Thankful Tuesday

It's Tuesday again and it's time to count my blessings!

Today I am thankful for:
1.  Clerks that meet you at the door.
Standing halfway in the heat of the summer and halfway in the air conditioning, I am thanikful today for these people who greet you as soon as you walk in the door.  At Wal-Mart, few things are as exciting for the kids as the door greeter who sings to them and offers stickers worth free cookies.  At Costco, the kids fight over who gets to show the membership card to the door greeter.  At church, the kids can't wait to race to hug the senior citizen who is greeting that week.  Today I am thankful for the cheery door greeters that set the tone of entering a place with joy.

2.  Freedom for limiting social schedules.
Each day I make specific decisions about the kids schedules.  We could go to the zoo, the museum, the library, a friend's house, or 1,000 other possibilities.  With so many options at our disposal, I rejoice in the fact that we can set our own schedules and that we can say no when we don't want to do something or become overwhelmed.  Yesterday for the Fourth of July, our family stayed home together and started working on getting the house ready to paint.  The kids were in bed by 7:30 and I followed at 10.  We did fireworks on Saturday and I rejoiced that yesterday we had the freedom to stay home.

3.  Sharing clothes
Adam's godmother brought a sack of clothing that she couldn't wear anymore.  I love it when someone hands down clothes to me or the kids or when I am able to pass something along that someone else can wear.  It's like shopping for free.

4.  Surprise showers
Today on my way into church to work, Claire noticed that the sky wasn't as sunny as normal.  I agreed, but dismissed it because it wasn't cloudy, it just wasn't extremely bright.  A few minutes later I drove through a 30 second rain shower.  If I hadn't been paying attention, I might have missed it completely, but I was watching and got to enjoy the blessing of a summer rain, brief as it was.

5.  The power to make home improvements
Yesterday as I stood on a stepladder scraping paint off our house exterior, I was grateful that I had the energy to do it.  I am grateful that my arms can be raised above my head for long periods of time and that Adam and I both have the time and energy to paint the house.  Granted, we have only just started and I might feel differently in a few days.

6.  Sprinklers
While I was sweating it out scraping paint, the kids were in their swimsuits dancing in the sprinkler.  Millions of people around the world struggle with access to fresh water.  We are so blessed to be able to turn on the faucet for a drink, a shower, or even entertainment.

7.  Real life TV
On Sunday night, Adam noticed He-Man was on TV.  He recorded it so the kids could watch it and enjoy his favorite show from childhood.  Knowing that our children are active and hands-on, he had the brilliant idea of bringing the He-Man characters into the living room for the kids to play with while they watched the show.  What ended up happening was the kids tuned out of the show and began to make their own storylines with the He-Man figurines.  I love that our children's imaginations override their desire to watch TV.

8.  Sportsmanship
Last Thursday was Paul's last basketball game.  I was so grateful for the other parents who helped encourage Paul, by far the youngest player on the team.  I was grateful for his teammates who didn't seem to notice that he was a foot shorter than everyone else and not quite as coordinated.  I was grateful for his coach who assigned him playtime on an incoming ball again and again and never lost patience.  I was also grateful for referees who tried to teach the children to play fair and interceded when the ball was stolen from Paul.  Lastly, I was grateful for the single basket shot by my favorite three year old in the last game.

9.  Private fireworks shows
We love fireworks, but I hate crowds.  Several years ago, Adam started shooting fireworks at his uncle's house in Chandler.  It's in the country, so it's legal. As the years have gone by, Adam and his cousin John have gotten close to professional on their fireworks display put on just for the family.  No crowds to fight, and we got to go in the air conditioning as soon as it was over.  It was spectacular.

10.  Carpet cleaners
Last week we had two dogs that had some stomach issues.  When they were finally well, I steam-cleaned the carpet with my own appliance.  For just the cost of detergent, the carpet is fresh and clean.  Everyone in the house is grateful for that.