Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Gratitude


Inspired by Elizabeth's friend's friend's (friend's) webpage (by a homeschooling mother of six who puts me to shame), for school yesterday we made lists of things we are grateful for.

Joe and Ben's list says, in case you can't read it: "the Cincinnati Reds, baseball, Calvin and Hobbes, Pixar, Art, Command and Conquer Generals [a pc game], Internet, Life the game, Wii, my family." James' list: "Scruffy [the guinea pig], food, clothes, toys, good helth [sic], family, our house." Annie: "Squeakers [the other guinea pig], our house, love, chocolate [!]." John is thankful for "knights and castles, cookies, peanut butter, Mommy, Daddy, me, and cowboys." I am thankful that my older kids still know about contemporary culture no matter how much I shield them, that they all love our family like I do, that they have the best daddy in the world, that they love reading books and having books read to them, that they love good food, and maybe someday they'll appreciate good coffee and wine, too (in moderation, of course), that they love our house, which their dad and I have labored to make into a welcoming home, that they like art and museums and music and movies, and hopefully they will find that these representations of the visible universe will lead them to the truths of the invisible. et cetera.

Ben is also grateful for his rat and GI Joes. I'm thankful it's cool enough to open the windows.







He thought I would really like this outfit for his first day of the middle school youth group at our church:He comes by it naturally, I guess. I'm thankful he has a sense of humor.
I'm also thankful these cupcakes made $75 for the CECOSC charity auction. Dad would like them because they have almost four pounds of powdered sugar and a pound of butter on top.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

elizabeth's friend here - so fun to see what you all are doing. we started ours today. we are going to try to list one thing in the moring and one thing in the evening each day. It is my hope that the list turns into conversations and true gratitude. thanks for sharing your journey.
Tonight we were thankful for school, subtitute teacher and for the arrival of fall.

Elizabeth said...

betty´s other friend here! i am grateful for other mothers like you that rear children that love their home and their furry rodents so much. you are braver than i to allow a rat in the house. today we are thankul for pncakes, braids in isabel´s hair, that it is beautiful outside and big tires on the car to blaze through mud and take 3 kiddos to school.oh, and the internet!

laurie said...

I really like this dialogue about gratitude. It has been much on my heart lately. Last Friday, Dad and I met with our financial advisor to finnish up our preparations for his retirement. We went to lunch afterwards and I was, well, overwhelmed with gratitude for your Dad...contemplating how he has been so steady in working hard to support our family through the years and that now, with the most demanding financial obligations behind us (this may well be naive), he can retire and direct his energy, attention, and time to the activities that are not tied to a pay check but near and dear to his heart. Thank you husband!!