So, I’ve been realizing lately that I haven’t been true to the name of this blog. Instead of blooming joy, I’ve been weeding sorrow. So here are some things that I am thankful for:

1. While yes, I miss seeing familiar faces on the television, I can still watch my favorite national shows, and best of all, I’m not yet annoyed by the local commercials. I haven’t seen them enough times to be tired of them yet. And I will probably never again have to hear Billy Fucillo say “Huge” like he’s getting sick: “he-oooooooo-jah!” (for those of you who have never visited Western New York and turned on a television, this is a guy who owns a bunch of car dealerships and loves to talk about how every sale/deal/car is huge).

2. We have more than one bathroom! We could have made do with just 1.5 baths, but the townhouse we bought has 2.5, which is a luxury for us. We have lived in five homes in our married life: a one-bedroom apartment with 1 bath, a five-bedroom house with 1.5 baths, two two-bedroom houses with 1 bath each, and now this three bedroom townhouse with 2.5 baths. When my mom was still here she had her own bathroom to get ready in, and having a master bath is such a nice thing. Our bedroom ends up feeling like a hotel room with way better closet space.

3. Speaking of our home, we have three bedrooms and a finished basement! Our last house had only two bedrooms and an unfinished basement, and it felt crowded. Now, it feels like there is too much space, but I know when my sister, brother-in-law, and their three daughters come to visit us (hopefully in May) we won’t feel like we’re on top of each other. And if God blesses us with children, we will have plenty of room for them and still have space for guests.

4. I can relax and not worry about working right now, because Travis’ salary is sufficient for us to live off of. So I can focus on getting our tax paperwork ready (groan), unpack the house, get everything organized, and have enough energy to cook dinner. Hopefully I won’t set off the smoke detectors again like I did last night. Must remember to turn on the fan before starting the oven – until this stove breaks in, it will probably give off fumes.

5. We have a townhouse – did I mention that? While the outdoor spaces at our last house were beyond beautiful, we rarely enjoyed them. When we bought it, we talked about having breakfast out on the deck in the summer, or playing with the dog in the big side yard, but we never did. We are actually spending more time outside now, because we have to walk the dog instead of putting him out in the yard. And we don’t have to worry about snakes surrounding our house, either. That was the downside of the yard before.

6. I can hold off on getting involved in any areas of ministry, and choose where I want to be serving. I’m thankful that I finally completed DCE certification, but the downside to working for a church is that you don’t get a lot of choice in what you do. Your job description is, at least in part, determined by others. And while I will be fending off weekly requests to join the choir for a while, I still know that I can sign up for areas that interest me.

7. I have never seen my husband more content in his work, or better at it. 🙂 Since I know he’s been reading this, I figure I should throw him a bone. Travis was never this at peace in his position at our last church, nor did he seem to be able to relax when he worked as a missionary. Now, while I can see he is exhausted (something that might be solved by going to bed earlier), I know he’s not fighting an impossible battle of the wills. Yes, some people disagree with him, but that storm subsided rather quickly because the members of our new church really do respect him.  I don’t think that was ever true of the leadership at our last church.  Well, some of them, anyway.  He’s using his gifts and leadership with a staff of several people and able to shape the ministry in this place with such maturity.  I’ve been surprised and thankful to see that in him.