Keep on the Sunny Side: I have so much to be thankful for!

I noticed the other day that when someone asked me about our rental house and how we’re liking it, inspite of the many positive things that I could have said about it, I zeroed in on the many features of the house and property that weren’t quite meeting our needs and expectations. When I thought about it, I realized that I had answered that question the same way since we moved in. I like to think that that’s not my normal approach to life, and I know that there are things about this house that I really do love, so I need to get back into the habit of recognizing the many things in life that I’m thankful for.

I saw this piece of art at a friend’s house last spring and I love it:

This quote will go up on my wall sometime this year (I just bought a vinyl cutter. wee-oo!), because it’s a fantastic reminder.

This year, I’m so thankful for the people in our lives. I’m thankful for all those who lent a hand working on our house so that we could sell it and finance Brian’s school adventure.

I am incredibly thankful for my mom. She took the kids in for a week when we were prepping our house, then kept us all there for another week while our realtor showed our house, and then took the kids for another week (and drove them across the province to the next family who took them in!) when Brian and I made our pilgrimage to the Netherlands. The fantastic thing is that when the kids are at her place, we don’t worry a bit about them, which makes everything even better!

I am really thankful to have a Mother-in-Law who also takes on our children for a whole week at a time so that we can go on vacation – not to mention the fact that I never stress out when she’s coming into town. I don’t have to clean the house or wash the windows or organize my cupboards for her. Especially since I have more than a few friends who get a more than a bit stressed out by the presence of their MILs, I’m pretty thankful that she’s ok with the status quo here in our house.

I’m thankful for a home for our family, whether it’s our place of residence for the last 7 years, or our new home for the next two years.

I’m thankful for the bountiful beauty in our country made evident by the passing seasons – and by the multitude of ways that we can enjoy it together as a family!

I’m so thankful that Brian and I had the opportunity to have such a wonderful vacation this summer – definitely the trip of a lifetime!

I’m thankful for people who have inserted themselves in our lives as surrogate family members to us and our children.

God has given us much to be thankful for. May I never forget that.

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Jenn vanOosten

I live in Hamilton, Ontario, and love my city. I'm a Netflixer, choral music geek, bookworm, inventor of recipes (I take Artistic Licence on EVERYTHING that I make), wife of one, mother of two, and owner of a neurotic Schnauzer. I respect people who respect others. I love good food that's well done, but my favourite lunch is KD & hotdogs. With ketchup. I'm addicted to Clearance Shopping. I will ALWAYS get the product that I want at the price that I want, eventually.