Always, Always, Always Something For Which To Be Thankful!

It finally caught us...or we caught it...I'm not sure. In any case, the intestinal flu ravaged our family on Thanksgiving weekend. As I lay in my bed, aching from head to toe, making the occasional mad dash to the bathroom, I was tempted to have a gigantic pity party. "Ok, Lord," I was tempted to say (ok, maybe I DID say), "This is the 2nd time I've had the flu in the last 3 months, and both times I have been away from home. You know how much I needed this break, and how much I have been looking forward to it. 70 of my family have traveled hundreds of miles to spend two days shopping, eating, visiting, and laughing till our sides hurt...and this only happens once a year. Now, here I am, stuck in a hotel room...on Black Friday. Oooohhh, that hurts, Lord!"
As I fought these thoughts through the morning, I was gently reminded of my blessings:

• A sister-in-law who was kind to bring my hungry girls some food from the hotel's continental breakfast...they were the only ones with an appetite.
• A hotel suite (as opposed to a typical room) that made being cooped up manageable.
• The most warm, comfortable bed in the world...even with chills that rivaled Arctic breezes, and muscle aches that felt like I had been beaten with a 2x4.
• A dad who brought Tums, Sprite, Imodium, Saltines, disinfectant spray, and wet wipes...yeah, wet wipes.
• A husband who drove 4 hours to go home to work and back, and fearlessly entered the sick room to become my caregiver. :)
• A sweet cousin who took care of my girls so that they could go with the other kids to Sharon Woods to see Santa and the lights.

So, although my list of blessings was a little different this year than last, they are blessings, nonetheless!

Oh, yeah, one word of advice...never eat more 7 layer salad than you would care to see later. It quickly turns into 42 layers...

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving 2010!