Ten Things I Forget to be Thankful For

I've seen a big focus this month on thankfulness. It's nice to see because we often don't take the time the be thankful for things.  Some people have posted daily on facebook or on their blog about things they are thankful for, and while I haven't done that; I am thankful for a good many things.  Most of the time when I am thankful for someone or something, it is easy to acknowledge.  On the other hand, I often find myself complaining or wishing away other things that I really shouldn't.  Today, instead of making a list of all the things I am thankful for, I want to list some of the things I forget to be thankful for. The things I tend to forget about, complain about or not even notice.

1. My house-I often say it's too small and I have been known to complain about only having one bathroom, but really? I am thankful to have a sustainable roof over our heads.  It's far from being paid off, but it is ours and we have made it a home.  Ken and I moved into this house when I was 7 months pregnant with Frances. We've brought all our babies home to this house and celebrated a number of birthdays, anniversaries and plain old Saturdays here.  I really hope that we are able to find a house with another bedroom and another bathroom, but I know it will be hard leaving this home that contains so many memories of our family.
2. My bank account-It's never full, but it refills itself on a regular and consistent basis and for that I am thankful.  We don't have money for extras like vacations (or new homes), but we always seem to have enough for what we need.  Of course,, having enough for what we need also ties into...
3. My parents-Sure, they annoy me.  They do those awful grandparent things like loving my children and letting them eat cookies after dinner even if they didn't even eat any food.  I am very grateful for the love and support they give us.  And even (or maybe especially) for the times when they don't step in and let us figure things out for ourselves.  They love me even when I am selfish, ungrateful or plain old rude.  They want the best for me and for my family and for that I am truly grateful.
4. Ken's parents-His mom is gone and I find myself missing her more as time passes. I am sad that my kids won't get to know her and that Frances is likely the only one with actual memories of her.  His dad is a good man who raised a good son. I can tell that Ken learned his integrity and work ethic from his father.  
5. Those trials I went through.  I spent a lot of time crying over a lot of things in the past.  And I know that more trials are ahead, but I also know that going through those trials and the ones yet to come are what have shaped me as a person.  I have learned things about myself I wouldn't have otherwise learned.  And some roads that I thought were deadends, actually turned out to be cul-de-sacs where I just needed to turn around and go a different way.  I didn't enjoy the trials, but I am thankful for the lessons they have taught me.  
6. My appliances- I was without a washing machine for about a month and then transitioned nicely into a leaky dishwasher.  I complain about the chores of dishes and laundry, but I am truly ever so thankful for these time saving appliances to help me.  In all honesty, I am also thankful for...
7. Laundry-Doing laundry reminds me that we have clothes to keep us warm (and somewhat fashionable).  I get annoyed with having to do a load everyday, but with further thought I am thankful to have enough that I don't have to do it more often than that!
8. Dishes and cooking-I truly don't mind cooking. I actually enjoy it, but I would likely enjoy it more if I had more time and space for it.  But cooking and then doing the dishes reminds me of how fortunate we are to have enough food to eat three (or more) times a day, seven days a week.   
9. My bills-I don't like paying them, but I sure do appreciate having clean water that miraculously comes out of the faucet when I turn it on. And toasty warm heat during cold winter days.  Those bills represent the fact that I am very blessed in terms of modern utilities.
10.  The mess in my dining room-I get annoyed that we don't have a better place to put all the kids' toys. Then end up in the dining room, which should more realistically be called the "multipurpose room" but that makes it sound huge and IT ISN'T!  But all those toys represent people who love my kids and want to give them things, so I guess I shouldn't complain about them (as much).