Another 30 days of thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1 NIV)

Last year began our family thankfulness project. Each day one member of the family wrote something he/she was thankful for and placed it on a ribbon strung up in the kitchen/dining room. Remember this post?

It's so remarkable to look back to where we were one short year ago. We were stressed-out and anxious about our uncertain future in Michigan. We were waiting for direction in Todd's candidacy process in Detroit and looking at the possibility of moving our family to Illinois. I was working full-time but feeling torn between home, my job, and church. The girls, of course, were perfectly oblivious to the changes that were coming. In truth, I think Todd and I did enough worrying for the four of us.

Fast forward one year. We are settled into our beautiful parsonage in Illinois. Todd is still in seminary and is serving two wonderful congregations. I have gotten my wish to be at home with the girls through this time of transition, and am finding fulfillment in my Monday morning Bible study and helping out in Sunday school. The girls are really starting to thrive. This is confirmed not only by my observations but also by their teachers at parent-teacher conferences yesterday. We are blessed.

But back to our thankfulness project. About a month ago in the dollar bin at Target, I found this:

I thought it would be a nice upgrade from last year's wimpy clothesline, so I grabbed two. The kit came with 6 leaves each, so I traced and cut out more leaves using last year's leftover scrapbook paper. I laminated the tree parts and leaves so we can use them for multiple years. The tree is supposed to stand alone, but the kids/dog were constantly knocking it over, so I relocated the tree pieces to on a photo ledge in the dining room. Here's a closer look:

Pretty and functional!

I can't wait to hear what the girls are thankful for this year. I know what I am thankful for: God's unending love, grace and mercy.  We could not have made it this year without them.

What are you thankful for?  How are you showing your gratitude this Thanksgiving season?