40 Bags in 40 Days and 400 Things to be Thankful For

It is time for Lent. Each year I try to do something to celebrate Lent. One year we prayed for a different person each day of Lent. That was really wonderful and the kids certainly enjoyed it. I thought about doing that but decided that I needed to work on ourselves/myself a bit. This year we are going to do two things. First we will be getting rid of 40 bags of belongings. A large item could be considered one bag. We already got rid of one big chair and one bag of my husband's old papers to recycling. I think it will feel so good to have less stuff. I want to focus on my husband, children, family, friends and God's great creation ... not all this stuff that always needs dusting, picking up and organizing.

Secondly, I will be listing 400 things that I am thankful for. In this season of raising several special needs kids, I sometimes feel a bit like I am drowning. I am in one of those periods right now. There are so many things to do, change, fix, let go of, and LEARN. I need to remember that old saying ... "How do you eat an elephant?" "One bite at a time."  I am looking too much at the big picture and not enough at the little accomplishments and mercies that we see every day. I will start my list below and continue it through Lent.

My Thankful List (in no particular oder) ... I am thankful

1. for the money to replace the rest of the old, drafty windows in our house.  My dd's room is warmer already.
2. that my youngest dd is getting vision therapy.
3. that my oldest dd is showing interest in reading and laid in bed reading two nights in a row.
4. that we are all healthy.
5. that Tom Sawyer's helper will arrive in one hour to help for three hours this week.
6. that my husband and I see eye-to-eye on how to spend our money.
7. for a solid house.
8. for supportive parents.
9. for plenty of food.
10. for a really great contractor who works very well with a family underfoot.
11. for living on a hill ... the flooding is supposed to be bad around here today.
12. for children who want to be good and please their Mommy ... even though they often forget.
13. for English Breakfast tea, my favorite.
14. for the soft fur of our dog to pet.
15. for a devoted husband.
16. for sweet, sleepy children who snuggle up next to me in the morning.

What are you all doing for Lent?

Blessings,
Dawn