I'm Blessed

A good friend of mine, Gretchen, started a wonderful thing several weeks ago.  It is called the "I'm Blessed" party and it happens every Monday.  Each Monday, she adds a post to her blog about reasons she is blessed.  The idea is to start every week by "counting your blessings".  I think that is an excellent idea.  Then people are invited to post their own "I'm Blessed" blog and link it to hers.  This is actually one of the reasons that I decided to start a blog in the first place.  I love the idea of recording the many ways I have been blessed, and the many reasons I have to be thankful.  Ok, I know that I missed the Monday deadline...by a few days...but again, better late than never.  I wanted to post one last week also, but these past 2 weeks have been rather crazy, so I decided that instead of waiting until next Monday and having three weeks worth of things to write about, I would just post mine a little late (and only write about 2 weeks worth!) :)  So, let's start with last week.  We spent Labor Day weekend the same way we have for the past few years- at a weekend-long get-together with my sisters-in-law and their families.  There is one tremendous blessing:  When I married Randy, I received 5 sisters as a bonus!  I truly love and appreciate them all and I am so thankful for them!  I am also thankful for the many cousins that our kids have and the ability to get together on at least a semi-regular basis.  I am thankful that they all enjoy playing well together.  We really had a wonderful time and I feel very blessed to have had that opportunity.  


The day after Labor Day, our son Timothy turned 7.  I feel so blessed to see the fabulous young man that he is becoming.  I love the fact that he loves farming with his dad, and soaks up every little detail of the work that the guys are doing.  He jumps at any chance to be out "helping" the guys.  I love to see how he puts that attention to detail to work in his engineering and creating.  He loves to work with his hands, creating amazing mechanical things with Legos, toy farming equipment and anything else he can get his hands on.  I also really love to see his tender heart.  He is so loving with his younger siblings and with animals, and he tries so hard to do the right thing.  His name means "honoring God" and I pray that his desire to do so only continues to grow.


Two days later, Randy and I celebrated our 10th anniversary!  It is hard to believe that it has already been 10 years!  Equally hard to believe is how much our lives have changed in that time.  We have moved twice (from the little apartment to a house in town, and then to the home farm), received the blessing of four children, and expanded the farming operation.  Of course, as with any marriage (or any life for that matter), we have faced challenges over the years.  It is through the trials, however, that our faith has grown as we held fast and turned our hearts toward God and clung ever tighter to His grasp.  It was through those same trials that we have grown closer to one another, stronger in our love and commitment to one another than the day we stood together at the altar.  I can say without hesitation that I love my husband more today than I did 10 years ago.  We have seen so much growth in ourselves, in our faith and in our family as a whole, and that is truly a blessing!


So, you may be wondering what we did to celebrate 10 years of marriage.  Sure, it would be fun to be able to say that we went to Hawaii or some other exotic location, or that we had a delightful, romantic getaway, just the two of us.  However, that is just not practical at this particular time in our lives.  With a newborn to feed and care for, even escaping for a romantic dinner can be challenging.  However, my beloved surprised me with something that means just as much, if not more, than a dinner date.  On Sunday, we packed up the kids and headed up to a spot that is quickly becoming a family favorite- Itasca State Park.  The last time we were there was 2 years ago, when Abby was just a baby.  We spent three nights in a beautiful log cabin, and spent our days exploring the headwaters of the Mississippi River and the gorgeous nature trails, and learning about the history of the Mississippi River, our beautiful state, and the logging industry.  Emma and Timothy had the joy of participating in the Junior Naturalist program, learning about nature while working toward earning a very exciting deer patch to put on a jacket or item of their choice.  I feel blessed to live in such a beautiful place and for protected areas like the state parks where we can simply soak up the beauty of God's creation.  I am blessed to have a husband who loves me and our children and is willing to make the time (even as we rapidly approach the busyness of harvest) to create memories that will last a lifetime.  Truly, I have been blessed beyond measure and my cup overflows.


Oops!  I just realized that I am a little bit too late to link this to Gretchen's "I'm Blessed" party for this week.  The good news is that I have a jump-start on next week. :)