Ten Little Things

My son was restless and started to wake up around 4:00 this morning. It was that semi-waking state of murmurings and attempts to snuggle back into the bed. Finally, he crawled over and cuddled with me, his head and body across my chest, our hearts and breathing synchronized. At one point, he sat up, looked down at me, and said, "Hi Mommy" in the sweetest little voice. He wrapped his hands around my neck and hugged me for all he was worth.

At that point, it was still only 4:30 in the morning. I wanted to be asleep. And on some nights I would have been a little annoyed at this intrusion into my sleep. This morning? I didn't care. I'm so thankful to have him that some lost sleep is insignificant in comparison.

As I lay there for the next hour (until he sat up and asked to go downstairs), I thought about things for which I'm thankful. Of course, like most, I'm thankful for friends and family. I know that I am extremely blessed to have been given so many wonderful people in my life. I'm thankful for my husband; he is my perfect mate. My son? Forget about it; I'm beyond thankful for him.

But I started thinking about little things that I maybe take for granted or overlook. Things I'm thankful for without generally thinking about them. So here's a list: Ten Little Things for which I Am Thankful!

1. Freshly brewed coffee sipped slowly in front of the fire on a cold, quiet morning.

2. Hubby turning to me at the end of a long day and saying, "Want to get something to eat somewhere?"

3. Randomly flipping through channels on the television and finding out that a favorite movie is just starting.

4. Honest compliments that come out of the blue...and come on days when you really needed to hear them.

5. Nights when the little guy goes to sleep early and I have an hour or two to write, to read, or to work on photography.

6. Going into the kitchen just before bed to pack Hubby's lunch and finding that he packed it hours ago.

7. Being in the middle of something and suddenly being wrapped up in a huge hug, while the little guy kisses me and says, "I yub you."

8. Listening to my son giggle and laugh while he's still sound asleep.

9. Putting on a pair of pants that were a little snug and finding that I need a belt.

10. Breathing. It's a small, involuntary action that means I'll have another day to find things for which I should be thankful!