Count your blessings day... or something like that

I have decided to make every Monday both on my blog and in my life a day of Gratitude (inspired by the blog, A Holy Experience. ) I chose Monday b/c so often it can be a day we dread. It might mean five more days of school until I get to another weekend. Or, five more days of work at a job you're not crazy about, or five more days with your husband gone at his work all day. No matter what your circumstance, I though Mondays might be days where we needed to be reminded of all the good in our lives and all we have to be thankful for.
Therefore, every Monday I am going to post 10 specific things that I am thankful for.
Here goes...
As I sit in my one bedroom apartment I am thankful...
1.) That we found this place so quickly upon our return from Norway for about the same price as our old apt. and that it has so much more space than our old apartment (good esp. with our toddler and for entertaining) but is still in walking distance from everything.
2.) Also, that it is run by our old landlord who is extremely lenient about everything which means that we painted our living room wall "Courtyard green" a bright and rich evergreen color, with a white Aragorn tree on it. Beautiful...
3.) After 3 months kept indoors by the cold Illinois weather, that it is 74 degrees outside and birds are chirping and the sun is shining welcoming spring ! (which means parks and hikes and picnics and flowers and animals etc!!)
4.) Speaking of birds I am so grateful that my son is learning to talk so much now (bird being one of his latest words. He likes watching them through the window). His 50 odd words (I counted the other day for his baby book) have alleviated so much of his frustration and enabled him to communicate very well.
5.) Looking across the room from where I sit I see a beautiful asian style quilt that my father's mother made for my birthday. I am so grateful for the artists in my genetic line that have infused me with just a bit of their genes. It helps me to create and see the world in a richer way.
6.) I recently attended a MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) gathering at the church of the lady I babysit for. While there we painted pots and were given seeds and soil to plant them in. I have been like a child every day going over at least twice to see the miracle of new life pushing through the soil and bending toward the sun. It is amazing watching things that were once just small seeds turning into LIFE, vibrant green first and then a glory of color and style. I can't wait to see how the flowers turn out and to begin smelling my basil and cilantro. I am SO thankful that God wrote this beauty into creation.
7.) As my head continues to swivel around the room I spot my bookshelves that are bursting at the seams and I see titles and names of authors that have shaped me in such deep and lasting ways that I am greatly in debt to them. These include George MacDonald, Madeleine L'Engle, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and on and on. Hmmm... perhaps they will become topics of some of my postings this week!
8.) My feet right now are propped up on an antique trunk that my mothers father (my "mor far" in Norwegian) found for me. My grandparents are some of the most generous people I know and they have found great fun in running estate sales in their retirement days from which we constantly receive treasures. Their example of love and charity deeply bless me.
9.) While on the topic of family I will delight in the fact that I am currently living so close to mom's entire family. We are surrounded by local love and get to share meals with parents and grandparents and aunt and uncles and cousins weekly. This I think is increasingly rare as people choose their home spot based on its location or job possibilites rather than family. Perhaps we will follow that example someday and move into the mountains or by the sea, but for now being wrapped in the love of family has enriched our lives amazingly.
10.) And finally I guess I will say that I am thankful for blogs! There are parts of the technological age we are in that I feel cheapen life, and alienate and ostracize people from real relationship. But, the blogs that I have interacted with surround me with such a great cloud of witness and give me a direct link into the hearts and minds of people (esp. women) who are following the same road as I. They share wisdom and wit and encourage me to dive more deeply into the love of Christ and hold me accountable to continuing to grow more into His likeness.
For all these things I thank you God