Being Thankful

I've decided that being thankful is a choice - a lifestyle choice. You can choose to be thankful for what you do have, or can you choose to complain about what you don't have. Either way, it's a choice. I am choosing to be thankful.

Thankfulness is something I have definitely learned through our adoption - it is one of many lessons God is teaching me right now. I rejoice and thank HIM when someone takes their children home. That gives God the opportunity to help some other child get off the streets and into a safe, nurturing environment. Our file is in the President's office right now, a step that we weren't quite expecting but knew would be possible. I am thankful that IBESR has already approved our adoption and pray in faith and in hope founded in God that by going through the President's office, the process will be somehow easier in the long run. I am thankful that we are not alone in this - in fact many of the adoptive families that we have met through our adoption are in the same position as many of them already have biological children. I am thankful that there is hope that we will get through this step quickly. I am thankful that God has been and will be faithful - Joshua WILL come home one day and we pray in faith that it will be soon.

Beyond our adoption, though, our life circumstances have taught me how to be grateful for what we have and not to dwell on what we don't have. When we had our DD almost nine years ago, we made a conscious choice to do whatever we could so that I didn't have to work full time. We both recognized my need for work - it truly makes me a better mom when I have those few hours away. We also recognized the importance of having a parent at home as much as possible. Because we chose to see if I could work part-time in my engineering field, we also chose to take the attitude of "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

Funny, my kids' kindergarten teacher taught that to them in kindergarten. Maybe it's true, everything you need to know you really do learn in kindergarten.

In the last 9 years, I have switched companies once. I endured over four years of not being heard or respected before an outright lie caused me to consider leaving the company, and I did. I have now been at my current company for over four years and I fully expect to stay here for a long time.

I don't often compare what I make or get from the company to what other employees or even other companies do. I may not necessarily get paid what someone in my position working full time would make, and honestly, I'm OK with that. I don't get as big a bonus as other people and again, I'm OK with that. In fact, I didn't get a bonus at all for the first three years here...just a gift card. I don't get paid for holidays that fall on days that I would normally be in the office working. I don't get paid for days that I have to call in sick because either I am sick or one of my kids is sick. I probably don't get as big of a raise as others. I AM OKAY WITH THAT. I don't complain. I don't bite the hand that feeds me. I don't look a gift horse in the mouth. And I make it a point to thank the owners and vice presidents for all they have done for me. I am not proud of what I do - thanking everyone....I just think too many people take for granted what they do have because they are too busy looking at what they don't have. And I am choosing to not take my job and the benefits I do have for granted.

I work when I want - making my own schedule. I come in when I want to and don't when I don't want to. I work from home as much or as little as I want to. I have no number of hours I have to work. I don't get paid unless I put in the hours. If I have a sick kid, I get to stay home and not worry about how many personal hours I have. I can go to Haiti 3 times in one year and still take off 2 weeks at Christmas. I GET TO WORK FROM HOME.

I am incredibly fortunate. The benefits I do have far outweigh the benefits I don't have. So much so, that working full time doesn't appeal all that much to me right now because I would lose most, if not all, of the benefits I have now. Gain some, yes, but what would I really gain? I would get paid for holidays and vacations - only 6 holidays a year and 2 weeks of vacation. And, oh yeah, I couldn't stay home with my kids during Christmas, spring, and summer breaks. Hmmm...not getting those benefits is OK with me.

I love my job - yes, I enjoy what I do everyday. I love the company I work for. I will tell anyone that this is the absolute best company to work for (and I said that before I won the trip). And I mean every bit of it.

So, next time you find yourself complaining about what you don't have, or comparing yourself to someone else, think about what you do have. Maybe having all that someone else has isn't all it's cracked up to be.