Thankful Thursday

I'm always thankful for my children, but this week I wanted to dwell on some specifics about them for Thankful Thursday:

1.Peter--The other day we were out and he waved and smiled at an older man we passed, and then he said, "I just love older people!" I'm thankful for the love and sensitivity God has given him for older adults. He showed that from a very young age. When Peter was about 4, my dad went about 18 months when he had extremely limited vision. During that time, he continued to sing in the choir at church, which was challenging not only because he could not see the music we were singing, but also because at that time, the choir came down from the choir loft to sit in the congregation before the pastor's sermon. The combination of his near blindness and his very unsteady gait due to previous strokes made this very difficult. We worried about him, but he was determined. One week as my dad made his way slowly around the auditorium to where we were seated, Peter...without any prompting...got up from his seat and took off around the back of the auditorium. We panicked at first, not knowing where he was headed...and then realized...he had gone to take Papaw's hand and lead him back to his seat. He did that for many weeks...and it still brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it. He is still the first to offer to carry something out of the blue for an elderly stranger, and still counts a number of older adults among his favorite people.

2. Bayley--From the time she was tiny, Bayley has been known for her diligence. She is our *Italian child*...she truly takes after her Daddy and her Italian Nonna and her namesake, Granny Kitty, and their hard-working natures. I rarely have to worry about Bayley's chores, and often she will be found cleaning and organizing things *just for fun*. I've recently realized that I am going to have to work quite diligently myself to stay ahead of her if I am to train her to be a Godly homemaker. She is becoming a young lady so fast, and I am convicted and challenged that God has given her a love for being a keeper at home that I need to tend and nurture.

3. Emlyn--I was reminded again this week of Emlyn's love of *little things*. She notices the things that most of us miss...the tiny flower, an interesting bug...anything in miniature. She draws tiny pictures, she writes in tiny handwriting, and she picks out her books at the library based on their size...the smaller the better. In keeping of her love of *little things*, Em has always been our most contented child. And in a family full of kids that are mostly *chips off of Billy's block*, she is also the one most like me.

4. Ammah Grace--Tiny but Tough. That's Ammah Grace. "A whopping 27 pounds", in Billy's words Monday (at 3 1/2!), she is one tough cookie. The staff at UAMS pegged her as "tough and hard-headed" when I was there on bedrest with her before she was ever born...and they knew what they were talking about! God gave her an incredible resilience to not only survive, but truly thrive, through a very traumatic beginning...and she is a daily reminder to us of His power and faithfulness. She is also just plain old *cute*...and keeps all of us smiling (and usually laughing) no matter how hard life gets. I am so very thankful this week in particular that despite her current *Scarface* appearance, she wasn't hurt any worse in her tumble Monday.

To see what others are thankful for today, visit Iris at Sting My Heart.