Thanksgiving in December

So we are back from our "holiday" and we feel sane and in control of ourselves...finally! This weekend we had a great time with our kids and got to know them even better. They both thought they could swim, and jumped right into the pool and promptly sank like rocks, so we quickly realized that they thought they could swim, but actually had never been in a pool before, so, WOW! God taught us a lot this weekend about thankfulness and being grateful even when it is hard. It is EASY to be grateful in the US - we have everything, but when you don't have everything accessible to you, that is when you see if you really can "be content in all circumstances, whether in plenty or in want." The same goes for faith. It is easy to have faith when we are in control, but when things don't go our way or are out of our control, that is when we see if we really have faith. I realized this week, that my faith is not as strong as I thought (yet ANOTHER pride issue I have to work on!!!), but God also let me know that He knows I am just not there yet and that He still loves me and is actually, not even suprised by my immaturity. Even though I am:) One of lessons of gratitude came from this weekend when we met a man from Canada who is adopting two darling girls. When we asked him how long he was staying, he said he didn't know. As our conversation continued, we found out that he has been in Ghana for 7 months (SEVEN!!!) and has no idea when their adoption will go through. And here I have been crying and whining about 2 weeks! His wife had to return to Canada to work and manage things at home and he stayed with the girls. The girls got malaria and typhoid fever at the same time and one almost died, but here is what he said (talk about gratitude!) "I am so glad we had that time in the hospital, because now my girls know that I am not going anywhere and I am in it for the long-haul" Amazing. So we are ready to face this week, and perhaps another week, because we will choose to be grateful and to exercise our faith. This weekend, I learned that it is a choice and so Phil and I have determined to be not only content, but grateful for all we have, which is so much.