I SO wanted to make sure that I didn't miss the last day of November with my "Month of Thanks" challenge I set before myself. Alas, I had an interesting day yesterday, and flat fell asleep at 8:30.
Oh yes, I did.
I have had two things I wanted to express thanks for yesterday, and here they are:
1. I had the opportunity to spend the day with The Girl and her class on a class field trip. They were wrapping up their Westward Expansion unit and wanted to cap the whole thing off with a trip the the Plains Conservation Center. Here they have all sorts of wonderful and interesting things that teach about what the early settlers of our state used/lived in/had to work with. There were sod houses, one room school houses, farm sites, and all kinds of chores to be done. The kids were supposed to be make believing as though they were kids in the 1860's. It really was set up to be a wonderful time. The people that work there are very committed to teaching, and do a great job with large groups of children. Really, the whole day was set up to be wonderful. And it so could have been.
Except.
It was a whopping 30 degrees and the wind chill was a whole 3 degrees. I probably don't need to tell you that when you are out on the plains, the wind really whips.
Oh! And we were outside for FIVE HOURS.
MmmmHmmm.
You all know how much I love cold weather. It was torturous at times. Towards the end, when I had finally lost all patience and was very close to calling The Hubs to come and pick me up, there was a point in which I almost got nasty with our tour guide. I won't get into the details.
It wasn't thankful or nice.
So, as I drove home and the feeling was starting to come back into my fingers and cheeks, I reflected on the fact that I had a chance to get out of there. The people who first settled here many years ago didn't have that luxury. They were stuck in their sod homes with no heat and no electricity. They had no way to get out of their chores because it was freezing cold outside because their very lives depended on it.
I became thankful, and fast. I am so thankful for heat, for shelter, for insulation in our home, warm clothes, and all things warm. I would have totally crumbled had I been forced to live back in the 1800's.
Also, I am very thankful that God has provided me with the opportunity to be able to take the time to go on the field trip with The Girl. Even though the weather was less than stellar. I love being able to be apart of her daily life.
2. Yesterday was my parents 38th wedding anniversary. I am so thankful for their marriage. It hasn't always been the easiest of roads, but they have stuck by each other's sides through the thick and the thin. They have sacrificed themselves for their marriage, and fully understand that a good marriage takes work. What a wonderful example they have set for me and my sisters. This day in age when people around us live for themselves, their needs, and their hopes and desires as well as a society, who as a whole, sees so many things as disposable and not worth effort and hard work, I have my parents to look at and see the opposite. They have shown me that sometimes it's just not about you. In a marriage there are many things you just have to die to, and the first thing is self. They also have shown me that marriage is something that takes work and effort, but in the end it is so sweet. Congrats, Mom and Dad on 38 years! I am thankful for your marriage and the example it is to me.
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