The Wood Between the Worlds

Today I am stuck in my house. The weather is quite frightful and church has been canceled for the second week in a row! School was canceled all last week (except one day) due to a little bit of snow, but yesterday it snowed 6 inches and overnight we got freezing rain (I will post pictures later). I am taking advantage of this downtime to express random gratitude for life. Here are some things from this past year that I am grateful for:

1- I LOVE living in Oregon and taking advantage of hiking in the beautiful forest, frequenting the ocean, canoing in the rivers and going on lots of fun camping trips!

2- Once again...I am SO thankful for my house! I LOVE it! Especially right now when it is so cold outside. I love that we have an attached garage to park our cars in so I don't have to trudge through the snow everyday with two kids, freeze my fingers while I scrape snow off the windows and get snow down the back of my neck when I scramble into the car. I love my master bathroom with garden tub. It is so relaxing. I love our backyard! I love the trees out there. I love our garden area. I am so glad that we got so much done in our backyard over the summer. We built a patio out of rustic basalt, a pathway around the yard and a patio cover. We still have a lot to do, but it is lovely. I love the view out my bedroom window when I wake up in the morning: a wall of trees and greenery. I especially love the view out my window when the sun shines through the leaves illuminating them and casting a comforting warm green glow.

3- I am SO grateful for Brent, Joshua and Toby. I LOVE all of our little adventures together (see #1). I LOVE that my little guys are up for adventures. I am so grateful for how healthy we all are. I am glad that Brent encouraged me to get all the foods with hydrogenated oil/trans fats out of our life (not that we used much). We are now working on getting out the high fructose corn syrup. I LOVE that Joshua wants to eat healthy food and he encourages others around him to do the same. Last year, he told his kindergarten teacher that she shouldn't drink coffee because it wasn't good for her body. His teacher sent me a note later this year telling me to tell Joshua that she quit drinking coffee, after her doctor encouraged her to do so also. She told me that she was touched to know that Joshua cared. I am SO glad that I am a mom. I love giving and receiving hugs and kisses from my boys. I love dancing, singing, goofing off, wrestling, kung fu fighting, reading, and playing with them. I LOVE that Brent is my absolute best friend and we talk about everything and anything.

4- I am GRATEFUL for Obama/Biden and change we can believe in! Yes we Can! I am looking forward to health care reform and a system where EVERYONE can get the heath care that they need, including people with pre-existing conditions, people who work hard full-time and don't make enough money to pay astronomical insurance costs...but yet they don't qualify for medicaid. I am hoping for a straightforward and honest system where you get what you pay for, instead of a system of red tape and companies with share holders and profit margins. I am hoping for a country where people won't be tied into stressful jobs in order to get health insurance (to cover their stress-induced medical problems). I am hoping for a healthier country where prevention is the priority. I am looking forward with hope to a new economy built on green and clean energy! I LOVE Obama! He is new and exciting. He is a family man. He inspires hope in many people.

5- I am thankful for LIFE and all that it teaches me. I am grateful for learning and how my perspective can change over time, with an open mind. I am thankful for FUN, FUN, FUN!

6- I am grateful for Brent's initiative to set goals to move us toward financial Independence within the next 10-15 years, and all of the little and big things we are doing together to get us there. And I am glad that we both foster the goal to make our home as self-sufficient as it can be (with gardening, preserving, rain water collecting, gray water recycling, solar power, chickens, etc.)

7- I am SO glad that Joshua is getting everything he needs at school this year. He has joined special education (for his sensory issues) this year and is profiting a lot from that. While, at the same time, it has become obvious to all who work with him that he is academically gifted. I am indebted to his teacher, the principal, and all the special education people. Most of all, I am just grateful that he loves school and that he loves to learn.

8- I am thankful for my amazing body and the ease in which I can train for and run 13.3 miles....or 26.6 miles...or swim/bike/run.

9- I am grateful for good friends and amazing family, both near and far! So WONDERFUL!

10- I am thankful for my freedom. My freedom to go where I want. My freedom to vote. My freedom to choose. I am thankful for those who are willing to preserve our country's freedom...those who have in the past and those who choose to in the future.

11- I am MOST extraordinarily THANKFUL for a faith in a PERSON...in a FRIEND who knows me and loves me...wants me to FOLLOW HIM and be HAPPY...teaches me to LOVE all, and be loved by many. I am thankful that Jesus Christ is MORE than just a religious icon to me...but a REAL LOVE that burns in my soul. If nothing else, I am extraordinarily thankful that my heart and soul are capable of experiencing this kind of love.

Peace to all and enjoy a wonderful holiday season, wherever you may be...know my heart is with you.