I Am Thankful For...

Yesterday was a nearly perfect Thanksgiving.  My boys are in town, my wife's meal was incredibly delicious, we had good conversation, and my family capped the night off with a movie at the theater. 

During some downtime, I looked at FB and Twitter to view friend's and family's posts.  I enjoyed seeing what people were posting.  Thankfulness was in the air.  People were thankful for our country, family, the military, friends, Thanksgiving meal, their pets, our freedom, etc.

As is tradition at our house, we go around the table and let each person say what they are thankful for after we pray.  When it came to my turn, I didn't have to think about what I am most thankful for.  I am thankful for the four years that I spent in a camper 250 miles from my family and friends in a location that I really didn't like.  More specifically, I am thankful for the lessons that I learned and the appreciation for the "normal" things that I gained during those four years.

Sometimes my stomach turns even now when I think about how lonely I was during that time.  Many times I would leave work around 5:00 p.m. and not hear or utter another word until I talked to my family before going to sleep. I often think about missing most of my youngest son's high school years ( I was gone during his four years at high school but spent time at cross country and track meets on the weekends).  I think about shutting off the water in late October (as required) and not having running water again until late March.  I remember getting sick in the middle of the night and having to walk 100 yards to the shower house through the snow at 3:00 a.m. and then spending the night lying on concrete because I was too sick to go back to my camper.  I remember going to bed with gloves on my hands and a hat on my head with two sleeping bags and three blankets over top of me just to stay warm.  I remember crying and shouting in anger at God because I couldn't believe I was in this situation.

And yes, without a doubt, this is the thing that I am most thankful for.  It helped open my eyes to how spoiled I am and how I used take normal everyday things, like running water, for granted.  It made me realize how important family is and how much I miss them when we are apart.  It made me thankful for how strong my wife is. 

And it made me thankful that God, in his infinite wisdom, would allow me to be put in that situation so that I could learn to be more thankful and appreciate the small things in life.

I hope and pray that you have a "camper" experience someday.