Easy

It would be easy to look at us and think of lots of things NOT to be thankful for compared to last Thanksgiving.

After all....her husband lost his job last year and was basically unemployed for 5 months.

She had a baby and fought depression for 4 months.

They had to move out of their own house and into their parents, knowing that it would be quite awhile before their child took her any steps or had any milestones in their own home.



Yup. It would be easy.

Life isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. Every bit of those experiences is preparing us for things ahead and has opened up doors to see our Lord work in amazing ways.

After all....Daniel lost his job and was unemployed for 5 months, but it not only opened him up for the possibility of taking the job he has now, but he LOVES the job he has now and continually realizes how unhappy he was in real estate. We prayed avidly over this job interview and God answered our prayers....and didn't stop there! Seeing as it is an area where he wasn't an expert, nor had the exact qualifications they were originally looking for, the entire first month he was there, I prayed specifically that he would pick up fast, learn everything he needs to know completely and that he would impress his co-workers and bosses. God answered that in an amazing way! Almost weekly, he has received accolades from those around him and feels confident with everything he is learning. He has proven himself a valuable asset and someone whom they can depend on. I am so proud of his hard work.

Having a baby this past year may have been the hardest thing I have ever gone through, but I can honestly say that I feel amazing as a mother. Not an amazing mother.....it's not a brag post. But, I feel amazingly confident, prepared, experienced and capable. It doesn't scare me like it did before and the guilt I had over not being a super peppy, excited, totally in love with my baby mommy has disappeared. And the best part is that I am able to be there for other moms to tell them of my experience, that things WILL get better and that they are doing wonderful. Jesus did that, too.

We may have had to move out of our own house and in with my parents, but it has taught us lessons we could have never imagined. Like how incredibly selfless, supportive and nonjudgmental they are. Seriously. They are amazing parents and doing amazing things. What they have and are doing for us will be paid forward to our kids and their kids and their kids. It's a way of living life that will forever reflect their loving hearts. THAT'S the kind of thing we want to pass on.

We've also learned to trust God with what we know He has told us are right decisions in OUR lives. Believe it or not, we have prayed about each of these decisions in our lives and truly feel that it was what the Lord had in His plan for us. No matter how many times people ask us:
"You live with your parents? Wow. For how long?"
"Daniel has a new job now, so are you moving back to your own house?"
"So, since you guys are living with your parents, YOU'RE going to get a job now, right?"

I'll tell you. It's not easy fighting the judgement that I know is in people's minds when they hear of our situation. It would be easy to view us as slackers, moochers or even to make the harsh judgement that we are taking my parents for granted. But, when I remind myself of what the Lord has done in these situations and how clearly He has blessed us with the decisions we've made......it's not so hard to be thankful.

In fact, let's take another look.....

Yeah....I think it's pretty easy to be thankful this Thanksgiving.