Thankful Day 11

A BIG THANK YOU to all our Veterans! Your service is so appreciated. I am especially grateful to all of my friends and family members who have served our country both stateside and overseas.

On a very personal note, I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to spare my brother's life as he served in Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border. You see, on the last day of his service over there, Nathan was in a 5 hour firefight and his team took two hits from missiles that had a 30-yard kill radius. They should have all been dead on the first hit but they survived two hits.

Nathan with his Daughter

Nathan prayed that morning. He sensed something was coming that day and was the first one geared up and ready before they were attacked. He prayed over each man in his unit. His squad leader was hit hard enough in the attack that he passed command onto my brother because he was not feeling in his right mind. Nathan continued to lead the mortar team and they retook the base that had compromised their position. The team has suffered concussions, scratches and one man lost an eye, but the two missiles that should have killed them all did not succeed in doing so.

Nathan has recounted this story to me a few times. He tells it with a reverence for what he feels was the protection from the Lord. He said that though he was thrown back during each explosion, and he did black out twice, he remembers feeling like he was moving surrounded by a bubble of protection. Sometimes things happen that are not logical, that cannot be explained by physics. We choose to believe it was a miracle.

As I listen to this story, to his testimony, I am reminded of a story my mother told me of her father, my grandfather, during World War II. My grandfather, Mario, was part of the underground resistance in Italy during the invasion by the Germans. As a young soldier, before he met and married my grandmother, he worked to smuggle jews out of Italy and other covert operations. There is a story my mother tells us about one night where divine intervention saved his life.

He was trying to get across town in the cover of night, after curfew. If he had been caught he would have been arrested and possibly recruited against his will into the Italian army in the service of Hitler. He was walking down an alley through a town he was familiar with, as he was carefully staying in the shadows, he passed a corner and he heard a voice: (translation) "Mario, over here!" He obeyed the voice and went to look behind a shed. Just at that moment a pair of German guards came through the alley on their patrol. There was nobody else behind the shed. Mario was hidden from getting caught but there was nobody from whom the voice might have come.

Though he wasn't a veteran of our country, my Nonno (grandfather) Mario also fought for freedom and against tyranny. Let us all remember the service of these men and women but also stop to pray for them because the Lord does watch over them and guides them. Though believers need not fear death, if they are spared, then I like to think that the Lord still has a purpose for them. Pray for them.

Thankful Day 10

"Friends are your chosen family"

I am a loyal friend, even to those whom I do not always agree on everything with. I can rekindle a friendship after months or years of non-communication. I do not, however, make friends easily. Being an introvert I am actually quite happy, and sometimes need to be by myself. I know it is hard for people who are not introverts to understand that, and I appreciate those who do.

I do not make friends with everyone I meet, but I find that I will encounter people whom I know I will be friends with from the minute I meet them. I build these friendships slowly over time and cherish the little moments of conversation or common experience and carry them throughout my life.

Whether these friendships are still consistently present in my life or not, they have shaped who I am and are a part of me. Those who have endured over the years I can truly say are like family. Even some more recent ones I covet as family members. I believe (and hope) you know who you are. If you are not sure, I guarantee I have a special place in my heart for you, forgive me if you do not know it.

I am so thankful for the jewels in my life whom I can call friends.

Thankful Day 9

Yesterday I went to my first prenatal appointment since I stopped working. My midwife comes in the room and says "oh, you look much better! Working while pregnant does not suit you, does it?" *sigh* She is right. It kind of made me laugh.

The mind is willing but the body is not able. I think I stopped working just in time, if not a couple weeks too late.

David and I agree that what is best for our family is that I stay home with our children and homeschool them. I am so grateful for his support. Not just because we are in agreement but also because I know I am not one of those women who can "do it all" and not have either a physical or emotional breakdown. I applaud the women who do, but sometimes I wonder how hard it must be for them.

Believe me, motherhood is a FULL TIME job. You work 24-7 with few breaks, and yet, it is the best job I ever had. I love being a Mommy. I love cooking dinner every night and taking care of my family. It feels right and it feels balanced. I am so thankful we are back to this balance now.

Thankful Day 8

About a month ago we got rid of our TV. We never watched much anyhow, and never got cable. Netflix is a great tool because we watch something when we want to for about 3/4 of the time it would take with commercial breaks. Also I am glad my daughter never has to watch all of those commercials aimed at children, making them want things they don't need. She has already learned letters, sequencing concepts, numbers, social concepts and a lot of animal facts from the shows we let her watch. This of course is in combination with preschool activities that we do together.

We also recently sold one of our older Macs and waited for the unveiling of the new iPad before making a purchase. We are glad we did because the iPad Mini is more suited for our needs. It is easier for my daughter to hold and is still a good size for interactive learning apps. So far she has been happy with two highly-rated learning games. Monkey Preschool Lunchbox teaches letters, spacial concepts, memory, shape recognition and more. Bugs and Buttons has 18 learning games including mazes, sorting, hand-eye coordination, spacial orientation, manipulation and more. She has so much fun learning and I have fun sitting with her, talking about what she is doing and experiencing it through her eyes.

Technology is a tool. I am thankful we have it and we enjoy it. The important thing is to remember its purpose and not overuse it. While I can troubleshoot a lot of things I am also thankful that my husband has a talent for technology and can solve almost anything that I cannot.

Thankful Day 7

I am thankful I was able to visit the chiropractor today. I have been in pain for about 2 weeks because I am 8 months pregnant and I slipped and even though I caught myself, I pulled a ligament in my back. My dear husband begged me to call for an appointment on Monday so I did.

Money has been very tight as we are still recovering from a tough couple of months of unemployment from the summer, getting debt paid off and being cautious while restructuring our budget. I feel blessed that we were able to budget for me to see the chiropractor this month because it really helped. I was able to walk without being in constant pain this afternoon, enjoying a walk in the fresh autumn air with my mom and Blueberry.

Thankful Day 6

I am thankful for the almighty Lord and my Savior who promises to provide for our needs.

This takes new meaning for us this year because of the sacrifices we have made in our family to be as independent as we can be from government assistance. I don't consider myself a democrat or republican, but I was voting for hope that we all can be successful and independent people. It saddens me that many people voted with fear of losing "benefits" because they don't believe they can provide for themselves. Out of fear that they can't do better, so many families stay in the welfare system. I know because I have personally met many of them in this rural part of Oregon. Some even take advantage of the system, but it still makes them slaves to it. It keeps them down and dependent and that saddens me for them. I don't want to be dependent on the government. I do lean on the Lord and He is faithful.

"But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil."

2 Thessalonians 3:3

We prayed and our Lord answered when David was unemployed and I was 3 months pregnant. I got a job in less than a week, so I know I was meant to be there, though I did not want to be there, I grudgingly obeyed. The Lord is faithful. We may not always get what we want but the needs of the faithful are met. We did not want to go on food stamps or TANF in order to make ends meet. There are families that need those things more than we do. We did not want to be a further drain on the economy.

I had to go on Medicaid for 5 months because we found out I was pregnant before David lost his job and we did not want to go without prenatal visits. I considered it a blessing, not an entitlement. I am happy that now David's job provides health benefits for our family. Our goal was not to stay in the system. You are not a leach if you use the assistance on the path to a better future. It is a burden on society if you don't improve your situation when you are able to do so.

I continue to pray that things will improve, especially for the future for my children. Just as we have fought to pay off our personal debt to provide a stable future for our children, I don't want them to inherit the national debt that our culture of entitlement has created. I don't have much control over that, but I can teach them to be good stewards of what the Lord has and will bless us with. I hope that one day they will understand what it has meant to our family for the last three years to continue to have faith despite continual hurdles. I hope they will be uplifted by our faith and thankful for what the Lord provides for us.

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus"

Philippians 4:19

Thankful Day 5

My first memories of cooking with my mom were when I was about 5 or 6 years old and she was having me coat some chicken with egg and then with breading. We were making fried chicken and she had me transfer the pieces of chicken with a fork. Then she would do the frying. She taught me most of what I know about cooking.

I feel very blessed to have learned how to cook from my mother. She taught me how to mix flavors in her Italian traditions. I learned to cook by sight and approximation more than recipes and measurements. Over the years I have learned how to experiment and tweak recipes in order to overcome some dietary challenges and my mother has always been a great support and sounding board for my experiments.

These days my (almost) 3 year old is learning how to roll dough, brush oil on pizza stones, pour and mix ingredients. She loves to help. As I share these experiences with her I can't help but reflect on what a happy experience it had been when I was a child learning from my own mother. It brings me great joy to pass this on to my daughter.

Brushing Oil on Pizza Stones