30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Two

For Day Two,  I am thankful for my son, Daniel.

When I first found out that I was pregnant, I was pretty much in shock because the timing of it was unexpected (I had just been laid off from my job). Almost immediately, though, I became very excited at the prospect of being a mother (as well as a little bit scared). As my baby grew inside of me, my thankfulness grew as well and I can honestly say that hardly a day has gone by in the past 16 years when I have not thanked God for His incredible gift of Daniel in my life.

Now that Daniel is a teenager, I am thankful for him in new ways. As I watch him grow into a man, I am thankful that he has given His heart to Christ and is growing in his faith and that I see evidence of God's work in his life. I am thankful that Daniel is physically healthy and strong and that he has a good mind and takes advantage of opportunities to learn and expand his knowledge.

I am incredibly thankful for the good relationship that Daniel and I have with each other. I know that mothers and sons often have an easier time during the teenage years than mothers and daughters do, but God has given Daniel and I a healthy respect for each other and we have good communication and a good sense of what our roles are in each other's lives. I truly enjoy spending time with him and am always happy when we can just hang out at home together.

I am thankful for Daniel's creativity and broad range of interests. He loves sports and has given me lots of education in the rules of the games and what players are on what teams. I actually shock myself (and probably him too) when I voluntarily watch SportsCenter, even when he's not home! I am thankful for Daniel's musical ability and, it may sound crazy, but I am thankful for the drum set that he has in our living room. It's loud sometimes around here, but it is so much fun to hear him play, either on his own, or with his friends who come over to practice with their band.

I am thankful for Daniel's temperament and for his personality. He is funny, well-organized, confident, but also not openly arrogant or insensitive to others. He is well-liked by his friends at church and at school, and I can see leadership qualities coming out, which makes me very thankful. Daniel loves his family: his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as his parents and siblings. I am thankful when I see how much joy Daniel brings to others who aren't quite as biased as his mother is!

We prayed Colossians 1: 9-11 for Daniel when he was a baby and they still apply today, along with the previous verses in the chapter:

"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. . . For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light." (Colossians 1:3-6, 9-11)

Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to be Daniel's mom!