Thankful Thursday

On this Thankful Thursday, I have to write about some indulgences. Over the past 5 years, I have learned the importance of caring for myself. Ok... I admit that I am not fond of exercise or eating healthy. Those are things I still need to create some self-discipline about. But, I am getting better at nurturing myself emotionally and spiritually. I've developed a couple of "guilty pleasures" which truly have become a blessing to me.

1. House Cleaners - I can't very well say a "cleaning lady" since Cheryl and Denny are the people who clean our house. But, I can say that I am thankful for them! I do NOT enjoy housework. I don't like a messy house and keep things fairly neat. However, dusting, vaccuuming, scrubbing floors - hmm... not so much. Mark and I have a cleaning person come in regularly and this is money well-spent. It is wonderful not to worry about what things look like if company drops in unexpectedly or we want to invite someone over at the last minute. Coming home after Denny and Cheryl have been here is such a good feeling.

2. Massages - where do I start? I had my first massage about 5 years ago - several months after Bob died. After nearly 14 years of marriage that included daily hugs, kisses, and affection - all of a sudden, I didn't have any physical contact (no, I do not mean sexual) with ANYONE. Although I knew I missed human contact, until I had that first massage I did not realize the restorative nature of healing touch. Unfortunately, massage is not cheap. I found a school of massage therapy which offered very reasonable sessions with students. Last year, God scheduled my appointment with a student named Vicki. She is a genuine, tender-hearted person who has become an amazing massage therapist. She went on to graduate and start her own practice, but offered to give me a discounted rate since I was her "favorite client." At the beginning of an appointment with Vicky, I often feel like my body is a big knot. She presses, kneads, massages - calming my body, mind, and often my soul. She is such a blessing to me! I LOVE to get a massage!

3. Mark - I know I that I say I am thankful for him almost every week, but I am thankful for him EVERY day! After commenting in #2 about how important touch is, I love holding hands with my hubby, kissing him, cuddling up together - being in his arms is about my favorite place to be.

4. Lunch with friends - this could go in my Friday post as well, but I'm putting it here. My friend Denise lives in Florida right now so we only get to see each other 1-2 times/year. We've been friends for 20 years - she was a bridesmaid in my first wedding. Denise is back here in Minnesota for a couple of weeks so we got together for lunch today. Spending a couple of hours catching up on each other's lives was a wonderful blessing and I am thankful for opportunities like that - friends are SO important!

5. One more thing - I am thankful that God is all-knowing. He knows everything there is to know about our child (children) - the color of their eyes, hair, shape of face, personality traits, etc. I love the idea that God has planned our family from the beginning of time - even though Mark and I don't know what our family will look like, God does! I imagine Him like an eager child saying, "I can't wait to show you the plans I have for you - be patient, be open to my will, and enjoy this journey to your child!"

What are you thankful for this Thursday? Come on... surprise me with some responses!