Thankful in May 2012

April 29 – May 5:

We went to the aquarium this week, and certainly I’m thankful for any time that I get to spend with my family.  But what is on my mind is that I debated whether I to make this a solo trip and spend as little or as much time as I wanted.  I decided that I really wanted to enjoy the experience with my family.  When I called my sister, she said they had been talking about it already, and asked if I would mind waiting until BIL could take a day off?  What I’m thankful for is that I wanted to wait.

Sometimes when people come into a family, everyone does not get along.  I think that we’ve been very fortunate in that respect, that we do get along, and not only that, but we like each other.  And I’m thankful that they don’t see me as an intrusion on their family events, that Steve doesn’t mind that his SIL is tagging along.  I’m thankful that I feel close enough to their family that it would have felt wrong and mean to go without him.

Also this week, my darling little baby niece turned one!  Allison is such a sweet girl, and just so darn cute.  I am so excited to be able to see her grow up!

May 6 – 12:

This has been on my mind for a few weeks.  Even though I haven’t been typing up my Thankfuls on time, and keeping the blog up to date, I haven’t forgotten about thankfulness.  It hasn’t left my heart.  To be honest, I kind of miss doing the daily Thankfuls.  I think there’s a true benefit to doing the daily Thankfuls, and it’s something that I’m thinking about starting again.  I don’t know that I want the burden of putting them on the blog, because it turns that joyful and good thing into a task.  And that’s not what I want. 

But what I’m thankful for is that it’s still important to me.  Even though I haven’t been keeping up posting about it, I’m thankful that I haven’t let it go in my heart.  I am thankful that I haven’t fallen back into the negative thinking and an attitude of complaining.

May 13 – 19:

There was a lot of discussion this week with my blog friends on the topic of happiness.  I can’t say that I have a huge grasp on the subject myself, but I’m working on it.  I think that focusing on gratitude over the past year has really made a difference in my views of happiness.  I also think I have a very long way to go.  I’m thankful that I have the means to attain happiness, and I think those means are right in my heart.  I’m thankful that God is patient with me, because otherwise I would be a huge frustration to him.  I’m thankful that I have people in my life who are willing to walk this journey with me, who are willing to have this discussion with me, who are willing to be honest with me.  Sometimes  that honesty part doesn’t always feel so great, but it is right and necessary.

May 20 – 26:

I really started to get into the packing up for the yard sale.  I had two days off in a row, and I finally took the time and get-up-and-go I needed to sort through the boxes of stuff my aunt had given me.  Then I went through “the kid’s room” and got that pretty much done.  I cleared through and passed on a lot of books so that other people can enjoy them.  I took some to my nieces; lots of new books that have hardly been cracked open, that I got from events when I used to work at the toy store.  And I packed up lots more toys from when the boys were little.  I’m thankful to finally be on the road to clearing out some of the massive amounts of stuff that I have gathered in the last ten years or so.  And I’m thankful that I’m mentally and emotionally in the mood to let things go, so that the effort I put into it is really going to create results: less clutter, more room, a nicer home.

May 27 – June 2:

My nephew Logan went out to the river this week to see my parents and spend the night.  On his way back, he drove past my work.  He said that, as he was driving by, he was craning his neck to see if my car was there, because if it was, he was “going in there to see my Aunt Michelle.”  I just can’t say how much that meant to me.  I’m not used to getting special visits just to see me, particularly because I live so far away.  What I’m really thankful for is that, as the boys grow older, they still seem happy to see me when we meet.  They still have hugs for me, and tell me they love me.  I’m thankful that Logan wanted to stop in and chat, just because, just to spend a little time with me.  That meant a lot.

♦