Thankful for the Little Things

When dinner time arrives, after the chaos of cooking, setting the table, getting drinks, arguing with kids over who sits next to whom, and how to keep negative opinions to yourself, when we’ve all settled into our places, we take turns naming things we’re thankful for. It’s one way we’re trying to cultivate a heart of thankfulness and gratitude in our children. Though I can’t take credit for the idea. My parents started this tradition during my grumpy tween years of ‘everything is awful, nothing good has ever happened in my entire life.’ As my mom told me then, “I don’t care if it’s that you liked your ponytail today, you can always find something to be thankful for.”

My dramatic tween self wasn’t exactly a fan of this motto. After all, didn’t she know how hard my life was? Couldn’t a girl just get some sympathy and be left alone in her misery? Fortunately, my mom didn’t give up and was intent on driving the point home. Looking back now, I can appreciate that she didn’t relegate thankfulness to one day in the fall. Thankfulness is a heart posture and one that deserves notice year-round. So, in honor of my mom and her persistence, here’s my list of things I’m thankful for, one for each day of November.

1. Modern plumbing; I deal with enough poop as it is.
2. Hobby Lobby: The official sponsor of my home—except I pay them, they don’t pay me.
3. Disney+. Obviously.
4. Online shopping with free two-day shipping, taking impulse shopping to the next level.
5. Pork belly: Samgyeop-sal, chicharróns, pancetta, etc. I love it all.
6. Garages, because there are few things more miserable than loading kids in car seats as you get soaked with rain.
7. Text messaging: For introverts who struggle with appropriate, verbal, social interaction.
8. iCloud storage for my 54,550 photos—not an exaggeration.
9. Coffee for waking me up and making me a semi tolerable person in the morning.
10. Rent the Runway for making me feel like Cinderella.
11. Cheerios, meeting Robertson babies’ caloric needs since 2013.
12. Microwaves, so it only takes 1 minute to “make” food that my kids won’t eat.
13. Singing in the car, my own personal concert venue.
14. Hoodies, because I can wear them to the bus stop without a bra and no one knows.
15. Dancing with the Stars. It makes me happy.
16. Sequins, Sparkles, Glitter, and having a little girl to enjoy them with.
17. Baby toes, the cutest things to kiss.
18. My diffuser, so my home smells of cinnamony goodness and not dog.
19. Netflix streaming, because I don’t have to keep DVDs for months, forgetting to send them back.
20. My trash heap of a minivan, God bless her.
21. Copper, my Roomba, for helping clean the dog hair off my floor.
22. People who put up Christmas lights early.
23. Walmart Grocery pickup for taking my least favorite errand off my plate and literally filling it at the same time.
24. Apple Watch, for the ‘ping’ feature that allows me to find my misplaced phone.
25. Cookie Dough.
26. Locks on bathroom doors.
27. The no-spill dog water bowl (aka Flash proof) that my husband found on Amazon.
28. The Cincinnati Zoo, home of Fiona, the Hippo.
29. Jamberry nail products, I might not sell them anymore, but I still enjoy my fabulous nails.
30. Good hair days

*Not listed, but goes without saying (yet here I am saying it): my husband, my children, our health and safety, my family, God’s provision, my salvation, and forgiveness and mercy that I have done nothing to earn.

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18