Gratitude, Part 3

Eight more things to be thankful for:

• Misunderstandings - because they usually end up creating an ideal opportunity for conversation.  When clears the air and the heart and allows you to move on.
• Holidays - which completely overwhelm me.  The dynamics of families, the change in schedules, the ideal of perfection, the overeating...it's all a part of the deal and while I love it I often find myself overwhelmed by it all.  Since I was a kid I have found myself stealing away to the bathroom or a quiet bedroom for a few minutes, praying that God would help me get through the rest of the day while listening to all of the goings-on and wondering how long it would take for someone to notice that I'm missing. 
• Traditions - like Cousins Pizza Night the Saturday night after Thanksgiving.  An evening of being with all of the cousins who are in the area, sharing pizza and laughter.  Over the years it has evolved a bit.  Some years the focus is more on playing games, this year the focus is more on a birthday party for one of my cousins kids.  It's still Cousins Pizza Night though and I love it. 
• Cousins!  They are so much fun to have!  As a kid I was sandwiched eight years between my older and younger cousins.  I looked up to my older cousins but never fit in and loved spending time with my younger cousins even though there was a age gap.  Nowadays we are all adults and I have found friendship with most of them.  It's fun and I love knowing that I have an extended network of family to fall back on.  I love that my daughters have cousins who live close by and it really makes me laugh that for one month each year between the cousins we have a child for each age.  Until yesterday we had a one year old, a two year old, a three year old, a four year old, a five year old, a six year old and a seven year old.  It makes for just a little bit of crazy when we all get together. 
• Remote Controls - we managed to lose ours again yesterday, which is becoming a common occurence.  I miss it when it's gone but I'm not yet to the point that I will go search the outside garbage to make sure that Smiley Girl didn't make a deposit in the trash can.
• Health - our family has been incredibly blessed in this department.  My children are healthy, my husband and I have no major health problems.  Our parents, while aging, are doing quite well. 
• Sarcasm.  Enough said.
• Leftover Pumpkin Pie and Dr Pepper Ten - what better way to start my Saturday?