Thankful Thursday

As one would expect, I've been thinking about thankfulness a lot this month. Sometimes, the frequent November posts on what a person is thankful for drive me crazy. After all, aren't we thankful for those things every day, every week, every month? I truly want to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness in myself and in my family. And so, in that spirit, I am starting a goal of posting every Thursday what I am thankful for. I want to name and explain my thankfulnesses (which is definitely not a word). I don't know how this will turn out, but here goes...

I am thankful for my healthy child. I know that no one says this flippantly or without thought, but for me the thanks for good health is a little different.

I am thankful for this as one who has buckled a limp, feverish baby in for the ride to the ER.

I am thankful for this as one who has prayed, "Please, God, don't take my son." 

I am thankful for this as one who has cried through a chest x-ray, a spinal tap, three IV sites, and countless blood draws, all on our infant.

I am thankful for this as one who waited for three days to know what was wrong but never got a complete answer.

I am thankful for this as one who slept in a broken hospital bed for seven nights to be close to her sick little boy, to nurse him and change his diaper and help the nurses take his temperature.

I am thankful for this as one who cried for seven nights as her husband drove home reluctantly to spend the night alone. 

I am thankful for this as one who rejoices in the miracle of modern medicine, as one who know the value of hospitals and drugs and doctors and especially nurses.

I am thankful for this as one who got to take my baby home a second time. 

I am thankful for this as one who gets to watch my baby grow and learn.

I am thankful for this as one who still tears up when I think about that week.

I am thankful for this as one who prays every day to never forget what a blessing this healthy little one is. 

Yes, I am thankful.