It’s a different kind of Thanksgiving, to be sure.  But around here, different always feels right.
It’s almost noon and instead of running around here like a turkey with its head cut off, I am in my pajamas with a serious case of bed head listening to my man make the four of us some chicken fried rice that we bought at Sam’s Club.
And I’m so beyond thankful.
About a month ago, my daughter and her husband came over hauling their clothes and a new diaper bag pretty sure they were about to meet their new little one.  Three weeks of labor starts and stops later, we were still waiting and still cohabitating.  The merging of two households is a tricky thing–even for the closest of families.  Especially when one treasured member is hurting and needing assistance.  Life was turned upside down for every one of us as we waited.

And then, hope became expectation and expectation became promise.  And upon delivery of the promise–JOY!!!!

Sounds like Christmas to me!
Here, in our family home (specifically, my bathtub) a baby girl was born.  To a new, heroically brave momma who chose no pain relief and the help of a skilled midwife, a precious new life was born.
A new beginning to soothe the frayed edges.  Joy from pain.
I’ve been there–both literally and metaphorically.  Needing to push through the pain to get through to the promise.  Once you get to the good part, the pain all seems more palatable.  Once you see the reason in the rear-view mirror, and taste the reward, you understand why you had to travel the thorny path to get there.
And you miraculously find yourself thankful for the thorns.  They make the relief so much sweeter, don’t they?
After the birth, my daughter had some complications.  Nothing God and a very capable, prayerful professional couldn’t handle, but enough that she needed complete bed rest for quite some time.  I mean don’t-get-out-of-bed-for-many-many-days kind of bed rest.
Though I consider caretaker to be one of my compulsions by nature, I learned what being a 24/7 careGIVER is.  There is a whole level of attentiveness and work that I didn’t know about before, and it makes me want to pat all good nurses on the back.
Total dependence of a newborn baby and a helpless new momma is consuming.  Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade it for the whole world.  I would do it all day, every day for my girl or any one in this family.  But, when all is well and I can sit and reflect on the goodness of my God Who heals, and restores, and does miracles in front of my very eyes, and begins new life…!

I am thankful for this quiet day with everyone right where they want to be.
How do you even begin to appreciate the beauty of a quiet day if all of the days are quiet?  It’s like living in Florida and saying you appreciate the sunshine!  Seriously, it takes a West Michigander who lives in too much ridiculous cold and far too many gray sky days to appreciate the sunshine in a real way.   We don’t just appreciate it, we REVEL in it!
And that’s how I feel today.  After being reminded of the fragility of it, I REVEL in life.
After weeks of trials, I REVEL in rest.
I revel in the joy of watching God fulfill His promises.  My heart is so very full.  And so very, very thankful.