I'm Thankful for the Annoying Things in Life

With it being Thanksgiving week, it seemed only fitting to write a my Top Ten {Tuesday} post about ten things that I’m thankful for.  Well, except that seemed too easy.  It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.  One thing that I have tried to do for the last several years is to look at those things that aren’t so perfect, the things that are annoying, or the things that are less than ideal, and then see the back story of the blessings in them

1. I’m thankful for our health insurance payment going up, which we just found out about today.  It is because of that money we pay every month that we can get medical care, especially in a year where we had more than one surgery in our house.  Sure, we still had out of pocket expenses with all of that, but without their payments toward those bills, I don’t know how we could have paid for it.

2. I’m thankful for my messy house that I can’t seem to keep clean.  It means that we have shelter and abundance.  It’s nothing to be proud of (the abundance), but we are thankful all the same.

3. I’m thankful for my lack of free time during the day, even if I sometimes get jealous of others who have lots of free time.  It means that I have the freedom to decide how to educate my children and a husband that supports that decision both in his actions, words, and by making it possible for me to not work outside the home during the day.

4. I’m thankful for all those political ads and opinions that seemed endless over the last few months.  As much as I couldn’t stand listening to them, it means that we live in a country where people are free to express their opinions in that way, even if other people don’t like it.

5. I’m thankful for the piles of laundry that have been especially bad lately.  Those piles near my washer and dryer are not only signs that we have all the clothes we need (and more!), but that I have a safe and sanitary place clean them.

6. I’m thankful for my yucky old student loans.  Having them means that I live in a time and place where, as a woman, I had the right to a good education (that I was able to receive in a safe environment).

7.  I’m thankful for the yucky new student loans that we will soon have for Eric.  They symbolize the idea that it’s never too late to go after what you want.  And, even if you have failed at something before (even if it happened a couple of times), it doesn’t mean that you don’t have it in you succeed when you put your mind to it.  That gives me hope for the things that I have failed at too.

8. I’m thankful that I got stuck in a mile worth of traffic for 17 minutes today.  It means that I have my own vehicle and can cart us around to anywhere we need to go.  I once worked with a child when I did therapy whose Mom didn’t have a vehicle and even trips to the grocery story were a chore to figure out, much less trips to a doctor an hour away.

9. I’m thankful for the chore of making sure we have three meals a day.  It means that we have enough food that we can eat three meals a day.

10. I’m thankful for my sinful nature.  It means that I have a daily reminder of how much I need God and His grace and forgiveness.

What are some of your annoyances or difficulties in life that remind you of blessings you have?

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