Five Things For Friday, Gratitude Edition

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day here in the United States and so I thought I’d use this Five Things for Friday to express things I am grateful for… which this year isn’t hard to do at all.

I am grateful for 5 wonderful women who sent me this beautiful necklace last week!

The women I have been working with for the last two years to write and compile The Gift of Giving Life held a virtual “mother’s blessing” for me. A mother’s blessing is a little bit like a baby shower except that the idea is to shower the expectant or new mother with love and spiritual strength rather than clothes and baby things. (There is more about this in our book, including the history of LDS women giving each other mother’s blessings in the early days of the church, so if you want to know more you’ll just have to read the book!) Since we all live far away from each other (some of us have never actually met in person yet) and weren’t able to physically get together they mailed my mother’s blessing to me. They each wrote me a letter with encouraging and uplifting words about motherhood, pregnancy, and birth and then they each chose a bead and a song that went along with their message. They strung all the beads together into my necklace and burned all the songs on to a CD for me.

The idea was that I would get it BEFORE my baby was born and that when I was in labor I could wear the necklace and listen to the music and remember that I had women praying for me and sending me their love. BUT, because Abraham surprised us all and came early I got it when he was 5 days old instead! Still, I don’t think it could have come at a better time. The day it came I was feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable (postpartum hormones will do that to you) and I needed their loving words. I’ve been wearing the necklace for the last week and it makes me feel like I am wearing a hug. I love those ladies.

I am grateful that we still have 4 more weeks until Christmas! I love Christmas time and am so excited that we can now officially put up our Christmas decorations and listen to Christmas music. It really is the best time of the year!

I am grateful for 3 little ragamuffins. Life has been sort of chaotic around here as we’ve all tried to figure out how we fit together as a new family, but it has been fun. Abraham has such a sweet spirit and he has only brought us closer together… sometimes too close… as I have to keep reminding the kids not to lay on or squash their baby brother!

I am grateful for the 2 weeks of dinner our Relief Society has brought us! They really went above and beyond this time and I have been so grateful for their love and service. Every time I am the recipient of service it just reminds me of how much even the tiniest acts of love mean to people. I am have been showered in love the last few weeks and it makes me want to give as much of it back as I can. Relief Society is awesome.

I am grateful for 1 amazing husband who has changed way more diapers than me, gotten up in the middle of the night with a fussy baby way more than me, done the dishes and cleaned the house way more than me, entertained two bored children way better than me, and napped way less than me. Not to mention trying to write his thesis at the same time. What a hunk.

Have a beautiful weekend!

If you want to link to your own “Five Things for Friday” post you can use the tool below to add your link. 1) Please link to the URL of your blog post and not your main blog and 2) Please include a link back here.