Not an Empty Nest ☺

I am thankful that we do not have an empty nest. We now have two children that have graduated and one that is about to graduate from high school. Our family formed just about eight years ago, and we’ve had a lot of life in those eight years. I wish we were a family from the beginning of all of their childhoods, because there just wasn’t enough time to watch them grow up.

Dylan has been different for John and I. When we got married he was only five, and John has known him since he was three. We have been able to see and continue to see him grow up together. Dylan is twelve (almost 13!) and full of life. Because I know now from the other three children that time slips away, I am more acutely aware of his growth and daily presence in our lives. Words cannot express all the joy he continues to add to our lives.  I am thankful that we have Dylan and not an empty nest. 

Our Moms

Last Sunday, John and I went to the Trans Siberian Orchestra with our moms. The Orchestra was great.  Jo, John's mom, said she had never thought she would have liked music that loud, but the light show and how everything was put together made it great. We were on our feet rocking and (at least I was) brought to tears at certain points in the show. This was really something to be thankful for, however what I was really thankful for was the time to get together with our moms.

It was fun to treat them to a day out and get all dressed up. I couldn't help but think that without these women we wouldn't be together or have the role models that we did to help us know how marriages can be. At dinner, our moms shared with us the story of how they met our fathers and their courtships. 

Last year, we lost John's Dad. This has acutely brought to my attention that time with our parents is precious. I am thankful for time with our parents every chance we get!

-Julie Willoughby

Unexpected Blessings are the Best!

While I didn't get the time with my one-year old granddaughter that I was planning on having (stupid stomach bug hit Grandma at the wrong time!), some unexpected blessings came that would not have otherwise.  I had five teenagers at the dinner table tonight.  Thank goodness for a working freezer that was filled with chicken tenderloins and broccoli and then the left over Christmas gifts of artichoke dip and desserts.  I had baking potatoes (which is a rarity, but planned for Christmas Eve, and since Jon was that night sick, we had lots left).  So I pulled a dinner together for six, and so enjoyed the time together.  I had some bacon that was soon to expire and  thought it would be good on the baked potatoes.  One of our guests -- someone I just met tonight said -- "this is bacon with LOVE -- the real kind!"  The conversation was fun, and I realized that my youngest child will soon be off to college and these moments will become so rare.  I am cherishing them while I can!  While it's NOT my Grandma time as I had planned, still a time of blessing, and I am grateful.

Thankful for Bobby

I am thankful that Bobby is happy in Myrtle Beach. Bobby just graduated from high school last May. It was hard to see him move away from home. He has liked the jobs that he has had, and he is starting to look into taking college classes. He is still working on his artwork and is holding on to his dreams.
I am thankful for Bobby.  -Julie Willoughby

Why Be Thankful Here?

Science is now showing us that being grateful will improve our health.
Religion tells us that being grateful brings us closer to God.
I am choosing to be grateful because of both of these things. I also think about the opposite of gratefulness, being ungrateful. Ingrates appear unhappy and negative. People like this get on my nerves. When I am ungrateful, eventually I get on my own nerves.
I am starting this blog to have a place to be thankful, and I am inviting people I care about to have a place to share their thankfulness as well.

So, let us start the journey of thankfulness together.

Let me start with something I am simply thankful for, Buddy and Ginger.
Buddy is the dog in the front. Ginger, his litter sister, is the back.
I am thankful for Buddy and Ginger, because they love me unconditionally.
They are there to greet me every morning and every night. When I scratch behind their ears, I know I have made them very happy by the wag of their tails. Dogs are work. Feeding, cleaning, and cleaning up after their messes in the yard can be a drag, but the love they give me is far greater than the work required.
Thanks Buddy and Ginger for being my dogs. -Julie Willoughby