Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day Ten

Day 10. The Letter J.

Today I’m thankful for my son James – the “baby” of the family.

By the time your fourth child comes along, you think you know the drill and what to expect. Granted, it had been eight years since I’d given birth to the twins and the Big 3-0 had sailed past in a blur. But just about the time I got cozy with having all my boys in school, you guessed it – baby fever hit. Max and I prayed about whether this was a good idea or not, but after a couple of months, we knew we wanted to have another child.

The entire pregnancy I had a weird skin condition and at one point had ankles the size of tree trunks. I was miserable, but thought it might be a sign that this time we’d have a girl. God had other plans. Not quite a year after we’d been stricken by the baby bug, boy number four arrived. One month early. Adorable with loads of silky black hair and three brothers who doted on him from the beginning. And in the end, God knew James was just what we needed to complete our family.

Poor kid. We dragged him to soccer games and school plays and craft shows from the time he was a month old. We were definitely more relaxed with this late comer, and it showed in his easy disposition. He was easily entertained and entertaining to have around. And he really couldn’t get by with anything because, as parents, we’d learned a few tricks of our own via the antics of his big brothers.

Still, James has always exuded a certain confidence and seemed to know what he wanted and worked hard to achieve it. He’s earned a lot of honors through 4-H, FFA, high school, and in college and made us proud parents, but his greatest feat was in finding Allison. There’s no doubt they were made for each other, and three years ago it was our pleasure to be part of their fairy tale wedding (see picture).


Today, they’re the proud parents of two girls – Tempe and Scout – their Siberian huskies.


Max and I are blessed by all of our boys and their families. Sometimes it’s more than our hearts can hold, and this season of thanksgiving is a good time to ponder just how incredible the gift of parenthood is. And, of course, we’re especially grateful that we’ve lived to tell about it!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day One

Today I'm starting something new here at the Cafe - Thirty days of being thankful. If you’re anything like me, you’re thankful every day for God’s gifts and His blessings. Mine tend to be generic more often than not, so as I’ve seen others do, I’m devoting November – the month of Thanksgiving – to being intentionally thankful every day. For small things and those that are unspeakably grand.

To keep things straight – and because it’s the sort of thing I would do – I’ll be going through the alphabet for the first twenty-six days. Then who knows? The last four days may be a surprise even to me as I keep my heart open to abundant gratitude. Join me, okay?

Day One. The letter A. 

Andy and Amy with the boys

Appropriately on the first day, I’m thankful for my firstborn child – Andrew – always Andy to us. Imaginative, creative, and the one who would test my mettle in more ways than I can count (teen-age years anyone?). But thirty-seven years ago, when the gravity of having a little person who was totally dependent on his inept parents dawned on me, I thought all the answers could be found in a book. I found out soon enough the parenting experts hadn’t met Andy.

Enter: the delight of raising a child who asked why of everything, had an imaginary friend named Larry (whose mother let him do all the things I wouldn’t), could spell encyclopedia in the first grade, invented his own utopia and called it Andy-Land, and gave us two amazing grandsons as a reward for our feeble efforts at raising him. His tears when he held his first-born brought full-circle the joy and thankfulness that I’ve had in being Andy’s mom – both then and now.

More adventures in parenting waited in the wings. Journey with me along the road of gratitude this month.
Have you had any surprises as a parent? What are you thankful for today?