This week, my threads of gratitude are many. So many, in fact, that they can be woven together.  With brightly-colored hues and striking designs, they converge together to create a lovely fabric…a BEACH TOWEL.
Whether playing in the ocean, building sandcastles, or swimming in the pool…whether sitting quietly on our balcony watching the sun rise over the ocean, or sharing a liesurely lunch on the other balcony overlooking the pool…whether reading a book on the shore, or building entire sand-cities…I’ve had plenty of opportunities to reflect on what’s truly important. And it’s those things that I am most grateful for.
- I’m grateful for time….for time spent with my children and husband, for these years that we have together to build family bonds and create the memories that my children will cherish well into their adult years…for the time we have to wait for Matt’s treatments to begin: that his cancer, though serious, is not life-threatening…for the ability to put our schedule on hold for one week and enjoy unlimited time together, playing games, laughing, relaxing, and just enjoying one another.
- I’m grateful for family…for my children, who bring such joy into every day…for children that I not only love with all my heart, but actually like to be around…for a husband who is my best friend in every sense of the word…for extended family members who share in our sorrows and rejoice in our happy times, even when they can’t be with us physically.
- I’m grateful for my faith…for having an anchor to ground me in the craziness of life…for having a compass to guide me in the confusion of life…for having a Father to comfort me in the troubling times of life…for having a Guide to lead me in the unknowns of life…truly, nothing can compare to His presence in every moment of life.
- I’m grateful for creation…for the beauty, the creativity, the awesome design, the attention to detail that infuses every aspect of the world God gave us. As we’ve explored washed-up jellyfish and crabs, as we’ve collected shells and visited museums and marine rescue centers, we’ve been reminded that our God is a Master Artist. And the same God who made those jellyfish, an incredibly simple form of life, is the same God who controls the pounding waves, the constant winds, the shifting sands.
- And on a far less reverent note, I’m grateful for my new clothes..for having to buy a new bathing suit because the ones I had were too big…for finally feeling brave enough to get a “real” two-piece that shows my belly button (though I couldn’t completely ditch the skirt!)…for buying new pajamas (because I conveniently forgot to pack mine)…for being able to buy these things in smaller sizes than what I own…and for a husband who celebrates with me (and really likes my new bathing suit and pajamas. ‘nuf said).
The next seven days hold great promise of things to be grateful for in the midst of a certain storm. We will leave on Saturday to drive to Houston, where we will drop Matt off for a consultation with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center on Monday morning. We will be ushered back to reality very quickly…and it won’t all be fun. So today, I’m grateful to be able to spin these threads into a beach towel and enjoy the moments we have.
Surf’s up, dude…gotta go catch a wave!