Thankful in Every Season

The last year has brought a LOT of different seasons to our life.  Some have been exciting, but I can’t lie, many of them have been hard.  In this week of Thanksgiving though, I realize looking back over the past year that there has been something special to be thankful for in each of those seasons.  The faithfulness of God was always visible to us in each season.  (I will apologize now, this is a LOOONG one!)

Last November, we saw the generosity of God’s people bless our family.  When (A) left ministry, things had become very financially tight for our family.  Our daycare situation had changed so we actually had more household bills, but a very drastic decrease in our family’s income.  We became excellent budgeters, and learned that we could get by “without.”  Some weeks that was still challenging because his pay was hugely dependent on the commission of the shop where he worked, but in his particular job at the shop there was nothing he could do personally to contribute toward the weekly increase or decrease in that commission.  The week of Thanksgiving was one he had warned me would be tough because being closed for a day was going to significantly impact his commission.  The day before Thanksgiving, I was out delivering product to Mary Kay customers and had a lovely visit with one customer who is a dear friend.  When she handed me her check she mentioned she had rounded up her total.  I thanked her, but didn’t look at it until I got in the car.  She had rounded up her total by $200.  I began crying.  When I texted to thank her (I couldn’t call for the crying) she insisted she just wanted to be a blessing to our family.  When I arrived home from those errands, I checked the mail to discover an anonymous card addressed to our family with another $150 cash enclosed and a sweet card wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving.  I was overwhelmed.  In one day, God had more than supplied for the need of the smaller paycheck that week.  There was even a little extra to put toward Christmas.  As long as I live, I will never forget how thankful I was in that week to see generosity. 

In December, I was thankful that the love and laughter of family can light up our home.  I have always hosted Christmas parties and small group gatherings throughout the Christmas season.  Last year however, there were no parties to host.  Much of our social situation had changed.  My husband will be quick to tell anyone that one of my spiritual gifts is the gift of hospitality- our home is always open.  I love to entertain, host, feed, and make people feel welcome.  My heart was broken by not being able to use that gift through the holiday season as I had for many years in the past.  However, last year both of our families gave me the opportunity to host our family Christmases.  I’m sure that wasn’t easy for our mommas who love having their kids in their homes, but it was such a huge gift to me.  I was so thankful for tables full of family to feed.  I filled their bellies, but they filled my heart.

In January, I was thankful for a glimmer of hope.  (A) came to a town in south central Illinois for his first interview with a church he was very interested in.  I had a whole list of reasons why I didn’t think it was a good idea, but by the end of the day each of those reasons had been put to bed and I admitted “I think this might be it.”  We knew there was much more to the process, but for their first time since interviews had begun, we felt hope that God wasn’t finished using our family in a ministry that we could also love.

In February, I was reminded how thankful I am to be the Momma of a little cowboy.  We celebrated his second birthday, had snow day adventures, and unseasonable weather at the end of the month brought some after-school playground dates.  Parenting is not for the faint of heart, but it is such an amazing blessing.  He is funny and sweet and fiercely independent and I am so thankful that God entrusted him to us.

In March, I was thankful for the chance to make memories.  For Spring Break, I desperately needed a low-budget getaway, but I also knew (A) could not take time off work.  So I called my Mom to see if she would be willing to go with (a) and I to visit my grandparents in Louisiana.  (I know that even sounds silly typing it-  she was much more than just “willing” to go.)  As the plans began to come together, my sisters joined us and my aunt and uncle also came to join the adventure as well.  It was a week that will go down as one of my all-time favorite trips.  We laughed, and made memories, and reminisced over old memories, and played, and laughed some more.  It was an incredibly special week that I will always look back on with a thankful heart.

In April, we were thankful for new beginnings.  God made His call to us very obvious, and (A) accepted the position of Senior Minister at the church he had first be introduced to back in January.  We began moving stuff into storage so our Indiana house could go on the market, and with each trip west, we could feel that God had something new and wonderful in store for us.  That breath of fresh air was scary, but we were overwhelmed with the feeling of thankfulness that God had begun something new in our lives.

In May, we were thankful for God’s protection.  After leaving (A) in Illinois for his first week at the new church, (a) and I headed back to Indiana to finish my school year and get our home packed for the move.  After 3 hours on the road, we were within 5 minutes of my hometown when we were involved in a car accident.  A truck in the oncoming lane was hauling a load of hay, when the load shifted and fell off the truck into my lane.  As I tried to avoid the head-on impact, the car behind me rear-ended us.  It turned into a complicated matter that took a couple months to straighten out (one of the other drivers didn’t have insurance), but all I could think about was how catastrophic it could have been.  Instead, two vehicles behind me was a man on a motorcycle who was a local insurance agent.  He stopped to help make sure and walk me through getting all the important information I would need and made it clear he would not leave me until I had some help.  I recognized his name, but that day I was pretty sure he might actually have been an angel.  My parents happened to be 5 minutes away and were able to come get (a), and miraculously, my car was still drivable (even with over $8,000 worth of damage).  Amid all the frustration I was so very thankful that God provided safety and help that day.

In June, I was thankful for the hospitality of “strangers.”  I never imagined myself as a homeless person, but in June we were.  We closed on our house in Indiana 31 days before we were set to close on our new house in Illinois.  Thankfully, an incredibly hospitable church family opened their home and allowed us to live with them during that time.  I can’t lie, I was really scared at first because I had no idea what to expect and we did not know them well.  But I will admit, by the end of our time there I felt like a part of the family.  The night we moved out and into our own home a couple of tears slid down my face because I was SO incredibly grateful for how they had loved us and made us feel at home.  Their hospitality and friendship was a true gift to our lives.

In July, I was thankful for the “family” in the term church family.  We got possession of our new home on a Monday and by Friday every single wall in the house had a new coat of paint, new light fixtures were installed, a bathroom was remodeled, and on that Saturday allllll of our belongings were moved in.  I lost track of how many wonderful people walked in and out of our doors that week.  Members of our church family were there with paintbrushes and supplies from early in the morning until late at night.  Others showed up with food to fed the work crews and men came in droves to carry all of our furniture on move-in day.  We could never have begun to accomplish all we did that week without their help.  I would never have enough “thank yous” to tell them what that meant to our family.

In August, I was thankful for new friends.  Leaving my “circle” in Indiana was very hard and I was scared I would never find friends like that again.  While it is true, those friends are irreplaceable, I knew I had to form some friendships here too if I was ever going to make it.  In the early weeks of August, before school began I met a teacher across the hall who had a story so similar to mine.  Her husband’s job had also relocated them and she was far away from friends and family.  We quickly realized we had similar classroom styles and backgrounds in education.  While adapting to a new school setting has had its share of challenges, I am confident God sent me there to gift me with her friendship.  And I am so very thankful for that!

In September, I was thankful for old friends.  Our best friends from Indiana came for a weekend visit and it was the most amazing gift to my heart.  We have walked through more life together than I could ever put into words.  Having a chance to share our new chapter with them was wonderful, but more than that I was so thankful for their wiliness to come.  It made me feel that we were still loved, that we were not forgotten in our “old life” and that our friendship was still a priority.  We will be forever thankful for what they mean to us.

In October, I was thankful for family time.  A zoo trip, pumpkin patch visit (even though you may have already read about my disappointment at their term “pumpkin patch” haha), trunk or treat, pumpkin painting, town parade, and soaking in every last drop of beautiful warm weather before it was gone.  Our little family has clung to each other through thick and thin, and I am very thankful God gave those two guys to me. 

In every season God’s goodness shines, and I’m so THANKFUL for those blessings in every season.  I’m excited for what the next season will hold. 

“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:15