choose thankfulness

Three posts in one day!  It's feast or famine around here I guess.  This one's been brewing for about a week, but I wanted to wait until I had this banner finished and hung so I could include a photo.  At a time when there seem to be disappointments all around.. struggling economy, presidential elections that didn't go as we'd hoped (and what that means for 35 years of laws to protect not yet born babies), and things in our own life not going quite as we'd thought for the last few months... We choose thankfulness.  There is so much to be thankful for, in little and big things every single day.  The other night, we sat down as a family (after a few days of feeling really sad about missing home) and we decided to make a list of things that we're thankful for HERE.  And we decided that we're going to focus on these things and enjoy this place to the fullest for whatever time we have here.  We have no idea really if we'll be here for two years or twenty... only God knows for sure.  And while it's okay to miss family and friends (and weather and culture) where we came from, we're choosing to be thankful for what we have here.  Here's what we came up with... ideas submitted from all family members, well all but Judah, in no particular oder:

really nice sink water

extended family being here

playing with neighborhood kids

mornings together

being able to ride bikes and play outside more

new friends

corn field 

playing in the snow

wild rice

Old Creamery Cafe

Caribou Coffee 

Mall of America

opportunities to trust God

the Waters Church

great new church friends

the Christmas play (Brooklyn will be a narrator and Zeke will be "back stage" moving sets)

not having cable tv

geocaching

fun parks

Mississippi River

less traffic

cheaper gas (down to 1.62 yesterday!)

renewed dreams

getting closer as a family

less busy-ness

doing more art/ crafts