice what great playmates our two little arrows have become.  They prefer each other’s company and the number of fights I have to break up is beginning to decrease.  They seek each other out for play and she can do JUST about anything he can.  At three and a half years apart he is old enough to look out for her but still young enough to play her kinds of games.  My prayer is for a life of peace and friendship between them.

As I blog, our family is making its way back to our Army homestead, traveling this long stretch of rainy highway.  This week will no doubt be filled with decorating for the great December celebration.  I love that Thanksgiving (which our family DOES celebrate as a separate holiday-entity unto itself!) ushers in the Christmas season each year.  What more perfect way to ready our homes and our lives for the greatest, most needed gift to humanity than with thankful hearts?!  Finally I can say it…Merry Christmas to all!