thankful

 

     Today like many days,  I folded endless piles of small clothing. I scrubbed dried baby food off of my wood floors. I ran errands. I made meals and washed dishes, wiped faces, and  listened to arguing kids.  I cuddled and sang and read. I pushed my baby on the swing in the sunshine and felt tired. I bathed children and held little toweled bodies. At the days end I finally laid down for a moment on my couch with a mild sense of discouragement for all of the things I didn't finish, frustrated with my own inadequacy. Then I watched my children who were all piled on our big chair writing in their thankfulness journals; notebooks I had given them last year to write, or in Naya's case draw, all of the things they are thankful for.

Here is what Juden read to us tonight:

" I am thankful for my family, my friends and my cousins. I am thankful for what I have. I am thankful for art. I am thankful for books. I am thankful for my fuzzy blanket! I am thankful for monkeys, snakes, bears and birds! I am thankful for God! I am thankful for National Geographic. I am thankful for Harper and fairy tales, and LOVE. And I am thankful for heaven. I am thankful for science.I am thankful for my teacher. I am thankful for yummy dinners on Thanksgiving nights. I am thankful for acorns. I am thankful for snowmen and Christmas trees. I am thankful that God saved me."
~Juden age 8~

As I watched my sweet husband and children and listened, my soul overflowed with one thought. Is there really anything else to say?  Thank you for this imperfect, perfectly beautiful life...thank you.